Mushroom Group CEO Michael Gudinski launching new exhibition showcasing memorabilia from Melbourne music scene over last 40 years. Picture: Tony Gough Source: News Limited
KYLIE Minogue's diamante microphone and the original artwork from the cover of Skyhooks' Living in the '70s album form part of an exhibition of Melbourne music memorabilia from the past 40 years.
A labour of love for Melburnian of the Year, tour promoter and Mushroom records founder Michael Gudinski, the Music, Melbourne + Me exhibition will run at RMIT Gallery from November 19 to March 3 and will be free.
"I have had offers to put the Mushroom memorabilia on display in the past, but it was always going to involve an entry fee," Gudinski said. "Music's done so much for me and my artists, I would never have got involved in something that wasn't free."
Red Symons has loaned the Nils Hutchison artwork of the iconic Skyhooks album cover, while the exhibition also features rare items sourced from the personal collections of Minogue, Molly Meldrum, Split Enz, Crowded House, Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly and more.
Gudinski has opened up the Mushroom archives - tour posters, vintage tickets and merchandise, gold discs, awards and old documents - revealing what it cost to book AC/DC in the '70s for their early shows in Melbourne.
The exhibition will also include a replica of Gudinski's office from Mushroom HQ.
"I might pop in and do a bit of work from the exhibition," Gudinski joked. "I grew up in an era where music was seen as something rebellious. So to see an exhibition like this, with the credibility of RMIT behind it, it's really a dream come true."
Michael Gudinski with Kylie and Danni Minogue at the Sound Relief Bushfire Benefit Concert at the MCG in 2009. Picture: Frontier Source: Supplied
Other highlights will include a dance floor with LED lights, an interactive booth for punters to share their love of music and a jukebox of 40 of Melbourne's favourite Melbourne songs, which will be selected by Herald Sun readers in a poll starting soon.
A series of free public talks, from musicians Mark Seymour, and Ella Hooper and Dogs in Space filmmaker Richard Lowenstein, are planned, while Gudinski is also lining up surprise live performances by musicians.
"I can guarantee a lot of my artists will be able to pop in and perform, let alone anyone who might be here on tour. Most of the really successful musicians are music fans themselves. I think they'll find it interesting to visit here."
Gudinski said the exhibition was designed to highlight Melbourne's influence on the Australian and international music scene.
"Melbourne is undoubtedly the home of music in Australia, that's something that's acknowledged internationally," Gudinski said.
"The people in Melbourne love live music passionately, venues have flourished and concerts that come to Melbourne draw more people consistently than Sydney, which is a similar sized city.
"The interest in music has been here for a number of decades and I'm determined to see that continue and get stronger.
"There's a huge array of talent coming out of Melbourne right now including Vance Joy, who's making waves in the UK and US right now."
Michael Gudinski and Graham “Shirley” Strachan of Skyhooks. Picture: Frontier, courtesy Peter Green Hires Source: Supplied
Gudinski formed Mushroom Records in 1972, a label that kickstarted the careers of Skyhooks, Split Enz, Garbage and Kylie Minogue. His touring arm, Frontier, has promoted Australian tours by the likes of Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and the Foo Fighters.
"Hopefully, kids will come to this exhibition and learn something about the history of music in Melbourne, or see that there is an opportunity in music for them," Gudinski said.
"If anyone gets inspired and ends up getting any form of job that they love because they've come to this exhibition, that'd be more than enough for me."
Music, Melbourne + Me opens on November 19 at RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston St, Melbourne.
No comments:
Post a Comment