Interview with Peter Garrett from the legendary rock band Midnight Oil
Martin Bester chats to the lead singer of the legendary Aussie rock band Midnight Oil, who famously dropped music to launch a political career.
Midnight Oil are an Australian rock band who originally performed as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James, and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie.
While vocalist Peter Garrett was studying at Australian National University in Canberra, he answered an advertisement for a spot in Farm, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast of Australia. By late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his law degree, and Farm changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing the name out of a hat.
As Minister for the Environment, Garrett was instrumental in the campaign against so called “scientific whaling” in the Antarctic, culminating in Australia’s successful challenge to Japanese whaling in the International Court of Justice in 2014. He secured agreement to a national waste policy leading to Australia’s first ever e-waste recycling scheme, and delivered a long awaited resale royalty scheme for visual artists.
Check out Garrett's unique dance steps that captivated audiences for over 20 years.