Dave Warner's Blog, page 2

FIRST RUDE CREW RELEASE

The release of a new single is always exciting:you get to welcome the world to your music. It is especially so when it's the first offering of a whole new band. That happens Dec 1.

The Still A Mugs Game tour with the original Suburbs has only just finished but I'm on a charge and there's no slowing down. Most of this year I've been working with a nucleus of my muso mates Martin Cilia, Bill Beare, Lloyd Gyi and wife Nicole, aided by country specialists like Gary Brown and Clare O'Meara, to complete an album comprised of narrative (for want of a better genre) country songs. Some of these are very recent, some are demos done thirty years back but I didn't think they quite qualified as Suburbs songs, even though I have ventured into this territory before with tracks like Campus Days, Silver, North of the Equator. Little Miss Dynamite and many more.

 

The album 'Dirty Windscreens,Heartache and Beer' will be released Dec 29 but right now my focus is on this first track 'Stella' - a song about a good woman who gets a bad deal out of life. The song sounds jaunty and almost poppy but the sentiment is anything but.

You can stream on Apple Music, Spotify etc but of course it is much better for us if you download via Bandcamp. (the link on my Dave Warner Bandcamp page, the one above is up now. Hopefully the Rude Crew Bandcamp page - the one just here - will be operating by tomorrow)

Here is our webpage. 

We have created a Facebook page for Rude Crew so please check us out. And, yes, if you are wondering we would love to do some live gigs soon.

photos here by the wonderful Bleddyn Butcher. Mastering of the track by Tony Cooper.

LYRICS STELLA (Warner-Cilia)

Stella was a good girl she made a few mistakes  the biggest one of these was Joe

Joe he was a boozer a brawler and a loser b ut he was Stella's Romeo

Stella worked the diner to save a home deposit  while Joe was in the barroom playing pool

Stella stashed her savings back of the closet  she was planning even then for kids and school

  Love isn't always a good thing  Love can lead you astray

There'll be times when you wish to God   Love never came your way

  Joe found Stella's money blew it down the track  Stella couldn't see through all her tears

But she believed Joe when he promised he'd make the money back a nd she kept believing every single year

  Love isn't always a good thing   Love can lead you astray

There'll be times when you wish to God   Love never came your way

One day a policeman came to Stella’s trailer  Joe was wanted for burglary

But Stella knew her Joseph he wasn't like that She wouldn't them take her love away

  And so she picked up Joey's hunting gun  And shot the policeman dead before she realised what she done

Stella went to prison washin' dishesn  With vicious girls on either side

But she never blamed her Joseph she never had a cruel word u ntil last week she never ever cried

They found her hanging above a story of how a million dollars had been won

By Stella's fella Joe and there he was with his good looking new girl on page one

  Love isn't always a good thing   Love can lead you astray

There'll be times when you wish to God   Love never came your way

Great reviews `Summer of Blood'

My twelfth crime novel `Summer of Blood' (Fremantle Press) is out, on the shelves, and getting super reviews from reviewers and readers alike.

There's always some anxiety in the release of a new book. As an author I have to write what I feel and you can't be sure that will marry up with the taste of your audience. I loved the process of this book from the moment of its conception back in 2017 when on the island of Syros with my friends Nik and Elspeth who run `The Good Life Greece'.

MAGAZINE AND BLOGS

The Weekend Australian kicked off the reviews with this fabulous article from Charles Wooley and I am so grateful to the literary editor Caroline Overington for matching the book with a suitable reviewer.

`Summer of Blood' set in 1967 is the follow up from my second novel `Big Bad Blood' which was set in Sydney in 1965.

It has always been one of my favourites though the language can be difficult for non-Australians or even young Australians who don't have an ear for 60's vernacular. Originally published by Random House it is available on-line as an e-book. 

Jeff Popple who has been a t

errific supporter of mine also gave a great review in his blog Murder,Mayhem and Long Dogs. (see below)

It is over twenty five years since Dave Warner’s James Elroy inspired Big Bad Blood first appeared. Set in Sydney in 1965 it was an epic crime tale full of grit and blood.

Now Warner has finally released a follow up novel, Summer Of Blood (Fremantle, 3 October 2023), that takes the two detectives from Big Bad Blood, Ray Shearer and John Gordon, and sends them to California during the Summer of Love in 1967.

Gordon and Shearer are sent to America to find a young Australian student, the son of a friend of the Police Minister’s, who has gone missing in San Francisco. It is a time of change on the West Coast of America and the two Australian police officers find themselves in a strange world, as they follow leads through a maze of new music, free love, drugs and hippie counterculture. They soon come to realise, however, that this isn’t just any ordinary missing person investigation and that something very sinister is happening in the Summer of Love.

This is a big bold tale full of vivid images of LA and San Francisco in 1967 and plenty of violence. The story moves at a good pace and there is an enjoyable of intermingling of fictional and real life characters, particularly Janis Joplin. Warner’s portrayal of the good and the bad of 1967 rings true, and Gordon and Shearer are good guides through this turbulent time, even though they are sometimes completely bewildered by what they see.

The story builds to a tough and violent climax and there are a couple of neat codas back in Sydney.

The telling has a strong James Elroy feel to it at times, but there are also some great descriptive passages in Warner’s own unique style, like this depiction of the congested traffic near LA:

“Like bush flies thickening the nearer you got to dead meat, cars coagulating with every click nearer the city’s heart.”

In all, a terrific read.

Summer Of Blood is out in Australia now. It is available on Kindle and Audible in the United States and the United Kingdom (Audible only). Thanks to the publishers and the Canberra Weekly for a copy of the book for review.

As an extra bonus, Summer Of Blood comes with its own Playlist on Spotify and an eponymous single.

Excellent support too from other bloggers like Mandy Loves To Read, The Burgeoning Bookshelf, Wine and Books. Thank you all, as an Aussie author with an independent publisher I am very dependent on you getting the word out there and very grateful.

There is also an in depth interview with me and Jacqui Lang of Starfish if you'd like to hear from me. 

FAN FEEDBACK

I suppose we authors only tend to get the good feedback direct. Those readers who don't like a book much usually don't bother to contact the author direct. However, I was thrilled to get this feedback from Greg McKay in Queensland. A friend's dad had just read the book. A very astute  review and I thank him deeply. 

BOOKSHOPS

I have had sensational support from various bookshops. My local Humphrey's at Manly, run by the gorgeous Wendy, Abbey's, Dymocks Sydney,Subiaco, Busselton, Kinokuniya Syney. Harry Hartog Bondi Junction, Bookoccino Avalon and many more. Wherever I can I have left CDs of my song `Summer of Blood' as a bonus but if you purchase the book online from me you will also get the single.

 

 

 

 

NEW SINGLE: ODE TO OCHS

Fifty-one years ago I met the great songwriter Phil Ochs in Perth, WA. Rather than take up your time you can click here to see me talk about that meeting. Phil Ochs inspired me as a songwriter, and I rate him in the same league as Bob Dylan.

Now Martin Cilia and I have released our song tribute to Phil. It is now available for streaming and download. Here’s the Apple Music link. Tony Cooper helped with production in a big way, so thank you Tony.

The photo here taken July 1972 shows Phil heading to catch his plane after my mates and I saw him off at Perth airport. It was the only shot that turned out.

Soon Martin and I will be releasing a physical CD single that will have ‘Hennessy Rd’, an old fashioned protest song about saving elephants, on one side, and ‘Ode To Ochs’ on the other.

There are only 200 of these being produced and I am doing a certificate of authenticity for each showing the exact number of the CD purchased. The single should be ready in approx two weeks. Thank you Steve Panozzo for great work on the art design. If you would like to pre-order and get a low number click here. Because the postage is fixed cost it would make sense for you to buy multiple copies, for yourself or with a friend. For example 3 copies will cost you $11 for postage, the same as for 1.

PHIL

D                               F#M     G                     D

Where are you goin my singer of sad songs

D                           F#M                   G                 D

Now that the evening has perished into dawn

D               F#M     C            D               D                     G                          C                 D               

And the airport is only half-awake  a handful of followers with open palms to shake

D                                                                       G                              F#M

Round to clubs into parties where they get you name all wrong

               D                            G                              A                  D      

And to them you are nothing more than a singer of some songs

D                               F#M     G                     D

What are you doing my teller of the truth

D                               F#M     G                     D

You are the beacon that led us through our youth

D                 F#M                  C            D                               D                       G                        C                 D               

Brought the pleasures of the harbour to our door   yes we were listening to the  dipping of the oars

D                                                                       G                              F#M

You slipped a toe in the ocean on the far side of the world

               D                          F#M              G     

And we’re honoured that we met you Phil,

D                                             F#m     G

And wish that you were with us still

D                                            G               A                  

And as the hushing hours slowly fall

G                                                        F#m    

I whisper you were best            of all

D                              F#m                         G                              F#M

And no it don’t matter now that they got your name all wrong

D        G                              A                  D      

For you are so much more than a singer of some songs

D                              F#m                         G                              F#M

And no it don’t matter now that they got your name all wrong

D        G                              A                  D      

For you are so much more than a singer of some songs

               D                          F#M              G     

And I’m honoured that  I met you Phil,

D                                               A  G        D      

And I wish that you were with us still

BABY YOU GOT ME GOIN’

This song comes from my Surplus and Dearth album. I’d bought a little drum machine preloaded with drum patterns and I just started playing along with the feel. Under the ‘Dave Warner’ banner most of the love songs I write are on the darker side emphasising need, faded or unrequited desire, and even psychopathology (Doesn’t She Look Fine). The genuinely happy ‘isn’t love amazing’ songs I write are pretty much with other artists in mind,.

I like the groove in ‘Baby You Got Me Goin” and getting ‘footstool’ and ‘knave’ into a song. Martin Cilia produced, programmed and played most intruments.

BABY YOU GOT ME GOING (1989)

Baby you got me going  Baby you got me going good

I should have known I should have known

I should have gone and knocked on wood

But late at night when the moon is bright

There’s no time to doubt

And later on when it’s all been done

It might seem wrong but it still was fun

Baby you really had me going  Baby you know I was your dupe

You had me waiting by the phone

You had me jumping through the hoop

Guess I must have looked a clown but I don’t bear no grudge

I got burned and I got learned

But I’d repeat it all if you just gave the call

I’d be your fool babe and I’d be your knave and

I’d be your footstool and I’d be your slave

I’d be anything you want any time you gave the word

You took my soul in the trick moonlight

I never did so wrong but felt so right

Baby you got me going  Baby you got me going good

I should have known I should have known

I should have gone and knocked on wood

But late at night when the moon is bright

There’s no time to doubt

And later on when it’s all been done

It might seem wrong but it still was fun

I’ll be your fool babe and I’ll be your knave and

I’ll be your footstool and I’ll be your slave

Riff

I’ll be your fool babe and I’ll be your knave and

I’ll be your footstool and I’ll be your slave

OVER MY DEAD BODY – THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK

It started as a feature script in 2003. In 2018 I set about adapting ‘Over My Dead Body‘ into a novel. Here on You Tube I talk about it.

Baby Who Needs Malibu

So now I’ve hit the ‘Bs’ in the songlist we come to a more recent song I penned as part of my long cherished desire to do a Brian Wilson inspired ‘coastal’ album. I usually thrive on trying to be innovative in my songwriting but there is nothing musically innovative about ‘Baby Who Needs Malibu‘. I just set out to write a real fun coastal song singing the praises of Sydney. You need to imagine this with loads of harmonies of course. This is just at the demo stage with Martin Cilia doing a very quick program to get the bones aligned. Of course, I would love to record the proposed album. I have about ten songs ready to go.

BABY WHO NEEDS MALIBU

G     (fbd)     Ehalf-dim

I un – der stand

G                      c           Cmaj7

You wanted Disney Land

  g               E1/2

But all I can

G          7   

Offer you

         E1/2

For now

    G

Is this

Drinking beers at Mona Vale

Manly, Palm Beach watching whales

Twilight at Taronga Zoo

Baby who needs Malibu

The Opera House a sweet icecream

Tell me that ain’t someone’s dream

Bondi Beach and white hot sand

Out to Newtown catch a band

Wake up to your eyes so blue

Baby who needs Malibu?

Break break

C                             G            C                      G    C                 G    AM

And then you know – what moves you so – it’s not the lat-itude

An old milk-crate is just as great as the          Emp          ire State –

D7

when I’m with you

BIG BAD BLOOD

Big Bad Blood was my second book (1999) and remains a personal favourite. I think the plot is the most complex I’ve written, and though the style can be a bit hard at first, if you can persevere I reckon you’ll find it worthwhile. Besides the plot, I like the two main detectives Ray Shearer and John Gordon, and the characters surrounding them – strong man Granite, trans Sue, and number one colourful Kings Cross identity George Shaloub.’ Here I chat about it.

In October I will be following up with the second novel featuring Ray and John, `Summer of Blood’. I love it to death. Buy Big Bad Blood (note: only ebook edition available)

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Baby Move On

In 1986 I put together a girl band, Pleasure Principle. At that stage female pop/rock was only just starting to break big with Bananarama and Madonna. This was pre Kylie. Yes there had been female singers of course, but now FM radio stations like 2Day were basing their whole playlist around female oriented material and I wanted to try writing some pop hits. It’s fun to write songs that people might want to sing along to or dance to. A little different to the Suburbs expereince.

After auditioning a load of possibles, I was excited to find three really excellent young women who could sing, move and had good stage personality. Slinky, Kinky and Yummy were their stage names. They could all handle lead vocals and were excellent at harmonies too. Neville Dowling who had played with me in the Zip’n’Blast Suburbs lineup (and then the Expression) programmed the tracks that I mainly wrote. Although Nev also wrote a great track too. (Waldorf Caress). We recorded the backing tracks and then the girls sang live to the tracks.

This was all done out of Perth and Pleasure Principle soon built a great following at Club Bayview in Claremont. When the America’s Cup came to Fremantle they were in hot demand.

This track Baby Move On was a rock pop number that ‘Kinky’ (Angie) took the lead on. She had the most bluesy voice. I don’t have a proper recording of this but I do have a tape of a rehearsal.

Baby Move On

I’ve had enough of you, Baby move on

Once I felt for you but now it’s all gone

Each time you call me

That’s another time you hurt me

Well you hurt me enough now, Baby move on

I fell in love with you from the first time we met

Now that I’ve left you, I have no regrets

You better move on.

I’ve had enough of you, Baby move on

Once I felt for you but now it’s all gone

Each time you call me

That’s another time you hurt me

Well you hurt me enough now, Baby move on

BABY ERIC

I don’t believe it, we are finally out of the A' list so to speak in my compelete songlist and now hit B. First up is a track never recorded 'Baby Eric'. Written about 1986 I worked on this track with Greg Macainsh as a possible track for our mini-album 'Meanwhile In The Suburbs’

While there is no recording there is a chord and lyric sheet. Maybe I’ll ger around to recording it sometime but right now I’m a bit busy recording a bunch of other tracks.

AUSTRALIA’S NOT THAT COOL

one more song from the complete Dave Warner songbook

I wrote this tune Australia’s Not That Cool around 1985 in Perth but never recorded it nor performed it live. It was a satirical comment on Yuppies and the cult of the import, and how anything Aussie was perceived as sub-par.

It is timely that it was due to be posted this week because it mentions the great Barry Humphries, the finest Australian comedian I have ever seen, and as good a one-person entertainer as anyone anywhere. I’m so disappointed I never got to meet Barry. In the early days of my music I was often cited as a ‘rocknroll Barry Humphries’ because of the emphasis on satire, but while I’m good with words I was eons short of his wit. Still we both ruffled feathers in our own way. He turned up to a party the band was hosting at Claremont’s Bayview Mansions hoping to meet me but I was too late packing up and getting back from the gig and he’d left by the time I arrived. Darn, that would have been a cherished memory.

I’ve just done a quick phone vid to give you an idea of the concept. It’s rougher than an Indian wicket on the first day of a test match. It’s unlisted on You Tube but click here for a listen.

AUSTRALIA’S NOT THAT COOL

Went to a party the other night wearin’ stubbies and thongs

Clutching two brown friends in a paper bag

My hair was reasonably long

I was met at the door by my lawyer host who drew me to his side

Said take the hint for your own good drop the national pride

With Veuve Cliquot replace those beers get Cardin on your hips

The wide-brown land is out this year, importing’s where it’s at

And then a voice came whispering deep inside in my head

It spoke in tongues I understood and this is what it said

Don’t be a square don’t be a fool follow the yuppies’ golden rule

New York’s ace and Europe’s great

Australia’s not that cool.

Ring those bells raise alarms stamp your feet wave your arms

They’re selling off the farm.

I said what about all our national heroes

He said, ‘What heroes where?

Hoges is just a yobbo and Mel Gibson’s just a lair

Barry Humphries isn’t too bad but he really can’t compare

To John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Woody Allen, and Cher’

So don’t be a square don’t be a fool follow the yuppies’ golden rule

New York’s ace and Europe’s great

Australia’s not that cool.

I blinked my eyes I pinched my arm went all prickly hot within

Tried to keep both cool and calm

Cause I could see the lunacy in selling off the farm.

France – Moet, Renault Nina Ricci these things give you chic

Beware Le Specs they’re Aussie Perrier is magnifique

Italy – Ferrari and Armani, fettuccini any leather

Germany – Mercedes Porsche BM – W for Weather

Sweden – solid safe dependable Volvo and Husqvarna

Just like Germany it’s reliability that matters

UK – humour arts and crafts U2 Elton Bowie

Dianne Corgies Fergie that brings us back to Moet

Japan – anything electric, Sony Nakamichi

Origami yakitori National

See that sounds quite funny but Japan’s not really rational

That’s the province of the Chinese, yin and yan, philosophies

Walls terracotta pieces … Beaches?

Australia’s are pretty good but not as good as Greece’s

USA – McDonalds Coca Cola Billy Joel F one-eighteens

Porky’s Rambo Rocky Police Academy Fifteen

So don’t be a square don’t be a fool follow the yuppies’ golden rule

New York’s ace and Europe’s great

Australia’s not that cool.