Jim Fagan
Once Mayor of Noosa Shire and now rock star author Tony Wellington has already booked his seat for Noosa Chorale’s next offering at The J – Popera.
And it’s not just because wife Judy Ditter is singing with the altos.
Tony has just celebrated the launch of his new book Vinyl Dreams, How the 1970’s Changed Music –a sequel to his earlier book Freak Out, How a Musical Revolution Rocked the World in the ’60s.
Both books are studded with stories and little known details of stellar entertainers of the era. Stars like The Beatles, The Mamas and The Papas, ABBA, The Beach Boys and the Jersey Boys
And, coincidentally, the Chorale’s concerts at the J on September 15 and 16 are packed with their songssongs that have become folklore for Baby Boomers and all generations since.
Songs like Dancing Queen, Thank You for the Music, California Dreaming, Surfing USA, Can’t Buy Me Love, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, and more.
Set against a backdrop of glam, shock rock, disco and punk, Vinyl Dreams is filled with anecdotes.
Here’s Tony on ABBA in 1974: “Setting their sights yet again on the Eurovision Song Contest, they won over their native land and so performed Waterloo at the international pop extravaganza. Wearing ridiculous knickerbockers and knee-high boots, lots of frills and glitter, and with the orchestra’s conductor dressed as Napoleon, they scooped the pool.
“The song’s lyrics were as absurd as the band’s outfits, a clunky analogy between Napoleon’s military surrender and falling in love, with the woman’s submission a complete capitulation to the man. Women’s movement — what women’s movement? Waterloo became a number one hit in nine countries and reached single digits in many others.”
The day after his career in local body politics ended in March four years ago, Tony told me in an interview for this masthead, “Now I can get the creative juices flowing again”.
Since then, the juice has been flowing in full flood.
Freak Out last year rapidly climbed the bestseller charts and is a whopper of a book with 400 pages and 135,000 words. His new book Vinyl Dreams is an even bigger blockbuster of 453 pages and close on 450,000 words.
Now, back to the Chorale concerts.
Popera, as the catchy name suggests, is a mix of pop and opera and lovers of rousing choruses are in for a treat.
Celebrated music like The Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, from Nabucco and The Humming Chorus from Madam Butterfly are just three of the operatic selection the Chorale will present.
So, if you like your rock cool and your opera incandescent, Popera is for you.
Noosa Chorale at The J Noosa Junction. Friday, September 15 at 7pm and Saturday, September 16 at 2pm. Tickets $42. thej.com.au or 5329 6560.
