It's a shame that some of you rock and roll kids over here in the US of A don't know about one of Australia's finest rock bands, the Hoodoo Gurus. They formed in 1981 and gained some popularity on college rock radio in the US during the late 1980's. The Hoodoo Gurus disbanded in 1997, reformed in 2003, and are still together.
TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll and is also the head writer and owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him @TonyDougWright on Twitter.
Ryan Dellwood introduced me to this band back in the mid 1990's via mixtape. 'Come Anytime' was the song and I was hooked instantly by their witty pop rock tune. I wanted to hear more from the Hoodoo Gurus, but I wasn't convinced I wanted to buy any of their CDs. Fortunately, I was subbed to Postal Blowfish, the Guided by Voices mailing list, and Big Daddy was kind enough to make me a mixtape of Hoodoo Guru's songs. Their music blew me away, and sadly I lost that mix tape. Never forget.
'Tojo' has been one of my favorites for many years, and this month I've been playing it constantly on my MP3 player. This is a fun rock number, but it's about a terrible event in Australian history. It took me a little while to figure out the refrain in 'Tojo' but it goes, 'Tojo never made it to Darwin'. That is a reference to the northern Australian city of Darwin during World War II. Tojo's Japanese forces never invaded Australia, but Darwin was destroyed by a cyclone named Tracy on Christmas Day in 1974. The Hoodoo Gurus sing about a Tracy in the song, which is the infamous cyclone. 'Tojo' was inspired by an Australian song about the cyclone titled 'Santa Never Made It Into Darwin'. Now you know and knowing is half the battle. Check out 'Tojo' below and enjoy.
TonyDoug Wright is The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll and is also the head writer and owner of Champion City Comics. Follow him @TonyDougWright on Twitter.
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