“I can’t believe it’s happening to me actually,” he says. “Humble beginnings as a home organ salesman to the bright lights of Bayswater.”
Yes that’s right, Morgan’s latest culture-versus-kitsch extravaganza (happening next Thursday and Friday nights) will take place at the Knox Community Arts Centre. It might seem odd that a man whose heart rests snugly in the City of Churches is devoting so much attention to an outer suburb of Melbourne. However, the serendipity that characterises Morgan’s rise to celebrity introduced him to Bayswater a couple of years ago.
“I was on my way, in my trusty Toyota Crown Royal Saloon, to the Melbourne Fringe,” he explains. “I headed out here thinking this was the fringe of Melbourne and I got completed bamboozled and found myself at the Knox Performing Arts Centre. They were pretty excited to see me, because they’d seen me on the TV, and we got chatting and they directed me that the Melbourne Fringe was actually in the city. But we kept in contact and over a period of time it’s become my home away from home – like a surrogate mother.”
While the World of Organs show was most certainly an amusing and lighthearted experience, it was a little lacking in variety. This time around a bevy of musical guests will join Barry’s beloved organ – the Hammond Aurora Classic – under the spotlight.
“On the first night we’ve got Dave Graney, Linda Bull and Mick Thomas from Weddings Parties Anything,” he beams. “I can tell you I’ve done a few weddings and a few parties and now I’m keen to do anything. Then on the second evening we’ve got the lovely Greg Champion from the Coodabeen Champions, Jane Clifton and a young fellow from Arnhem Land named Yirrmal Marika.”
But wait there’s more. “We’ve got John Deeks from Channel 7, who’s the famous voice-over man of generations. And we’ve got a lovely little house band, The Tijuana Peanuts, [who are] based in Melbourne but they play that beautiful Herb Alpert sound. If Campari was music it would be the Herb Alpert sound.”
Following the classic variety show format, Morgan will be interviewing the guests before asking them to perform a song featuring organ accompaniment. It’s a rather interesting lineup of acts and the star of the show explains how he came into contact with the assorted guests.
“Some of them have been coming into the shop over in Sunnyside Mall, to the World of Organs. Ever since Gotye visited and Gurrumul Yunupingu visited, a few of the stars are popping in. It’s becoming a place where the music stars tend to go when they’re in South Australia. I mean there’s probably other places to go, but the World of Organs is fairly central now.”
Yes, thanks to Morgan’s influence, the home organ renaissance is well under way. It figures, seeing as though the instrument is a precursor to modern electronic music.
“I always say it’s like the original DJ. It’s one finger, like the click of a mouse. I saw Flume at Splendour from backstage and he was flicking with that one finger and all that beautiful music was happening. In a way that’s what my one finger method is all about. When life gets a little bit complex I just go back to the organ and put on Rock 1 and place a finger here and a finger there and it’s all easy and breezy.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
