'CRAIC As It Happened'

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.