‘CRAIC as it happened’ - by John Foy

This is a pre-order. Published May 2025, is a deluxe limited edition paperback of 396 pages plus photo & poster inserts - a total of 432 pages. Includes exclusive bookmark.

An Australian’s journey from the suburbs to original punk-era Sydney and beyond. Operating record labels, designing & printing rock posters, running amok with fireworks into the night – all to the soundtrack of some of the region’s best-ever contemporary music. In pursuit of even more, he evolved into a Global traveller and World Citizen of no fixed address.

Within ‘CRAIC as it happened’ you will find discourses on: Radio Birdman / Lou Reed / The Saints / The Birthday Party / Television / Lydia Lunch / Bob Dylan / Neil Young / Kraftwerk / Iggy Pop / Punk-Era Sydney / White Light Records / Phantom Records / Red Eye Records / Beasts of Bourbon / The Crystal Set / Mixed Relations / The Cruel Sea / Steve Kilbey / Killing Time / The Clouds / Buying Toys / Selling Antiques / Dealing in Art / Living in Paris / Living in New York / Visiting Cuba / Ralph Records / Polydor Records & PolyGram / Designing Posters / Making Records / Buying & Selling Collectable Records / Bands Seen / Books to Read / Being a Kid / Becoming a Teenager / Friends, Lawyers & Lovers. Loads of observations, laughs and pictures - all as it happened.

John Foy is a former graphic designer and poster artist who also ran two prominent independent record labels during Australian music’s particularly golden era in the 1980’s & 90’s. He has an engaging Cuban ex-wife in the USA and brilliant young son and extended family in Cuba itself. He’s now a citizen of the World with no fixed address as he expands his interests in writing.

More in depth synopsis: ‘CRAIC as it happened’ (C) 2025 John Foy

This is not a John Foy-related book for everyone - my other music associated book Snaps Crack Pop! is probably of altogether broader interest for the casual observer, particularly for the pictorials. This one is a deeper immersion into details of my life experiences in and out of music, ones that just didn’t seem to suit that other book. It is certainly associated, hence the name ‘CRAIC’. Definitely the pair together provide as full a picture of my exploits as there’s ever likely to be.

It’s subtitled ‘as it happened’ because I can vouch for the authenticity of all that’s within because I was actually present for the majority of the incidents covered. For those where I wasn’t, accounts came first hand from colleagues who I know to be truthful and not inclined to add embellishments to their own advantage. And that touches on one of the key reasons for documenting some of the contents within.

I’m not one to take credit for other people’s efforts, whereas the music industry I passed through was peppered with people who did, and continue to do so to this day. The prevailing corporate record company environments encouraged thoughts and actions directed towards advancement and greater rewards. Some individuals were more focused on those aspects rather than achieving the best possible results for the key commodity of their jobs: the recording Artists themselves.

One music industry entity seemingly spent as much time keeping their Filofax notes impeccably tidy as they did performing their duties. By carefully avoiding association with any failures and promoting their connections to successes, this passenger advanced all the way through the Australian record industry to a plum overseas job. When fellow Australians visited their high rise corner office they were greeted with arms outstretched “Can you believe all this..?” No they couldn’t, and eventually nor could the senior management there.

So within, I gently establish some facts and truths that, if were otherwise left unattended, others would either claim as their own or reshape to fit their own histories as they would prefer recorded. As extensions of those efforts, cautionary tales exist. Hopefully they will assist others to avoid similar pitfalls and also to take and accept graciously all due credit along the way. Otherwise, others may do so instead. The music industry rarely rewards modesty.

Skirting around the perimeters of the Australian record industry was just a third of my adult life. There’s numerous other exploits documented within, though admittedly most were soundtracked by records and the bands that created them. Almost echoing Nick Hornby’s ‘Hi Fidelity’ there are also pages devoted to some of my lovers of the day. I can’t imagine executing a proper memoir without acknowledging the presence and support of the various partners in one’s life.

This book is brutally honest and more candid than many other contemporary memoirs. Some would argue that readers don’t want such detail, I would counter that the most interested ones do. Quite often mainstream publishers are overly cautious and remove all sorts of information they either deem legally risky, or is simply uninteresting, to them. In the case of this book, both the meat and the fat remain. Where necessary or out of mere courtesy, certain names have been changed and indicated* accordingly, or simply omitted.

There are indeed chapters that the casual reader may choose to skip. Those regarding my experiences with cancer or discovering a close friend unexpectedly deceased may not make for easy reading for some. Nonetheless, they are key pivotal points in my life and accordingly could not be left out. My personal reactions to those experiences have ultimately shaped the person I have now become.

I don’t possess icon status like a lot of other autobiographers, but sufficient people on social media have enjoyed my earlier writings or bought my previous book and requested more narrative. It’s here now for those who are interested, even if only modest in number. I personally enjoy reading firsthand experiences from lessor known entities. Hopefully a number of others enjoy reading these pieces enough to have a crack at documenting their own to share. Where laughter is the first impulse, it’s intended - please do enjoy!

John Foy - April 2025.