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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 08:56:31 AM
MAD GORILLA
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Sydney based Theatrical Rock band 1979 to 1985. Well known for
their “Graveyard Undertaker Show”.

All Photos and Movie Files
are copyright www.xtremelaser.com and may not be used without written permission
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Members
 | Steve “Stix” Stickney - Vocals
 | Mark “Zack” Flack - Guitar
 | Mark “Langs” Langfield - Drums
 | Glen Chalice - Sax
 | Frank Seckold - Keys
 | George Granger - Keys
 | Dave Owens - Bass
 | Peter Keller - Drums
 | Geoff Hillier - Drums |
| | | | | | | |
18. Roger
Garrod
September 30th, 2008 at 3:38 am
I think you will get a chuckle out of this, Mad Gorilla have reached the Japanese Internet, slow to load so be patient
http://movie.teacup.com/video/watch/f3de18c0a15b09360a0bdd8de5453c32?kw=1983&page=1
and in South America
http://www.clipcristiano.com/0/video/Stix/11_KkfW4W98.html
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Hi all
I was the original lighting operator for “Mad Gorilla” from the first gig at Parramatta Bowls Club until I retired just before their last gig at Cambelltown Leagues Club 27.09.1985.
I designed all the stage lighting as well pioneered all the projection special effects we used on stage. But enough of all that the reason I am writing this is to let any Gorilla fans know you can now see the band as I video recorded them live at the gigs we did. The video quality is not the same as today but I have managed to enhance as much footage as I can. I am still working on the project and will add selected songs to YouTube as we go. Here is the first one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU905TDp30w This was recorded at the Manly Hotel in 1983, the video is of Frank doing his Kate Bush impersonation then with the band he rips into the old Dragon hit “April Sun in Cuba”, the sound is pretty good on this one and visuals have scrubbed up well for it’s age. Watch here as more come online or you can contact me thru my webpage http://www.xtremelaser.com Enjoy and your comments are welcome good and bad:-) And a big hello to any of the band members who frequent this site I hope this will bring back some happy memories for you.
all the best and remember old rockers never die they just mellow gracefully
Roger
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Here is another video guys again from The Manly Hotel 1983, this is Stix belting out “Cocaine” with a brilliant guitar lead from Zack…..enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ_SYzxmW_I
September 4th, 2008 at 2:13 am
Another video of Mad Gorilla Live at BLACKTOWN RSL Recorded on 18.05.1984 Stix belts out “TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS” and some great duel guitar leads from Zack and if my memory serves me right I think the other lead is a guy called Terry, if i’m wrong let me know so I can correct this. Remembering anything now at 61 years of age is an effort:)
Somewhere in my collection I have the Undertaker show (which I will post when I find it) recorded 23.04.1983 at The Riverstone Hotel just a stones throw away from The Mushroom Farm were we used to rehearse amongst other things:) Other videos to come will include Doyalson RSL, Mittagong, Penrith Leagues and Springwood RSL plus hopefully the entire video of Parramatta Road, this was part of a Australian Film & Television School project I organised with one of the students J Abineri (director) and was recorded on 5th December 1983.
I also have some 8m/m film (silent) footage from our 1st tour away out west who else remembers Boppy Mountain and one of the band (George I think) spraying the water tower with “Mad Gorilla for the 80’s” in black spray paint from the roof of the truck?. Plus I have lots of still pics , newspaper items, flyers etc. will get around to those soon. I have kept in touch with Stix and Dave it would be nice to hear from other band members and crew, but for now enjoy Taking Care of Business.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq8D1az55ew
September 4th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Here as promised is the full version of the video the band did of “Parramatta Road” I organised with the Australian Film & Television School with one of the students Jane Abineri (director) and was recorded on 5th December 1983
I have only boosted the sound level on this as it was very low level on the tape other than that it’s untouched.
enjoy……..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buJriTc8LKk
September 4th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Well guys here it is “The Undertaker Show” recorded at Riverstone RSL Club 22nd April 1983. The sound is OK but not as good as I got at Manly but it will have to do, as far as I know it’s the only copy of the Undertaker show in existence (let me know if you have a copy) we did not have any flashpots and were very limited in lighting cans at this time….
Enjoy “The Undertaker”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx4XV98r_rk
September 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Thanks for your positive comments Gibbo I remember Sefton well we played there quite a few times over the years.
I hope to have all my videos of the band mastered on to DVD and Blu-Ray over the coming months it’s a big task but one worth the effort I feel. Here is another clip one of my all time favourites the band used to play “Framed” this was also recorded at Riverstone as part of the Undertaker show enjoy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_KkfW4W98
BTW great to hear from you Frank S thanks for the emails
September 6th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Sorry coudn’t resist this one 2MMM FM 105 Sydney 1982 TV Advert I know you will remember this one and it is on topic 2MMM’s Doug mulray was a big supporter not only of Aussie music but especially Mad Gorilla I used to phone Doug and Miss Lizzy (now his wife) each week and they used to plug a lot of the bands gigs daily, and besides it’s Kevin Borich playing guitar what more can you ask…enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ3FKeIyU90
BTW Remember to vote at YOUTUBE and the MGB videos will get more views, you can see them all here:
http://www.youtube.com/xtremelaser
September 6th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
I found this amongst my Video collection and as much as I do not want to cause any embarrasment to Dave (Owens) I feel it is a part of Gorilla history of ex members and needs to be put on the record. Now this is just a little fun Dave hope you don’t take it seriously. This is a little gem from “Hey Hey it’s Saturday Red Faces” recorded 30th June 1986. I must admit Dave when asked how many songs you had written if you had said a couple of hundred it would have been nearer the truth, you wrote heaps with Gorilla:-) and take a look at Red and Shorrock in their youth..
this has kept quite good quality it’s complete and untouched so sit back take a deep breath and enjoy…….and remember to vote for the Video:-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLrtQBclXpU
September 8th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
MAD GORILLA Springwood RSL 1982 “Conspiracy” This video is more for the original MGB song than the images as I do not know if I have another recording of it. This was recorded at Springwood RSL sometime in 1982 (if someone has the date let me know). It was Joe the drummers 3rd gig with us, we only had 4 par cans that I had just purchased from Lightmoves and 6 floor flood light boxes which I had built and a couple of projectors for some special FX and a crap video camera but at the end of the day we have a record of the event, oh those were the good old days:-)
Line up was Stix, Zack, Frank on keyboard, Dave on sax & guitar, Dr De Beltram on bass, Joe on drums.
Enjoy…………
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSa0gQNshDY
September 10th, 2008 at 2:36 am
Hi Geoff it’s really great to hear from you after all these years, you too Jack say hi to your mum and dad for me. I am in the process of scanning some photos from the early years before I had a video camera to create a memorable DVD if you have anything you want to add to it (I KNOW COBY WOULD HAVE HUNDREDS OF PICS) send me your scanned pics with a brief description date time place subject etc. Anyone who sends me pics will get a DVD of the end result.
Hey Gibbo I found a poster from the Sefton Hotel would you believe! I will add it to the DVD plus some others I found.
I also found the master video of Parramatta Road they gave me from the Film School but I don’t have access to a U-MATIC video machine…. ANYONE?. Also an audio master 16/24 track of “Conspiracy” which was recorded by Spencer Lee at United Sound studios, I scratched my head thinking were the hell did this !@#$% tape come from and I eventually remembered it was for a film called called “Going Down” 1983 which I organised with an eccentric film director friend Haydn Keenan who used Conspiracy in his movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085604/
Here is a sample of what I have so far put together for the DVD please remember this is very rough… dates, places names, titles are still to be added plus a lot more pics I still have to scan, I kept diaries of our gigs so I think I can pinpoint the locations and dates etc…
The quality is poor on TouTube the DVD will look much better, Hope this sample brings back some fond memories for you all…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcQR-ceI1Uw
September 11th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
MAD GORILLA LAST GIG PENRITH LEAGUES 19.10.1985 sadly this was MGB’s last gig although they had retired the week before at Cambelltown they reformed to do this one last night. This was also my last night doing lighting for bands, sadly the damned video camera decided to play up and the sound level was just audible, I have completely ripped the sound of the video enhanced it and raised the level to an acceptable compromise to remove the hum. To my knowledge Mad Gorilla never played again under this name (let me know if i’m wrong)
enjoy their last gig………..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1O9jF0mxNs
September 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
This is an update to the MAD GORILLA Memorabilia Slide Show 1980-85 I have added more pics, some captions, dates and places etc….there is still a lot to do so send me your pics if you have any to add to the DVD (if you can’t scan them send me the photos). My wife Rhonda and I have been married 37 years yesterday (Sep 11th) and I was busy scanning and producing Mad Gorilla pics all day and night lol
It seems our videos are world wide now even The New Musical Express UK check this out
http://www.nme.com/video/id/xcQR-ceI1Uw/search/mad+gorilla
Hope you Enjoy it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zKWeJVHXEk
September 12th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Great to hear from you Geoff and that you have been in contact with Recko, have sent you an email with my home address etc
Cheers
Roger
September 13th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Hi Recko it’s really great to hear from you after all these years it’s been great catching up with the clan again, this has been a great experience putting all these videos and pics together after all this time. Where you living now?
Anyone heard from Don or Neddy? Shovel was up my place a few months ago and we dined out local with his girl, Stix was up here last July 2007 and we had a bbq with his friends at my place we email each other regular. http://www.tcb99.com/rog.stix.jpg
Hopefully a lot more will meet up here and we can organise something.
Here is another blast from the past those who were at the Highway Hotel Wentworthville will know what this one is about
it’s from Penrith Leagues last gig 1985 enjoy
Highway Robbery………..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05XrECMZRrE
September 16th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hi Frank and Recko
Before I go any further I must mention the great loss to the music industry with the passing of Pink Floyd Keyboardist Richard Wright who Passed Away at 65
Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Richard Wright died Monday 15th September 2008 aged 65 from cancer.
Wright appeared on the group’s first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside lead guitarist Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.
Dave Gilmour joined the band at the start of 1968 while Barrett left the group shortly afterwards.
Wright penned songs on classic albums including Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.
Wright’s spokesman said: “The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer.
“The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.”
source http://www.pinkfloydonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=14038
Although not Australian he was a great inspiration to many Aussie musicians I for one will miss him greatly, having had the good fortune to work with Pink Floyd back in the late 70’s he will be sadly missed.
Anyway life goes on and we will all be gone one day so let’s make the most of it. Frank it appears you already met my son Jesse he says he saw you at Coffs Harbour 2 years ago he went under the name Checkas he now wrestles under the name Zero in Canada and is the heavywight champ in Alberta for PZW
http://www.powerzonewrestling.net/pzw2.html do you remember him Frank? Recko I got your emaile I hope to catch up with both soon, Recko I sympathise with you back injury I am nearly crippled now from a motorcycle accident I had in London back in 1968 I now mostly get around in an electric mobility scooter as walking is very difficult for me. Live your life while you can you never know when fate will deal you a final hand…….
September 17th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Hi Mark
I got all the images you emailed me I havel enhanced them all and added them to the DVD plus youtube many thanks for your effort, anyone else who has any images of the MGB days please send them to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7DZUb9ZYc
Cheers
Roger
September 18th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
The Undertaker has had over 117 downloads from Youtube as of today in just over a week but as the quality is not that good I have decided to release the original MPEG version to the Internet that can be burnt to CD / DVD this is the best quality I can get of The Undertaker show if you can do any better be my guest.
Download Link
http://www.xtremelaser.com/MADGORILLA-UNDERTAKER.htm
If you have any problems downloading let me know…enjoy