Paxperson: The Legend
How Christopher James Paxman Became Pax of the People (POTP)
Every band has a bass player. Only one band had Paxperson. And only one human bean [sic] — born Christopher James Paxman, Kalgoorlie WA, July 1962 — could have risen from the red dust of the Goldfields to become a rhythm section punkish hero of The Chancres.
🎸 Kalgoorlie Beginnings: Heat, Dust, Destiny
Kalgoorlie, where the ground shakes, the air shimmers, and hardy local denizens develop a kind of mythic resilience. Into this environment arrived young Paxman, a child whose hair blazed such a vivid shade of bloodnut that passing miners reportedly used it as a visual reference point during dust storms.
🎓 Stirling College: Academic Weaponry and Musical Fate
By the time Paxman reached Stirling College, Canberra, his academic performance was so consistently superior that teachers began to suspect he was either a genius or simply too stubborn to get anything wrong. He also did not understand the concept of “free periods”, enrolling in seven “lines” or subjects when five or six were required, and obtaining superlative results in all, like some kind of polymath! He met the members of The Chancres at Stirling College in 1979, a band whose enthusiasm exceeded their initial musical capacity.
The Chancres quickly recognised Paxman’s rare combination of witty repartee, competence, calm, and the ability to carry heavy objects without complaint. Naturally, they recruited him as lighting tech, roadie, and general bringer‑of‑order.
🧡 The Rajneeshi‑Orange Era
Paxperson was not merely a roadie. He was a vision.
His favoured attire was a kind of high‑school Rajneeshi orange ensemble, also deigning to wear bright Communist red, a look perfectly harmonised with his flaming bloodnut hair. The effect was striking: part mystic, part traffic cone, part spiritual guide to the rhythm section.
Crowds at the many early 1980s Chancres gigs didn’t just see Paxperson enter a room — they felt the chromatic shift.
💡 The Better Music Incident: When Gracchus Fell and Pax Rose
The Chancres’ original bassist, Guy Morrison, known variously as Gauis of the Gracchi, Gracchus, or simply “Guy, mate, what key is this in?” held the low end until the fateful day at Better Music studio, Colbee Court, Phillip.
The band entered the studio expecting to record a masterpiece. What followed was… not that.
Accounts vary. Some say Gracchus attempted a bass run so ambitious it caused a minor dimensional rift. Others claim the studio headphones betrayed him. Still others insist he achieved a level of creative transcendence incompatible with mortal recording equipment.
Whatever the cause, the result was clear: Gracchus abused his instrument in frustration and became indisposed, musically, spiritually, and possibly existentially. He maintains to this day the Chancres hiatus was due to resuming tertiary studies.
The Chancres needed a bassist.
They turned to the orange‑clad roadie with the craggy swollen ginger bonce and enormous speaker‑lifting capacity.
🔊 The Debut of Paxperson the Bassist
Paxman stepped forward, donned the bass, and unleashed a style that would become legend:
– Intense concentration, as though defusing a bomb
– Staccato thrashing reminiscent of Dee Dee Ramone
– The unmistakable Chancres signature: the “three beat pounder”.
It was raw. It was relentless. It was exactly what the band needed.
The massive Kustom 4 x 12in bass speaker box groaned under the strain. Floors trembled. Drinks vibrated. The audience felt the low‑end thump in their sternums and their souls.
The quirky Chancres equipment also included the $60 Star now Tama drum set of Mark, Person amplifier, giving off an odour of Perkins Paste when overdriven by guitarist Greg, and a long lamented Jands 600W PA power amp, cooked unto transistor heaven at a lunchtime Stirling College performance. Vocalist Clive usually relied on an Eminar column PA, solid and reliable.
🧑🤝🧑 Paxperson, Paxman the Axeman, Pax of the People
Over time, Paxperson became more than a bassist. He became a symbol — the Axeman who stepped up when Gracchus was indisposed, who brought order to chaos, who wore orange with the confidence of a desert prophet.
Thus the title Pax of the People was born. Not chosen. Bestowed.
🎤 The Legend Lives On
Today, the story of Paxperson is told wherever Chancres fans, both, and musicians gather to reminisce on days when amps were heavy, recording sessions were unpredictable, and the rhythm section held everything together through sheer force of will.
Christopher James Paxman: Kalgoorlie‑born, Stirling‑forged, Chancres‑tested, Rajneeshi‑orange‑clad, and forever the proponent of People’s Pax.
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