Sex and Thugs and Old Rockers
February 10th 2007 08:33
It seems that practicing a little patience always pays off. I was beginning to get a little restless about finding material for my next blog when tickets to a Billy Thorpe show supplied me with all I needed! Thank God for Old Rockers!
If you’re anywhere near my age you would remember Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs just as you would remember the Beatles and GoGo Boots. He still puts on a good show and I love his music, but the stories he scatters between nostalgic hits make the show something more than just a musical stroll down memory lane. Billy loves sharing his exploits with the audience, and at times it was more like ‘Conversations with Billy Thorpe’ than a concert. Extremely entertaining and comical, I was instantly reminded of his autobiography Sex and Thugs and Rock’n’Roll, which I read about 10 years ago. It covers Billy’s first year in Sydney, just off the bus from Brisbane, and his unruly escapades in that den of degradation, Kings Cross. Now, I’m still not sure what percentage of fiction is filtered into this biography, (the first person he meets after arriving is a nymphomaniac!) but as you read on you get the impression this is every young man’s dream come true!
Embellishments aside, it’s a riotous portrayal of life on the Cross in the 60’s. A kind of Robert G. Barrett look at that wonderful age of rock’n’roll. Certainly not literature in its highest form, but great for a laugh or two and from what I’ve heard lately about 1960’s King Cross (we discussed this earlier in Angel Puss) it is probable that Billy’s memory is intact. I would put it on the reading list of young men anywhere between the ages of 18 and say, … oh what the hell …. 100! Let’s face it, when it comes to sex and rock’n’roll, men never grow too old!
And if you want to go back for more, his second book Most People I Know, has much of the same, though mostly in Melbourne I believe. I haven’t read that one, but he did give us a few short versions the other night, which were quite hilarious. He is a natural story teller and he does his own writing on the Thorpie website which is also very entertaining – worth a look.
To be honest, we probably wouldn’t have made the effort to take in Billy’s show except for the fact our youngest son and his band played support for him at a local bar (better give them a plug – catch Kane and Jason @ youtube.com) But it was a great show and well worth the money and time. We were also lucky enough to meet Billy after and show, and despite his early wild ways, we found him to be an extremely friendly and engaging host. He has a new book out soon (in fact it could be out now)The Little Pommie Bastard, so if you like the ‘Old Rockers’ and doin’ time with a little sex, a little drugs and a lot of laughs, get a hold of Billy’s books – in them you’ll find the real Les Norton!
Image: ebay.com
Embellishments aside, it’s a riotous portrayal of life on the Cross in the 60’s. A kind of Robert G. Barrett look at that wonderful age of rock’n’roll. Certainly not literature in its highest form, but great for a laugh or two and from what I’ve heard lately about 1960’s King Cross (we discussed this earlier in Angel Puss) it is probable that Billy’s memory is intact. I would put it on the reading list of young men anywhere between the ages of 18 and say, … oh what the hell …. 100! Let’s face it, when it comes to sex and rock’n’roll, men never grow too old!
And if you want to go back for more, his second book Most People I Know, has much of the same, though mostly in Melbourne I believe. I haven’t read that one, but he did give us a few short versions the other night, which were quite hilarious. He is a natural story teller and he does his own writing on the Thorpie website which is also very entertaining – worth a look.
To be honest, we probably wouldn’t have made the effort to take in Billy’s show except for the fact our youngest son and his band played support for him at a local bar (better give them a plug – catch Kane and Jason @ youtube.com) But it was a great show and well worth the money and time. We were also lucky enough to meet Billy after and show, and despite his early wild ways, we found him to be an extremely friendly and engaging host. He has a new book out soon (in fact it could be out now)The Little Pommie Bastard, so if you like the ‘Old Rockers’ and doin’ time with a little sex, a little drugs and a lot of laughs, get a hold of Billy’s books – in them you’ll find the real Les Norton!
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Comment by Joanne
Open Book
Australia will miss him.