The Australian music industry lost one of its biggest names in February when musician, manager, and executive Glenn Wheatley passed away aged 74.
Three months later, a new audiobook is set to crucially ensure his words and legacy live on. Glenn’s memoir, titled Paper Paradise, was released today as an audiobook, telling the story of the man who broke into the U.S. with Little River Band, reinvented John Farnham with Whispering Jack, and brought FM radio to Australia.
Today’s release is tinged with meaning, with the audiobook recording being one of Glenn’s final projects he worked on before his passing; that he was able to recount his myriad stories mere months before his death is a fitting last note.
“I have always loved his speaking voice and it doesn’t disappoint in this,” says Glenn’s wife Gaynor. “He was never happier than when he had ten balls in the air, with the hope of catching just one.”
Glenn’s musician son Tim has left his mark on the audiobook, with a touching foreword and the inclusion of his cover of ‘Because I Love You’, originally made famous by Glenn and The Master’s Apprentices five decades ago.
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“To know that I have his voice telling his life story, has left me with an odd sense of relief,” Tim explains. “The fact my old man took it upon himself to record his first book to audio a month before he passed didn’t really surprise me because he was always so sentimental.
But there’s no way he would have been happy just telling the first part. So indeed, finishing the rest of his story is something we need to do. He has already done the hard part.”
The audiobook brings to life the story of one of Australia’s proper rock ‘n roll men. It’s an honest and entertaining memoir of success and failure, set against a quintessential Australian soundtrack. Few others have had the impact on the Australian music industry as Glenn.
Also out today is Tim’s new EP Shiny Tacoma, which features both the wonderful title track and the aforementioned and The Master’s Apprentices’ cover. Tim and his late father worked closely on the record, and it was originally set to be released the week of his passing.
“My father and I had every intention of working this release together on a revived Wheatley Records, but he passed four days short of the release date, turning ‘Because I Love You’ from what was somewhat of a celebration, into an unintentional tribute.
The lyrics and sentiment of ‘Because I Love You’ became all too relevant in the wake of his passing for me not to dedicate it to him. It’s just a shame that he wasn’t here with us to hear the response from the song, but this is a part of what I feel compelled to finish, as he would have hated shelving a record we worked on together.”
Tim Wheatley’s Shiny Tacoma is out now. Glenn’s Paper Paradise audiobook can be found through Wilkinson Publishing. The paperback edition is also available now.
