John Dengate interviewed by Warren Fahey in the Warren Fahey collection [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 3585477
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Dengate, John, 1938-2013, interviewee
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2004
- 3 digital audio tapes (ca. 195 min.)
- Series:
- Warren Fahey collection.
- Summary:
-
Interview 2004: John Dengate talks about growing up in Carlingford; his ancestors; great grandfather arriving as convict (1790's); his family history; teaching in bush (1950's); meeting singer Brian Mooney; learning a large part of Brian's repertoire; learning to play classical guitar; attending art school (1960's); torn between music and art; meeting the Bush Music Club; meeting John Meredith, Alan Scott, Frank Maugher, Jamie Carlin and Brian Loughlin; meeting Duke Tritton the great traditional singer; writing original songs to the tunes of traditional songs; his first performance at a club; collecting folk music; the original Sydney Bushwhackers Band; Ken Grennlagh (flutist); his marriage (1964); Duke Tritton and his singing style; Noel Rickards; Bob Menzies; his songs moving into the folk revival; other singers performing his songs; Declan Affley; his perspectives on our culture; the Australian language; folk revival, folk clubs and early festivals; being honoured with life membership of Bush Music Club; relationship of songwriting and poetry; Paterson and Lawson's influence; favourite poems; the frustration of writing poetry; range of subjects he covers in his poems; songwriting competitions; pastiche, poetry and song; Harry Robertson; his intention with political songwriting; John Howard as a song subject; Labor Party and Latham; eccentrics; his career as a Sydney busker; teaching himself the tin whistle; the importance of music to his life.
Interview 2005: John Dengate talks about the Eureka Stockade anniversary and its current political ramifications; the 150th anniversary of rail; the current state of unionism; his views being 'outdated'; refusing to use Americanisms in his speech; writing to newspapers; how he writes and his inspiration; going to the cricket and how he wrote a poem; how he is a republican; the bawdy tradition in Australia; the history of treason songs; the Australian sense of humour; the gentrification of Australia by women; Robbie Burns; how the tradition of bawdy has died out; women and bawdy; racism in song; the Tolpuddle Martyrs project; what 'the bush' means to him; what the term 'bush' means today; how Henry Lawson represented the bush.
- Partial contents:
-
- Recorded 2004, TAPE 1, Sings songs and recitation: 'The croppy boy'
- unidentified song
- song about Bob 'Pig Iron' Menzies
- unidentifed song about Menzies
- 'Say You'll Nay Come Back Again'
- song about Andrew Peacock 'The minister for the army'
- 'Thanks to the Yanks'
- sings of Irish influence
- recites 'The answer's Ireland'
- 'Federal Treasurer lay dying'. TAPE 2, Sings songs and recitation: recites own poem 'Convict Sawpits, Epping'
- recites 'Lanes of Woolloomooloo'
- sings 'Cunnamulla'
- recites poem about Tony Blair
- sings 'Johnny Howard's March'
- recites 'Napoleon Bonaparte Johnny'
- Mark Latham song
- sings 'Your Bulldozers Away'
- explains the 'Tin whistle'
- playing tin whistle tunes: Mudgee Waltz
- Starry Night for a Ramble
- Dying Stockman
- The Springtime Brings on the Shearing
- The Cock of the North
- The South Wind
- Wild Colonial Boy.
- Recorded 2005: Recites poem on the Eureka Stockade 'The Irish would not run'
- recites a letter he wrote to the paper about a football incident
- sings 'How I'll scrape into heaven' a political song about Tony Abbott
- talks about the song 'The devils wouldn't have him so he had to go to limbo' about Peter Reith
- sings a new song about the current political climate
- recites 'The plastic cup police'
- talks about Royalty shock and sings some verses
- sings the Australian version of 'The dying harlot'
- sings 'We're a pack of bastards'
- sings Armidale Teacher's College version (Colonel Bogey)
- sings 'Bullshit'
- sings 'Bollocks'
- talks about and sings 'Ball of Kerrymuir'
- sings 'The good ship Venus' (with friggin' in the riggin' chorus)
- recites snippet of 'Goondiwindi song'
- sings 'Goondiwindi song'
- sings 'The municipal dunny cart' (tune 'Ghost riders in the sky').
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on October 28, 2004 and March 10, 2005 at Glebe, N.S.W.
- Digital master available National Library of Australia;
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Summary (7 p.)
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Fahey, Warren, interviewer
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
Contact us for information about copying. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2074 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2004
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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