With special guest:
- Stuart Coupe
… in conversation with Bill Kable
We have always heard about the sex and drugs of the rock’n’roll lifestyle but few of us get any access to this hidden part of the music industry. Until now
Stuart Coupe has lived in the music world for over forty years and by getting the roadies, these unsung heroes, to open up we can find out both the good and the bad sides of this life on the road.
Stuart tells us one of his motivations in doing the research and writing his latest book Roadies: The Secret History of Australian Rock’n’Roll was to preserve the stories from the early days because the roadies have had some casualties and he does not want the stories to disappear with the last of the original roadies. Not only does the lifestyle take a toll on the roadies’ physical health but the toll on family life is intense. The roadies will often be away from home for 10 to 11 months of the year because the show has to go on.
And at the extreme end the suicide rate of ex-roadies is far higher than the national average. So what is it about being a roadie that keeps them going? Stuart tells us the roadies are a long way from a desk job or a factory line. They have what is often seen as a glamorous lifestyle mixing with the rich and famous, travelling the country and the world. They casually drop some of the biggest names in show business including The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, INXS and even the show put on by The Pope gets a mention.
Stuart provides us with a backstage pass to these roadies who have seen it all with the pre and post show excesses of the big name artists who employ them. These are some of the stories that Stuart is able to uncover when the secrets are shared.
Roadies provides a fascinating insight and we hear it from an insider who is no stranger to putting on a show himself. This is a fun topic with a serious side as well.
Stuart Coupe
Stuart Coupe is an author, music commentator, independent artist publicist and radio broadcaster who has been involved with music all his life. Amongst the books he has written, edited or collaborated on previously are The New Music (1980), The New Rock ‘n’ Roll (1983), The Promoters (2003), Gudinski (2015) and Tex (2017).
Song selection by our guest: Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool