I first saw Acca Dacca in 1975 in Canberra, it was as hot and as loud as hell, and I couldn’t hear anything much for about a week afterwards. Back then, I didn’t know any better, I didn’t have any money and certainly wasn’t buying Pink Floyd or Eagle’s albums. Live, loud, home grown rock ‘n’ roll was the only thing that grabbed me in the guts and wouldn’t let go. For my mates and I, as we played air guitar to Angus’s wild leads, it was AC/DC – rock ‘n’ roll by us, about us and for us. There were no messages, no concepts; we just wanted to have a good time. I now know that this was the same for many other people.
Photograph Courtesy: Bob Hope
Jump-forward 34 years and my colleagues and I from the Collections, Research and Exhibitions unit of the Arts Centre are planning our ‘Icon’ exhibition for the summer of 2009. These unique shows are all about celebrating our greatest performing artists through exhibition form. Really treating popular culture seriously and making exhibitions for which we know there is a large and interested audience. We soon came to the realisation that there was only one act possible as the finale of our first series, the biggest Australian act of them all: AC/DC.
The first and most important step was to gain the band's approval, so that they trusted us to make an exhibition about them. Even this first tentative request would not have happened without the help and agreement of Albert Music – the band's original recording and publishing company in Sydney. We have been immensely lucky to have Albert’s continued support, cajoling and on occasion knock-backing our more unusual ideas in their ‘Associate Curator’ role.
Over the past year I have travelled all over the place; contacting collectors, visiting old friends, family and roadies, searching photographer's archives, reading endless press stories and all the unapproved biographies, generally sorting out fact from fiction about the band's history.
From the first corporate justifications about what we were going to achieve – to now, I have gradually come to understand the band much better, to take pride in the fact that AC/DC have never, ever set themselves above their fans. And to recognise the pact that I felt as a fifteen year old; that us fans were actually a part of the band.
AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels is the outcome of this year of work; it has many photos, letters, hand written lyrics, costumes, posters, instruments, videos, live footage, backstage passes and even a ‘Let There Be Rock’ cannon. It is one for the fans and we hope you enjoy it.
Please write to the feedback address with all your comments. I’ll start with my favourite quote:
I don’t like to play above or below people’s heads. Basically, I just like to get up in front of a crowd and rip it up.
(Angus Young as quoted in New Musical Express, 16 October 1976)
Tim Fisher, Curator – AC/DC Australia’s Family Jewels
