Stuart Coupe - Gudinski: The Godfather of Australian Rock

Stuart Coupe is a music journalist, one-time band manager and now runs his own independent record label, Laughing Outlaw Records. Hes been involved in the music industry all his life. He wrote The Promoters in 2003 and has contributed to many magazines and newspapers.

For my Mum and Dad Pat and David Coupe who eventually worked out why Friday On My Mind by The Easybeats mattered to me then and now.

And for Ian Smithy Smith and John Pinder two fellow travellers on this crazy journey who I wish could have read these pages.

CONTENTS

W hats this I hear about you writing a book about me? bellowed Michael Gudinski when I picked up the phone in the early part of 2014. You know I dont want a book but I gotta tell you, its a good day the Stones are back on.

The world of Michael Gudinski is a tangential one. He can and does think of a dozen things at once, the thoughts jumbling into a torrent of words. Following him, as you get to know him, is a learnt art. Talk of a Rolling Stones tour will effortlessly and inexplicably segue into discussions about the St Kilda football team, the state of Australian radio, a bunch of new releases, other tours, some music industry gossip, a reference to a conversation that may have occurred six months earlier, allusions to some new venture or idea, and then, again seemingly effortlessly, loop back to the Rolling Stones tour.

This is the book Gudinski has never wanted. The book he says hes turned down dozens and dozens of proposals (and a lot of money) to write.

For years Ive told Gudinski there should hell, needs to be a book-length documentation of his extraordinary career, one that has seen his fingerprints all over four decades of Australian popular music. He is unquestionably the most powerful and influential figure in this countrys music industry.

In all honesty Im still not sure why he hasnt wanted a book written about him. But he hasnt. Its not like Gudinski shuns the spotlight a quick Google throws up hundreds of references to him but there are surprisingly few in-depth interviews.

Of course hell be uncomfortable with you writing a book, one associate commented. He cant control it. He likes to control things.

Initially Gudinski did try to control this book and despite the two of us being friends, doing business with each other and existing in similar orbits since the early 1980s, I think he was hoping that I and this project would just disappear. Naturally, pretty much everyone I approached asked if the book was authorised. And I had to honestly say that it wasnt. These people then called Gudinski to see how he felt about them talking to me. He told them again that he didnt want a book, wasnt happy about what I was doing and to do nothing.

Then I approached long-time Mushroom Records staffer Michelle Higgins, and her response both summed up everything and changed the course of the project.

Im not going to check with him Ill talk to you, she said. This is too important a story not to be told.

Higgins is highly respected in the annals of Mushroom Records and her consent to talk opened countless doors including eventually that of Gudinski himself, who finally realised that this book wasnt going away.

Somewhat reluctantly, it must be said, Gudinski gave his approval for me to approach and talk to some people in his inner circle for a number of interviews. Once wed moved into the acceptance phase he put very few impediments in my way beyond constantly reminding me that he really didnt want a book written about him.

Dealing with him over the year and a half I worked on this book was frequently frustrating and quickly reached a point where Id just roll my eyes when his astonishingly patient and organised assistant, Vanessa Langley, called to say, Michael says hell call you tomorrow. There were times when I joked to friends that I should be (with apologies to Samuel Beckett) calling this book Waiting For Godot .

But when I was in his orbit Gudinski was open and prepared to discuss pretty much any subject. Our conversations involved him being forceful, opinionated, passionate, extremely funny and charismatically engaging.

I like Gudinski. A lot. Its hard not to if he likes you and youre in his world. Not surprisingly he is a divisive figure. Everyone has an opinion about him. A lot of people are jealous of him. Others blame him for either their musical or business careers not becoming what theyd expected. But very few dont respect him. Hes blazed a very big trail and there have been casualties.

And there are stories. It seems everyone has a Gudinski story. Some are inspirational. Some hysterical. Some unprintable. Others blatantly untrue. A lot of them are in these pages.

This book is an attempt to capture the essence of Gudinski who he is, why he does what he does and what in fact he has done. It is not a history of Mushroom Records, nor is it a history of the Frontier Touring Company or any of the other multiple business interests he has.

If Ive at least partially succeeded, this is a whirlwind, in-your-face, blustery, energetic and passionate look at the life and career of a man who is all those things and more.

Ive tried for accuracy and honesty. Its my version of Gudinski and often that means my viewpoint and that of some others and his differ on certain people and incidents. Its to his credit that hes let me roll with my interpretation of events in this unauthorised biography.

I wont pretend it hasnt been a fun and fascinating journey despite frequently wanting to scream as another meeting or conversation time was changed.

In some ways it was summed up when, literally days before this book went to the printers, my phone beeped at one in the morning.

It was Gudinski with a long text (bearing in mind Gudinski rarely texts and when he does its haltingly and with one finger) as he was looking at page proofs. In it, he ranged variously through some of the main players in the book, a forthcoming Sam Smith tour, the current state of Frontier Touring, the game earlier that day between St Kilda and Hawthorn, the Chopper movie, Mushroom Pictures, his daughter getting the rights to an Elliott Smith documentary and a few other observations about lifentimes.

He called the next morning: Mate, have you seen the Queens Birthday honours list Archie Roach is almost the whole of the front page of The Age I mean, theres things about Mushroom that Im so proud of look, Im just watching the NBL with Matt do you know theres an Australian in each of the teams and one just scored a goal for Cleveland and hows this line up Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift weve got them all playing on the same night in different cities in November

With Michael Gudinski there is no off button. And he wouldnt have it any other way.

Y ou can never ever let them cancel postpone, yes, but never cancel.

Thats the only thought going through Michael Gudinskis mind.

Its approaching 2 am Perth time, Wednesday 19 March 2014. In his room at the Hyatt Regency in Perth, Gudinski is beside himself. Angry. Frustrated. Feeling helpless and powerless.

Gudinski knows about stress and pressure. Its what he thrives on. What drives him. That is, unless it gets out of his control. Gudinski doesnt like situations he cant control. This is one of those situations.

The Rolling Stones landed in Perth 48 hours earlier and now are minutes away from cancelling the tour and leaving the country.

The tour is budgeted to gross $52 million over six concerts (and eventually does). So tight are the Stones deals that a promoter can lose millions of dollars if even a tiny percentage of the venues dont totally sell out. Gudinski like any promoter doesnt want to think about the consequences of even one show being postponed or cancelled, let alone a whole tour.