Done and Dusted, at Anytime
The Chancres (circa 1978 to now) five members came of age in late 1970s Canberra, then a rather dull small city with most employment in Australian Commonwealth Government and suppliers to government. The fathers of all Chancres members were public servants or military. Canberra is planned and quite “American”, based on the garden city landscaping movement, and is a suburban expanse of bosky mostly upper middle class bureaucrat burgher comfort, apart from the recent featureless Stalinist apartment buildings favoured by the toytown ACT Government, and certain pockets of poverty.
The entertainment culture in the 1970s to 1990s was to “make your own fun” as there was no Wide Wide World of Web for netizens to secrete themselves as now, playing endless video games while reinforcing anti-social habits and gorging on junk food. This anodyne environment contributed to the creation of a vibrant local live music scene, the milieu of The Chancres genesis as social commentators, with compositions often inspired by the quirky events of mundane Canberra life, well-illustrated by the classic semi-reggae tempo Dust Can Come at Anytime.
The weekly tradition of the “gathering” was for members of The Chancres to buy six packs or more of canned beer, depending on funds, at what was offensively described as the Wog Shop, a mixed groceries business owned by hard working Greek Australians within walking, cycling and skateboard distance of band instruments and equipment at Chancres Central.
The shop proprietor knew we were underage to purchase alcohol, but our money was as negotiable as anyone else, so he was not reluctant to engage in such underhanded transactions. On returning to Chancres Central with the ill-gotten gains and pouring the fermented beverage into suitable tankards, the beer was found to be flat as the proverbial tack, deceased as the Norwegian Blue Parrot in the iconic Monty Python sketch, over time, expired, turned, and not potable in the slightest.
A duly authorised band delegation in full dander marched upon the Wog Shop, advising the merchant aforesaid beer was devoid of bubbling vitality, and akin to the urine of a domestic feline, proving this by pouring a sample from great height into a Vegemite glass, producing not a trace of gaseousness.
The proprietor shrugged in studied nonchalance, claiming that consignment of the refreshing golden drop was only delivered the previous day. This claim was contradicted by the dust in the beer can rims, with the question “Why is there dust on the cans then?” resulting in the philosophical response, well grounded in Brownian motion theory and atmospheric particle physics “Dust can come at any time”.
This incident was a valuable learning experience for some members of The Chancres, and although the beer was not replaced nor money refunded, it inspired setting the tale to a track with unusual timing, and the lyrics are below.
The Wog Shop closed many decades ago, when the shopping mall Cooleman Court was opened, also the subject of a Chancres song (Cooleman Court, Cooleman Court, Where you can get what you sought) and featuring in crowd favourite Santa (There’s only one Santa that’s what I thought, but I saw seven at Cooleman Court).
Dust Can Come at Anytime
I went to the shop
To buy a beer
Philosophy was something
I never thought I’d hear
Chorus
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…can come at anytime
V2
A can of Fosters
Without a head
A can of Fosters
Flat and dead
Chorus with refrain
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
But dust can come at anytime
V3
I took the beer back
Back to the shop
To get a refund
From the shop wop
Chorus
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
Breakout!
The beer was flat
But he didn’t agree
And he lectured me
On dust philosophy
He said to me
“It came in yesterday”
I said “There’s dust on it”
“And I ain’t gonna pay”
Instrumental
Chorus with refrain
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
But dust…
Dust can come at anytime
V4
The moral of this story
If not already clear
Is to always be real careful
And never buy flat beer
Chorus
But dust…
Yeah dust…
Oh dust…
But dust…
But dust can come at anytime, yeah dust!