It has to be more than sheer coincidence that Midnight Oil’s “sixth” manager Gary Morris has announced his resignation from the music industry just as the world’s biggest rock festivals are reacting to the end of Peter Garrett’s political career with big money offers designed to tempt the Oils into a reunion. Effectively Gary Morris has hung up the phone on those offers. Midnight Oil say they are not interested in a reunion. Peter Garrett has said he wants to spend a couple of quiet years with his wife and daughters. Midnight Oil always made decisions democratically. Gary Morris was part of the process. It often took them longer than it should have to come up with the “right” decision. But once a decision was made it meant they were in perfect harmony, off stage and on. Morris was (is?) truly the band’s sixth member. You can count on your two hands managers who have devoted themselves to one act. It takes a special kind of commitment, commitment that, when it happens, is returned by the act. Most managers, once they find success with one artist develop a “stable”. Gary Morris dabbled (Spy V Spy) but always with the encouragement and support of the Oils – another decision they shared. Career managers usually end up with stables in case an act they’re working with loses their place in the industry. Sometimes managers need something else to do while their main act takes a break. U2 also has a manager who is as much a member of the band as the musicians. When they started out together they deliberately named the company “Principle Management”. They wanted a constant reminder of the way U2’s career should be run, with principle first, business next. Along the way Paul McGuinnes has also picked up the management of P.J.Harvey. One day, like Midnight Oil and Gary Morris seem to have, U2 and Paul McGuinnes will write their final chapter together.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 23:08:50 +0000