page4plastic

THE LEGEND THAT IS...
Just like Deep Purple and Van Halen, WRAPPED IN PLASTIC has had many versions due to both repertoire and line-up changes. Hell, in the early days we used to pride ourselves on both! Anyway, I am going to tell you about all the bastard versions of the "Plastic" for the first time ever in one sitting, because no-one else has seen all of them, and it has been a part of my life for over ten years.....

Early 1990 I wanted to play in a band, and being in my 2nd year of Uni I had met a few guys and got them together. Being all from the same course, the Mutant Ninja Teachers were born. It was all covers, although we had a go at tunes one night when we drunk but had forgotten them by the next rehearsal. Anyway, I got us a midday gig at the Uni bar (Club Mac), and even though it was the day before a 45% assessment was due,

we played to a good turnout and had a very good time. It was also my first experience with a wireless transmitter - you all pretty much know where that relationship has gone!! Anyway, after the gig our drummer (John Legradi) and our keybords man (Steve Latella) dropped out of Uni, so the band went on hold. It was never meant to be a full-on kind of thing, just fun. And that's how it has been since.

We were invited to play at THE party of the year at our Uni - Melbourne Cup Day - which was not only because of the Race but also it celebrated the bar's birthday. So I got the guys that were left from last time (Richard Keller - vox, Dave "Errol" Lyneham - bass) and then poached myself a new drummer (Dennis D'Fillipo) to create the next version of the band. It was a cracker gig - and I have

a copy of the tape right here which is damn funny. The setlist includes tracks from Gary Moore to Cream to Joe Satriani to the Chilli Peppers and everything in between. Melbourne Cup Day is traditionally fancy dress too, so I decided to show my Campbelltown roots and Westie (or bogan - depends on where you're from) things up. This was also the last gig as Mutant Ninja Teachers - basically because I didn't like that name too much and had come up with a better one. And no, you will never hear that tape.

Sorry, no pix from 1991. I can tell you, however, that the we again played 2 gigs - one in the middle of the year, and then Melbourne Cup day again. The line-up had to change (as was policy), and another guy from Uni called Jason played bass for a gig. Then, by Melbourne Cup day, new guy Dave Leishman was playing bass and keyboards, with Errol back to play bass when Dave was on keys. Same singer and drummer throughout the year, though.

1992 saw a few gigs and a few more changes. Errol, Jason, Richard and Dave all graduated so I needed new blood - but I was going to do that anyway! So in came mates Glen Hidson on bass, and youngster Luke Cuerden on guitar. I split the vocals role with a guy named Liam Shields (who is currently singing with Sydney covers band One Hit Wonders) for the first show of the year which was part of the University State Games that our Uni hosted. That was a cracker night - BIIIIIG! After the success of that evening, we were invited to play at another Uni - UTS Kuring-gai - our first ever gig off campus! That show was great for a few reasons - we had never left our Uni to play so it was very exciting, and it also premiered the

first time we performed an original tune - I LIKE BEER. I explained it to the guys about 5 minutes before we started, and we played it unrehearsed like true professionals. Of course, this song basically got me the gig in the Porkers some 8 years later - proving it is a timeless classic like Stairway and Layla. There is also a tape of this show - proving the beginnings of I LIKE BEER.

By 1993, Hidz was teaching and not really able to rehearse so after the mid-year gig I called up a kid I taught guitar years ago in Campbelltown but was now playing bass (Scott Mort), as well as a new singer (John) who lived over my back fence (true story - his parents still do). Still the standard two gigs this year at Uni, however we again travelled, this time to Bankstown, for a cross-dressing themed 21st. Lukey couldn't do the gig, so I got a mate (Paul Limbrey) to play guitar that night while I sang. So far, the 100% different line-up for each gig is still intact after 4 years.

After 1993, however, I was finished at Uni, plus Dennis was starting to get other gigs happening, so while Plastic wasn't officially finished, it hibernated. That is, until, 1996. By then, I was playing in a band called The Anthill Mobb, Lukey was in the Pearl Jam show, Scott Mort was doing his thing and Dennis was playing in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers show. Always keeping up with what's happeneing at Uni, I heard that they were to host the National Uni Games, and remembering what a monstrous night we had in '92 for the State games, I approached the Uni with the intent of getting the boys back together and playing one of the parties. The result - we played to 1100 students at Revesby Workers. Very cool. Rumour has it that there is a video floating around of that gig, too (no photos though - sorry). It was the 4 piece format with me singing, however I had guest vocalists all night thanks to our new connections (the singers from Jellybean Jam, Anthill Mobb and the Pearl Jam show all sang tunes). The songlist was updated heavily - hardly any of our old standards were there - to include Offspring, Lenny Kravitz, Gurus, Metallica, Pearl Jam etc for a cracker night.
After THIS gig, the band semi-officially finished. Not a word was said, but it was a cool way to finish up, you know. And so the Plastic ended - until 1999.

The word got around to me again that UWS Macarthur were to host a Uni games in May 1999, and that planted the hook well and truly in my gob. By this stage, I was with Jellybean Jam and my playing had improved ten-fold since the last gig, and was keen to play some heavier tunes that Jellies couldn't really do. The idea was embraeced by the organisers, and we were on. Only problem - no band. Dennis was unavailable that night, so I got in Dave Kirby (Jellies drummer), and as I had lost contact with Scott, I got Simon (at the time bass player with Superfish) to do the bass thing. Lukey was cool, so the 4 piece was it. However, with Davros on drums, we also tapped into the wealth of technology and played along with a sequencer to some tracks for keyboard and brass lines (songs like The Distance, and the Princey Regurgitator song). This night was feral. It was all heavy alternative tracks that were great fun to play, and the kids went nuts. That was also the night that some fuckwit bent my rear number plate in (I still haven't fixed that). There are tapes of this somewhere too - I do like to document my playing (as you can tell - I take photos of just about every Porkers gig) - which are pretty cool. You won't hear these ever either, though.