Not Drowning, Waving provide guitar. Their name is derived from Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning". Rowan McKinnon soon joined on bass guitar and they recorded "Moving Around" with a drum machine. Other atmospheric instrumentals were recorded at the LaTrobe University's music department's studio. "Moving Around" was released as their debut single in April 1984 on the Rampant Records label. While recording tracks for the debut album, "Another Pond", Bridie and Phillips joined McKinnon (also on guitar) in the ambient pop band, Easter, with Russel Bradley on drums and percussion, and Tim Cole on vocals. Cole became sound engineer and recording producer
Not Waving but Drowning as inspiration to the Manic Street Preachers song ‘Ready For Drowning’ which uses the phrase “We’re not waving, we’re drowning” The poem was performed as part of the 1976 album "Tears of Steel & the Clowning Calaveras" released by Australian singer Jeannie Lewis (Track 4b), and recited by two actors: Lex Marinos as the "Narrator" (...but still he lay moaning), and Nick Lathouris as the "Dead Man" (I was too far out...). St. Louis post-rock band Foxing uses the line "I'm not waving, but drowning," in the song 'Inuit', off their record "The Albatross". Australian ambient and alternative music group