Updates
Some of our recent updates have been:
- Mad Gorilla – Added more members
- Ted Mulry Gang – Added a video of Jump In My Car
- Stevie Wright – Added a video of Friday On My Mind
- Rose Tattoo – Added two videos. Bad Boy For Love and Black Eyed Bruiser
Hi Gibbo
This site of yours – especially the Road / War stories section is a neat idea. I’m sure all punters, muso’s and crewing personnel from the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s etc could contribute stories that would make our collective eyes spring from our sockets! So yeah, a really cool site/concept man.
For the record, I was the bass player in the original Gorilla
line-up ( with Steve Stickney- Vox, Zac Flack- Gtr, George Grainger- Hammond organ, Geoff Hillier – Drums ). Boy were they halcyon days! – writing our own material, coming up with “show” ideas; it seemed like we were just thrown together in some mushroom growing shed up in Riverstone (in Sydney’s north western suburbs) that the keyboard players Dad owned.
God if his Dad only knew what was being developed in there!
I can tell you that the original 5 piece band did kick some considerable ass, but we guys were’nt satisfied with only playing – we wanted to entertain, and so that’s where the idea of the “Undertaker Show” emerged from. But to be fair, the concept was born in Zac Flack’s head while he was hospitalised with a huge boil on his upper thigh, and upon his healthy return to the mushroom shed rehearsal enviroment
the show was born. It was to be a “Horror Show” to rival any other “show” rival bands could stage; we had set our sights pretty high looking back on it.
I could go on and regale you and your readers with some pretty wild stories that happened “on the bus” and “off the bus” if you know what I mean, from those early years – but maybe I’ll draught a few out before I just sit and type like I have today.
A couple of things though before I depart this time:
Mark “Zac” Flack (and for a time his partner Coby)
worked tirelessly, full time on the bands P.A. gear, road crew and costumes -and if it needed doing -it was done (unbelievable committment in my observation-for little or no return)
Steve “Stix” Stickney ability as a word-smith, front-man and agent/corporate liaison was just awesome – though my fading memory seems to recall “Zac” being involved in acquiring work from time to time too, Steve was generally known around town as the Face of Mad Gorilla, which naturally he usedto great enterprise.
Big Al and Steve “Reckless” Reckley were our first two roadies, and they too deserve praise for the long hours and many miles they gave in service to Gorilla. They were times we worked 5,6,7,8 gigs a week – regularly – all with some varitation on 10-20 can light show and single/double 4way PA systems!)
Sure there were more people involved down the track when the line-up started changing, but these original band members and crew all laid down the foundation of what has become somewhat of a mini-legend ( and a great talking point when we all get together- Imagine it – when was the last timw you caught up with an old mand-mate and said ” Remeber when we blew up Black Soccer Club?, Remeber when Sticko punched that idiot out at the Touramaline Hotel for stabbing oue speakers-in front of the audience? Remeber when we supported Jimmy and the boys at The Coogee Bay Hotel and THEY wombatted us? It just goes on and on and on, but any I’ll save it all up for next time.
Until then,
Dave Owens
http://www.dave-owens.com
Hey Dave, great to hear from you. We have actually met once or twice a very, very long time ago. I’m glad you like the site. If you’ve got a story or two to share I’d love to hear them. I’ve also copied your comments onto the Mad Gorilla listing here:
Mad Gorilla
I hope to hear from you again real soon.
Cheers, Gibbo
Hi Mark, Just to advise those who are interested that my website is down, but I can still be cintacted thru myspacemusic.com/daveowensmusic.
Cheers Mate