Some of this is true for me, some of it is
exaggerated, but I think maybe some of you might also relate. All these things
just hit me yesterday, for some reason. Maybe some of you have something else
to add. (and for the record, although I'm more than a casual fan, I don't go
as far as to be a psycho-fanatic).
16. You meet somebody from Australia. When
you bring up the subject, you are disappointed that they don't share the
passion for the Oils that you have.
15.
You are annoyed that you are only likely to hear "Beds are Burning" played
anywhere, but at least its better than nothing.
14.People
you've known only for a short while don't understand your sudden interest in
this Australian Surf Band, but people who know you well enough don't even need
to ask why.
13.You are annoyed when you hear the
"Crocodile Dundee" jokes about the fad in the 1980s in America for Australian
Pop Culture, but you're a little ashamed to admit you thought they were funny
before you were an Oils fan.
12.Your interest in movies like "Rabbit
Proof Fence" and "Walkabout" stem from being an Oils fan, but you won't admit
it to your friends when they rib you about it.
11.You wish more friends of yours shared
your love of Midnight Oil, and more people appreciated them around you, but at
the same time you feel you are exclusively receptive to something that makes
you cooler than everybody else.
10.Other than other fans at whatever
Midnight Oil show(s) you've been lucky enough to attend in the past, you are
the only person you ever see wearing a Midnight Oil T-shirt. (Where did they
all go?)
9.You put aside $200 for when or if the Holy
Grail of a Midnight Oil boxed-set comes out, and you won't use it for anything
else, even when you need it to pay the rent.
8. You assume that other Oils fans must
think like you do, and you are shocked when you see on "Powderworks" that many
don't. (But you get used to it).
7.Your encounter with Bones Hillman was as
big a deal for you (if not bigger) than meeting Paul McCartney, but only two
or three of your Facebook friends bother to comment or click the "like" button
when you post there about it.
6.You know a lot about Peter Garrett, and
also Rob, Martin, Jim, all three bassists AND Gary Morris, but if you're
lucky, you're most likely to meet somebody else who remembers that "big bald
guy" once in a great while.
5. You actually shell out $50 for the books
"Willie's Bar and Grill" and "Beds Are Burning" to be shipped to your home
from Dymock's, because you want it as soon as possible, and you don't care of
some third-party seller on amazon can sell it to you at a cheaper price later.
4. You scour ebay, amazon, musicstack.com
and elsewhere for those "maxi-single CDs", EPs, and records with those songs
on them not on the regular album. Your quest to find them costs you about $200
over a period of time, when you probably could have found a place to download
them somehow for nothing.
3. You berate yourself for not being
familiar with Yothu Yindi BEFORE the news of their front man's death, then you
start with their "Tribal Voice" album.
2. You burn a "mix tape" CD for some a
guy/girl you've met on OkCupid or some other dating site. You include at least
three under-appreciated gems by the Oils, such as "Kosociusko," and "Luritja
Way". You're mentally holding your breath that s/he will notice, and mention
those songs without your asking.
1. It is on your "Bucket List" to see the
Oils again once they (hopefully) perform again, which is most likely to be in
Australia, not here. But you are so pissed and jealous because you doubt
you'll be able to make the trip to Oz on short notice, and other fans who live
Down Under will be more likely to.