Touring with Olivia Newton-John
Touring with Olivia Newton-John came from our backing her, John Farnham and Anthony Warlow on the 'Main Event'.
I must be honest the Main Event was not my favourite gig. I hated being basically in 'the pit.' I like performing those of you who know me well know I am a consummate show-off and do not function well buried. I did however enjoy the friendship that grew with Olivia.
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| Olivia Newton-John Tour 1999 |
I should say here that another friendship also grew at this time and that was with Olivia's personal assistant, Madonna Melrose, who is the love of my life and the mother of my beautiful son Jesse. So I think fondly of Olivia and how meeting her changed my life. Check out Madonna's website.
www.madonnamelrose.com.au
The band went on to do two American tours with Olivia Newton-John, a live album and more recently I played on her duets album Olivia (2).
I resigned from the John Farnham Band on a slightly sour note, a disagreement over some conditions and considerations not really worth going into. But it was time to move on, I wasn't going anywhere with it and it certainly wasn't satisfying my creative needs. The music wasn't utilising anywhere near my capabilities as a musician.
Leaving made me get of my arse and write more music. Interesting how the fear of starvation will do that. It was a big decision to make, sometimes I regret it but on the whole it was the right thing to do. I do miss the camaraderie of the band and the many experiences we had together. There were times when we hated each other but there were a lot of times when we laughed. 'To love is to laugh' (an 'Ornament' tune).
