Pk Towers, floor 55, probably Apartment number 9

Jan 17 2008
And onto the second Blackeyed Susan of the day , Mr Phil Kakulas ; possibly the coolest double bassist ever. Today though, we're starting with Phil's role as a first and last Triffid – he was in a very early lineup of the band, and then played on a few tracks of their final studio album. Phil was part of the original triumvirate of trouble: comprising himself, Alsy and Dave; Phil brings this sense of history into perspective by casually dropping into conversation that he had photos of David at his 7th birthday party – in 1968. The year of The White Album, Beggars Banquet, the Paris Riots, the Tet Offensive ...sorry, I have no idea who won the premiership that year. Four decades ago. The band went for ten years and Dave's music career 15 or thereabouts. His life ; though far shorter than it should have been, spans so much frantic , energised sheer... TIME. Phil remains a great interview: he's always been very considered, slyly funny, and rather astute. Take 1 is abandoned due to noise in the venue, so we decamp, at Phil's suggestion, to PK Towers, floor 55 just around the corner; overcast Sydney stretches around us. Phil – a music teacher – relates a wonderful thought when considering his reaction to hearing the Dalsy tapes for the first time in 30 years , the previous evening, wondering aloud if "anyone should ever have music lessons" because the tapes are so 'free". We get more on the story of Dave's involvement with The Susans and particularly the superb and highly under-rated All Souls Alive (get it if you don't already own it) ; and some discussion on co-writing takes us only into the fundamentals before time is called and Phil has to report for soundcheck duties. We decide a second interview is in order to delve further into this specific subject. On the way down in the lift I remember my fave Dave show with BES, outside Flowers Vasette in Fitzroy; Dave sort of mooched around during songs he didn't play on snapping pics of the band. He seemed so breezy and laconic that day. But that's just a memory. And they are always selective.