Paul J Penton – Songwriter

Princes bridge near Flinders street station, he’s got a spot half way along where a neat alcove is built into the 1800’s stone work. You hear it from the distance a strangled drone, a Buddhist hum and then dancing spiders of notes playing over the top of it  emerging from the upturned legs of the dead animal. It groans and moans into the urban air competing with the stop start motion of  vehicles on the bridge. Competing with the leaden pollution pumping out from each single occupant car.

In the alcove he chomps down on the bit like its a tobacco pipe, a thin round cancer in his mouth, the circular breathing brings the dead animal to life until it’s chest is puffed up in its best ‘in the wild ‘ documentary style – saying “I’m the king of this land – you wanna mess with me”? The notes shoot out like poison darts to most passers by, but some reach into a pocket for piece of silver or gold and offer them on the altar of self sacrifice. He ’s in full regalia, a kilt and long white socks of a dragoon, a black beret, all part of the show. In some ways the haunting drone is reminiscent of his steady life, with occasional dot points of melody across the top but pretty much this is it.