my pal and Aussie jazz man in the cult movie "stone"-sorry, it's a lousy copy of a video tape- but it's included here as a HISTORICAL artifact--will put better copy if i ever find one.
Lauchie was born and raised in New Zealand and at the age of 20, joined the NZ army because it was the only way he knew to travel somewhere for free. It worked, and in 1945, was posted to Japan for 2 years, as part of the NZ Occupational Force. He began playing drums and vibes in the Army band and developed a love of modern jazz. After demobilisation, he got the urge to study and live in the breeding ground of be-bop, Chicago.
In '49, he got a tramp steamer to Canada and worked for 12 months in a logging camp near Vancouver. His job was to be a "whistle punk." the guy who literally blows the whistle to warn loggers that the next log is about to come rushing and sliding down the chute that takes them downhill to the river leading to the cutting mill. He finally thought of a way to cross the USA border without a visa. He'd been told Toronto was easiest. He saved enough "punk-pay" to buy a Greyhound bus ticket to Ottawa. At some point, near Toronto, the highway ran along the border . He hopped off (having asked the driver to stop for a second so he could get "some medicine" from the luggage compartment) and ran into the bushes on the US side. Lugging only his snare drum and a cymbal, he slunk his paranoid furtive way toward South Chicago-for more..see other jazz post)
awsome movie!!!!!
omen351 4 years ago
wicked
popebenadict16 4 years ago