This Could Be Serious

Julius Grafton writes like he talks - direct, no bullshit, in-your-face, full of energy and with a healthy disdain for pretence. He tells good stories, full of insight and hard won wisdom. There's a lot of all of this in his book.

What a load of self-indulgent crap. Grafton wouldn't
know a tram was up him until the bell rang. This trashy
libellous pulp should be banned to stop it spreading
and making more people sick than Covid 19.

‘I did this, I did that’ … who cares? He never shuts up.

Life throws things at you. We've all been there but not all
of us have what it takes to come back from disaster …
let alone come back bigger, better and more cocky.”
Grafton's book is a fascinating insight into what makes
some men thrive in adversity when others wilt.

With chaos swirly around him like a whirlpool threatening
to drag him down into the maelstrom, Grafton calmly takes
the afternoon off and drives the community bus. As it
passes a pub, the bus stops with a jerk. Grafton gets off.

With self deprecating humility and humour, Grafton
reveals a refreshing moral dimension to business, more
than enough on its own to make life worth living.

When your own world implodes, this book will make it
easier to climb, dazed and bleeding, out of that bomb
crater and be back on top before the six o'clock news.

He gets knocked down, he gets up again. Grafton lays his
turbulent life out with a disarming frank clarity of vision
and personal insight. An invaluable survival guide.

Order has finally come from the chaos of Julius Grafton. All those nagging questions I have had about the author are now answered and in such a riveting way. I could not put this book down. Julius discovers the meaning of life and unlike most of us, has actually written it down.

I really hated Julius back in the 1990s when he ran connections magazine. I would write letters to the editor calling him on grammar, sexism, and general lack of political correctness. Since then I’ve read some of his material from time to time, and feel that he has the right grasp on life. So I did buy this book on kindle, and now I want to meet him. Do yourself a favour.

Waste of money. Self indulgent wallowing, attempted high-brow linguistics from a guy who was chucked out of school. A lot of it is clearly fiction.

Julius and I are the same age, and both started lighting hire businesses in our teens. I think we first met as (experienced!) 16-or-17-year-olds when I hired some gear from him when he was Zapco Lighting.
Our paths crossed a few times over the years, in various ways. And I've done my own stints as a roadie, mixing and lighting shows of various kinds, as well as working in print production. So a lot of his stories of those past decades rang plenty of bells for me.
But whether you were there or not, he's captured his own journey – along with the flavour of the times – in his straight-from-the-proverbial style.
Definitely worth a read if you want to be taken on that ride.

Unbelievable!

Assuming it is all true then it is a remarkable life, lived large. I wouldn't dare talk about some of the stuff Julius reveals. He must have a thick hide, because the is plenty of ammo in this book for his detractors. Who funny enough can't agree why they don't like him - I think some of it is because he has been writing opinion for so many years.

Very easy to read, Julius writes in beautifully crafted bites with most chapters around 4 pages in length. He hops around a bit, which I prefer since most books like this get bogged into periods. The era of Sydney in the 60's and 70's is interesting, like brothels and drugged out USA servicemen, and the journey through rock and roll is vividly told. He is surprisingly honest with some of the things he talks about - I'd rather read them than do them, any day. Which adds up to a very interesting life, seen through inquisitive eyes.

Just read through the Chapter One... Julius Grafton, its brilliant.

Julius Grafton writes like he talks - direct, no bullshit, in-your-face, full of energy and with a healthy disdain for pretence. He tells good stories, full of insight and hard won wisdom. There's a lot of all of this in his book.

Honoured to be mentioned.

I received your book on Wednesday not knowing what to expect. It’s Thursday evening now and I have just finished it.. I read the first page, then the second and couldn’t put it down. I never realised what a great and entertaining writer you are. However the material (your life!) is what makes it so utterly compelling. All of it is gobsmacking and I congratulate you on this fantastic achievement of the story of your life. I knew those streets well back in the early 1980s but can’t imagine what it was like growing up there. Your description brings it all to life. Your outlook, generosity, flaws and altruism is extraordinary - as is your candour in the book.
So it was YOU who knocked down those terraces one weekend. It was scandalous!
I was very moved about your writing on Caroline and your loved ones should be very proud.

Thanks for the rollicking ride through your life. It has certainly been anything other than mundane.
I remember you as generous and gregarious and always willing to do a deal.
Some of the stories brought back memories of my time on the road and then in the 'corporate communications' industry, based out of Sydney.
The names and places mentioned quite often evoked a weird 'back in that place' moment.
One thing I dont miss is spewed on multis and punters wanting to punch you out simply because they are twats.
I've been off the road and out of the live industry for about 18-20 years.
I do miss the intensity and challenge. I dont miss the excruciating touring hours and those bloody ZPE amplifiers from way back then.

I often wondered what happens to those bright but scruffy kids that seem to be endlessly hanging around in some neighbourhoods. Some of them turn in to Julius Graftons!

It’s always interesting to see how the 'other bloke' makes a living and this book doesn’t disappoint. The chapters on rock and roll were fun - and those on how to 'divide and conquer' business in USA were very insightful. Maybe a whole other business book in there?

Julius seems to have done all this with a good sense of humour, some honesty and a whole lot of integrity.

Buy the book even if you don’t want to read it. Put it in a book box, give to a random stranger or as a gift - either way the money goes to a great cause!

I’ve just spent some time these last few days enjoying reading your recent book “This Could Be Serious”
I had no knowledge of your dysfunctional childhood and the way you pushed through, overcoming enormous adversity in the process. It’s a a credit to you Julius ( and your brother Tim too of whom I was a long time RentalPoint customer) that you have been so resourceful, pioneering new projects, creating opportunities for people and achieving so much in your life in the process. Operating event company Corporate Theatre for over 26 years based far away in Perth I’d kept abreast of industry goings on via Connections and later CX magazines. Now reading your book, it neatly summarises many of the industry issues, politics and back stories I had followed.