By MEGAN OGLE
ICONIC Australian band Mental as Anything is set to hit Noosa shores next month but before they do founding member Andrew “Greedy” Smith talked to Noosa Today exclusively to set some rumours straight.
Mental as Anything is one of Australia’s most recognisable bands. Their career has spanned more than 30 years with numerous chart toppers around the world.
The old urban legend tells of a group of teenagers who passed themselves off as a band in order to get free beer in exchange for playing. Greedy says this rumour is true.
“It was one of the early strategies,” he said.
“We were very informal when we started to the point that we didn’t even have a name. We didn’t think of our name, it was the guy doing the poster.
“The first time we were going to be advertised we told the guy to pick a name and we left it to him. We didn’t know our name until we saw the poster in the street.”
The group formed in 1976, around the same time Andrew Smith was crowned with his famous nickname of “Greedy”. Rumour has it Greedy acquired the nickname when before a Mental As Anything show he demolished the better part of a bucket of chicken prior to going on stage. Another rumour Greedy said is true.
“It’s a bit more involved than that,” he said.
“We were doing a function at a college and we were setting up in a big empty hall and I had a keyboard on a table when someone brought in this big, long, white cardboard box which looked the shape and size of a keyboard.
“I grabbed the box and set it up so it looked like I had a big keyboard rig set up, it looked like I was playing two keyboards at one time, I felt very special.
“And low and behold, the show started and I opened the box and it was full of chicken so I ate 16 pieces while we were playing. Reg Mobassa started calling me Greedy right away and it’s stuck.”
Fast forward to 2016 and the iconic Aussie band is busy releasing new singles and touring local pubs again, possibly for the free beer, a rumour Greedy wouldn’t confirm or deny.
Head along to their show at the Tewantin Noosa RSL to hear all your old favourites plus the latest two singles, Shake off Your Sandals and Goat Tracks in my Sandpit, and a third not yet released single due out later this month.
Mental as Anything will be at the Tewantin Noosa RSL on Saturday 4 June, from 9pm. $30 for members, $35 for non-members. For more information call the club on 5447 1766.
