The Never, um, Ever ending Story
by Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum with Jeff Jenkins
Allen & Unwin
Although Molly Meldrum can’t remember when fell from his roof just before Christmas 2011, he realises he is lucky to be alive. When he recovered he was motivated to finish his life story that he had worked on for the last 35 years.
Molly is a great storyteller but he admits he isn’t that good at writing so he has had three ghost writers over that time. He doesn’t say much about his parents or his childhood because it was music that dominated his life from an early age.
This is not a kiss and tell book as Molly doesn’t lay his soul bare, but it is the story of how he became the most influential voice in Australian music and endeared himself to millions as a national institution (or mental institution as one of his friends put it). Crammed with quotes from the people in his life, the misunderstandings and accidents that have paved his way are incredibly entertaining and usually quite outrageous.
On Friday 8 November 1974 the first Countdown program brought the world of popular music into living rooms all around Australia, courtesy of the ABC. It coincided with the release of colour television and it made stars for 14 years. The Countdown crew made video clips and Molly became the much-loved guru of the pop music industry. Jimmy Barnes was being conservative when he said, ‘If it wasn’t for that hour on Sunday night half of Australia wouldn’t have known about the music that was happening’.
Although Molly has many shortcomings, his enthusiasm and his energy seem to know no ends. There’ll only ever be one Molly Meldrum … who admits he has lived the most extraordinary life for ‘an ordinary person, with no discernible talent’. His ‘family’ are all recognisable names – Elton John, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Bob Geldof, Jermaine Jackson … the list goes on.
Who else could say that he just happened to be having dinner with John Mellencamp and Sean Penn when he decided to get a tattoo? Or that he was sitting in Warren Beatty’s home cinema watching Bonnie and Clyde with Madonna while Warren made popcorn for them? Or sitting next to Princess Diana while having lunch at The Lodge? Or having Rod Stewart save your life? Or meeting the Sex Pistols, Freddie Mercury and Prince Charles all in the same week!
Molly’s life so far has ‘more dramas than Shakespeare and more laughs than ‘Seinfield’.
Lezly Herbert
