
[Powderworks] Rob article
Kate
kate@dnki.net
Thu, 08 May 2003 19:05:03 -0400
Hmmmm. The Remainders .... we'll see if he still likes that after the new
wears off of Rob's book and the tour bus cover starts sprouting orange
mark-down stickers.
At 05:18 PM 5/8/03 +0200, Magnus Holmgren wrote:
>Sorry if this has been posted earlier!
>
>http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2003/20030507_robhirst.html
>
>Midnight Oil Are Over But The Band Members May Play On
>
>There will be no farewell tour for Midnight Oil. Following the sudden
>departure of singer Peter Garrett from the group last December, co-founder
>Rob Hirst has extinguished the chances of a final lap of the map to
>farewell fans.
>
>"I'm not really keen to do the lap of myself" Rob tells Undercover News.
>"I feel like we played to a whole lot of people in 2001 / 2002, people who
>genuinely wanted to see the band not because we were breaking up but
>because they loved the band or they got hold of the new album or they
>remember great shows that we have done. We went to America and four times.
>Those tours lasted up to 7 weeks in a row. We dropped in on Paris, did a
>show in London with some other Australian bands called the Fierce
>Festival. We did over two months in Australia and played everywhere, even
>places we hadn't got to over 25 years like Geraldton and outback
>Queensland mining towns. We figured we had pretty much done the map. My
>own instinct is to move on".
>
>Rob's latest career move was to become an author. He has just released his
>first book titled 'Willie's Bar and Grill' documenting the last leg of the
>Midnight Oil career starting with their US tour post-September 11. He is
>already considering writing another book. "I might even get around to
>writing something else after 'Willie's' if it really goes well" he says.
>"What I really need most of all is time-out after a quarter of a century.
>I actually need to re-acquaint myself with my family before my kids grow
>up and disappear".
>
>Midnight Oil lasted 25 years. "We have been going for it pretty hard" he
>says. "We have been mono-maniacs for a long time. We have been focused,
>bloody minded, ambitious, determined people and you have to be. It is an
>extremely competitive business to be in. I don't mean we haven't had our
>fun and laughs. The book should indicate that. We had this great dynamic
>as well, which is probably the reason we did last so long. Right now I
>think after this current book tour and a few upcoming Backsliders shows I
>think I just want to pot around the garden and spend some time on my
>fishing boat".
>
>Although Midnight Oil is officially no more, there may be new music from
>the remaining members sooner than we think. "The plans are definitely to
>record some more stuff, maybe later this year" Rob says. "It is something
>else, yet to be determined. I think you can't take any member out of the
>band, Peter or otherwise, and still call it Midnight Oil. That was that
>band. This will be something else. The remainder men (that's not a bad
>name, I quite like that), the remainder men still count amongst their
>ranks as songwriters, instrumentalists, singers. Jim is a studio wiz. All
>out skills are still in tact. We will go off on some tangent and see what
>happens".
>
>Rob's new book 'Willie's Bar and Grill' is out now through Pan McMillan.
>
>
>
>
>
>By Paul Cashmere
>
>
>
>
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