Beginnings
Frank's Cafe was a leather co-operative with shops in Challis Avenue, Kings Cross, and at the Kings Cross Market; later at Liverpool Street near Oxford Street, and at The Argyle Arts Centre at The Rocks. Frank's Cafe grew out of The Royal George and a leather shop started by two Americans, called The Peg & Awl, which was on Oxford Street in the old Mandala theatre block. Various freak-outs caused the owners to go MIA and out of the aftermath Frank's Cafe arose, with hippy leather workers who had supplied the Peg & Awl, led by English Paul, migrating the business. There was a workshop in Woolloomoolo for a while. The first Frank's Cafe premises (though I don't think it was called "Frank's Cafe" yet) opened in a part of the laundrette opposite the Peg & Awl on the West Street Corner of Oxford Street. Then the workshop shifted to Glenmore Road and the Challis Avenue, Kings Cross, shop was opened.
I suspect that the name "Frank's Cafe" owed something to Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" which was popular among this group at that time. Then there was Frank Hammond, junkie dogman (he used to work stoned out of his brain as a dogman on cranes swinging on loads twelve stories up) who became a leather worker at the start and was known as "Frank of Frank's Cafe."
I suspect that the name "Frank's Cafe" owed something to Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" which was popular among this group at that time. Then there was Frank Hammond, junkie dogman (he used to work stoned out of his brain as a dogman on cranes swinging on loads twelve stories up) who became a leather worker at the start and was known as "Frank of Frank's Cafe."
posted by Caratacus at 2:42 PM
1 Comments:
i first met frank aka mad dog at the royal george hotel with malto wayne morris and a group of some of the best people i have ever known frank introduced me to my first drug experience at the concrete jungle in bondi metherdrine we would stop at greens chemist and buy 500 meth pills 100 nembutel a syringe and needles and get of our face all weekend not much later it became an every day event the beautiful girl hazel was franks girl at the time we would get stoned go down to rubarbs in sussex st and watch python lee jackson play great band from the sixties then go to franks place in balmain we would stay up all night getting smashed the meth probably brought on my pycosis i wouldnt talk to anyone didnt no it at the time had massive angxiety attacts frank would get very frustated with me frank and wayne got busted for car theft and were on remand in longbay they got off on a good behaviour bond by that time i was busted for possesion of morphine and got six month was there imet chuck he was there for forgeing scripts we ended up in goulbourne jail when i got out frank and i started making sandles and belts at franks cafe with english paul alan heppenstal dave howie and a lot of other good people frank and i would take stuff to haymarket market to sell for the workshop i left franks cafe in 1969 and never seen most of those beautiful people again most have left this world now but it was such privalige to have known and spent time with those legends i thank them all for the good times we had
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