This is a book that I have just finished reading by the late great drummer from Midnight Oil the one and only Rob Hirst who sadly passed away back in January from pancreatic cancer.
It doesn’t surprise me that it is a remarkable read because Rob was one of Australia’s greatest songwriters though he humbly never took the credit for being the main songwriter and driving force behind Midnight Oil. He was a poet who was also a gentleman, and wrote a lot about social justice and many of the causes Midnight Oil sung about eg nuclear disarmament, the environment and indigenous issues. So much of what I believe to be true about certain issues I learned from listening to Midnight Oil.
The book has a good sense of humour and will make you laugh and smile. Rob and Bones Hillman were the humour of the band and Rob was definitely the charming one. A few examples of the sense of humour were Rob’s drummer joke being as follows
“What do you say to a drummer in a three piece suit?
“Will the defendant please rise.
When asked about their thoughts on Kylie Minogue they replied that they like her, that she “was just like a real woman only smaller”.
This book made me smile. It gives a very honest reflection on what it was like to be a band touring the USA 🇺🇸 in the weeks that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. You can’t help but like Rob,, he’s a gifted writer with acute observations about what was happening in the world 🌎 at that time. He truly was a gentleman and I am quite sure he is in heaven entertaining all with his musical talent and wit.
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