Philip Gordon Brazier was originally from
Liverpool. His mother being Scottish, his father was a native Liverpuddlian. PG Brazier
left Liverpool at the age of 14 to join the Merchant Navy - as many young men of the time.
He was very enamoured with the idea of Marxism and later life would see him become an
active member of the NZ Communist Party and a staunch Trade Unionist. He found himself
shipped to Christchurch more by accident than design - his time previously in Australia
(when he jumped ship) had been spent as a swagman (see Waltzing Matilda) and a horse
breaker, cave cutter and always and advocate of Marxist Socialism.
Philip Brazier arrived in Lyttleton and found accommodation in a Christchurch boarding
house. Here he met his future wife, Christina Carolina Falk, of Swedish parents. She had
been orphaned in New Zealand and had recently left a Blenheim boarding school for girls of
such circumstances. Christine was a devout Christian, had never sampled alcohol, unlike
her husband to be. Of the two children produced from this union, Timoshenko Gordon Brazier
was the first, born November 1st 1943. The family had a somewhat nomadic existence during
the early years - finding income running bookshops, fruitshops and several years
travelling on the sideshow circuit selling candyfloss and showing the largest - smallest
dogs in the world. One, an especially large St Bernard - the other a very small asthmatic,
anaemic, miniature Pomeranian dog.
Graham's father always interested in psychology, graduated from the London based school of
Curative Hypnotherapy and lectured in this subject holding classes from home during the
late 50's and 60's. Then went into practice. He soon found the emotional strain too much
and returned to union business. At this time he also went on to obtain an auctioneers
licence which allowed him to operate anywhere in New Zealand, which would have appealed to
his lust to wander. Christine continued dealing in rare books. The Brazier family spent
the early days of Graham's childhood in Mt Eden, until the Inland Revenue Department
seized the house. They then shifted to Balmoral where Mrs B had her bookshop. The family
lived above the shop. This is where Graham lived during his years at Mt Roskill Grammer,
which he found most unpleasant - the school, not the shop. Meanwhile, like his father,
Timoshenko joined the British Merchant Marine. School days at Mt Roskill Grammer - there
seemed to be three career options open. Sport, music or crime. All three were tried but
the middle one, music, was to win out. While at school, Graham actively participated in
sport, track and field and played right hand wing for the Mt Roskill Red Devils Rugby
League Football Club. At this time, through his mothers influence, Graham developed a
life-time love of literature. Most especially American Underground and began collecting
Evergreen Magazine, William Burroughs, Ferlanghetti, Gregory Corso, Norman Mailer etc. His
first job upon leaving school at age 15 was importing American special order books for
Whitcoulls. From here it was almost a natural progression to writing poetry and later
songs.
Today Graham has a vast collection of what he calls - 'Middle American Literature', also a
full collection of Landfill, everything written by James K Baxter and the representation
of most New Zealand Poets.
Currently working on his third solo album, a first single is due out sometime in 2001,
this being the happy collaboration with Alan Jansson of Uptown Studios.
Compiled from notes by Neil Gill. With thanks.