Few Australian musicians have lived as many lives in music as Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup. Known to some as Buzz Throckman during his early Angels days, to others as Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup across a vast array of session work, and to generations of fans as the drummer, songwriter and co-founder of GANGgajang, Bidstrup’s career has been a kaleidoscope of bands, recordings, and reinventions.
Now, in his memoir No Secrets, Buzz finally lays out the full story — from hazy Copenhagen nights inventing fictional characters with names like Troy McThrock and Angus McThrock, to his pivotal years behind the kit for The Angels, to becoming the rhythmic backbone of Australian Crawl’s “Reckless” and Jimmy Barnes’ Soul Deep Live. Add to that his long-running dedication to the Jimmy Little Foundation and Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up, and you begin to see why Don Walker aptly describes Buzz’s life as one that could fill several lifetimes.
In this candid conversation with Noise11.com’s Paul Cashmere, Buzz talks about his many names, his unexpected encounter with The Rolling Stones as a teenager, his fortuitous connections with Bon Scott, and the birth of GANGgajang — now celebrating 40 years since the release of their debut album. Along the way, he reflects on the tough choices that led him to leave The Angels, the reality of making $20 a day on U.S. tours, and the one co-write with Doc Neeson that became an Australian classic: “No Secrets”.
What follows is a career-spanning Q&A that reveals the humour, humility and resilience of one of Australian music’s great survivors.
Get The Book: No Secrets by Graham ‘Buzz’ Bidstrup (HarperCollinsPublishers $35.99)
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