"On 10 September 2001, Midnight Oil were in a Sydney studio mixing 'Poets and Slaves', from our latest album, Capricornia, and preparing for a handful of local shows before a seven-week tour of North America. The following morning we woke up to find that nineteen terrorists had attacked the United States, killing an unknown number of innocent people."
- Rob Hirst, Willie's Bar and Grill
It's Midnight Oil's turn. My current obsession - I go through phases where I listen to nothing but one artist for months at a time - is revisiting the powerful albums of Australia's best rock n' roll band: 10-1, Red Sails in the Sunset, Blue Sky Mining. The music's "Power and Passion" has always transported me, and their 1990 show is one of the best i've ever seen. I've just never been sure what some of their songs were about, and so I picked up this fun book by Rob Hirst, Midnight Oil's drummer, major songwriter, and key backup vocalist to fill in some of the gaps.
The book is not a typical "rock memoir". While he does tell some good stories about the band's history - recording the amazing drums to "Best of Both Worlds" in a Tokyo bathroom is a good one - Willie's Bar and Grill is about his observations about the towns, clubs, and the country through which the band traveled in Oct/Nov 2001. He's a natural storyteller, and the book reads extremely easily - leaving you with the effect of a great conversation. Hirst is an astute observer, and pays close attention to what's going on in the world around him, commenting on current events, band dynamics, and the state of the music business. A fun narrative that's more than just a numbing list of gigs, recordings, and relationships, I recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Midnight Oil or music in general.
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