Just in case already being a saint wasn’t enough recognition, one of Brisbane’s finest musicians, Ed Kuepper, is set to have a park in Brisbane named in his honour.
As The Guardian reports, the German-born musician, who rose to fame as the guitarist and songwriter for seminal Aussie punk act The Saints, has been given the grand honour of having a currently-unnamed Brisbane park named after him.
The Saints are often considered one of music’s first punk bands, with their debut record, (I’m) Stranded, being releasing only a matter of months before the Ramones’ eponymous debut. The group was formed on Lawson Street, in the south-western Brisbane suburb of Oxley, where Kuepper was living at the time, and where he wrote all the tracks that featured on the group’s debut record.
Back in March, Oxley resident Maurice Murphy started a petition for the local council to rename the park, located on the corner of Oxley Road and Lawson Street, where Kuepper’s parents still reside. After amassing more than 800 signatures, the bid was approved, with council apparently in the process of making up new signs for the park at the present time.
Ed Kuepper has said he’s flattered by the recognition, and is pleased that musicians are gaining the recognition deserved for their role in cementing their city’s place in history. “When I was a kid, I liked being pointed towards where certain things happened,” Kuepper said. “A friend of mine was living across the road from Tony Worsley, who was a local hero, a 60s garage singer [with The Fabulous Blue Jays].”
“That kind of thing really impressed me. So yes, I do think it’s nice having little plaques around to point out that such and such a person did this at a certain place, or this incident happened here or there. Be it arts or history, I like it.”
While Kuepper left The Saints in 1979, he has joined them on occasion to perform together once more. Following his departure, he went on to form the Laughing Clowns, The Aints, and has seen great success with his solo career, No word yet as to whether Kuepper will be holding a free show at the park to celebrate its new moniker, but we’ll keep you updated if he announces once.
