Platonic Ironic by Dancing With Socrates

LINER NOTES - BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE THEM

Dancing with Socrates started out as an idea around 14 years ago when I discovered what Montaigne had said about Socrates: “There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent.”

As someone approaching old man status even then, it seemed right to spend more time on music and in 2007 that produced four songs on an eponymous EP. The featured musicians were Mike Wilcox, Ross Teders – the best rhythm section since Carol and Hal - and Pete Thomas. A few years later, Phil Hungerford, my old high school mate and more, made a guest appearance on an EP called Different Roads with Mike and Ross on the job again.

This latest permutation with Sam See came about in early 2019. But it had other geneses. Around 2002, while having a coffee with Jane Clifton in the cafeteria at the ABC studios, I discovered the Sam See of inter alia Sherbet, Fraternity and most importantly for me (and Alison), The Flying Circus, was alive and well and living in leafy, even Arcadian, splendour in the Dandenongs. Sam, Alison, and I had first “met” in July 1971, hence the plural of genesis, at a Circus gig in Parramatta. It was disheartening to learn in 2019 he did not remember that moment anywhere near as readily as I did. In fact, you are ahead of me, aren’t you, he does not remember it at all? Musicians are like that, I console myself. Anyway, preparing for this project, a little light bulb moment: Why not Sam? Over time, we had made some small contact on Facebook, particularly when Doug Rowe, father of The Flying Circus, had died in 2015. Sam had sent me the audio file of the tribute to Doug done by a community radio station. So, in January 2019, I wrote to Sam and we arranged for me to travel from the last stop on the Geelong line to the last stop on the Belgrave line, a long way on suburban trains without loos for someone who now well and truly qualified as a Socratic old man.

I sat in Sam’s home studio and got ready to play my little songs. He urged me not to be nervous. Did not work. We’d both lost a lot of hair, him more than me, tee hee, since 1971, but there I was sitting in the studio with a bloke that I had idolised 50 years ago, watching him on GTK, reading all about him and his confreres in Go-Set Magazine. Nervously, I somehow strangled out four songs at the end of which, matter of fact, he said something like okay and what sounds would you like? When I mentioned the B3 organ like Benmont Tench plays, and he agreed that was a good idea, I knew we were already on the right page. The arrival of each demo, mixes various and final tracks since has been accompanied by the same frisson. And here we are. In my opinion, and this is my project and so mine is the only one that counts, Sam has done the most amazing job, hardly surprising given his musical CV includes Farnham, Cadd, Shorrock, Stockley, Mason, Field, Shane Howard, Bon Scott - and now me: and Mike and Ross who as always came to the party. We have done many things together after I discovered the promotions officer working with me at the ABC in Hobart was a quality drummer and songwriter, and had a good mate who was a bass player. We have burned out brake linings driving into Queenstown at speeds far greater than those normally recommended for Bongo Vans; increased the number of moons around our the planet on more than one occasion, and made some great original music together, their contributions always far outweighing mine but they gave me a confidence to keep writing.

This time, Mike played his heart out in a dusty, enviro-friendly little studio in downtown Hobart that had a 1969 Ludwig drum kit while Ross recorded at Mike’s kitchen table after practising all his bass parts while sitting in his car doing his private detective work. I have already based a short story on Ross and his day job – I still reckon there is a television series to be made about a private dick by day, musician by night. Where’s Hector Crawford when you need him?

Judy Donnelly has much to recommend her. She knows Colin Cripps and Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo - and they reckon I can name drop. She was sweet enough to say she liked the songs, and to sing so richly and meaningfully on Arcadian Splendour, while Steve Williams must be one of the most interesting people ever. You do not find too many fast bowling mouth harp players. Jagger was a batsman, if you are wondering. Steve has played in the John Farnham band for 25 years having decided to concentrate on music rather than bowling fast when they left him down in the Third XI because he would not get a haircut. Jason Vorherr did vocals on Comes Around. A regular bass player with Daryl Braithwaite, he probably knows a lot more about real Horses than painted ones.

Here we are then with four wonderfully formed songs – again my opinion and we all know the authority that carries in this instance. Each has their own back story, some self-evident, others perhaps not so. When first played to him, Phil Hungerford struggled to understand what Fame for Free is about. Sam, turning over the Benmont Tench page, got it straight away. Steve gave the biggest compliment ever when he said he thought it was one of Sam’s songs.

Arcadian Splendour is about the one billionth take in the history of all music on unrequited love; She is Everything the complete opposite. Comes Around is an attempt at philosophy which probably does not reach the giddying heights of Socrates, Plato, or Montaigne, who in his dotage did not take up music, but wandered around his Gallic estate in a state of undress. If we follow a developing line in philosophers, that could make the next musical venture interesting.

But staying with this one for now, I hope you are in furious agreement with me on the final product when – either in isolation or in splendid company - you play Platonic Ironic. Good old Plato, no one really knows if he said this, but if he did not, I bet he wishes he did.

“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.”

Works for me!

Warwick Hadfield
2020

THE OTHER LINER NOTES

One of the many reflections that came out of this project happened on a liner, a cruise liner which was the floating venue for the Rock the Boat series. Sam was in various musical permutations, playing in his own right with Glyn Mason and Lindsay Field and backing Brian Cadd and Glenn Shorrock. During a gig, the boat rocked and Sam rolled (his line, and liner, not mine) and his foot went through the raised platform on which they were performing. Next morning, someone inquired how Sam was and Warren Morgan, yes, the “Pig” who played with Billy Thorpe at Sunbury, responded drily: “Don’t worry about Sam, it’s just a stage he’s going through.”

SONGS OF PRAISE

“The harp player is terrific and of course Sam’s playing is, as always, right on the money - he’s always been a player with an exceptional ability to develop melodic solos rather than just stringing almost random notes together, which so many boring players do.” – Mike McClellan

Nice!! What’s arcadian splendour? Nice girl's voice. Lyrics are bitter and twisted … love ‘em!! – Phil Hungerford

The highly and justifiably acclaimed Sam See is the featured artist on this set of songs written by Warwick Hadfield, the third under the Dancing With Socrates band name. Mike Wilcox, playing a 1969 Ludwig drum kit, and Ross Teders on bass are the other main performers, with vocal back-up from Judy Donnelly and Jason Vorherr and mouth harp by Steve Williams.