Another post about SM. Another day in which study goes out the window to be replaced with my preoccupation with this topic.
I have to say when I bumped into Billy Sloan in the city back in November on the night of Derek Forbes’ talk and book signing, he played a stellar poker face to me. He mentioned to me that he was thinking of going to Australia that night when we chatted briefly by the doors of the Waterstones on Argyle Street. I said to him “will you be going out there with them?”, meaning the band. “I’m not sure” was the reply. Well, you crafty bugger, Mr Sloan. I’m sure if you didn’t know it for sure by then, you’d have been plotting something pretty strong with your best pal around that time. Congratulations on playing your cards close to your chest.
As I mentioned in one of my vlogs, Billy was going to be presenting one of his shows for BBC Radio Scotland in Melbourne. I didn’t get to tune in live as I was still at the Hamish Hawk gig when the show got under way and it slipped my mind to tune in after I got myself back home in one piece after walking the barren streets of Bible John country on Saturday night.
The following day I looked at the tracklisting for the show on BBC Sounds and must admit to feeling quite disappointed with what I saw. For a man who is a great champion of new music and has thrown a number of new discoveries my way, I felt it a bit of a let down that he didn’t use being in Australia as an opportunity to showcase some of the bands that are popular in the country, or had been in the past, but didn’t get as much international acclaim as they perhaps should have. I felt that it really was an opportunity that slipped by. As a result, I didn’t feel much inclined to give the show a listen, and it wasn’t until I saw a post from Valeria Artamonova on SMOG giving the show a plug that, perhaps, I’ll dive in after all.
This week I have been experiencing some very restless nights and sleep has not been coming easy to me. I keep on waking through the night and struggle to get back to sleep. Last night was no different, so I decided when I awoke in the wee hours to at least begin to listen to Billy’s show.
It started nicely with INXS’s New Sensation being played. It brings back memories of my time with my first ‘serious’ adult relationship with my BF, Roger. Why does so much stuff make me feel nostalgic for the past? Anyway…moving on!
The tracklisting on the BBC Sounds app had some omissions to it, because despite a post I had seen on Instagram of Billy talking about the music he would be playing and mentioning Icehouse, they weren’t on the tracklisting for the show. He did play them nonetheless with the album version of Hey Little Girl given a spin.
In the end, for the most part, I loved the show. It was great to actually find there was a smattering of ‘new’ music from Australia being played – one came by thanks to producer, Gregor, choosing a track from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Another track played was Alex Lloyd’s Amazing.
I wanted to pull Billy up for saying that The Dots on the Shell was written by Yothu Yindi because he should have known it was actually written by Neil Finn. That said, it was nice to hear that get played on the radio.
I can’t help but feel there were missed opportunities because of things like … (as much as I love him – I mean, what a voice!) playing Roy Orbison’s version of Words. Words being a Bee Gees song – and that was a very tenuous link to use, IMHO. Yes, the brothers’ Gibb got their initial success on Australian shores because they spent a number of years there, but… Yeah, as I say, tenuous. It was one of TWO Gibb penned songs played on the show.
I guess stuff like Kate Bush’s The Dreaming, The Go-Betweens I Need Two Heads were nice wee curveballs. In all honesty, I expected more of those kinds of curveballs. Don’t even get me started with playing Divinyls’ I Touch Myself or Midnight Oils’ Beds Are Burning. GIVE ME STRENGTH! There are just SSSOOOOO many other Midnight Oil songs that could have been chosen. Why go for the one that’s bloody obvious and not even their best thing – despite its plaudits, etc. Look at their discography and look at that singles chart list! Midnight Oil discography.
I’d have chosen any one of these songs in its place:
Back On The Borderline
Don’t Wanna Be The One
Armistice Day
U.S. Forces
Power and the Passion
Read About It
Short Memory
When The Generals Talk
Best of Both Worlds
Put Down That Weapon
Blue Sky Mine
King of the Mountain
Truganini
The same with Divinyls:
Boys In Town
Only Lonely
Siren (Never Let You Go)
Science Fiction
Good Die Young
Or even their cover of I’ll Make You Happy – Vanda and Young special right there for you! I’d have even taken Pleasure and Pain or Sleeping Beauty over yawn I Touch Myself (as much as I am for a song that is pro masturbation masquerading itself as a love song). Anyway, I don’t present radio shows, do I?
It was nice to get a shout out even if the shout out in question came from Jimmy Barnes featuring in the show, rather than Cold Chisel. I couldn’t help but think about all the great stuff that has been produced from my country of birth and why none of that featured. I offered up songs by You Am I and v.Spy v.Spy – You Am I were actually touring the country as support for The Darkness while they’re down there – why not have highlighted them? Where were The Angels, The Sports, The Reels, The Church, Models, Mental As Anything, Sherbet, Skyhooks, Hunters and Collectors, The Cruel Sea or Beasts of Bourbon, The Triffids, Hoodoo Gurus??? I could go on and on…
Here’s my opportunity to plug my Oz playlist that I put together on Spotify years ago. Even mine has gaps in it and needs an update. I can’t see when I created it, but it was some time ago now. Actually, a search of my Spotifiy account revealed several playlists created in various stages of make-up. One dating all the way back from 2009! The most recent from 2020.
Anyway, I’ve had my moan now. Lol
The exciting news from the show is that there will be a special presentation of ‘Simple Minds: Downunder’ at some point in the future. Billy suggested it would air prior to the Minds gigs at the Hydro on his Instagram account. On last Saturday’s show he also alluded to there being interviews with people integral in getting Simple Minds exposure. I’m guessing from the description of one person, we may actually hear from Ross Stapleton. Whenever I think about Ross, all I can think about now is my mentioning of him when I was interviewing Bruce Findlay and Bruce getting quite antsy about it. I felt like I had rubbed Bruce up the wrong way with that and was in tears after the conversation, concerned I had fucked up somehow and upset Bruce. So…it’s gonna be intriguing to see if it is indeed Ross Stapleton that we’ll hear from when this show airs. I know he and Jim continue to be firm friends. Wish I damned knew what the secret to loyalty from Jim was! It’s a small esoteric circle to be amongst the Kerr dearly regarded. I’ve given up dreaming. Any dreams of that finally shattered late last year when I was at my most suicidal and made a cry for help that fell upon deaf ears. As I say, in the end, he hardened my resolve and saved me by NOT saving me – in a manner of speaking.
Lastly, I just want to touch upon a recent post in which there was praise given to Cherisse Osei. I commented on it with an ‘Amen’ – holding myself back from adding further comment in the vein of ‘let’s hope you don’t get bored of her and she gets to stay around for some time yet.’ Something of that ilk. I haven’t always agreed with the Simple Minds roll call of band members now starting to resemble the Dead Sea Scrolls, but the choice of bringing in Cherisse was one addition that I agree with. She’s amazing. Long may you stay in the fold, Cherisse!
