It’s a Long Way to the Shops

sausage roll LED sign

The latest message to go up on the Fremantle LED Welcome Sign! Thanks to Chris, and several other anonymous folks who texted me suggesting this absurd truism, this piece of great Aussie folklore (it’s even enshrined on wikipedia!)

At first I thought it was too silly, too obvious, too dumb to put up on the big screen.

But then I said to myself: “C’mon Lucas, how often do you get the chance to do something as enormously silly as this?”

And so I sent it on through.

I can’t imagine what passing motorists would have made of this message, given that the sign usually says “Please Keep Fremantle Tidy” and so on.

-Still chuckling (and safely back in Sydney now!)
yours
Lucas, the Bon Scott Blogger

Geraldine Spins Some Bawdy Bon

mr squiggle in the abc

Besides the amusing experience of being grilled by Richard Stubbs, my favourite radio interview about the Bon Scott Blog was on Geraldine Mellet’s show on ABC Perth.

(The above photo is not me – prematurely aged by too much ear-blistering rock – but Norman Hetherington, creator of the legendary children’s TV show Mr Squiggle, having a chat with Geraldine. It’s just that I forgot to take a photo of myself in the studio, so this picture I found on the ABC’s website is the next-best-thing. Imagine! I got to sit in the same chair as Mr Squiggle!)

On Friday afternoons Geraldine does a programme called “The Vault” which is a concentrated half-hour focussing on one particular musician or group. So, in keeping with the Bon Scott frenzy, she decided to spent some time talkin’ AC/DC.
Continue reading “Geraldine Spins Some Bawdy Bon”

Shh… Bon’s in the Library…

fremantle library bon scott display
[Click on the photo to see it bigger…]

Last week I received an anonymous tip-off that the Fremantle Public Library was putting together their own little display of Bon Scott stuff. Apparently this is something they do, when there is a topical local issue in the air.

So I hoofed it down to the library. I was curious to find out what sort of display librarians would put together. You know, loud subject in quiet place and all that…

When I got there, I couldn’t see anything acca dacca, so I asked the nice lady at the desk. She said she knew nothing about it, “I’m sure if it was happening it would have been discussed in the meeting we had today,” and so I slouched away disappointed.

But now good news! Rachel from the Library has come through with the goods. Behold, the photo above, and Rachel’s email message, brief but to the point:

“Attached is the picture of our little display, though it is quite small. Hope you had a good time over West!”

The photo is tantalisingly blurry – I can make out VHS copies of Let There Be Rock and Fly on the Wall, but what are the other titles?

Eastlands Shopping Centre, September 1975

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Here’s a mini web-version of Ian Haig‘s “Eastland Shopping Centre, September 1975” which is featured in the Bon Scott Project Exhibition at Fremantle Arts Centre. Thanks Ian for sending it through! On page 171 of Highway to Hell: The Life and Death of Bon Scott, Clinton Walker’s writes:

the band played a free show at the Eastlands Shopping Centre in Ringwood, between 6 and 7 pm, and then later they appeared at the International Hotel.

That’s all he says… So, what happened at that gig? And why is it significant for Ian?

A message from Argentina to Fremantle

pablo message

It’s taken longer than I would have liked, but the messages have started to flow from the LED Welcome Sign in Fremantle!

First cab off the rank is Pablo, our tireless Argentinian correspondent. His message, translated into English, goes something like this:

GREETINGS FROM
ARGENTINA–MY
HEART IS
WITH YOU ALL
LET THERE BE BON!

Thanks Pablo. If you want to download a larger version of the file for your own collection, click here.

Keep the messages coming in folks! If you don’t know what this is all about, read more about the TXT BON NOW! project.

Bon’s Letters a big hit…

letters crowd

More documentation from the Bon Scott Project Exhibition is still trickling through. Here are some great photos from the launch night showing the crowd fascinated with Bon’s letters. At one stage I noticed the door had to be shut, and people could come in only when someone else went out.

In the low light, I cranked up the shutter speed of my camera and tried to get a few close-ups of people engrossed in the letters. So here they are:
Continue reading “Bon’s Letters a big hit…”

Mr Stubbs Gets Stuck In

richard stubbs

The ABC really is getting its 8 cents a day outta the Bon Scott Project!

Today I spoke on the radio with Richard Stubbs from the Melbourne branch of our national broadcaster. And you know what? It was the most enjoyable media gig I’ve done so far (oh, apart from dressing up as Gene Simmons for the air guitar championships I guess)!

Growing up in Western Australia during the 1980s, my brother and I knew Richard as “that amusing guy in the brick ads on TV”. He played this heart-throb bricklayer who all the women thought was totally dreamy. He had good biceps. (I can’t remember the particular brand of brick he advertised…)

And now he works as a radio DJ in Melbourne!

I hope one day Richard meets my university supervisor. Both of them seem to be obsessed with the problem of how a blog can possibly be “a work of art”, since it looks nothing like a painting. Phew, he put me through the wringer on this interview. (I’ll leave it to you as to whether my arguments were convincing at all.)

But seriously, the man did his homework!

Journalists take note: it’s so much more fun for the interviewee when you do a little research before conducting the interview. Good onya Richard (and Brad, his producer, who was probably the one who did most of the work!)

You can listen to the interview here.

(Note for context: just before this MP3 audio file kicks in, Richard has just played Jailbreak at very high volume…)

Sally’s Photos From Bon Scott Project Launch

wild man from the wheatbelt

Thanks to Sally (who I first encountered at the WA Air Guitar Championships) for sending thru these great action-pix from the launch of the Bon Scott Project at the Freo Arts Centre. Above is The Wild Man from the Wheatbelt, who performed a blistering version of “Let There Be Rock”.

Here are a few shots of FAC/DC (facca dacca) in action:
Continue reading “Sally’s Photos From Bon Scott Project Launch”

The Man is Back in Town!

bon scott project banner
[Bon Scott Project vinyl banner at Fremantle Arts Centre. Miraculously yet-to-be stolen…(thanks to Sally for the pix)]

Ben Scott, the lovechild, has just arrived in Fremantle after travelling across the Nullabor from Melbourne. He is just 4 days late for the launch of the Bon Scott Project.

After arriving, Ben got in touch, emailing me this “very Fremantle” tale (in uncharacteristically non-UPPER-CASE typing… go figure!):

im outside fremantle bank today when 2 guys approach me!!! one asks in very strong scottish accent… can you spare a dollar mate???
i said no;sorry fellaz…
then the other in an even stronger scottish accent asks…hey your a bloddy rock star arnt you???
i said no; but you may have seen me in the paper here as a rock star’s son…
he asks which one??? i say bon scott…he bursts out with… i was security for bon all over the uk …
then his mate lifts his jumper to show me a chest tattoo involving scottish heritage…

so we all have a great chat laughing loud enough for many people to think we are all loonies…

then i give em 5 bucks to go buy a drink with…

haha just love them bonny scottsmen…

Some more from the Bon Scott Exhibition

Phew. There’s a bit of data-processing to get through now that the exhibition is open to the public. To keep you entertained in the meantime, here are a few more things from the show!

Scott Redford
Wallpaper installation by Scott Redford, “A piece of the World” 2008

Scott Redford made this great wallpaper from a photo by Philip Morris. It fills two walls of this sexy room that also contains Cecilia Fogelberg’s great little statue of Bon singin’ with his cock:
Continue reading “Some more from the Bon Scott Exhibition”