Australian radio is snubbing the aces new Divinyls single Don’t Wanna Do This. I guess if you’re not making faux-Jesus rock (Nickelback, Evanescence, Hinder) or your name isn’t Pink then there’s really fuck all chance of getting anything new you’ve put together on radio is there? Does that really mean my weekly radio show on Friday nights is the ONLY program playing the new single on a regular basis, if at all? Somewhat surprising.

You know, you’d think that Australian radio networks would get behind such local Rock music royalty as Divinyls; and it’s not like the song wouldn’t mesh well with their playlists. This is a rock track that is incredibly radio friendly, whilst still retaining the original dirt and grime we’ve come to love about Divinyls. So is it this obvious growth and evolution as artists that the networks are scared of? What possible explanation could they have for ignoring a classic song like this? Divinyls have just finished up a massively successful tour of Australia, playing dates across the nation and headlining Sydney’s Homebake Music Festival and Melbourne’s Hot BBQ, with crowds arriving in droves to watch them rock out. So what’s the problem?

When such a high-class act as Divinyls release something new that is of such an excellent quality, you would sort of expect radio to get behind it. It’s the Divinyls for crying out loud! They gave us Boys In Town, Science Fiction, I Touch Myself, Siren, I’m Jealous… the list of quality genuine radio hits these guys have produced over the years reads like a best-in-Australian-rock music countdown. I understand that just because an iconic artist releases something new shouldn’t automatically mean their new stuff becomes a radio darling, but in the cases when it’s new and this good, then the question here is why AREN’T they playing it?

If you’re in Oz, and you want Australian radio to get behind the new Divinyls single, then there are a couple of things you can do.

First of all, head on over to the Facebook group’s “Temperamental Aussie Divinyls Fans” and “No the Divinyls were NOT just one-hit wonders you fuckwit” and join them. Let’s expand the Divinyl online community as much as we possibly can in the lead up to this years possible new album release.

Then, Contact your local radio station, and start HAMMERING them with requests for Don’t Wanna Do This. If they start getting requests, they might actually try and locate the dusty promo CD they were sent back in November and give it a few whirls.

Special thanks to Loretta and Derek who got in touch with me regarding this campaign. To help them along with the cause, I’ve put together this list of radio and television media links and phone numbers which you can get busy requesting with.

NATIONAL
Hot 30 Countdown (SMS 1999 30 30 or Call 1800 15 11 00)
Hot Hits with Kyle and Jackie ‘O

QUEENSLAND
B105 (SMS 199 22 105)
Nova 1069 (SMS 1998 1069)
SWITCH 1197AM

VICTORIA
Fox FM (SMS 1999 1019)
Nova 100 (SMS 199 99 100)
Joy FM (SMS 0427 JOY 949)
MIX 101.1 FM (Call (03) 9414 1011)

NEW SOUTH WALES
Nova 969 (SMS 199 11 969 or Call 133 969)
2 Day FM (Call 13 10 60)
96.1 THE Edge (Call (02) 961 11 961)
NX FM (SMS 1992 1069)

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
SAFM (SMS 0421 26 1071)
Nova 919 (SMS 19 919 919 or 0400 919 919)
Fresh FM Adelaide (Call (08) 8224 0844)

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
929 (SMS 199 29 929)
MIX Perth (Call 13 33 53)
NOVA 937 (Call (08) 9489 1937)

ACT
FM 104.7

NORTHERN TERRITORY
Hot 100FM

TASMANIA
MIX Hobart

OTHER NATIONAL STATIONS
Sea FM
Power FM
Eagle FM (SMS 0408 632 596)

You can also request the AMAZING video clip on either Channel [V], MTV and/or Video Hits.

CHANNEL [V]
Request Online
Request via SMS: 1999 69 69
Request by telephone: 1902 220 330

MTV
Request Online

VIDEO HITS
Email Fuzzy and tell her you want to see Divinyls on VH…

Just over a week ago I was lucky enough to live out the long-time dream of watching one of the greatest Rock & Roll bands of Australian history performing live. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Divinyls reformed earlier this year, and their first stop on their reunion tour was Geelong’s Wool Exchange Nightclub. For those unaware, Chrissy Amphlett - Divinyls frontwoman/general Goddess - was born and grew up right here in Geelong, my hometown and place of birth. So to have Amphlett - who was able to get out of this town and really make something of herself - performing only a few minutes drive away from where I lived was quite cathartic, though it’s probably something only someone from Geelong would be able to understand (Emma! Yes, would you agree?! PS: I love you!)

My friends Ben, Michelle, Libby and I were the first people at the venue and were lucky enough to hear the majority of the bands soundcheck whilst we waited outside. The band, originally scheduled to come on at 9pm - finally graced the stage at 9:45pm, to many screams, screams, and more screams. Opening with Science Fiction, Chrissy walked onto the stage donning a sexy black number, a top hat and black sunglasses; the girl was HAWT. A subdued and glorious version of Pleasure & Pain followed, as did Only Lonely, Good Die Young, and new single Don’t Wanna Do This. Chrissy cheekily interacted with the crowd, swaying from side to side, sounding very posh as she announced “I’m from here… I’m from Geelong… did you know that?” Of course, getting the response she wanted, the crowd screamed as loud as they could.

I should point out that Mark McEntee, Chrissy’s long-time musical partner in crime, was unintentionally hilarious, vague, and still bares everything the fans love about him. He can still play a seriously tight kick-arse guitar, proving he’s not lost any of the cool he had all those years ago. Just sayin’.

One of the best moments of the evening was the performance of I’m Jealous, one of the most gorgeous and heartbreaking Divinyls songs of all time. Not surprisingly, I managed to record some of that very performance on my trust phone video camera. Let’s take a peek…

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Sleeping Beauty, Make Out Alright and Aint Gonna Eat Out My Heart all took the walls down, but nowhere near as much as Boys In Town. No full recording of that performance, but let’s take a look at the original video clip, so as to understand why people regard this track as one of the biggest Australian Rock Classics of all time. It is also a song about Geelong, FYI.

Please note there is no “The” in the name Divinyls, contrary to what Rage at the ABC/people from Australian Idol/Future Entertainment’s HOT BBQ promoters would have you believe.

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After a rapturous round of cheers following the bands goodnight, the guys returned to the stage for the encore, with drummer, New Yorker Charley (Chrissy’s husband) emerging with a Geelong Football Club Jumper. The crowd fucking lost it, as Chrissy told the audience her hubby had been a supporter for many years, “even when they were at the bottom of the ladder.” Finally, the crowd were given I Touch Myself (definitely their most successful track, and whilst it is still an absolute gem, it’s far from being their best,) and Bless My Soul (It’s Rock & Roll) as the finale. During I Touch Myself, Chrissy extended out her arm and played with the hands of the people in the front row, one of those people being ME. Chrissy Amphlett - Rock Royalty - Touched My Self!!

Chrissy gave each of us in the front area enough fabulous glares, making enough eye contact for us to have been more than overjoyed by the evening. Days later, Chrissy announced during an interview on A Current Affair that she has been battling Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, which upset me to a great deal. It’s of no surprise though that, amidst her illness, Chrissy is out, touring, performing night after night and being the true rock star she is. I guess performing again is doing her more a world of good then we could have ever thought.

I was pretty upset that Elsie, my favourite Divinyls song, was left off the setlist, as was Siren, another of my faves. Because I would like to share Elsie with you, you can download an MP3 of it below. It’s a truly gut-wrenching, heartbreaking song filled with honest, raw emotion, with an epic ending I would have probably cried over hearing live. So maybe it was lucky they left it off then, hey?…

Divinyls - Elsie (MP3 | 320 kbps | Sharebee)

If you have a fleeting passion for Divinyls or Chrissy, I urge you to purchase a copy of her autobiography, Pleasure & Pain: My Life as soon as possible. It is quite possibly the greatest music autobiography you will ever read.

Here are some pics from the show, and below that, some more YouTube Divinyls classics. If you’re into the more poppier stuff, give Science Fiction and the Gina Riley cover a go…

PLEASURE & PAIN (VIDEO CLIP)

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SIREN (VIDEO CLIP)

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BACK TO THE WALL (VIDEO CLIP)

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SCIENCE FICTION (VIDEO CLIP)

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GINA RILEY (KIM FROM KATH & KIM) HOMAGE TO I TOUCH MYSELF

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Here is the video of Divinyls performing Boys In Town for the second time on Australian Idol’s Grand Finale this Sunday. This was also their first live performance in over 10 years. Here’s the video, and below - a time detailed summary of the best bits.

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1.14: Chrissy Amphlett telling the Opera singers to “Get off, come on, get off…” before implying the audience were stupid by announcing “it’s too much education.” Brilliant.

1.30: The fringe tussle!

3.19: Choreographed arse bumping from Chrissy to poor ‘ol Mark, who probably still doesn’t know it actually happened (or that they performed twice, god bless him.)

4.05: Chrissy singing “GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Kids - she’s not singing, she wants OUT OF THERE. HALP HER PLZ.

4.21: “DID I WIN?!” Followed by her infamous grunts…

4.26: “What’s your name?”

5.02: Pay attention to Chrissy’s sigh as she realises she has to talk about the Idol finalists.

5.12: Chrissy molests her own breasts whilst asking Andrew G if he’d noticed that they’d “developed.” A nice dig at being told by the shows producers to perform an old hit rather than their new single perhaps?

5.25: “The art… something to do with now… the voice… HEY!” FUCKING AMAZING.

5.50: “Yes.”

Unfortunately, whoever uploaded that video left off the last minute or so in which Chrissy had a bit of a laugh walking off stage, letting Andrew G know she was having a bit of a joke. I’ll try and get that up at some point.

The new Divinyls single, Don’t Wanna Do This, is out now on iTunes with an excellent B-Side called Asphyxiation.