VETERAN actor and muso Jon English – known to many as Judas in the original Aussie production of Jesus Christ Superstar or Bobby Rivers from ‘90s sitcom All Together Now – had an unexpected launch into rock after a fight erupted at his local pub.
Occasionally enjoying a stint on guitar with the neighbour’s band, his chance to step up to the microphone came suddenly and unexpectedly at 17, shaping the path of what was to come.
“One night at a gig, the singer made a terrible mistake: he tried to pull the wrong bird and the boyfriend beat him up. He had to go to hospital because he had a broken nose,” English shared with Community via phone from his New South Wales hometown Coffs Harbour.
“I was in a nearby milk bar at the time waiting to play a few songs with the group in the pub – I was too young to be allowed in there as a general attendee – and the guys, desperate for a vocalist, came and said I had to do it.
“I wasn’t keen on the idea but ended up enjoying it because the first song I sang was The Beatles’ Twist and Shout and everyone went hooray!”
Having enjoyed a 40-year career in entertainment, English – whose greatest epiphany transpired at a 1964 Beatles gig in Sydney (“like a Justin Beiber concert times a million”) when he realised music was his future – is now touring with The Rock Show theatre production, starring himself and a cast of eight young multi-instrumentalists.
“It encompasses the history of rock from 1965 to ‘80 when I was a teenager moving towards my 30s, which is the most influential period of music in a person’s life,” he said.
“Everyone who sees it says: ‘Wow, I didn’t expect that.’ The band has got to be seen to be believed.”
Community was keen to know what modern artists the 62-year-old rocker was diggin’ and was surprised to hear industrial-metal German group Rammstein top the list.
“I have a theory that big things in music happen in 15-year cycles, almost to the day,” he said.
“Something will happen that will become popular because it just clicks with a lot of people; it’s usually aggressive and outrageous but catchy as well.
“It’s imitated and improved on a bit and then marketed and becomes self-indulgent and then boring.
Then, from somewhere remote, the next thing will come out and the cycle continues.”
The Rock Show is at Astor Theatre, Mt Lawley on February 3 and 4 and Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on February 2.
Sara Fitzpatrick