By popular demand, here it is...
"Not so long ago we were the latest models on the showroom floor. Shiny and new, no rust, ready for the road, good for 500 gigs before needing a service. Of course, we needed a bit of polish.
By the mid-80's the car was left in the garage, while we toured Europe and North America in buses and flying machines. We played in some unlikely places: a bullring in France, an old U-Boat factory in Germany, a major traffic intersection in NYC. And we recorded albums on a farm in England and an office block in Tokyo.
But all the travel simply made us cherish our own country more.
We made friends in the desert, and wrote songs about the beauty and tragedy of the Aboriginal Nation. We joined forces with the millions who see the potential, and the perils, of the Australian destiny.
2000 came around, a rare moment of peace and goodwill. Yet even before the thrill and the smoke of the Sydney Olympics began to fade, great changes were being made.
Last week GW Bush finally admitted that Iraq may prove to be his Vietnam, but Vietnam inspired some of the greatest protest songs ever written. Not so now, surprisingly, even when hundreds of thousands of Australians crowded our streets to demonstrate their opposition to another senseless war. Maybe complaint rock is still being written, but is ignored by an industry hypnotised by get-famous-fast TV shows. Bless you, John Butler, but you shouldn't have to do it all by yourself.
Of course, everything eventually turns around, as Bush's predecessor of two centuries past, Thomas Jefferson, observed: 'A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles'.
There are so many to thank on this amazing journey, this strange fantastic dream. Thank you Denis Handlin and everyone now and then at CBS, Sony, and Sony/BMG. Our history is tied to yours - in fact, Denis was still packing shelves at Artarmon when we were packing shit at the Antler.
Thanks to our own cheer squad, past and present: our manager, Gary Morris, our office bearers, particularly Arlene and Craig; our crew, especially Michael and Nick; our tour managers, from Constance to Willie; our producers, chiefly Nick and Warne; and our first two bassplayers, Bear and Giffo. And thanks most of all to our families, who put up with long-absent husbands and fathers, and who graciously accepted our middle-distance stares and our long-distance phonecalls. They've seen us at our worst, trying to dial room service at home, or complaining that there's no TV in the bathroom. But they might also have to admit - like us - that when it's all been said and done, it's been lots of fun."
Rob, Oct 06
"Not so long ago we were the latest models on the showroom floor. Shiny and new, no rust, ready for the road, good for 500 gigs before needing a service. Of course, we needed a bit of polish.
By the mid-80's the car was left in the garage, while we toured Europe and North America in buses and flying machines. We played in some unlikely places: a bullring in France, an old U-Boat factory in Germany, a major traffic intersection in NYC. And we recorded albums on a farm in England and an office block in Tokyo.
But all the travel simply made us cherish our own country more.
We made friends in the desert, and wrote songs about the beauty and tragedy of the Aboriginal Nation. We joined forces with the millions who see the potential, and the perils, of the Australian destiny.
2000 came around, a rare moment of peace and goodwill. Yet even before the thrill and the smoke of the Sydney Olympics began to fade, great changes were being made.
Last week GW Bush finally admitted that Iraq may prove to be his Vietnam, but Vietnam inspired some of the greatest protest songs ever written. Not so now, surprisingly, even when hundreds of thousands of Australians crowded our streets to demonstrate their opposition to another senseless war. Maybe complaint rock is still being written, but is ignored by an industry hypnotised by get-famous-fast TV shows. Bless you, John Butler, but you shouldn't have to do it all by yourself.
Of course, everything eventually turns around, as Bush's predecessor of two centuries past, Thomas Jefferson, observed: 'A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles'.
There are so many to thank on this amazing journey, this strange fantastic dream. Thank you Denis Handlin and everyone now and then at CBS, Sony, and Sony/BMG. Our history is tied to yours - in fact, Denis was still packing shelves at Artarmon when we were packing shit at the Antler.
Thanks to our own cheer squad, past and present: our manager, Gary Morris, our office bearers, particularly Arlene and Craig; our crew, especially Michael and Nick; our tour managers, from Constance to Willie; our producers, chiefly Nick and Warne; and our first two bassplayers, Bear and Giffo. And thanks most of all to our families, who put up with long-absent husbands and fathers, and who graciously accepted our middle-distance stares and our long-distance phonecalls. They've seen us at our worst, trying to dial room service at home, or complaining that there's no TV in the bathroom. But they might also have to admit - like us - that when it's all been said and done, it's been lots of fun."
Rob, Oct 06
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