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Francis Dunnery is a multi-talented songwriter, rocker and Seth reader. Since leaving the U.K. band "It Bites" in 1990, he's remained popular in Europe and introduced himself to America as a solo artist, crafting songs that are catchy, hard-hitting and introspective all at the same time. They also deal with topics to warm a Seth-reader's heart: creating your own reality, believing in yourself, and not being sucked in by the negative beliefs around us.

Many Seth readers first encountered Francis' music when his song I Believe I Can Change My World (from his Tall Blonde Helicopter CD) was played at a Seth conference in Elmira, NY. The crowd cheered when Francis sang "I believe in all the Seth books and the freeing of the mind . . ." Among those present was fellow singer/songwriter, Christopher Kent.

Chris's second encounter with Francis' music came one day when he was driving down the Pennsylvania turnpike, listening to Philadelphia radio station WXPN. In the middle of a recording he didn't recognize, he was stunned to hear Jane Roberts' voice, speaking for Seth. (He almost drove off the road!) It was Francis' song My Own Reality, which opens his CD, Let's Go Do What Happens.

Christopher interviewed Francis about his connection to the Seth material on October 10, 1998, backstage at the Tin Angel, in Philadelphia, Pa. The following is excerpted from that interview.

C: Many Seth readers are aware of your music. Now we want to find out who this person is, and why he's doing this.

F: Because he's out of his mind, in normal terms! That's why.

C: How did you first encounter the Seth books?

F: It was a long time ago. I was talking to a friend about astrology, and he mentioned the Seth books. I'd never heard of them, but I intuitively knew they were important to me. It sounds very romantic, but it really was like that. I took an interest in them right away for no reason.

C: I'm sure Seth readers won't find that strange at all!

F: When I read The Nature of Personal Reality, I literally couldn't believe it, because I knew it was right. In religion or philosophy, there's always a set of dogma where you've got to do this or that. This was a completely neutral look at what's going on. It literally changed my life in a second.

C: How many of the books have you read?

F: All of them. I've got the tapes, the videos, I even spoke to Rick Stack to get permission through the network to put Jane's voice on the album . . . I love the idea that we create our own reality. It's brilliant.

C: I noticed, listening carefully to the last two albums, Tall Blonde Helicopter doesn't seem as Seth-related, in terms of the lyrics. On Let's Go Do What Happens, every other song reminds me of the Seth material.

F: During the making of Tall Blonde Helicopter was going through a tremendous transformation. I was dealing with my own belief system for the first time. I realized that I believed I couldn't make it as a pop star. That was horrible. It's very frightening sometimes to confront your beliefs.

I've spent the last few years really trying to come out of that belief system. Speaking mythologically, it's like Beauty and the Beast. The beast kidnaps the beauty until she learns to love him for who he is. In a sense, our negative beliefs kidnap our greatness, our life-force. We have to go and kiss them.

C: That's a great analogy.

F: It takes a lot of courage to face your own beliefs. As anybody who's reading these books knows, we believe some ludicrous stuff!

C: Some of that is nicely pointed out in that song on Let's Go Do What Happens where you start listing things, like the doctors telling you that you're going to get sick. And in the song Jonah and the Whale you sing "How can I fail when I'm Jonah inside the whale?" Am I correct in thinking that you're talking about being part of an entity or a higher self?

F: Like the poet Rumi says, it's like asking if we're part of the universe. It's like a school of fish debating whether there's an ocean or not!

C: What inspired you to actually put Jane Roberts' voice on that recording? That's such a wild thing to do.

F: Probably because I didn't think I could. One of the things Seth always says is, be true to yourself. I've always had difficulty expressing myself and perceiving myself accurately. I looked for validation from the outside world. So part of that was like, "I'm into Seth, that's what I do!" Why should I hide that? That's my truth. It was an affirmation of myself.

C: Did you have any thoughts about Jane's death? That threw a lot of Seth readers.

F: I found the last book, The Way to Health, totally depressing. I felt like I'd lost an old friend. But then I realized I'd actually bought into the system that Seth was talking about not buying into.

I have a great admiration for Jane's work. She had a lot of balls — a Catholic girl sittin' around with cigarettes and beers. I love that! The fact that she was like that was genius.

C: Can I ask you about some specific lyrics? You have a line in here, ". . . as I contribute to the weather." That sounds like Seth stuff.

F: Yes.

C: And you talk about out of body: "I often visit my dead father, but I never leave the room."

F: Yes.

C: And "It's a big hallucination?" I noticed you featured that on the liner notes.

F: Absolutely. I can understand how when I'm dreaming, my consciousness is focused there, and now, it's here. It's like we're alive in our own paintings. Either that, or I'm stark raving mad!

C: I notice you say that in your songs, like "Crazy is a Pitstop."

F: Sometimes I think I'm going out of my f—in' mind. I think I'm creating billboard signs and everything, and I'm looking at it, going, "Oh my God . . . ."

C: That stuff happens to me all the time. I totally relate.

F: Yeah, you're out of your mind as well, you're reading that stuff too!

(Later in the interview, Francis talked about overcoming an alcohol addiction earlier in his career.)

F: I started in AA when I quit drinking about 7 years ago. When I was in AA, I sponsored young kids who were f—ed up. I used to give them the Seth books and it blew their minds! A few months into their sobriety, I'd say, "Hey, Jonathan, check this out." And then I'd get a phone call, and they'd go, "Oh, man . . . oh, man . . . that book, it's real heavy, man." And they love it! And you know, all my sponsors, every single one of them, are moving forward in life. None of them have drunk again, and they're having fulfilled lives. Even people who were crackheads. This is in the space of 9 or 10 months.

Now I get books and I eat them up. Books are the new beer. The Nature of Personal Reality is like half a bottle of vodka and three glasses of wine . . . and two shots of tequila! e

After several CDs on major labels, Francis has just released his fourth solo CD, titled "Man," on his own label, Aquarian Nation. To find out more about Francis' music, or to buy his CDs, visit his Web site at www.FrancisDunnery.com.

Christopher Kent is a long-time Seth reader, songwriter/performer and magazine editor. Many of his recordings are available for free download at www.christopherkent.com, and his CDs are available through this catalogue (see page 9).
 

After several CDs on major labels, Francis has just released his fourth solo CD, titled "Man," on his own label, Aquarian Nation. To find out more about Francis' music, or to buy his CDs, visit his Web site at www.FrancisDunnery.com.

Christopher Kent is a long-time Seth reader, songwriter/performer and magazine editor. Many of his recordings are available for free download at www.christopherkent.com, and his CDs are available through this catalogue (see page 9).