World Exclusive! The Bon Scott Statue in Progress!

[Greg, the sculptor, with the moulds he used in the casting of the Bon Scott Bronze Statue…]

Following the advice of Simmo, a guy I met at Bon’s grave on Tuesday, Jasmin and I snuck around to Greg the sculptor’s studio to check out the progress on Bon’s bronze effigy. We stumbled upon a bustle of activity, with several assistants busily grinding, welding, and polishing various bits of the statue.

At Greg’s request, we didn’t photograph the statue itself. In great theatrical tradition, those images must be withheld until the moment of unveiling. But what I can tell you is this: it’s currently in several parts: Bon’s legs were on one side of the room, and the torso on the other. Steve, Greg’s assistant, was welding Bon’s left arm to his torso.

Here are some pictures:
-the clay model which Greg sculpted up from scratch, and which looks something like the Venus de Milo…
-the plaster moulds, including one which shows the intricate detail of Bon’s flowing locks…
-and a news article in the Fremantle Herald, showing the moment that the molten bronze was poured…

What else can I tell you? Greg and his crew have devoted a lot of time to behind the scenes research. They’ve all spent countless hours watching Bon on DVD, and there’s a wall of printed picturesfor inspiration in the studio, showing Bon in full flight.

“The devil’s in the details,” Steve said. “We’ve even managed to replicate the exact microphone Bon used to use, a Shure Brothers 58, and the way he wrapped the cable around his lower hand while he was singing.”

Simmo, apparently, when he crept in for a sneak preview the day before, was very impressed by the “confederate flag belt buckle” holding up Bon’s jeans – apparently an authentic touch that a lesser artist’s eye might have missed.

Jasmin, for her part, was keen to see whether Bon’s chest would come out sufficiently hairy in bronze (it did!). And I was interested to note that Greg and the crew had managed, miraculously, to capture that compelling combination of impish good looks, the sparkle in the eye, and the slight touch of masculine ugliness, which all go together to make up Bon’s face.

Of all the images on the web which I’ve scoured to find a match, this one comes the closest:

[Image borrowed from here…]

As for the tightness of the trousers, and the resulting bulge of Bon’s “package”, well, that I cannot reveal. You’ll have to come along on Sunday to see for yourself. However, talk around the lunch table in the studio was that there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Bon dressed “to the left”…

Although this, of course, is hardly a trade secret…