Happy 30th Birthday Big Day Out
BORN JANUARY 25TH 1992
Seeing as the world, and in particular, the live music world, (thanks Covid), are still running on chaos theory, I thought this might be the right time to drop some of my ramblings covering the path to and the first 6 years of The Big Day Out. I had hoped to deliver the whole story, however, it’s been more complicated than I originally anticipated, so you might have to wait a while longer for the book. If you’re locked down or even locked up, you might enjoy my warts and all trip down memory lane.
I’ve gone with the no-frills version this time around. There are no links and only the relevant six posters make up the images. I feel it’s important to just stay within the story, without distractions.
The path to the event is short for now. Needless to say, it was a bumpy road with tales of caution mixed with elation. It’s been an amazing ride for me. The joy and pride that I still carry in my heart for those crazy days can never be erased. I was, and still am, a lucky man.
Eternal gratitude goes to the team, business partner Vivian Lees, the artists, managers, agents, media, technicians and especially the audience for believing in, and embracing a vision that quickly dwarfed my wildest expectations.
It’s important to remember that this was a time before the internet and mobile phones had taken over from face to face relationships. The path to musical knowledge came via community radio, Triple J, ABC TV's Rage, posters, street press and independent record stores. It was also a time when you paid a lot for music, albums and CD's chewed up your funds and word of mouth was king.
To not make it too easy, I have included a DIY playlist to accompany the stories. A soundtrack of sorts for those six years. I’m sure you can find them all online for free, if you don’t use Spotify.
To follow are my recollections of how it felt to be the ringmaster of the cyclone that was The Big Day Out. I was in the right place, at the right time, and fortunately, I knew it. Uniting a fractured scene to create something unique that helped deliver great Australian music to the world. While also bringing the most important, cutting-edge global artists to our shores to join the circus.
For this situation, I won’t test your patience too much on the back story. Best to keep it brief this time around.
I grew up in Cabramatta, then went to COFA as a kineticist. Had a life-changing moment at 19 when the artist Christo gave a guest lecture to a handful of art students. He taught me about the importance of documentation, collaboration, scale, overambition and that art does not need to be permanent. He also taught me that money, beyond survival is just a tool. Soon after I decided that visual art was a dying medium and music was where the real anarchists thrived.
In 1979, at twenty-one years old, fate placed me in the middle of rapid evolution of magical creatures that needed someone to help hold things together. I grabbed that opportunity unaware of where it might lead but knowing that this was where I had to be.
This new world felt like a family to me. I was welcomed and gave everything I could to see how far the rabbit hole could go.
I observed that the great artists, especially musicians, were usually fragile creatures, needing all the help they could get to succeed, sometimes just to survive.
In our world at that time, I don't think anyone really believed they could get rich from music. This was our art, and beyond survival, everything else was a bonus. The alternative was to get a real job, which is motivation enough to keep going. The cycle becomes addictive.
As for the ones that did make it, it's not all beers and skittles either. As for the ones that didn’t, an acceptance of what might have been must linger. It’s a fickle world, and in the words of Doris Day, ‘Que Sera Sera, Whatever Will Be, Will Be’. But you could say that about crossing the road blindfolded.
I also liked working under an alias. From Ken-tel and Prince Melon to Edward Zimblis Pty Ltd. Even The Big Day Out was a cover story.
To help with the brief back story to follow is a list of acts and artists I had the pleasure of working with from 1979 to 1991. These acts formed the pathway to the creation of The Big Day Out.
Laughing Clowns, The Birthday Party, The Fall, New Order, John Cooper Clarke, Pel Mel, John Cale, Jonathan Richman, Nick Cave ‘Man or Myth’, The Violent Femmes, Lou Reed, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Run DMC, The Ramones, Deborah Harry, The Pogues, Billy Bragg, Primal Scream, Siouxsie and the Banshees, They Might Be Giants, Stone Roses, Sugarcubes, The Triffids, Beasts of Bourbon, Ratcat, Ride, The Wonderstuff and more.
Lessons were learnt. That was the point.
In many ways, it was easier when starting out. You don’t have anything to lose. You're clueless and you're auditioning for the circus. You aren’t aware that acceptance means shovelling elephant shit for the first few years or more.
The Big Day Out provided me with the greatest job in the world. Working and partying with incredible artists who motivated me to create beautiful complex events. Human alchemy was taken to its limits. Continually evolving and growing for over 20 years.
Five million people attended those shows, that’s a lot of joy.
Barnum and Bailey would have been impressed.
To follow are my recollections of the times that really mattered to me. I hope it helps explain the scene, the artists and the realities of creating the future. In the 90s, grunge, techno, sampling, superstar DJ’s, extreme sports, travelling festivals, the internet and even mobile phones were born. It was a rapidly evolving scene.
Hopefully, a new generation can look to challenge the system and not just create, but also educate. Treat your hobby as a career, and it may become one. That of course can go both ways.
How you succeed or fail matters. Find your purpose. Take risks. There will be plenty of reflective time along the way.
You will also need a lot of emotional armour.
Armour you can hopefully take off at the end of the day.
These chapters are from my not yet finished book. The working title is ‘Controlled Kaos.’ That will change I presume. For this occasion, I have selected chapters 20 to 27 to cover the issues relevant for today.
If anyone named has accuracy issues, please try to remember that this is my memory of those times. If some things are glaringly wrong, I can correct them before going to print.
And so it begins…….