Victorian Premier John Brumby probably headbanged to it while a junior teacher in Ballarat in the early 80s, while no doubt Liquor Licensing Victoria boss Sue MacLellan was probably walking around blue light discos while it was playing, confiscating smuggled hip flasks of bourbon and West Coast Coolers.
It’s the coolest film clip ever made in Australia, and AC/DC haven’t played the song for 30 years out of respect for original singer Bon Scott. Yes, it’s the legendary film clip for Long Way To The Top, originally filmed in Swanston Street Melbourne with AC/DC playing on the back of a truck trundling up Swanston St on 23rdFebruary 1976.
34 years later, every musician’s dream of re-enacting this film clip is coming to fruition in response to the Victorian Government’s head in the sand approach to the licensing restrictions placed on venues with live music in Melbourne, lumping them in with city beer barns prone to alcohol and amphetamine fuelled violence.
According to a breathless report in The Age today;
‘A band, most likely the RockWiz Orchestra from the SBS music trivia TV program RockWiz, will repeat the anthem’s three chords on the back of a flat-bed truck along Swanston Street and up Bourke Street to Parliament House in Spring Street.
Thousands of musicians, representing diverse genres including rock, jazz and world music, are expected to march behind the van holding placards and instruments.’
As the Victorian Government and Liquor Licensing is finding out much to its chagrin, you shouldn’t pick on pubs like The Tote which journalists regularly drank in and even played gigs in. Not only will they give the issue a lot of coverage, they’re really good at coming up with media stunts themselves – watch this one go overseas. We also note that this is a day off on AC/DC’s tour schedule – should Acca Dacca join the protest this will be several omelettes worth of egg on the Government’s face.
Watch the legendary filmclip here:
