Global warming caused by burning beds?
Peter Garrett, former lead singer for Midnight Oil, has a new title ... environment minister in Australia's cabinet. (Stop waiting for the punchline -- there isn't one coming. Unless he tries replacing the country's unofficial anthem of "Down Under" with "Don't Wanna Be The One.")
When Midnight Oil broke up in 2002, Garrett went on to pursue a political career. The new Aussie prime minister, Kevin Rudd, made the unusual appointment this week. Check out the latest on Garrett at his official website.
Most important question: Does this get us out of having to do a Midnight Oil podcast on Stuck in the 80s? Because I can pretty much only name one song -- "Beds Are Burning" -- and I'd easily put it on my list of 50 songs from the 80s I never really need to hear again.
However, thanks to a solid five minutes of reporting time, I feel quasi-confident in today's top 5 list.
TOP 5 MIDNIGHT OIL TUNES FROM THE 80s:
5. Armistice Day: "The fixers do the fixing, the locals do the lynching."
4. Us Forces: "Superboy takes a plutonium wife."
3. Power and the Passion: "Sometimes you've got to take the hardest line."
2. Beds Are Burning: "How can we dance when our earth is turning."
1. The Dead Heart: "We carry in our hearts the true country."
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
Steve, No love for the "Blue Sky Mine"?
Posted by: Ray | December 01, 2007 at 11:11 AM
Midnight Oil is the band that Rolling Stone and pop music writers pushed at us endlessly, it was "the next big thing" for a few years. But not really. Real listeners just didn't like them that much ...
Posted by: chase | December 01, 2007 at 12:19 PM
"Blue Sky Mine" was from 1990. I think that falls outside Steve's radar.
Posted by: Bassnote | December 01, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Bassnote you are correct. For some reason, I thought the album was from 89. I must be getting old.
Posted by: Ray | December 01, 2007 at 12:25 PM
I saw them live on the Blue Sky Mine tour, and they were great. Peter Garrett is quite creepy though.
Posted by: Bassnote | December 01, 2007 at 12:31 PM
The Dead Heart as #1 - splendid choice, definetely my fave Midnight Oil song as well, still absolutely fantastic!
Posted by: Dennis | December 01, 2007 at 02:50 PM
Midnight Oil is the most under rated band in the history of rock.
Sorry.
True.
Posted by: Paul | December 01, 2007 at 11:15 PM