Roadie Stories
“Weckwess I’m not weally a woadie”
This guy amazed me but pissed me & a hell of a lot of people off. I can’t remember his name even though I ended up working on the same gigs as him too many times. Thinking about it it’s probably a good thing he remains nameless for his sake because he was worse than…
Read MoreHighway Robbery
Mad Gorilla used to do a song called Highway robbery and it was a true story, very freaky but true. The highway was The Highway Hotel at Wentworthville which is gone now. There’s a super market or something there now. It wasn’t a real big room but a decent size with a good stage. The…
Read MoreHow to get rid of the Vice Squad
Bombay Rock – October 81 During our residency we were having a ball. Spent the days hanging around surfers then a soundcheck in the arvo or if we were doing a support that night help the main band load in mid afternoon, soundcheck and come back for the show. It was pretty cruisy. In between…
Read MoreWTF Is That?
I think it was feb’80 when Mad Gorilla went to Adelaide for 2 weeks ( I’m sure someone has a better memory than me & will correct me ) Anyhow we were staying at a pub in a place called Paradise & whoever named it had a bloody good sense of humour. Don’t get me…
Read MoreDead Roo’s & Red Dust
Have a quick look on Google earth and you’ll see that Cobar is a bloody long way from Sydney. So in his infinite wisdom the booking agent organised a gig out west the night before we were supposed to play Cobar golf club. Can’t remember which pub but it was out Windsor way, I think…
Read MoreHow I Got My Nickname
G’day, Well first up I should start with a disclaimer for all aspiring crew & the young & impressionable. My stories come from a time in the industry that was pretty wild & I was young and probably (well, yes I was) reckless. Today you couldn’t get away with some of the crazy stuff that…
Read MoreThe Best Truck In The World
A decent truck can mean the difference between a great gig and a night full of grief. Back in the eighties I went back to work for Rick Doolan who was the original drummer in Bandanna. He had re-formed the band and had put together a nice little PA system. The “truck” he’d bought was…
Read MoreThe Wombat Switch – Mad Gorilla
The Wombat Switch. I don’t even know if it is a term that is still used. Back about 20 years ago “Wombatting” was something you did to the support band to sabotage them. You know, turn the amps down a bit or pull down the master volume on the EQ or something. Sometimes it was…
Read MoreStage Diving at Sawtell – Hoodoo Gurus
Stage diving and crowd surfing is a phenomenon that has become popular over the last 10 or 15 years. The idea being that after diving from the stage, the crowd will catch you and you won’t end up on your arse on the floor. When the crowd is in good form you can stay aloft…
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