Flashbacks from Phil Eastik

More threading of the travails of the road, as Adelaide reader and industry veteran (love the ‘V’ word) Phil Eastick has some flashbacks…

The photo is of Spy Matthews, the genuine article, pinched from the Delicate Productions site. Spy is a true legend, along with Scrooge, Swampy and Billy Rowe, Spy worked with Skyhooks, Billy Thorpe etc before hooking up with Supertramp and establishing Delicate at the end of the Breakfast in America Tour. He is also my daughters godfather.

Elsewhere on the site, the photo of “Operative Fox” shows about 70% of Brent Eccles – drummer in The Angels.

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Photo labled G. Dunn and Spy is a mystery – certainly not the “real” Spy (above), late of Delicate in US and now living back in Melbourne.

The picture of Dickies Club X has Bobby Daniels (Jands Production Services) in the front, leaning on a monitor desk – Bobby was part of the 82 Angels crew to the US, which included Ashley Swinfield and self, with a pick up for stage gear.

Joe Virioli is a pseudonym – Joe Vecchiotti, ex Adelaide and Perth, who worked with me in early 70’s with a band called Bullit.

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Rob Eastick (cousin and brother of Mal) was originally Stars sound guy, in a crew that included self and Glenn Browning (now of McLeans).

Photo labled Barry Mair looks much more like Wyn Milsom

Howard Freeman asleep in a plane is Jim Brewster, not John, and guy in front of them looks remarkably like Michael Eastick (brother), which means it might have been Men At Work?

Couple of stories you might want to track down – Puckoon could talk about the Paul Dainty Furniture Relocation service at the Parmelian in Perth – pianos out the window etc.

CB might want to talk about the Party Invitation Cards he had printed – insert room # and Motel name here – which proved VERY successful, if you get my drift!

Also, floating around somewhere is a photo of the entire US and Australian crews on the Alice Cooper tour in 74 or 75, lined up across the stage all dressed as AC for the encore at Western Springs in NZ, just before destroying the Welcome to My Nightmare set – Rooney, Stenvei, Braham, Houghton, Oberg, Mark Keough, Perryman (from memory), Pig and self.

The un-named roadie with Les Gock is the one and only John Sweeney – you might remember that the Hush crew at that stage consisted of Big John and Little John (Brewster), with Tony Rook as a very junior man, and CB as lighting guy.

When I took over the Hush gig in the early 70’s I had a PA built by Jands with the old Tycobrahe desk (rumored to have been the James Gang monitor desk).

CB once again on lights, and a changing cast which included my brother Michael on pyro (later to tour with Men At Work) and also Dave “Pops” Houghton – Pops and I worked together later in the US on various Angels and LRB tours (including the first Farnham gigs) with Peter Rooney as LD and Ernie out front, and Wickow on monitors.

Pops, Michael and I were featured in an episode of Big Country in about 74 – very embarassing footage now – mostly shot in Victoria – and featuring Geoff Schucraft as Tour Manager.

Pops and I both then worked for Jands, in the “B” crew, with Vagn Stenvei, Dennis Braham and Pig.

One day I will write the book to cover some of the tours – especially the Alice Cooper Tour circa 74/75, and the first comeback tour by Peter Allen.

Peter was quite taken with Pig, and made sure that he collected bottles of Dom Perignon after each show – Pig ended up selling them all to Eric Robinson for $2 per bottle – when quizzed Pig said “It’s OK – I don’t like wine anyway!”

Phil Eastick

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