Archive for the ‘My Back Pages’ Category

Warrant – Drinking, Shooting Pool…and Weddings

Reading a recent report about former Warrant lead singer Jani Lane being jailed in the US for drink driving reminded me of an event from happier times for the “Cherry Pie” singer. Now for those who have forgotten Warrant were among the best or worst of the hair metal bands of the 80’s, depending how you looked at it. They were signed in the wake of Appetite For Destruction in an era when big... Read the full story

My First Interview Ends In…..

My first ever interview ended up with me sharing the stage with one of rock’s most iconic characters. Well, kind of sharing the stage. My first ever interview wasn’t even with a musician. When The Cure (not the band, but a cool name for a student political ticket) swept to power in the Monash University student elections I found myself part of a loose alliance of interests left running the student... Read the full story

How Bon Jovi Came to Play at My Pub

Anyone who works as a music journalist for any extended period has the opportunity to meet a few rock stars, but these meetings are usually fleeting and notably impersonal. A series of interviews are arranged and each journalist sits down asks their series of questions (usually a very similar series of questions to every other journalist), exchanges a few pleasantries and leaves. By the time the next... Read the full story

Concrete Blonde’s Lawn Bowls Day

In the last few years lawn bowls has become a fashionable pursuit amongst the inner city cognoscenti – or at there has been a realisation amongst the hipsters that cheap beer is available for the price of a membership of a bowls club. But back in the mid eighties lawn bowls was still definitely the province of grumpy retirees and stern matrons in white uniforms. It certainly wasn’t the favoured... Read the full story

My First Review – Kiss!

I’ve written a lot of reviews in my time but none had quite the immediate impact that the very first review had. It actually managed to bring an entire room to silence and cause a collective intake of breath. It also got me into a lot of trouble. The review was of the Kiss song Shout It Out Loud. It was way back in Form 2, so I was about 12 or 13 years old. The Form 2 English teacher at Murrumbeena... Read the full story

Chinese Food and Pinball With Branford Marsalis

I don’t know much about jazz. I know I am ‘supposed’ to like jazz and seek to understand jazz and intellectualise about jazz and talk about jazz late at night in coffee shops and play jazz at grown up dinner parties. I know I’m supposed to deeply respect Miles Davis, Charlie Parker,  Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane and other jazz giants whose names presently escape me. But for some reason... Read the full story

I Made Stevie Nicks Cry

One of my first musical crushes was on Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks. I remember being enchanted by her mystical witch persona as far back as when I was a second former at Murrumbeena High School around the age of fourteen. Like so many others the song that first grabbed my attention was Rhiannon and for a time I thought that rambling soft rock anthem was as good as it got. Fleetwood Mac was just... Read the full story

Reflections on InPress

Late in 2007 Melbourne street press publication In Press published its 1000th edition. Its a weekly publication. You do the maths. This was important to me for two reasons. Firstly because I was the publisher for the first nine years of the publications existence.  Secondly it was important because the current editor asked me to write a piece about the publications origins. This is what he got from... Read the full story

Skid Row – Metalheads With A Heart

It was the early 90’s OK? Skid Row was the quintessential late 80’s hard rock band. They were formed in 1986 in New Jersey around guitarists and songwriters Dave “the Snake” Sabo and Rachel Bolan. Sabo was a mate of Jon Bon Jovi and it wasn’t long before Bon Jovi had arranged for them to be managed by Bon Jovi managers Doc and Scott McGhee. It wasn’t hard for McGhee to get them a record... Read the full story

Elvis Costello Calling

The telephone interview (‘the phoner”) process tends to be rather regimented. You are allocated a time and you sit by the phone waiting for the call. Either the call comes through or it doesn’t. If it does you have 20 minutes to ask your questions and get off in time for the next interviewer to receive their call. If the call doesn’t come you wait for contact from a harassed... Read the full story

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