David Oke
Deakin University, Geelong, March 5 1981
I can’t believe the perfect family’s on my colour T.V
If I don’t make it to the top it’ll never bother me…
Orientation Week at Deakin University was famous for a few things. One was the ‘Iron-Man’ which involved lots of beer, lots of pies and lots of vomit. Another was the Market Night concert. In 1981 Midnight Oil was the headline act. I was starting the final year of my primary teaching degree and would soon be emergency teaching while hoping for a full-time job. Heather, my wife to be, was in her second year of commerce at Deakin and since it was nearly her birthday we thought it a fun idea to kick off the celebrations early. I had heard of Midnight Oil, but had never witnessed anything I was about to experience.
We stood on a walkway on the second level of the science building. The outdoor stage was directly in front of us. We were both struck by the sheer volume of the music. Loud! Really Loud! Not only was the bass hitting us like a shockwave from the giant P.A. system, but the concrete walkway was resonating too. We could feel the music coming up through our feet.
I was transfixed with the skill and showmanship of Rob Hirst on drums, the power chords and virtuoso ability of Martin and Jim on guitars, the rhythm and drive of Peter on bass and, of course, the outspoken, tall and bald Peter Garrett who mesmerised us with his ‘stomp’ and helicopter dancing.
It was amusing to see that a bloke, perhaps still recovering from the Iron Man event, or in a ‘chemically enhanced’ state, had parked himself inside one of the bass speaker bins. He was there for a while before being moved. I wonder how his hearing is more than thirty years later?
That concert was pivotal for a few reasons: the volume and excitement of the music; the great songs with themes of politics and nuclear disarmament; and, to me, the unusual chord progressions in some songs.
I had grown up with classical music and standard rock songs, so the opening chords to Don’t Wanna Be The One were jarring at first – B Flat, D Flat, A to F??? I had never heard anything like it, but loved it! That particular song was in the encore.
Work soon took me teaching in Footscray, a tough suburb in Melbourne’s inner-west. I once used the Oils when teaching a Grade 5/6 class about the environment and rainforests. I used the video film clip of the song Pictures from the Species Deceases album. Towards the end of the film clip animated blood spurts from a tree that had been brutally hacked by a chainsaw. The horrified look on some of the students’ faces was surprising. It sure was a great discussion starter!
I actually shed a tear when Midnight Oil broke up in 2002. It was like the passing of an old friend. It was the closure of some great concert, musical and life memories from earlier days – days when things were different, not so much better, just different. Days before having a job, days before being in a regular routine:
I’m an innocent victim, I’m just like you I am,
Up in tall units with a brick wall view
I can’t believe the perfect family’s on my colour T.V
If I don’t make it to the top
It’ll never bother me……
To be honest, I never quite felt like an ‘innocent victim’ but I once lived in an apartment with a brick wall view from the bedroom. In my career my motivation to become a school principal did wane over time and I guess I never quite ‘made it to the top’ in that sense, choosing to remain a classroom teacher instead.
There was a brief, and welcome, return by Midnight Oil in 2009. My family and I attended the Sound Relief concert at the MCG and Midnight Oil closed the show. It was thrilling to see the Oils again. It was just as thrilling to have my two sons experience an Oils performance, and hear the music live they have had to put up with on dad’s iPod for so long. Midnight Oil played their music, and the crowd, really well. A dominant thought in my mind was, “Peter – please give up your day job!” I Don’t Wanna Be The One was not on the playlist at Sound Relief but other favourites, Best Of Both Worlds and Read About It sure were.
Just a footnote to the 1982 concert at Deakin Uni – the support band also played a pretty good set. It was a new group who had started to play some gigs around the place and were probably going to go places. Musically they were great and their singer was pretty charismatic too. What were they called? That’s right…INXS…
©David Oke. More stories by David Oke
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Thanks for stirring up the memories. I was at this gig, with the founder of Stereo Stories, I think. And it solved a long standing puzzle. I couldn’t recall ever having seen Inxs live … but I must have, because they were the support.
Louise, I am glad that I could assist in solving the puzzle. It was definitely the Oils, definitely Deakin Uni at Waurn Ponds and definitely INXS as the support band. Cheers, David.
I only saw the Oils once – at the Astor Theatre in St Kilda. We were way up in the bleachers and they shook with the music and with the crowd stomping in time with Peter Garrett’s fabulous moves. Politics, anger, energy and great fun. It was a revelation.
Rumours of another reunion David.
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/bigsound-music-conference-hopes-peter-garrett-visit-heralds-midnight-oil-reunion-20150731-gip1ht.html
Btw, I loved the piece. Oils would be in my top 5 Australian bands of all time.
My older brother went to Monash Uni around the same time and they did the Iron Man during ‘Animal Week’ too. I was very impressed!
Hi David, my friend Charles Cuninghame prompted me to recall the O week concert of 1981at Deakin. So I looked it up and there was your recollection. What great memories. I grew up, from 14-24, in West Footscray, by the way. And most of my family is still there.
Hi Grant,
I am guessing we met sometime after that Oweek concert, most likely in 1982 doing Journalism. Do you remember that policy paper we put forward to improve public transport to Deakin?
Hi Grant and Louise
Isn’t it funny that we’re still talking about an event close to 40 years after it occurred!
Music is like that. It stirs up memories and connections. That’s what this website is all about. Another post-script to my original story is that my whole family went along to the Bowl to see the Oils on their tour a couple of years ago. It was a sensational show and we all had a great time. Grant, I still live and work in the area you mentioned. These days I just teach music a few days a week. Having had a very long association with the school I do recall some students with the same last name as you and they well might be relations.
Deakin Uni. Great times and great memories. Yes, they had some great bands come through to entertain us.
Wow David! I was also at that Deakin O Week night where Midnight Oil and INXS played – as you indicate, both were excellent. Also, Grant Jones – hello – we did Performing Arts together at Deakin. Finally, as I mentioned in one of my Stereo Stories, I played in a band (Murmurs) who filled in at late notice for INXS as the support act for Richard Clapton at the Waurn Ponds Hotel in 1980.