Great Christmas Ideas

An Australian music industry legend, Chuggi has been promoting, managing, courting, bullying and championing rock acts for over 40 years.

Hey, You in the Black T-Shirt is his story

Published by Macmillan Australia

From the ridiculous to the sublime. From down and dirty rock 'n roll mayhem to million dollar deals with industry heavyweights. From gossip and desperation to undeniable truth and outrageous fortune...Chuggi has been there, done that.

Michael Chugg was only fifteen years old when he began managing and promoting artists in his hometown of Launceston, Tasmania. That was in 1962. Fast forward to the present, and 'Chuggi', as he is affectionately known, is a pioneer in bringing the newest, biggest and baddest musical acts to Australia. Back in the day, Chuggi was there for the explosion of overseas stars touring in Australia, working with acts such as Fleetwood Mac on their 1977 'Rumours' tour, Frank Sinatra, Guns n' Roses, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, The Police, Richard Clapton, Gary Glitter, AC/DC, Roy Orbison, Billy Thorpe, The Skyhooks, David Bowie, ABBA...the list is endless.

AC/DC

 Formed in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC has become one of the most popular bands in history. This massive new title follows the band from its roots in Sydney, Australia, to its most recent releases and sold-out world tours. No stone is left unturned, from the band's formation and early club gigs to its astounding worldwide success. More than 400 illustrations include handbills, posters, backstage passes, and vinyl from around the globe, as well as rare candid and performance photography.

 How to Make Gravy

 This extraordinary book has its genesis in a series of concerts first staged in 2004. Over four nights Paul Kelly performed, in alphabetical order, one hundred of his songs from the previous three decades. In between songs he told stories about them, and from those little tales grew How to Make Gravy, a memoir like no other. Each of its hundred chapters, also in alphabetical order by song title, consists of lyrics followed by a story, the nature of the latter taking its cue from the former. Some pieces are confessional, some tell Kelly's personal and family history, some take you on a road tour with the band, some form an idiosyncratic history of popular music, some are like small essays, some stand as a kind of how-to of the songwriter's art – from the point of inspiration to writing, honing, collaborating, performing, recording and reworking.

World from Down Under 

In his bestselling books THE WORLD FROM ITALY and THE WORLD FROM ISLAM, George Negus gave us his unique, ′Australian internationalist′ perspective on issues as varied as football and the Muslim faith. Now, in the forthcoming THE WORLD FROM DOWN UNDER, he tackles the big issues of the day, the things which concern, perplex and provoke us. George takes on climate change, poverty, war, indigenous affairs, politics, philanthropy, the role of women - and some lighter stuff. He talks about how Australia is regarded by the rest of the world and how the rest of the world is seen by us. He draws on his own travels and his extensive journalistic background, and he brings in some of the things he′s learned from the world′s movers and shakers. He will tell you what you wanted to know about world′s big issues - and all the things no-one else has told you.

Booky Wook 2

In the sequel to Russell's best-selling biography 'My Booky Wook' we follow the now sober but still scandalous, sex-fuelled star on his electrifying rise to international fame. A roller coaster ride through tours, films, stand up and tabloids – this time, it's personal.

Rarely has a sequel delivered on the promise of the original with such literary and comic gusto. In Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal, Russell Brand takes off where his international best-seller My Booky Wook left off. Brand is sober and, after dedicating his life and compromising his sanity in the pursuit of fame, he has had his first taste of national notoriety. Does fame bring happiness and inner peace? Not exactly, but it does mean a lot of sex. It also ushers in an unforgettable and raucous ride through chat shows, tabloid scandals, and Hollywood, all the while detailing Brand's search for the contentment that fame can't quite grant. Booky Wook 2 is a ‘celebrity memoir’ unlike any you've read before: more clever and inventive than ever, Russell Brand explores the consequences of massive stardom just as he demonstrates the power of language and wit to make sense of it all.

Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson - Dilligaf

A long time ago, a long way from anywhere, in a West Australian mining town called Kalgoorlie, the legend of Kevin Bloody Wilson was born. It all started innocently enough – just a guy with too much time on his hands changing the words to other people’s songs, and writing a few of his own, purely for the fun of it.
Twenty years, countless live gigs and millions of album sales down the track, Kevin Bloody Wilson has not only found his niche, he’s grabbed an esky and a deckchair and made himself really bloody comfortable in it! These days his recordings can be found everywhere from Outback Australia to Antarctica, from big-rig road trains to the console of Prince Charles’ Aston Martin. And, remarkably, many albums have turned platinum with barely a momen’ s airplay.
DILLIGAF (Do I Look Like I Give a F***) will catapult you on a remarkable, side-splitting roller-coaster alongside a unique Australian icon. If you buckle up and enjoy the ride, you won’ t ever want it to stop. But when it’ s finally over, you almost certainly will be changed forever with the positive, inspirational and pretension-hating spirit of the DILLIGAF philosophy coursing through your veins.