9 – 16 March

‘They’re justified and they’re ancient and they drive an ice-cream van’ crooned country legend Tammy Wynette in her brief and bizarre collaborative moment with trance/house/rave band The KLF for a hit song ‘Stand By The Jams’, released in 1991. Even though the KLF were at their peak in popularity, it was already the beginning of the end for the group, who were stressed about ‘selling out’ to commercial success.

Bring the beat back!

But what does this have to do with the 80s? Well it all started this week in 1987, when the KLF were originally known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu with a debut single, ‘All You Need Is Love’. Anti-establishment from the beginning, they received recognition for their first album, but also a slew of copyright notices from lawyers on behalf of artists who objected to their music being heavily sampled throughout.

The stand off came to a head when the band travelled to Sweden in an attempt to meet with ABBA to request permission for their use of ‘Dancing Queen’ on their title track. ABBA ultimately refused to meet with them, and since The Mechanical Copyright Society had already ordered all remaining copies of their 1987 album be disposed of, they decided to go out with a style that would become their signature – up in flames. That’s right, the band drove to a Nordic Forest and built a bonfire that sent smoke through the region and consumed their first albums en masse.

The band would go on to critical acclaim as the KLF with their ‘White Room’ album, with songs like ‘Burn The Bastards’ and ‘Build A Fire’ inspired by their copyright debacle. But ultimately they decided to end it all with an infamous appearance at The Brit Awards where they burned a million pounds. Debate still rages today as to whether the band actually burnt a million pounds, or whether it was real money to begin with. For now, we have to chalk it up to mythology and I think The KLF would prefer it that way.

Also this week in the 80s, George Michael (performing at a concert in Perth) thanks Tipper Gore, head of the Parents Music Resource Centre, for helping the sales of his Faith Album and Bryan Adams’ ‘Heat of The Night’ becomes the first single to be commercially released on cassette. Cassette singles become known as cassingles in 1987.

1 – 8 March

Back in the 80s, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade was gaining momentum. The event kicked off in 1978, when there was clearly a need for awareness raising in the broader community and further advocacy for civil rights. Over the decade that followed, the political march grew into a larger schedule of events including the parade and the ‘Sleaze Ball’ party. Today the event continues to be world renowned, attracting large crowds of local and international visitors.

The Powerhouse Museum has collected posters, badges, entry passes and other ephemera related to the Mardi Gras events over the years. You can see some of this material throughout ‘The 80s Are Back’ exhibition.

You may also enjoy our interview with gay rights activist aka Fabian LoSchiavo ‘Mother Inferior’, who will be giving a public talk at the museum, this Sunday 7 March, 2010.

Happy Mardi Gras!

RIP Bon Scott – 19 February 1980

Hello, Howard, how ya doin’ friend; next door neighbour. Get your f#%*king jumbo jet outa my airport…
Says Bon Scott in the end refrain of the 1976 song off AC/DC’s Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap ‘Aint No Fun (Waitin’ ‘Round to Be a Millionaire)’. You could be forgiven – if you were unaware of the impact Ronald Belford Scott had on the international rock music industry – for thinking Bon Scott a profane and trivial lyric writer. Because, well, he did use profanity, and he did write about fairly trivial things. But it was Bon Scott’s voice, both in an auditory and a literary sense that spoke to, and for a large section of Australian culture.

Irony. Something that may often be lost on certain overseas audiences, but something that drills straight into the core of Australian working class language. Bon Scott’s lyrics are chocka-block with irony. Bon’s lifestyle and proclivities were well known. So consider the lyrics of the song ‘Overdose’ off the 1977 album Let There Be Rock (and consider how Bon died): I never smoked me no cigarettes, I never drank much booze, but I’m only a man don’t ya understand, and a man can sometimes lose. Never drank much booze? C’mon, Bon! But he isn’t trying to deceive us. We’re in on the joke. We know he’s being ironic. Even the theme of the song is both ironic and a clever use of nomenclature. The metaphor of a drug overdose as an overdose of love. The character in the song is clean of drugs, but addicted to sex. (Of course this is now a theme song for wealthy, high profile men when they get sprung as multiple philanderers.) Another example is the above song title: ‘Aint No Fun (Waitin’ ‘Round to Be a Millionaire)’. Waiting around? To be a millionaire? Only an Australian would make such a statement. The idea of waiting around, doing as little as possible, but in the hope of one day coming into big money. And this not saying that Australians are not hard workers. It’s just an ironic statement. And Australians get it.

AC/DC were a very hard working band. They weren’t waiting around. They were slogging it out in pubs throughout the mid 1970s. And Bon, who was quite a bit older than the rest of the band, had already been doing it for a decade with other bands. The hard work paid off. Each album sold better than the last, and with the release of Highway to Hell in 1979, the band became internationally successful. And ironically, this played a big part in Bon’s death. The band was by no means an overnight success, but playing in pubs in Australia, making just enough money for a feed and a few bottles of Stones ginger wine is a long way from living in London, rehearsing in state-of -the-art studios and having access to as much booze as you want.

Those close to Bon say although he was happy with his success – it was his life-long dream – he was not entirely on top of the world while in London writing for the follow up to Highway to Hell. He was drinking heavily – waking up late and starting the day with a glass of whiskey – according to his Japanese girlfriend at the time, Anna. The week of his death, Bon had asked Anna to move out of his flat in Victoria (London) so he could concentrate on writing. On February 18, 1980 Bon had been drinking all day and went out with an acquaintance, Alistair Kinnear, to a bar where Bon downed glass after glass of quadruple scotches. Kinnear could not rouse Bon from his car when they arrived back at, first Bon’s flat, and then Kinnear’s flat, so Kinnear left Bon in the car to sleep it off.

Circumstance conspired against Bon. It was freezing, he was passed out and his body alcohol poisoned. And Kinnear didn’t go down to check on him until part way through the following day. Bon was pronounced dead on arrival at Kings College Hospital. Acute Alcohol Poisoning was the official cause of death. No other drugs were found in Bon’s system.

No one would argue that Bon Scott joined Jimi Hendrix, Mama Cass, Janis Joplin, John Bonham and others in that ironic hall of fame. Amazing, original talent claimed by the lifestyle that enabled that talent to flourish.

Bon’s voice is still as loud and clear as it ever was.

A final and maybe bitter irony is that AC/DC, with Brian Johnson singing, has become one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Certainly Australia’s most successful rock band. For many though there are two AC/DCs – Bon’s, and the other one.

The Powerhouse Museum has in its collection not only one of Angus Young’s Gibson SG guitars, but this very cool original iron-on transfer from 1976, and a rare picture disc record which is on display in ‘The 80s are back’ exhibition.

This article was originally published on the ‘Object of the Week’ blog, where our curators take you behind the scenes at the Powerhouse Museum.

11 – 18 February

Do you remember the hit television series ‘A-Team’? Here’s a quick memory jogger:

1. Take four Vietnam veteran soldiers
2. Frame them for a crime they didn’t commit
3. Have them go on the run
4. With a twist – they help the innocent along the way
5. Include lots of cowboy swagger, machine guns, action shots and explosions
6. Incredibly, in the midst of all the ruckus no one ever seems to get hurt

So how exactly does the fair Boy George from new wave band, ‘The Culture Club’ fit into this scene of macho posturing/saving the world? Perhaps they were desperate for another wooden celebrity guest appearance to boost the ratings? Go on, watch a little of the episode that aired on 11 February 1986…

Speaking of wooden celebrity guest appearances, Frank Zappa is thoroughly entertaining as crime boss “Mr Frankie” on ‘Miami Vice’. The (unintentional?) hilarity of the dialogue (‘weasel dust’!) is matched only by the poorly staged action scenes (I love the guy that practically pushes himself off the side of the boat during the struggle) and the smattering of well-placed swimsuit models. You too can watch a cheesy slice of this episode that screened on Valentines Day in 1986.

Closer to home, our very own hit comedy series of the decade was The Comedy Company and it first went to air on 16 February, 1988. It featured well known actors like Glenn Robbins, Kim Gyngell and Russell Gilbert and also some silly guest appearances by Aussie music celebrities, including Kylie Minogue and INXS.

Out of all the characters though, ‘Kylie Mole’, played by Mary-Anne Fahey seemed to garner the most celebrity. She interviewed INXS, pulled off schoolgirl pranks with Kylie Minogue and like all good delinquent youth, she made it onto the Ray Martin show.

And how could we forgot her hit song, ‘It’s So Excellent’ that went all the way to number 8 on the Aria Charts in 1988. Till next week!

4 – 10 February

On August 17, 1980 a nine-week old baby girl mysteriously disappeared while camping with her family at Uluru, the remote red centre of Australia. Her name was Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain. Her mother Lindy Chamberlain became a household name thanks to the ensuing media frenzy surrounding the case. In an Australian first, television viewers from all over the country watched the proceedings in court from the comfort of their armchairs and decided for themselves whether they believed Lindy’s testament, that a dingo stole her baby. Despite inconclusive evidence, Lindy was sentenced to jail for murder only to be later released on February 7, 1986 when new scene of crime evidence located Azaria’s soiled baby clothes near to a dingo’s lair. Results from numerous inquests are ‘undetermined’ and to this day, a body has never been found but we do know much more about dingo behaviour and have seen a rise in dingo attacks on humans.

The case inspired various films, television drama and even an Opera. In 1988, Meryl Streep mastered the Australia accent in order to play the lead role as Lindy Chamberlain in the feature film, ‘Evil Angels‘.

Since her release, Lindy Chamberlain has worked closely with the The National Museum of Australia to document her story. You can view Azaria’s clothing, a souvenir Azaria Chamberlain trial tea-towel and other items on the museum’s website.
The National Library of Australia also hold related material in their collection.

28 January – 3 February

On 28 January 1984, Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the shooting of a Pepsi commercial. Planned explosions onstage went horribly awry leaving Micheal with a big bald spot and 2-3 degree burns.

Michael Jackson Pepsi Commercial Hair on Fire – For more amazing video clips, click here

Also this week in the 1988, we met the Arnold Family in The Wonder Years. Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage) most notably spent a good deal of his time daydreaming about the smart, beautiful and elusive Winnie Cooper (played by Danica McKellar) spawning a generation of boys who wanted to date her and girls who wanted to be her. Which is a good thing, because she grew up to be an advocate for clever girls everywhere with her book, ‘Maths Doesn’t Suck’.

For a different type of viewing, if you happened to be hanging out at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago Illinois on 31st January 1987, then you may have caught the premiere of what was officially the world’s longest film according to the Guinness Book of Records. Aptly titled, ‘The Cure for Insomnia’ the screening lasted for a total 87 hours and featured Lee Groban reading a poem to images of heavy metal video clips and x-rated footage.

Australia Day, the 80s way

Wondering who our highest achievers were in the 80s? Then look no further as we celebrate Australia Day the 80s way, with a roll call of some of our best and brightest from the decade.

1980	Manning Clark, Historian (1915-1991)
1981	Sir John Crawford, Economist (1910-1984)
1982	Sir Edward Williams, Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland (1921-1999)
1983	Robert de Castella, (1957) Marathon runner, chairman of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games Foundation
1984	Lowitja O’Donoghue (1932) Aboriginal health worker, inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Commission
1985	Paul Hogan (1939) Actor
1986	Dick Smith (1944) Entrepeneur
1987	John Farnham (1949) Singer
1988	Kay Cottee (1954) First female sailor to perform a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world in 1988
1989	Allan Border (1955) Australian cricket team captain

Our congratulations also go out to the current 2010 award recipients, mental health specialist Professor Patrick McGorry , cook and restaurateur Maggie Beer, courageous soldier Trooper Mark Donaldson VC and food rescuer Ronni Kahn.

The Bicentenary of ’88: celebration & survival

It’s Australia Day, 26 January in 1988. Exactly 200 years after Captain Cook made first contact with Gadigal people in Sydney Cove. There’s a grand spectacle playing out on Sydney’s shimmering harbour as a fleet of Tall Ships advance proudly, masts high, to meet the adoring mass of people waving flags and media representatives angling for the postcard shot. Official Bicentenary events promote community cohesion and an Australia Day like no other. It is one really big party and everyone’s invited.

Just around the corner at Mrs Macquarie’s chair an unofficial gathering is taking place. 40,000 Indigenous people from all over Australia, and their supporters, march through the streets of Sydney to celebrate the survival of Indigenous culture and have arrived to watch the re-enactment of the British invasion.

This march brought issues like land rights and reconciliation back into focus and created momentum for a new Australia Day event, now known as Survival Day.

And films, like the award-winning satire, ‘Babakiueria’ aided in imagining what it would be like if things were a little different…

You can learn more about the Bicentenary year when you visit the ‘Big Events’ section of the 80s Are Back exhibition.

20 – 27 January

Did you know that this week in 1982 the infamous rock star Ozzy Osbourne had a live bat thrown at him during a performance. What do you think would be an appropriate response?

• a. Shreak like a little girly boy, screaming “ergh! Bat! Get it off me!” in front of thousands of impressionable metal fans
• b. Feign ignorance and keep on with the show (nothing disrupts your focus, not even a flying black winged thing)
• c. Grab that bat with everything you’ve got and BITE it’s head right off!

If you guessed ‘c’, you’d be correct. This ‘prince of darkness’ has a rep to protect. Mind you, does it make a difference if Ozzy accidentally mistook the very REAL bat for a plastic one? You decide.

Moving on, if you’re a fan of the fashionista comedy flick, ‘Zoolander’, then you’ll most certainly be familiar with a song by Frankie Goes to Hollywood called ‘Relax’. But if you lived through the 80s there would be no avoiding this huge hit that reached number one in the UK singles chart in 1984. It stuck around for a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40 charts, a fantastic effort despite the fact that some critics found the imagery, lyrics and filmclip a little too seedy for their liking…

For something closer to home, 1984′s answer to our current Big Day Out music festival was the short lived Narara Music Festival. On its second and final year it attracted headliners such as INXS, Simple Minds, Pretenders, Talking Heads, Eurythmics and Def Leppard but many punters stayed away because of ‘heavy rain’. Fortunately the rain didn’t ruin everyone’s good time and there is some great memorabilia on this Australian music history site.

Also this week…audiences met the ThunderCats characters in 1985 (“ThunderCats are loose!”)

and the renegade The A-Team exploded onto our screens. TV fans in the US also got a glimpse of the dystopian Apple Macintosh ad, ’1984′. Directed by Ridley Scott, it is now considered a masterpiece in advertising.

12 -19th January

This week in the 80s had it all – sex, drugs and…hip hop.

On 12th January 1981 the USA tuned in to the premiere episode of ‘Dynasty’. Now ‘Dallas’, the other popular soap-series, would have a prime-time contender for an incredible 9-season run that lasted until 1989. Big hair at the beach, fashionista catfights and steamy incestuous relationships were definitely all the rage.

Speaking of trouble, Paul McCartney’s squeaky clean image was tarnished in an instant when he got busted in Tokyo in possession of a half pound of marijuana on 16th January, 1980. The fans wouldn’t have been too happy when the remaining part of his tour had to be canceled.

Also on the 16th January, but 7 years on in 1987, those cheeky white-boy rappers ‘The Beastie Boys’ become the first act to be censored by American Bandstand, a music TV show that aired from 1952 – 1989. A year before, they’d released their ‘Licensed To Ill’ album featuring the huge party hit ‘Fight For Your Right’ and were well known for trashing hotel rooms, punching out journalists they didn’t like and touring with a giant motorised penis on stage. Of course the kids loved it and like any good controversy their antics only increased their fan base.

This Week in Pop Music
Who topped the Australian charts?

1981 – John Lennon ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’
1985 – Band Aid ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’
1988 – George Michael ‘Faith’

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