Some of this is true for me, some of it is
exaggerated, but I think maybe some of you might also relate. All these things
just hit me yesterday, for some reason. Maybe some of you have something else to
add. (and for the record, although I'm more than a casual fan, I don't go as far
as to be a psycho-fanatic).
16. You meet somebody from Australia. When you
bring up the subject, you are disappointed that they don't share the passion for
the Oils that you have.
15.
You are annoyed that you are only likely to hear "Beds are Burning" played
anywhere, but at least its better than nothing.
14.People
you've known only for a short while don't understand your sudden interest in
this Australian Surf Band, but people who know you well enough don't even need
to ask why.
13.You are annoyed when you hear the
"Crocodile Dundee" jokes about the fad in the 1980s in America for Australian
Pop Culture, but you're a little ashamed to admit you thought they were funny
before you were an Oils fan.
12.Your interest in movies like "Rabbit Proof
Fence" and "Walkabout" stem from being an Oils fan, but you won't admit it to
your friends when they rib you about it.
11.You wish more friends of yours shared your
love of Midnight Oil, and more people appreciated them around you, but at the
same time you feel you are exclusively receptive to something that makes you
cooler than everybody else.
10.Other than other fans at whatever Midnight
Oil show(s) you've been lucky enough to attend in the past, you are the only
person you ever see wearing a Midnight Oil T-shirt. (Where did they all
go?)
9.You put aside $200 for when or if the Holy
Grail of a Midnight Oil boxed-set comes out, and you won't use it for anything
else, even when you need it to pay the rent.
8. You assume that other Oils fans must think
like you do, and you are shocked when you see on "Powderworks" that many don't.
(But you get used to it).
7.Your encounter with Bones Hillman was as big
a deal for you (if not bigger) than meeting Paul McCartney, but only two or
three of your Facebook friends bother to comment or click the "like" button when
you post there about it.
6.You know a lot about Peter Garrett, and also
Rob, Martin, Jim, all three bassists AND Gary Morris, but if you're lucky,
you're most likely to meet somebody else who remembers that "big bald guy" once
in a great while.
5. You actually shell out $50 for the books
"Willie's Bar and Grill" and "Beds Are Burning" to be shipped to your home from
Dymock's, because you want it as soon as possible, and you don't care of some
third-party seller on amazon can sell it to you at a cheaper price later.
4. You scour ebay, amazon, musicstack.com and
elsewhere for those "maxi-single CDs", EPs, and records with those songs on them
not on the regular album. Your quest to find them costs you about $200 over a
period of time, when you probably could have found a place to download them
somehow for nothing.
3. You berate yourself for not being familiar
with Yothu Yindi BEFORE the news of their front man's death, then you start with
their "Tribal Voice" album.
2. You burn a "mix tape" CD for some a
guy/girl you've met on OkCupid or some other dating site. You include at least
three under-appreciated gems by the Oils, such as "Kosociusko," and "Luritja
Way". You're mentally holding your breath that s/he will notice, and mention
those songs without your asking.
1. It is on your "Bucket List" to see the Oils
again once they (hopefully) perform again, which is most likely to be in
Australia, not here. But you are so pissed and jealous because you doubt you'll
be able to make the trip to Oz on short notice, and other fans who live Down
Under will be more likely to.