LIKE the eager kid at Christmas we were up early Sunday morning to track the 2011 ARIA awards.
Bouncing downstairs to un-wrap the anticipated gifts we were most impressed to discover a big, shiny fire engine of this year’s music. Which most definitely made up for last year’s disappointing socks and jocks award ceremony.
Between all the tweets, websites and messages back home here’s what we managed to unravel:
The night belonged to Kylie Minogue. When the Prime Minister is prepared to rock up and present you your award you are doing very well. Plus it gives everyone a chance to reflect on how much of a music icon you are.
Check out the full list of ARIA Awards winners
It’s one of those nights where the likes of Guy Sebastian and the Living End will knock back a schooner together at the bar and realise how much musically they have in common.
True to form the organisers of the ARIAs have paid money to have some B-grade American celebrities turn up. This year it’s the boys from Good Charlotte. Remember them? Us neither, but we’d complain if they didn’t get some washed out, used-to-be-famous people there. We’re putting in a bid for Lindsay Lohan to be front and centre for 2012.
The major awards were divided between Boy and Bear and Gotye. Can’t complain, both of them put out amazing albums this year.
The Australian music industry has spoken! Job done, what’s for pudding?
Don’t forget your visa
They’re one of travelling lives annoying, bureaucratic yet unavoidable necessities for travelling. Follow the process you can work and travel without the fear of deportation or even prosecution.
It was a cautionary based tale then we were heard of the plight of DJ Pogo and Australian based producer and musician who just got a 10 year travel ban from the United States as well as spending three weeks in an immigration prison before being deported.
Pogo who is famous for his mash-up remixes of famous movie scores including Toy Story and The Wizard of Oz was on tour in the US when the long arm of the law caught up with him. Not armed with the correct paperwork to be travelling and working he was immediately made a persona non grata and locked up for three weeks before kicked out of the country.
Now faced with a 10 year ban on entering the country which will have a serious effect on his music career Pogo took to his website upon release pointing the finger at his concert promoters. Pogo wrote ‘’It was proper incarceration, courtesy of The Agency Group and their failure to provide me with the correct travel documents for my September tour in 2011. The moment they heard the news, they removed me from their list of clients and never communicated with me again.’’
We agree this falls under the sort of administration a music agent or promoters should be responsible for and someone stuffed up royally. However it’s also a cautionary tale to always check what’s in your passport.
Bee Gees man suffering from liver cancer
Robin Gibb, one of the two remaining Bee Gees, has been diagnosed with liver cancer it was been reported last week. According to the musician’s representatives Gibb has been battling the disease for a few months now but took a turn for the worse last week and was admitted to hospital from his house in Oxfordshire.
The disco legends of the 70’s have been based in the UK for many years having moved there from Brisbane when there international music career began to take off. We wish Robin Gibb all the best in fight against the disease and praise the contribution the Bee Gees played in disco floor adventures.