THE NAKED CITY: HAIL THE STADIUM OUTSIDERS

As Taylor Swift continues to break all attendance records on her Australian tour a number of media commentators have reflected on a much earlier visit here way back in 2009. No thousands of euphoric teenage girls, no millions of dollars in merchandise and no blanket TV coverage – only a few hundred people at Sydney’s Factory Theatre.

That’s no big deal as many artists start small and some take years before they reach the lofty heights of super stardom. On the other hand many artists start small and stay that way for their entire careers, almost entirely ignored by the mainstream media but kept in business by a relatively tiny but dedicated group of hardcore fans.

When it comes to touring, especially with artists from America, there’s a long list of entertainers who have slipped into this country almost unnoticed, played a whole series of low key pub and club gigs, then departed without the slightest fanfare. Over the years a small group of independent promoters have often risked their life savings and credit card blow outs in bringing some of these obscure but highly entertaining artists to tour.

Perhaps the most notorious of these was Afro-American singer, Blowfly, whom Jeffrey Halls from In-Tense Touring toured in the early 2000’s. The former soul singer, originally known as Clarence Reid, reinvented himself in the ‘70s and ‘80s with a series of sexually explicit albums and a bizarre stage show clad in freaky masks and multi coloured sequinned outfits. His songs were ribald covers of well known hits such as “What A Difference A Lay Makes” and “If Eating You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want To Be Right” and all told he released a staggering twenty five ‘party’ albums.

It’s fair to say he did not pack out the MCG during his Australian tour and the modest crowds who did attend his pub and club shows were somewhat bemused by his gutbucket, juke joint humour. The fact that he did play shows in Australia, a slice of American culture we were seldom exposed to, is remarkable in itself. I asked Jeffrey Halls for a memory of the tour and he responded:

“My favourite one is how he always had a bottle of syrup with him. He would put it on whatever he ate! Which was mostly McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken or pizza! Dr El Suavo (Jeff’s alter ego) ended up his roommate as no one else wanted to!”

Whilst he wasn’t as ‘out there’ as Blowfly, Mojo Nixon was an American singer and songwriter, actor and radio DJ who also toured Australia and was probably best known for the songs “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child” and “Don Henley Must Die.” His unexpected death from a heart attack a few weeks ago, whilst on board the ‘Outlaw Country Cruise’, came as a real shock to his many fans around the world. In a statement to Rolling Stone his family reflected:

“How you live is how you should die. Mojo Nixon was full-tilt, wide-open rock hard, root hog….passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners and a good breakfast with bandmates and friends. A cardiac event on the Outlaw Country Cruise is about right… and that’s just how he did it. Mojo has left the building.”

An outspoken advocate for free speech who once debated Pat Buchanan on parental advisory warnings on CDs, he also became a regular presenter on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country channel, known as ‘The Loon in the Afternoon’ – always ready to speak his mind.

“I hate being told what to do – If you told me I couldn’t wear purple pants. I’ll be the purple pants-est wearing motherfucker that ever lived on the earth. I hate being told.”

On a tour of Australia back in the early ‘90s I had the pleasure of driving him around in Melbourne for a series of community radio interviews. On the way back to the hotel he asked to visit a sporting equipment shop where he purchased a cricket helmet and faceguard. At the time I thought he was simply looking for something local to take back to the US. That night at the Melbourne gig he appeared on stage donned in the helmet and faceguard and immediately prompted the crowd to pelt him with beer cans and other assorted items. The bouncers at the venue freaked out and the impromptu ‘bumper’ was quickly cut short. It’s a lasting memory!

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