It opens to the public for free from today (Tuesday November 19 to Monday March 3) at RMIT Gallery at 344 Swanston St in the city.
With super-sound and visual technology by RMIT students, the exhibition tells the story of the music of this city and its best known music company through songs from a Top 40 jukebox and memorabilia sourced from the personal collections of Mushroom founder Michael Gudinski, broadcaster and record producer Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum as well as from the artists themselves and The Arts Centre Performing Arts Collection.
These include costumes from the Skyhooks, Split Enz, Crowded House and Kylie Minogue, props including a framed 3XY chart, an AC/DC payment chit and Pegasus from Kylie’s Aphrodite Les Folies 2011 world tour. There are loads of onstage, backstage, signings and video shoot photos from the last 40 years. Music lovers can hear Red Symons talk about the Living In The 70’s album cover among other soundbytes from artists, see footage from the Sunbury festival, hear about the SLAM movement and download a fully interactive iPhone and Android exhibition app.
There are rooms dedicated to rock venues, a recreation of Gudinski’s office, and a booth for fans to record their memories. There will be occasional live sets.
Gudinski told the gathering that he’d been approached many times about a Mushroom-themed exhibition, but that it was important that Melbourne, “one of the great music cities of the world”, get a free display as this. (Presenting sponsor is the Bank of Melbourne and Telstra funded the technology). He added that it spurred him and Meldrum to chase their long-time ambition to set up a rock Hall of Fame.
The Mushroom founder repeated his claim – made at Face The Music three days earlier – that the Government should do more for the music industry.
RMIT Gallery chief curator Suzanne Davies emphasized that the works on display were “a work in progress” and that it would evolve through the next few months.
Dan Sultan previewed two songs from his forthcoming album, which promises to be a huge step forward for him.
Among the guests at the invite-only bash were Skyhooks’ Red Symons and Bongo Starkey, Ross Wilson, the Enz’s Noel Crombie, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs’ drummer Gil Matthews, Wendy Stapleton and Paul Norton. Also on the guest list were executives instrumental in the growth of Melbourne’s music scene: Meldrum, Juke magazine founder Ed Nimmervoll, broadcaster Lee Simon, photographer Graeme Webber, record producer Mark Opitz, nightclub founder Garry Spry, as well as managers as Ian Lovell and Adrian Anderson.
Throughout there will also be workshops and presentations on Mushroom’s rise, how music triggers nostalgia, the city’s celebrity cult, and the fashion which evolved around the music. There’ll also be a presentation from Mark Seymour, a celebration of International Roadies Day, and the screenings of Dogs In Space and the Autoluminescent documentary with Q&As with their director, Richard Lowenstein.
