Cirrus@Austlit

'Feted by his peers, loved by his family and his friends and largely ignored by the commercial music industry, Spencer P. Jones was arguably one of the most important musicians of the modern era.

'With a career spanning over 40 years, Spencer’s resumé is vast, deep and eclectic, ranging from the wild cowpunk of The Johnnys, to the garage swamp of Beasts of Bourbon to the rugged beauty of his solo albums, to cameos with Ian Rilen, Paul Kelly, Maurice Frawley, Rowland S. Howard, Renee Geyer, Mudhoney and Violent Femmes.

'Based on over 150 interviews with Spencer and more than 150 family, friends and bandmates and illustrated with a treasure trove of previously unseen photos, Execution Days traces Spencer’s life from his childhood in New Zealand to his evolution as a musician in Australia to his profound impact on those around him.  Along the way there are stories of irreverence and excess, of frustration and heartache, of friends loved and lost. Spencer P. Jones is the real deal. This is his story.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'A memoir that's more than an insider's account of a mid-eighties Australian independent band. Confessions of a Lighthouse Keeper provides multiple insights into the broader music and entertainment world—in a country that has mixed feelings about the arts. It's atmospheric, light and full of musings from others who have travelled this road over the last fifty years. The Lighthouse Keepers are sentimental favourites among the generation who came of age in the inner cities of Sydney, Melbourne—and even Canberra—during the 1980s. 

Featuring personal interviews, diary entries, and writing contributions from other witnesses—interviews include: Lindy Morrison, the Go-Betweens; James Cruickshank, Widdershins, Cruel Sea; Rob McComb, the Triffids; Murray Cook, the Wiggles; John Paul Young, legendary Australian popstar; Steve Kilbey, the Church; Ken Gormly, Cruel Sea; Clinton Walker, writer/academic; David Nichols, writer/academic; Juliet Ward, the Lighthouse Keepers; Sarah Macdonald, journalist/broadcaster... with a foreword by Tanya Plibersek, Australian Labor Party, Member of Parliament.

'Greg Appel—a key member of the Lighthouse Keepers—brings to this tale a unique perspective on the raucous world of the music business, public broadcasting and creative program-making.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.