Exponents guitarist renowned for his intelligence and dark sense of humour
David ‘‘Duck’’ Barraclough had a ‘‘very individual way of looking at the world’’, his former bandmate believes. The Australian-born guitarist died of pancreatic cancer in Sydney last Thursday, prompting tributes from the music fraternities on both sides of the Tasman.
He was part of Kiwi band The Exponents during their renaissance in the mid to late1990s, before joining Aussie rockers Mental as Anything.
The latter’s keyboardist and vocalist Andy ‘‘Greedy’’ Smith recounted how he first came across Queenslander Barraclough when ‘‘the Mentals’’ were supporting The Exponents on a South Island tour in 1999.
‘‘He was acting as a host for us. We had such a wonderful time with him that when The Exponents took a hiatus [and Mental as Anything founder members Peter O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa left to pursue other projects], we asked him to play guitar, and he said, ‘No, I’ll play bass’.
‘‘He was very bright and introduced us to things like the cryptic crossword, Tommy Cooper and Franz Kafka. Those varied interests kind of summed him up, although he could also rock out with the best of them.’’
Smith said Barraclough also got involved in the recording and engineering of the band’s albums. ‘‘He was a great find in that way.’’
After an 11-year-stint with the Mentals, Barraclough stood down in 2011, due to health problems, Smith said. ‘‘He had a lot of trouble with his hips.’’
However, he and Smith and Kiwi-born bandmate Mike Caen continued to meet up ‘‘every couple of months’’. ‘‘It was always an exciting event, because Dave had a very individual way of looking at the world.’’
It was a sentiment shared by The Exponents’ lead singer, Jordan Luck. He firmly believed that Barraclough ‘‘saved’’ the band after the departure of Brian Jones in 1993.
Crediting drummer Michael ‘‘Harry’’ Harrallambi with spotting Barraclough’s talent, Luck described Barraclough as ‘‘an exceptionally gifted guitarist and an exceedingly excellent touring companion’’.
‘‘David brought songs to the catalogue with the pummelling potency of La La Lulu, and Shouldn’t Be Allowed, and with the gentle gems of One In A Lifetime and The Summer You Never Meant.’’
While Kiwi producer and former Split Enz member Eddie Rayner couldn’t remember Barraclough during his Exponents days (Rayner produced their 1997 album Better Never Than Late), perhaps because he was too focused on ‘‘Jordan’s antics’’, he said they had been firm friends in the decade prior. ‘‘We had kind of a shared sense of dark humour and he was a really cool guy.’’
Rayner said he first encountered Barraclough when he produced an album for one of the latter’s early bands in the late 1980s.
‘‘They were called The Promise and they showed a lot of that – they were a really cool band, but they never quite broke through over there.’’
The pair would stay at each other’s houses whenever Barraclough visited Melbourne, or Rayner visited Sydney.
Describing him as a ‘‘incredibly clever and incredibly musical guy’’, Rayner thought he was a good fit for The Exponents.
The second of three sons of teachers Del and Ted Barraclough (now an internationally renowned wood whittler), Barraclough is survived by two children, Justin and Nicole.
Smith said he had lived fairly quietly since departing Mental as Anything, recording a solo album Duck S… last year, writing haiku poetry, and following the fortunes of English Premier League club Crystal Palace, before being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just last month.
‘‘The whole thing came about quite suddenly, but mercifully that meant he avoided a lot of pain,’’ Smith said.
‘‘That’s all we’ve got to hang onto, to balance out the shock of him leaving so quickly.’’
One mystery remains though – Barraclough’s nickname ‘‘Duck’’.
While Rayner and Luck couldn’t recall its genesis (the latter said he also referred to him as, ‘‘Dave, David, The Duke or Daphne’’), Smith offered up a theory that he thinks fits the man best. ‘‘I think Duck himself had several explanations for it – all of them dubious.’’ – By James Croot