Chris Bailey’s psychic being is still very strong

Nov 29, 1956 to April 9, 2022.


“A gentleman with the mad soul of an Irish convict poet’: remembering Chris Bailey, and the blazing comet that was The Saints.”

~John Willsteed


Rendering of the band The Saints. Hudley Flipside, 2010.

Happy I bought tickets to see the reformed Saitns this November in Southern California. Autumn 2025.


The author reflects on their deep connection to the band The Saints, particularly after the death of Chris Bailey.

Hudley expresses grief for both Bailey and the passage of time over the decades.

The band has been a part of her life journey, leading to discovering a sense of belonging among misfits and a punk community.

Hudley connects her experiences with Bailey’s life timeline, moving from youth to adulthood.

In her grief, she turns to the works of Carl Jung for solace, recalling insights from The Black Books.



I call it random reading. I read from the last paragraph, allowing my mind to wander freely within the words. The intuitive response is amazing to me, as each reading seems to unearth memories and thoughts I had long buried.

Encouraging action also flows from this process, inspiring me to take bold steps forward. So, with this so much is shared, whether it’s with friends or in solitude, and I am content to move on past my grief, cherishing the lessons learned along the way.

Into a new season of life, knowing that, life endures and blossoms in unexpected ways… this gives me hope like finding the Sun, illuminating the path ahead and igniting a renewed sense of purpose within me!

“In this moment the enormous tension was released and like rain it swept away [57/58] everything that was tensed, too highly strung. And soon sleep returned and brought with it a curiously beautiful image.” {138}

(p.162) The Black Books, Volume Two, Carl Jung

“Forms walked clad in white silk in a colored atmosphere. Each surrounded by a strangely fragrant, glowing tinted aura, some reddish, the others blueish and greenish.” {139}

{138} “This paragraph was replaced in LN by “Then I had a second vision.”



Chris Bailey “a curiously beautiful image”


The Saints (Barry Francis, Ivor Hay, Janine Hall, Bruce Callaway, Chris Bailey) at The Hero of Waterloo, Sydney. 1980. Picture by Judi Dransfield Kuepper. Image taken from an article by John Willsteed. Link Below.


https://theconversation.com/a-gentleman-with-the-mad-soul-of-an-irish-convict-poet-remembering-chris-bailey-and-the-blazing-comet-that-was-the-saints-181059?fbclid=IwAR3o-g8RRKpyNxgIQ6x7QsihP9fTBaDqaBZhzozuQI0oHlaWVenjLWeZ_F8


“Jung recounted this dream to Aniela Jaffé and commented upon it as follow: This is some kind of in-between realm (the term definitely occurs in the original version of the dream) The idea was that if one is confronted with the shadow- as was the case through the experience of Siegfried’s dream then the idea comes:

I enter into a twilight: I am this and yet also something else. And this doubleness an abdication of the unconscious, which reached strangely far beyond me.

If one is in the company of several persons, and one knows them and knows about their shadows, one then sees these people as they are, but are also something entirely different. They are surrounded by a strange sphere.

They live in a strange, light-colored sphere, which circumscribes their ‘other’ state. This seemed to me to be like a vision of the world beyond, where men are whole and complete, unlike here. The saint’s halo also characterizes his transcendent shining light, his psychic being.”

{139} (MP, p. 170)

The reminder of this entry was replaced in LN by “I know, I have stridden across the depths. Through guilt I have become newborn.” (p.162)  Carl Jung’s Black Books. Volume two page 175-6.


Siegfried’s dream http://mlwi.magix.net/siegfried.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Books_(Jung)



The Singing Saints….

Last night I was with Chris Bailey, and it felt like I was in the middle of a whimsical dream. I was loosely following him around, captivated by his charismatic energy. He was on and off stage, seamlessly transitioning from performer to friend. We indulged in delicious food and played light-hearted jokes on people, creating an atmosphere filled with laughter and joy.

One time, in a particularly hilarious moment, I saw him on stage singing with a big red rose wax seal over his mouth and head, reminiscent of the one you use to enclose letters. It struck me as oddly beautiful and absurd at the same time, adding a playful twist to the whole scene.

I remember feeling a rush of excitement as I saw the crowd’s reactions, each one a testament to the fun we were having. It was so much fun to hang with him… or my Animus… that was acting like him to make me happy, a brilliant manifestation of my imagination. The joy we shared that night lingered in the air like a sweet aftertaste, making it a great dream to have, definitely the best I’d experienced in a long time. July 19, 2025



Chris Bailey is the co-founder and singer of the punk rock band The Saints. He was born in Nanyuki, Kenya in 1959 to Irish parents. Bailey grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland until the age of seven, when his family immigrated to Australia.

The is just a little tidbit about my all-time favorite punk singer. He has a nasal, deep, crackly voice. His deep Irish voice comes warmly through with his unique singing. A brilliance from my generation that lives today. I don’t believe in heroes, but I can say that this man has inspired me to do things I might not have done. If I could go back in time, I would arrive around the time this underground band The Saints were forming. Australia I would be there! I would try to hang out with them and be friends. Yet, this is just my dream.

I love their music and anyone that knows me knows this, and I am sure gets sick of me saying it. I found out today that one can continue to say things that they like. I can and I will!! I have been guilty of complaining a lot lately. I have been hurt and betrayed in my life, but The Saints have a song for every feeling I have. I can listen to their music and there is Chris Bailey comforting me, enraging me, and inspiring me. I would like to imagine loving me too. He will always be a part of my life. I love him… it is an Irish thing….and an Aussie thing too!