Amanda Pelman returns to Melbourne to celebrate the release of Four Weddings And An Encore, a candid memoir tracing Amanda Pelman’s journey through the Australian and international music industries
by Paul Cashmere
Amanda Pelman will step into the spotlight in Melbourne next week, launching her memoir Four Weddings And An Encore at Avenue Bookstore in Albert Park. The event, scheduled for 6.00pm to 7.30pm, marks a full circle moment for a woman whose career has largely unfolded behind the scenes of Australia’s modern music history.
For four decades, Amanda Pelman has operated inside the engine room of rock and entertainment, shaping careers, launching artists and producing events that defined eras. With Four Weddings And An Encore, she moves from the boardroom and backstage into authorship, documenting a life that intersects with some of the most consequential chapters in Australian music.
Pelman’s origins are in Brighton Beach, Melbourne, where she was raised in a household shaped by fashion, resilience and post-war ambition. Her professional life began in radio journalism while studying media at RMIT. Early interviews with major entertainment figures propelled her to London in 1981, where she worked with Dire Straits as a press collector, absorbing the mechanics of international promotion at close range.
A period in the United States followed, including postgraduate study in film theory at the University of Southern California. The academic path was cut short by a decision that would define her career, returning to Australia to build something of her own.
That opportunity arrived at Mushroom Records under the late Michael Gudinski. Across eleven years Pelman served as National Publicist, Label Manager and A&R Manager during a formative era for the company. At a time when senior creative roles were overwhelmingly held by men, Pelman became one of the few women occupying decision-making positions.
Her instincts proved decisive. Kylie Minogue has credited Pelman with insisting that Gudinski listen to the demo of Locomotion, a moment Minogue says changed her life. Pelman would also sign Jason Donovan and work alongside Ian “Molly” Meldrum in establishing Melodian Records. The label delivered Australian Top 10 success with Indecent Obsession, Roxus and Peter Andre, and international breakthroughs including a US Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 placing and multiple number one records across Europe and Asia.
Deborah Conway, whom Pelman co-managed, has described her as “Amanda ‘Commander’ Pelman”, a figure who demanded “three chords and the truth”. That directness forms part of the spine of Four Weddings And An Encore. The memoir is structured around four marriages and an “encore”, reflecting distinct chapters of reinvention across Melbourne, London, Los Angeles and Paris.
Michael Chugg contributes the foreword, characterising Pelman as a rare presence in the upper tiers of the industry. Others, from Ian “Molly” Meldrum to Sir Cameron Mackintosh and Sir Van Morrison, offer perspectives that underscore the reach of her career. Pelman’s cameo in the Locomotion video, behind the studio desk, is emblematic of her role, present at pivotal moments even when not centre stage.
Beyond record labels, Pelman’s second act extended into theatre and large-scale production. As a casting consultant for Cameron Mackintosh, she worked on Australian productions of Rent, Oliver!, Hair and Cabaret, among others, auditioning thousands of performers and bridging her music industry acumen into musical theatre. She later became the original Casting Director for Priscilla Queen Of The Desert, a production that has since been seen by more than six million people worldwide.
Her production credits include Long Way To The Top, the touring celebration of Australian rock history that drew close to a quarter of a million attendees, and the climate-focused Live Earth concert in Sydney. In 2009 she co-produced Sound Relief, the dual Melbourne and Sydney benefit staged in response to the Victorian bushfires, featuring artists including Coldplay, Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift and Midnight Oil. The event remains one of the largest coordinated charity concerts in Australian history.
Pelman’s on-screen presence also emerged when she joined the Seven Network’s It Takes Two as a judge, earning a reputation for forthright critique. Later, as Contemporary Creative Director for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, she developed sold-out orchestral tributes to David Bowie and George Michael.
Her international chapter includes work on the proposed Woodstock 50 project alongside Michael Lang, as well as development roles in London theatre. Since 2022 she has divided her time between London and Paris, writing from a 17th century garret overlooking Notre Dame Cathedral.
Each chapter of Four Weddings And An Encore includes a Flowcode linking readers to music referenced in the narrative, reinforcing the book’s framing of song as memory architecture. The subtitle, A Life In Rock, With All Its Rolls, Reflected From A Parisian Window, signals both humour and hindsight.
The Melbourne launch offers audiences the chance to hear directly from a figure who witnessed, and often influenced, the rise of Australian music onto the global stage. For an industry still reassessing its past through a more inclusive lens, Pelman’s account provides documentation from inside rooms where decisions were made and careers were shaped.
Amanda Pelman will launch Four Weddings And An Encore at Avenue Bookstore, Albert Park, Melbourne, from 6.00pm to 7.30pm.
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