‘Suck more piss’
how the confluence of key Melbourne-based audiences, musicians, and iconic scene spaces informed the Oz rock identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v14i2.120Keywords:
Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Melbourne, Oz rock, pub rock, sharpiesAbstract
Australian pub rock began in Melbourne in late 1969/early 1970 and became the nation’s most successful penetration into the international rock market and audiences. While commendable work has been written about Australia’s scene spaces (particularly Homan 2003; Stratton 2007), most remain Sydney-centric and typically overlook the equally (if not more) important Melbourne rock scene. In all cases the fermentative period of pub rock—and especially the combined roles played by its early audiences, musicians and venues—remains under-examined. This article will explore Australian pub rock’s beginnings through the lens of the career trajectory of Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, and how that influenced, and was influenced by, the specific demands of Melbourne’s fluid audiences and venues leading up to the Oz rock era, using the key case studies of Mulgrave’s Village Green Hotel and Nunawadings’s Whitehorse Hotel.
References
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Keays, Jim. 1999. His Master’s Voice. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
King, Geoff. 2010. ‘Becoming Yesterday: Changes in Music, the Music Industry and Musicians’ Careers in 1960s Melbourne’. Musicology Australia 32/2: 285–99.
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—2008. The Complete Havoc Singles 1971–1973: CD liner notes. Collingwood.
McGreevy, Ronan. 2009. ‘How AC/DC Conquered the Globe’. The Irish Times, 27 June. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0627/1224249636218.html (accessed 12 April 2010).
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McIntyre, Iain. 2006. ‘The Wild Cherries’. In Tomorrow is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic Era 1966–1970, ed. Iain McIntyre, 67–75. Adelaide: Wakefield Press.
—2010. ‘The Purple Hearts’. In Wild about You! The Sixties Beat Explosion in Australia and New Zealand, ed. Ian D. Marks and Iain McIntyre, 149–63. Melbourne: Verse Chorus Press.
Milesago. 2002. ‘Michael Browning: Promoter, Agent, Manager, 1970s-Present’. Online at http://www.milesago.com/industry/browning-michael.htm (accessed 15 November 2012).
O’Donnell, John, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson. 2010. ‘Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs—Live! at Sunbury’. In The 100 Best Australian Albums, ed. John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson, 186. Prahran: Hardie Grant.
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—2012. ‘Rock Lobster: Lobby Loyde and the History of Rock Music in Australia’. Thesis Eleven 109/1: 64–70.
Patterson, Bryan. 2010. ‘Silence as Pubs Shut Doors’. Sunday Herald Sun, 23 January.
Perrin, Bruce. 2006. Sunday Night with Bruce and Jane. Radio programme. 5GTR 101FM. Mount Gambier.
Phillips, Steven. 1972. ‘Thorpe Arrested Again’. Go-Set. 22 January: 2.
Roberts, Jo. 2002. ‘Rock with Balls’. The Age. 2 August: 3.
Spencer, Chris, and Zbig Nowara. 1993. Who’s Who of Australian Rock. 3rd edn. Knoxfield: Five Mile Press.
St John, Ed, ed. 1985. The Big Australian Rock Book. Neutral Bay: Megabooks.
Stratton, Jon. 2003. ‘Whiter Rock: The “Australian Sound” and the Beat Boom’. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 17/3: 331–46.
—2007. Australian Rock: Essays on Popular Music. Perth: Network Books.
Tait, John. 2010. Vanda & Young: Inside Australia’s Hit Factory. Sydney: New South.
Taylor, Tadgh. 2004. Top Fellas. Northcote: Surefire.
Thompson, Murray, Dianne Hadden, David Davis, Peter Katsambanis, Telmo Languiller, Andrea McCall, Andrew McIntosh and Bob Stensholt. 2001. Review of the Theatres Act 1958. Melbourne: Parliament of Victoria.
Thorpe, Billy. 2002. Most People I Know (Think That I’m Crazy). Commemorative edn. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.
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Walker, Clinton. 2002. Highway to Hell: The Life and Death of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott. 2nd edn. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.
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Walker, Clinton, Tony Barrell, Sandy Webster, James Cockington and Lawrie Zion. 2001a. ‘Episode 2: Ten Pound Rock 1963–68’. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
—2001b. ‘Episode 4: Berserk Warriors 1973–81’. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Walker, Jason. 2009. Billy Thorpe’s Time on Earth. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Zion, Lawrie. 1988. ‘The Pop Music Scene in Australia in the 1960s’. Unpublished PhD thesis. Melbourne: Monash University.
Zumeris, Bronius. 2003. ‘Oz Rock’. In Currency Companion to Music and Dance in Australia, ed. John Whiteoak and Aline Scott-Maxwell, 495. Sydney: Currency House.
Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. 2009. Under Age Drinking: Develop Policy Options to Reverse the Present Trend Facing Australia. Elizabeth: Drug Free Australia Ltd.
Arrow, Michelle. 2009. Friday on Our Minds: Popular Culture in Australia Since 1945. Sydney: UNSW Press.
Baker, Glenn A. 1990. External Combustion: Glenn A. Baker on Music. Cammeray: Horwitz Grahame.
—2007a. ‘Billy Thorpe Shaped Australia’s Pub Rock Scene’. Online at http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/genius-showman-dies/2007/02/28/1172338656942.html (accessed 20 August 2010).
—2007b. ‘The Godfather of Australia’s Heavy Rock’. Sydney Morning Herald. 24 April: 18.
Billboard. 1972. ‘Aussie Rock Agencies Merge’. Billboard. 29 January: 64.
Bozza, Anthony. 2009. Why AC/DC Matters. New York: HarperCollins.
Burrows, Toby, and Phil Riseborough. 2009. I Remember When I Was Young: The Matt Taylor Story. Nedlands: Hilliard Press.
Cashmere, Paul. 2010. AC/DC Back In Black Turns 30. Prahran: Undercover Digital Music Media Publishing and Syndication Company. Online at http://www.undercover.fm/news/11244-ac-dc-back-in-black-turns-30 (accessed 7 October 2013).
Clarke, Paul, Greg Appel, Andrew Glover, Larry Metzer, Sandy Webster, Clinton Walker and James Cockington. 2001. ‘Episode 3: Billy Killed the Fish 1968–73’. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Cockington, James. 2001. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock and Roll. Maryborough: ABC Books.
Engleheart, Murray. 2010. Blood, Sweat and Beers: Oz Rock from The Aztecs to Rose Tattoo. Sydney: HarperCollins.
Englehart, Murray, and Arnaud Durieux. 2006. AC/DC: Maximum Rock‘n’Roll. Sydney: HarperCollins.
Go-Set. 1968. ‘Know Where’ [Billy Thorpe’s First Melbourne Gig Listing]. 14 August: 22.
Go-Set. 1971a. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 3 April: 20.
Go-Set. 1971b. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 22 May: 20.
Go-Set. 1971c. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 6 November: 18.
Go-Set. 1971d. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 13 November: 20.
Go-Set. 1971e. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 20 November: 19.
Go-Set. 1971f. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 27 November: 19.
Go-Set. 1971g. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 4 December: 19.
Go-Set. 1971h. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 11 December: 19.
Go-Set. 1971i. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 18 December: 19.
Go-Set. 1971j. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 25 December: 19.
Go-Set. 1971k. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing Advertisements]’. 25 December: 19.
Go-Set. 1972a. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 1 January: 19.
Go-Set. 1972b. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 8 January: 19.
Go-Set. 1972c. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 15 January: 19.
Go-Set. 1972d. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 22 January: 19.
Go-Set. 1972e. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 29 January: 19.
Go-Set. 1972f. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 5 February: 19.
Go-Set. 1972g. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 12 February: 19.
Go-Set. 1972h. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 19 February: 19.
Go-Set. 1972i. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 26 February: 19.
Go-Set. 1972j. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 4 March: 19.
Go-Set. 1972k. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 11 March: 19.
Go-Set. 1972l. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 18 March: 19.
Go-Set. 1972m. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 25 March: 19.
Go-Set. 1972n. ‘Know-Where [Gig Listing]’. 1 April: 19.
Guilliatt, Richard. 2012. ‘That Blockhead Thing: Aztec Music’s Archaeological Gig’. The Monthly: 59–61.
Homan, Shane. 2003. The Mayor’s a Square: Live Music and Law and Order in Sydney. Sydney: Local Consumption Publications.
—2008. ‘Playing to the Thinkers or the Drinkers? The Sites and Sounds of Oz Rock’. In Sounds of Then, Sounds of Now: Popular Music in Australia, ed. Shane Homan and Tony Mitchell, 19–36. Hobart: ACYS Publishing.
Horne, Donald. 1970. The Next Australia. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
Inglis, Ken. 2006. This is the ABC: The Australian Broadcasting Commission 1932–1983. 2nd edn. Melbourne: Black Inc.
Jones, Bob. 2001. Let the Good Times Roll. Melbourne: Perdiem.
Keays, Jim. 1999. His Master’s Voice. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
King, Geoff. 2010. ‘Becoming Yesterday: Changes in Music, the Music Industry and Musicians’ Careers in 1960s Melbourne’. Musicology Australia 32/2: 285–99.
Maclean, Stephen. 1971. ‘Thorpie’s Dirty Word Bust’. Go-Set. 9 October: 2.
McFarlane, Ian. 1999a. ‘Billy Thorpe’. In The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop, 635–39. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
—1999b. ‘Lobby Loyde’. In The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop, 376–77. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
—2008. The Complete Havoc Singles 1971–1973: CD liner notes. Collingwood.
McGreevy, Ronan. 2009. ‘How AC/DC Conquered the Globe’. The Irish Times, 27 June. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2009/0627/1224249636218.html (accessed 12 April 2010).
McGregor, Craig. 1966. Profile of Australia. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
McIntyre, Iain. 2006. ‘The Wild Cherries’. In Tomorrow is Today: Australia in the Psychedelic Era 1966–1970, ed. Iain McIntyre, 67–75. Adelaide: Wakefield Press.
—2010. ‘The Purple Hearts’. In Wild about You! The Sixties Beat Explosion in Australia and New Zealand, ed. Ian D. Marks and Iain McIntyre, 149–63. Melbourne: Verse Chorus Press.
Milesago. 2002. ‘Michael Browning: Promoter, Agent, Manager, 1970s-Present’. Online at http://www.milesago.com/industry/browning-michael.htm (accessed 15 November 2012).
O’Donnell, John, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson. 2010. ‘Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs—Live! at Sunbury’. In The 100 Best Australian Albums, ed. John O’Donnell, Toby Creswell and Craig Mathieson, 186. Prahran: Hardie Grant.
Oldham, Paul. 2010. ‘Lobby Loyde: The G.O.D.father of Australian Rock’. Honours thesis. School of Communication, International Studies and Languages. Adelaide: University of South Australia.
—2012. ‘Rock Lobster: Lobby Loyde and the History of Rock Music in Australia’. Thesis Eleven 109/1: 64–70.
Patterson, Bryan. 2010. ‘Silence as Pubs Shut Doors’. Sunday Herald Sun, 23 January.
Perrin, Bruce. 2006. Sunday Night with Bruce and Jane. Radio programme. 5GTR 101FM. Mount Gambier.
Phillips, Steven. 1972. ‘Thorpe Arrested Again’. Go-Set. 22 January: 2.
Roberts, Jo. 2002. ‘Rock with Balls’. The Age. 2 August: 3.
Spencer, Chris, and Zbig Nowara. 1993. Who’s Who of Australian Rock. 3rd edn. Knoxfield: Five Mile Press.
St John, Ed, ed. 1985. The Big Australian Rock Book. Neutral Bay: Megabooks.
Stratton, Jon. 2003. ‘Whiter Rock: The “Australian Sound” and the Beat Boom’. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies 17/3: 331–46.
—2007. Australian Rock: Essays on Popular Music. Perth: Network Books.
Tait, John. 2010. Vanda & Young: Inside Australia’s Hit Factory. Sydney: New South.
Taylor, Tadgh. 2004. Top Fellas. Northcote: Surefire.
Thompson, Murray, Dianne Hadden, David Davis, Peter Katsambanis, Telmo Languiller, Andrea McCall, Andrew McIntosh and Bob Stensholt. 2001. Review of the Theatres Act 1958. Melbourne: Parliament of Victoria.
Thorpe, Billy. 2002. Most People I Know (Think That I’m Crazy). Commemorative edn. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.
Thorpe, Lynn, and Dino Scatena. 2010. Billy Thorpe: Keep Rockin’—Celebrating an Australian Legend. Camberwell: Penguin/Viking.
Turner, Graeme. 1987. ‘The Pub’. In Myths of Oz: Reading Australian Popular Culture, ed. John Fiske, Bob Hodge and Graeme Turner, 1–25. Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
—1992. ‘Australian Popular Music and its Contexts’. In From Pop to Punk to Postmodernism: Popular Music and Australian Culture from the 1960s to the 1990s, ed. Philip Hayward, 11–24. North Sydney: Allen and Unwin.
Walker, Clinton. 2002. Highway to Hell: The Life and Death of AC/DC Legend Bon Scott. 2nd edn. Sydney: Pan Macmillan.
—2012. ‘History is Made at Night: Live Music in Australia’. Platform Papers: Quarterly Essays on the Performing Arts 32/2: 1–60.
Walker, Clinton, Tony Barrell, Sandy Webster, James Cockington and Lawrie Zion. 2001a. ‘Episode 2: Ten Pound Rock 1963–68’. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
—2001b. ‘Episode 4: Berserk Warriors 1973–81’. Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock ’n’ Roll. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Walker, Jason. 2009. Billy Thorpe’s Time on Earth. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Zion, Lawrie. 1988. ‘The Pop Music Scene in Australia in the 1960s’. Unpublished PhD thesis. Melbourne: Monash University.
Zumeris, Bronius. 2003. ‘Oz Rock’. In Currency Companion to Music and Dance in Australia, ed. John Whiteoak and Aline Scott-Maxwell, 495. Sydney: Currency House.
Published
2014-01-30
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Oldham, P. (2014). ‘Suck more piss’: how the confluence of key Melbourne-based audiences, musicians, and iconic scene spaces informed the Oz rock identity. Perfect Beat, 14(2), 120-139. https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v14i2.120
