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skull printworks

  • craic as it happenedCraic As It Happened
    By John Foy
    (Past Present Future/Skull Printworks)

    Tis the season for confessional show-and-tell Australian music books. Journalist Stuart Coupe had a shot with the entertaining “Shake Some Action”, and then underground label head-turned- mainstream industry publishing chief, Roger Grierson,gave us the rollicking “Lowbrow”. Now it’s John Foy’s turn.

    Foy spent many years as a behind-the-scenes operative in the febrile underbelly of the Australian underground music scene. He kicked off in retail, made a mark as a poster designer and then became the driving force behind the Redeyeand Blackeye record labels.

    Like his mate Roger Grierson, he’s never been a household name, but if you bought or heard a record by Beasts of Bourbon, The Clouds, Deniz Tek, The Crystal Set, The Cruel Sea, Kim Salmon and The Surrealists and even Radio Birdman in the mid ‘80s or early ‘90s, you entered his orbit. Redeyegave the bands wide distribution via a hook-up with the multi-national Polygram/Phonogram major label operation.