Swingy George - truths EEKS out at last

Swingy George was a song recorded by the Moodists in London in 1984. We'd been playing it for a while back in Melbourne before we'd left so we might have cooked it up in late 1982.

We were in that Melbourne post punk scene where everybody wrote songs about???? Well, you had to make it up. Drag stuff out of your own environment. But the culture we enjoyed mostly was in the USA or UK.  We hated Oz Rock for the most part.

Anyway, our sound was pretty impenetrable. Bass and drums to the fore and two guitars wailing from the get go.

Here's a clip of us playing it live in London in late '84. It's at about 10 or 11 in the morning and was filmed at the Camden palace.



The Birthday party had  tune called Dead Joe and I guess people thought it was another case of a band stealing their licks.

But I was writing the lyrics and the stories and this came from a  different direction. It was about a character who used to appear on the swings at the playground up the road from where I grew up in Mt Gambier. The Playground was in a block with houses on all sides. It was accessable through a couple of lanes on each side. Not visible fom any road and with a  pretty high iron fence on all sides .

Here is a map. The playground was in the area in the centre marked "6". I grew up in Werona st, which you can see at the top of the picture.

So, if you were a kid of pre school age and wandered up there and there was this bloke in a  black suit sitting and swinging ....... you might be a bit spooked, wouldn't ya?

Years later, in 1982 I wrote the lyrics....

 SWINGY GEORGE
george was real enough
it didn't take much to make him swing
he was a black coat that we all coloured
yeah something from sleep caught in our light
a bad shape caught in our back yard
we wanted to see him swing
he was hangin around this jungle jim
just a black coat drifting
swingy george
he was a black coat that we all coloured
yeah something from sleep caught in our light
a bad shape caught in our back yard
he was still there when he had gone
we wanted to see him swing
he was hangin around this jungle jim
just a black coat drifting
swingy george 

I thought I'd write this because I noticed a discussion on Facebook about this character. It was on a page where people who grew up in Mt Gambier share photos and stories.
They started to talk of this fellow, "George" and I thought it was amazing how he had stuck in so many people's brains for so long. 

The places that are mentioned, in George riding a bike to and from are a mill town called Tarpeena which is 24.5 kilometres from Mt Gambier and Port McDonnell which is 22 kilometres from Mt Gambier and 52 from Tarpeena. he must have been very fit. 

Each line below was a different comment. 

February 16 at 4:46pm

Does anyone remember a guy ? called George who used to ride his bike to the Bay quite regularly.
And as others have said - wore a suit! Even in stinking hot weather.
In hindsight, that was one of the things that made him different
I heard he lived in a town north of the Mount.
He had terrible teeth....

Yeah - I remember George - vaguely!

Swingin george !!!!

Yes - that's what I remember - him on the swing 

he liked the swings at Port Mac

Think he came from Tarpeena

Swinger George's real name was George Coleman and he lived in Tarpena. He would regularly ride his bike from there to the Bay to swing and sing he used to sing "Davey Crockett" over and over. Some people used to be scared of him but we kids knew that he was harmless for some reason.

Swinger George he'd sit on the swings at Pt. Mac. for hours. also there was a guy in the Mount I think his name was something Kingsley

Kingsley Osborne

Yes I remember Georgie Colman who use to ride his bike down to Pt MacDonnel each weekend.he lived in Tarpeena.

Yes. I remember him well. Part of our childhood memories.

He used to call into our shop at Allendale and buy a single cone ice cream. Mum offered him a double for the same price and he said he would pick up the extra ice cream next week.

lots of Comments about George on a post I put up ages ago re the merry go round swing.

Yep Denise I loved the merry go round

Swinging George and Kingsley would be out for a training ride

Remember Swinging George & I think 'Kingsley Killer Knightley !! Was the other fellow !!

Was his real name Kingsley? I never knew that. We always called him Kevin.

May have been Kevin Coral not sure .

Killer. Did he wear a South footy jumper?

Yes

Saw him in Adelaide long time ago, eating a raw chicken, about 45 years ago

I remember Killer Knightly also ,a rough diamond who use to frequent the streets.

Can only Remember ' Killer ' had dark bushy hair !

I remember Killer knightly . Pretty harmless from memory. He had a girlfriend and came to the local cabarets where people would egg them on to dance quite frantically but the bar staff used to monitor his drink intake.

Swinging George lived in Tarpeena and would ride his bike to PT Mac Donnell and ride on the swing all day long

And oil everything

Swinging George used to go to the playground off Tallara Ave and we wouldn't stay if he was on the swings ! 

Yes down from rymill place

Yes His Name Was George Coleman And He Lived At Tarpeena With His Parents

Yes George rode his bike from tarpeena, sometimes would spend the day at playground just off of talara ave, he was always dressed in a dark suit, most of the local kids felt a bit threatened by him, he was a harmless guy and enjoyed the swings!

I remember my Dad talking about George. And some of the guys on the district council told me about him too.

I vaguely remember killer knightly winning bike races and a organised wheelbarrow race many years ago!

i remember George who rode from Tarpeena and used to get on the swings, he was harmless and i am sure he only wanted to talk to someone. Killer Knightly i also remember and he was harmless as well.

We called him swinging George and he used to swing in the playground off Tallara Ave near where I lived in Rymill Place and come into our front yard and drink out of the tap. I would love to know his story. That was in the early 60s

Yes I remember George Coleman. He lived with his parents in a house behind ours in Tarpeena. He also used to ride his bike to Kalinga door and get on the train to Adelaide . Don,t know what he did down there but he used to come home the next day on the train. Pretty harmless guy but did have some problems.

I can remember swinging George and killer knightly both harmless

Yea an claimed the bloody slippery dip at Pt Mac we were scared of him when we were little !

But were harmless yes

Yes last i heard he was run over and killed on his way to the Bay to have a swing must have been 38 /40 years ago

About rite

I reckon he came from Tarpeena. We used to call him swinging George as he would have a swing at Port Mac and then ride home.

Swinging George used to visit playground in Tallara ave.(65-75) mt. Gambier

Sounds like he certainly got around.

I think he was run over on Pt mac road in the end

Oh dear, that would've been tragic.

Used to be at the Bay late 50's when we had our Bay house - Swingin' George.

Also used to apear at the Nangwarry school in the 50s

hi Andy - i remember him. dad once picked him up in our van and gave him a lift to the bay.he got out and went straight to the swings.for some reason we used to call him "swinging joe"

We used to call him swingin' George. My memory of him was that he was always smiling and had yellow teeth. Always on the swings. Vaguely remember the bike. Didn't know he had been killed riding tho' . Sad as he was a harmless chap.

Yes - extremely yellow teeth.
Never got close enough to smell his breath lol.

Me nether. He was a bit daunting.

Swinging George we knew him as

Andy ! You sure bought so many memories back to so many people good on you 

Sad to think of George being killed though , ( doing what he loved most I guess )!riding his bike to & fro to the swings !!

This is the key, he lived and died doing what was important to him

Exactly Denis!

Love it.

Yes certainly do.

In other news, we have a new single coming out in  a week or so. It's a pop blues called BE SAD FOR ME. I broke the three minute barrier for this one. 


                                                   Dave Graney And the mistLY
Feb 22nd Aotea Square concert Auckland Feb 23rd , Golden Dawn, Auckland

Dave Graney'n' the Coral Snakes
Melbourne NGV March 3rd
Adelaide - Riverbank Palais March 9th
Lizottes in Newcastle March 31st.
Sydney April 1st - the Basement

Dave Graney and Clare Moore NSW dates w/ special guests from Brussels/Miami Georgio "the Dove" Valentino and Patrizia.

Sunday 2nd April(2.30pm - 5.30pm TBC)- Dangar Island Bowling Club NSW
Tuesday 4th April (7pm - 9pm) Georgio only @ The Bearded Tit -
Thursday 6th April - Oxley Wine Bar Cowra
Friday 7th April - Bowral Bowling Club
Saturday 8th April - Gearin Hotel, Katoomba
Sunday 9th April - Smiths Canberra