Show notes, links, music and other stuff for Ep 18: Tex Perkins
The name of this episode is a lyric from The Cruel Sea song Hard Times. Over the years I’ve really fallen more and more for this song.
Archibald stuff
I started with the Archibald. I will do a bit more about it later but here’s that painting of Tex by Bill Leak, from 1997. Find out more about the painting.
Early Tex
Tex is written about in a few places. Most notably in his own book – Tex – which he wrote with Stuart Coupe. It’s very funny, and he really paints a picture of those early years in Brisbane and Sydney. Oddly, it seems out of print, even as an eBook.
Tex is written about in Stranded by Clinton Walker, The Sell In by Craig Mathieson, Snaps Crack Pop by John Foy and much more. He just crosses over into a lot of stories.
There was a 2023 memoir by Tony Cohen, who produced most of the key works for Beasts Of Bourbon and The Cruel Sea. It’s called Half Deaf, Completely Mad: The Chaotic Genius of Australia’s Most Legendary Producer. It was written with John Olson.
Beasts Of Bourbon/The Cruel Sea/More
This episode, by design, is about Tex. And it totally sells short the story of some of his band mates.
Kim Salmon is probably the most prominent. His bands like The Scientists and The Surrealists are legendary, of course. But he made two great albums without Tex in the 90s. One was a collaboration with Dave Faulkner of the Hoodoo Gurus called Antenna. Then a band he formed call The Business which got some Triple J airplay. Come On Spring by Antenna made the Hottest 100 of 1998 at #64.
Tex has so many side projects, but I have to highlight T’N’T, an album Tex made with Tim Rogers. The song is very much fits in with what happens next season, season 3. When things start to get more popular, and there’s a backlash.
Playlists
Here’s The Cruel Sea best of called The Most. A pretty good place to start.
Music heard:
- Orleans Stomp by The Cruel Sea
- 4 by The Cruel Sea
- Dad by Thug
- Psycho by Beasts Of Bourbon
- Hard For You by The Butcher Shop
- Hard For You by Beasts Of Bourbon
- Chase The Dragon by Beasts Of Bourbon
- Down Below by The Cruel Sea
- Down Below by Jimmy Little
- This Is Not The Way Home by The Cruel Sea
- The Honeymoon Is Over by The Cruel Sea
- Black Stick by The Cruel Sea
- What I Done To Her by Tex, Don and Charlie
- Better Get A Lawyer – The Cruel Sea
- You’re Too Beautiful by Tex Perkins
- Hard Times by The Cruel Sea
- It Won’t Last by The Cruel Sea
- Crab Stick by The Cruel Sea
- Takin’ All Day by The Cruel Sea