HOW BRAZILIANS EMBRACED THE HOODOOS…and became a Guru cult for all Stone Age Romeos

WORDS: Steve & Estelle Hunt PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Dave Faulkner has a chuckle as he ponders how Brazil became one of the Hoodoo Gurus’ biggest fan clubs.

Not unlike Rodriguez who developed cult a following in South Africa in the 1980s, as shown in the documentary Sugar Man, the Hoodoo Gurus also developed a cult following in some of the most obscure places.

“Outside of Australia some of our best support comes from Brazil,” says Faulkner. “So much so that we toured there last year. “And it’s Aussie surfers who are responsible for this. “They were big followers of the Hoodoo Gurus in the early days and wherever they went surfing our music went with them. “Brazil was one of those places and our following just stuck.”

As the Hoodoo Gurus celebrate the 40^th anniversary of their ground-breaking 1984 debut album Stoneage Romeos, Faulkner reflects with a sense of joy at the way the band has become so embedded in Australian music culture.“We’ve loved playing live gigs – it’s been the lifeblood of the band from the beginning,” says Faulkner.

“Other than writing the songs, a major part of who we are is performing and immersing ourselves on stage. “It’s like being in a bubble where we have our own rules, our own vibe and the music flows through us. You just switch off from your problems.

Hoodoo Gurus @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl – Photo Peter Dovgan

Not that Faulkner has had too many problems. In fact, life has treated him well. Residing in Sydney, he’s like most Aussies who like their music, their footy and their beer… although, in Faulkner’s case, it’s wine.

“I’m a big wine fan,” he says. “I love French wines, Spanish wines … but I particularly love Australian wines. “We have such great wine regions such as South Australia, Western Australia and the Hunter Valley.

“I also love all things art, such as film and art galleries.” And to replace mortal distaste for politics these days, he’s renewed his love of rugby league as a diehard supporter of the Cronulla Sharks. “I’ve been getting back into rugby league, partly as a way of not paying attention to politics, which makes me angry,” says Faulkner.

The Hoodoo Gurus have had a long association with the code, despite Faulkner originally being an AFL supporter.

“In the late 80s, you might remember they changed ‘What’s My Scene’ with ‘What’s My Team’ as the ARL’s theme song and we went for five years, one year longer than Tina Turner’s ‘Simply the Best’.

Hoodoo Gurus at Freo Gaol

The Hoodoo Gurus national tour, Back to the Stoneage, will include a December 8 gig at the Miami Marketta on December 8, featuring Faulkner and fellow band members Richard Grossman, Mark Kingsmill and Brad Shepherd.

Since forming in 1981, Hoodoo Gurus boasts 10 ARIA Top 20 albums, 9 top 40 singles and a host of multi-platinum albums.

—————————————————-

TOJO Didn’t Make it to Darwin.

Words: Estelle Hunt

Hoodoo Gurus’ Stoneage Romeos was a big part of my DNA growing up in Burleigh Heads in the 1980s.

I even named a stray dog I found at the corner store on Tabilban Street after one of the album’s songs, Tojo. I used my pocket-money to feed him until he was re-homed.

Listening to the song Tojo over the years, with its obvious links to Cyclone Tracy which decimated Darwin on December 21, 1974, I always wondered if Tojo was Santa Claus who didn’t make it to Darwin by Christmas.

“Tojo never made it, Tojo never made it to Darwin,” the lyrics exclaim. So after 40 years of second-guessing, we asked Dave Faulkner to answer the question I’d been asking for so many years.

“Tojo was the general commander of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II,” says Faulkner. “The idea of the song was that Tojo didn’t make it to Darwin, but Cyclone Tracy did.

“You have to remember I was a snotty 22-year-old and the song is also linked to a corny song I’d heard at the time about donating to a Cyclone Tracy charity.

“It was punk taking the mickey. “The song is also a pun about a woman who is a tropical depression.”