98.5 ONE FM Podcasts

Colin “Smiley” Petersen on the Best of the Bee Gees coming to Shepparton

This interview first aired on Tuesday the 2nd of July, 2024 on ONE FM 98.5 Shepparton.

One FM Breakfast announcer Plemo talks to actor and musician Colin 'Smiley' Peterson about the Best of the Bee Gees Greatest Hits Tour which is coming to Shepparton.

The Best of The Bee Gees Greatest Hits Tour - Tribute to The Bee Gees comes to Shepparton this Saturday the 6th of July, 2024 at Riverlinks Eastbank at 8pm.

The Best of the Bee Gees brings the brand-new show Greatest Hits Tour to Shepparton with special guests Colin “Smiley” Petersen and Roslyn Loxton.

This brand-new show has a high energy set list with more favourites, more disco and more hits written by the brothers Gibb.

The Best of the Bee Gees Show celebrated a successful Silver Anniversary year on the road with rave reviews in 2023 and brought audiences hustling to their feet at full houses, including Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Brisbane’s Queensland Performing Arts Centre and almost sold out The Star Gold Coast.

The much-loved troupe features globally seasoned musicians in Creator/Producer Evan Webster (Barry Gibb), Russell Davey (Robin Gibb) and Greg Wain (Maurice Gibb), Ralph Muller (guitar), Brad Poole (Bass) and Greg Loxton (drums).

Special guests: Child actor and drumming protégé, Colin Petersen was the first official non-Gibb band member and essential to the Bee Gees sound. Global chanteuse Roslyn Loxton is a vocal powerhouse and also shares the stage to perform classics especially written by the Bee Gees for female artists Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick and others.

To purchase tickets head to - https://riverlinksvenues.online.red61.com.au/event/829:2087/829:2952/

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Duration:: 20m
Broadcast on:: 04 Jul 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

- You're listening to a one FM podcast. - The best of the BG's greatest hits tour is coming to Shepparton on Saturday, July 6th at 8 p.m. At Riverlink's East Bank Shepparton, with the greatest hits tour. Special guests will be there. Colin, Smiley Peterson and Rosalind, Loxton, and we just happen to have Colin, Smiley Peterson on the line right now. G'day, Colin, how you going? - Hi, I'm well, yeah, and thanks so much for having me on the show. - Pleasure to have you on the show, mate. Now, what's your part? What do you play in this? And what do people expect? Are you the drummer or are you the singer of the guitarist? What are you in the band? - Well, I've never been a singer. Let's get that straight. Now, I give the audience little insights and by delivering the landing notes about what it was like to actually be a BG during those years that we rocketed into fame. And they all find it so interesting that it's lovely, especially after the show, when we go out to chat with the audience. And, yeah, no, the band would make comments, you know, to the effect that you could hear a pin drop, you know? And it's wonderful for me to know that the audience is still really interested in what I did with the BG's. And I play, I get up and have a play. - So you were the drummer with the BG? Is that correct for three years? - Yeah. - So what songs did you play? Did you play a hand in writing the beat with some of them to making the sound? - No, I played on four albums. - Four albums? - Yeah. And the last being Odessa, which was a double album, but I played on all those big hits, you know, new, minor disaster to love somebody, world words and got to get a message to you. All those hits are the '60s. Of course, it was an incredible experience. - Yep, so you toured the world with the BG's? - Oh, many times. - Many times ever. - We never came back to Australia, unfortunately. - Never come back. Well, you're here now. - The big wheel is turned. Here I am back home. - Now, can you tell me who Roslyn Lokston is? - Roslyn is an absolutely delightful lady with a beautiful voice. And she's known this band for many, many years. And she's an absolute light and a pleasure to be with. And she's got a lovely voice. So basically the backstory is you were a drummer with the BG's and your role in the greatest hits tour, you're going to tell some stories about what happened out on the road and with recording and such. - Yes, exactly. - Yeah. - Oh, that sounds really good. Now, look, it says that they wrote hits, or you guys wrote hits for other people. Could you tell me some of those hits? - Well, we only included a couple of songs other people recorded of the hits because you must remember, basically they were songwriters. That was their call. They were good performers, but that came secondary. And what we're putting across is budget, the vocals are close by the place. Let me tell you. - Yeah, they're pretty much spot on, are they? - Yeah. And there's a bunch of songs there that other people that the Gibbs Act actually wrote specifically for. - Yeah. - Some big names. - Cheers. - Join on a Ross, is it Dylan Warwick? - Dylan Warwick, yeah. A lovely song, by the way, that heartbreaker. One of my favorite hip songs. - Let me play that at the BG's show in Shepparton on July 6th. - I think so. I don't have the set list in front of me. - Oh, okay, okay. - But all I can say is it's really comprehensive and it paints the picture of the diversity of their writing and just reminds everyone of those wonderful melodies. - Yeah. - Why those songs live on? - Well, it is just nagging your head. - I guess some of these songs that were younger people such as myself wouldn't even know that the BG's wrote. - No, but actually we're getting quite a few younger but crowd in and I think that that is like their parents saying, oh, you gotta see this. It's so polished and stuff like that. And yeah, so I'm just enjoying it so much. I can't stress that too much. - Ah, great stuff. - We're gonna go to a break. We're talking with Colin Smiley Peterson and the part that he's playing in the best of the BG's who's bringing the greatest hits to it, Riverlink's Shepparton from APM on Saturday, July 6th. ♪ We love our sponsors ♪ ♪ And especially this one ♪ - The best of the BG's brings the greatest hits to a to Riverlink's East Bank on Saturday, July 6th. It would be a tragedy to miss the charge busters, disco and classics are some especially written for other icons, but now for the best of the BG's greatest hits with special guests, original BG's Drummer, Colin Smiley Peterson and Roslyn Loxden. APM Saturday, July 6th. - www.winsvenues.com.au - I-V-A-3-2-9-5-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1. - Admona Primary School takes pride in providing every child an opportunity in learning with highly qualified and passionate staff from a local area. Check us out. Search Admona Primary School online and take our virtual tour. Our culture is clear and present in all aspects of the school. Our school takes a lead in supporting individualised student learning programs and is known as one of the most popular schools in the local region. Search Admona Primary School today or find us on Facebook. Admona Primary School where you'll find fun, friendly students and one big family. - Station sponsor. - Buying a bed can be overwhelming. With so much choice, how do you know if you've found the right one? Bedmatch at 40 Winks takes the confusion out of buying a bed. Our exclusive system calculates your support needs using leading-edge technology. Our sleep specialists can then recommend the best sleep solution for you from our range of leading brand mattresses. - Riverside Plaza, Shipperton. - Station sponsor. - This is John Painter and Craig Stump from 1FM's Sport and Road. Central Tire Service is now your Goodyear Auto Care Centre. With on-farm tire servicing, computerised wheel alignment and balancing, complete front-end alignment and brake repairs and a full range of automotive batteries. There's not a lot the friendly staff at Goodyear Auto Care can't do. Servicing the Goldwind Valley since 1952. Central Tire's now Goodyear Auto Care can be found at 117 Wellsford Street, Shipperton. Phone 58219 555. - Station sponsor. - 98.5 1FM live and local. - We're speaking with Colin Smiley Peterson about the best of the Bee Gees that's coming to Shepperton July 6 at Riverlink's East Bank Shepperton. Now Colin, you've done a bit of movie work. Could you tell me about that? - Ah, goodness me. Most wonderful thing about that period of my life is the three years. And I made film in Australia that kick off with and then my mother and I ventured to England and we did two other films, namely The Scan with Richard Attenborough and acquired from the streets but with a big star in England at the time, Max Wifi. It's the first movie that really, I keep down the door with that. - Okay. - It was a film called Swiley. - Yeah, they found you out the front, didn't they, over the auditions playing with Dirty Naze, is that right? - Well, what happened is mum and I went down to Brunswick Street in Brisbane and the sawditions were being held at the local cinema and like seriously, the queue was around the block. And because there were only like maybe one film made every two or three years in Australia at the time. So it headlined you. - Yeah. - And it was in cinemascope and technicality. - So it was filmed in colour? - Yes. - Ah, yeah, I wasn't sure when I watched it, when I watched it back the other day, I wasn't sure if it had been recoloured or not. So it was in colour. - Yes. - Oh, there you go. - Only if it was the second movie to be shot in Australia. The first one being Jeddah, which was a love affair of two West African people. - Oh, okay. So second movie? - Yeah. - Wow. And that was with Chip's Rafferty, which I've been being told by a lot of older people was an absolute heart-throb. - Yes. And I tell you that. So professional to work with, when I finally got the part and started filming. But the lead up to it is interesting because I was at that time during on stage, playing the drums with these big jazz orchestras to the country, 22 piece jazz bands. - Oh, okay. - And so we arrived at the Brisbane City Hall and I'm told by my drum teacher to set the drums up center stage. And then he proceeds to take off the skin of the bass drum. I'm wondering what he's doing. Was he retruing it or something? And then I'm looking at the bass drum and he said, "I've got a great idea, Colin." What we'll do is, before the audience come in, because there's no curtains there, we'll get you into the bass drum. I'm sure you can see it. I'm looking at it and I'm thinking, "Well, maybe just with my knees up against my chin "and we'll put a paper skin on the front "so you can burst out of the bass drum "when you get your cue." And then my mother is standing there, says, "But Harry, how's he going to breathe?" And Harry said, "I will put a few holes "near his nose." And I ended up having to spend an hour in that bass drum. - Oh my goodness. - What were the audience came in? So to be a surprise. Then I had to wait about two, three songs in, perhaps before I burst out of the bass drum. And when I did, there was just a single spotlight or a couple of spotlights on me. And I burst out and it was a big crowd of city hall, maybe 3,000 hot or something like that. And they all stood and gave me a standing ovation. Now, I was dumped out at obviously. But looking back open my life in a way, I think I've been trying to live up to that everything. (laughing) - Well, you know what, we don't all get to hop in a drum. And we don't all get to hop in a drum in front of a crowd of a few thousand people and get cheered when we jump out. So there's something to be proud of, I think. - Oh yes, and it was such a clever idea too, because it had that element of surprise, great times. - So you only did that once. - Yeah, yeah. - Once was enough. - So anyway, because of that, I arrived at this audition for the film and I had my proudly holding my scrapbook with little reviews that I'd gotten playing the drums. And Mum suggested that because she said, "It'll make you look so professional, Colin." And I was wearing my Sunday suit, literally. And finally, when we got to front of you and went inside the producer, director, Anthony Kimmens walks along the line up and says, "To me, what's that?" And I said, "This is my scrapbook and this is a photograph of me greeting Jean Corupa at the airport, proud." And he just taps me on the head and then says something along the lines of "Keep it up, great thing to do." And that was the end of it. So I went back with Mum down down the road. I'm playing Marl, the suit gets put away, of course. And I'm in an old clothes bare feet. And I'm playing marbles with a cusset. And for some reason, I thought, "Oh, go back to the cinema." Because I was fascinated with what was going on. Maybe I could look through a window and see the other boys' audition. And I get to the cinema, it's shut up, shut up at the front and I've walked down the lane way at the side of it with the cinema. And literally, as I'm approaching this fire access with these concrete stack of it in both directions alongside the building, the producer who had seen me earlier comes out, lights up a cigarette and he's got something under his arm. And he looks down at me, didn't recognize it. But he said, "What are you doing here?" And I said, "I was pretty sharp." It's a little clear. I said, "Oh, I'm here for the audition." Well, you're late. You're too late for the audition. And then I'm standing there, shopping my feet and stuff. He said, "Do you think you'd be any fool at this sort of thing?" And I jumped at it. I was halfway up the stairs before I even finished the sentence. And then we sat on these stairs and we read a scene from the movie and he was actually reading the hits rapidly. And he said later on that it was there and then that he decided to give me the part. And of course, the publicity machine kept going. It's all issued all over the country and that, you know, it's a drum up intro. And why it works is because at last, I look like Swarly. You know what I mean? It wasn't this young budding drummer in the fancy food. It just goes to show that you've got to present yourself as the character, if you can. Yes. With directors and that, sometimes it's got to be put right in their face. Yeah, so they can see it there. It's all there. OK, I can picture that. Yeah, and run with it. So with the movies, is that what led to you crossing paths with the Bee Gees? Well, in a way, I met the kids a decade later. Nearly a decade later. Yep. In Sydney, I'd come down with a little band from Brisbane. And of course, got to know them and play on some records with them and stuff like that. And I do remember Morris saying that all those years, previously, he wished he was smiling. Yeah. And it's interesting that the family, they were looking at migrating to maybe Canada, America for Australia for South Africa perhaps. And they went along to see the Swarly movie. And Morris said that in the car going home from the cinema, they were all talking about the film, how beautiful Australia is and all that sort of thing and the culture and the openness of everyone. And he was in that car going home that they decided to come to Australia. And so without that film, I would never have connected with it. Well, thank goodness you were connected with them because there's some fantastic tracks. So what's your favourite drum kit? Ludwig's. Ludwig's. Yes, my first kit of drums was a really nice kit, but I did are expensive at the time, Premier, which is a top British brand. And so I played those in my four, my early years, but I was learning. I'd taken up lessons with a guy called Harry Lebla and a great teacher by the way. And then when the band, the VGs ended up five-piece, including Vince Maloney, the lead guitar player, and we were given the option of what instruments we wanted. And I was a Ringo star fan. You know, he had a, he learned through jazz as I did. And as a result of that, he would, it was rock and roll, but he had a certain swing to his flying Ringo. And I'd like to think that I had that too. And I think that that came out in my case, listening to swing records, you know, like Benny Goodwin and all that, that dance like that. So, yeah, the Ludwig's, I chose the Ludwig's because Ringo had a bit of Ludwig's. And then in true rock style, I thought this little converted Mini Cooper, quite rare, a broad speed Mini. Well, you bought a Mini Cooper and you're a drummer. Yeah. Talk me through that. Well, when you're a VG, right, you don't take Harry anything. Oh, OK. And you just turn up to the U and your drums are there all set up. And our roadie Dick Ashby, who is still with Barry now, he, like the kid, was to the half inch perfect, you know? And you knew that you just sit behind, you just could play. So, but I had this little Mini in. I had a painted an alpha Romeo color, no polka sort of color. And with the flamboyance that you're allowed, I said to Dick, I'll get the drums right. This alpha Romeo color, you know, it's just so over. The top, really. So, they ended up yellow and I did look lovely, you know? So, yeah, the Ludwig's, I've got a kid of pearl at the moment that has a pancake, and so I didn't have a bit of a practice, you know, a few days before the gigs and stuff like that. And I just played them with covers over them and I kept phones. So, I'm not, you know, driving people mad around the neighbourhood. Not upset in the neighbours. No, no. Are we said bloody BG's drummer would shut up? I'm sure you're not going to do that. Yeah, why is he still doing that? No. But he doesn't even realise that he's sad he's done. Like, what are you all saying that he's made? Yeah, give it a rest mate, you're a rock star, right? You've got nothing to prove. I can't believe you've got to quit. So, what would you say to anybody that's thinking about going to see the best of the BG's? What would you tell them? What to expect? Well, it obviously takes them down memory lane. Now, that's the thing about great songs. Certainly is. So, to hear a great song or a record more to the point can take you back through time. Like, I can remember, like, the chair I was sitting in when I heard a certain record. You know, whether I was in the car or in the radio, or these memories just flood back. So, that's going to happen for them, OK? Yeah, that sounds like a... Well, if you needed a reason, there's your reason right there. That's the memories. And you're saying the singing's pretty much spot on? Oh, yes. No doubt about it. The BG's sister, Leslie, is quite a big fan of ours. And she is so impressed with the holidays. And like, she lived with the big BG's learning their harmonies and making them up and stuff like that. So, that's a wonderful critique from Leslie. It sounds like a great time. It sounds like a fantastic concert. I might have to get a down there on Saturday, July 6th at 8pm. Of course, you can book through Riverlink's East Bank Sheppernon. Well, I'd like to say thank you for taking some time to speak to us today, Colin. Oh, thank you. Listen, I hope I wasn't a little bit warm-winded at time. It's hard to get these stories across, who can adjust us if you keep pruning them back, back, back. You know? I'll tell you that the audiences, as I mentioned, you know, Evans said particularly, he said, "You can hear a pin drop," you know? And that's magic, isn't it, really? So, yeah, we haven't played for quite a while, for one reason or another. And we're back at it. And I'm so looking forward to it, I really am. Get ready to get out there and rock. Yeah. On the road again. On the road again? Yeah. Well, thank you very much for speaking with us and calling back, because I'd nearly left the studio, because I was just about out of time, but, well, I've got an afternoon of editing to do. Yeah, good on you. Well, it's really nice to speak to you. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you. All right, we'll travel safe coming here, and yeah, hopefully I'll see you up on stage telling some stories. Great. Thank you. Thanks a lot, Colin. You have a fantastic day. You too. You've been listening to a one FM podcast.