Airdate: MAX The Artist’s Story: Midnight Oil

Music channel MAX will profile Midnight Oil in the special MAX The Artist’s Story.

Featuring interviews with Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Jim Moginie and Bones Hillman, it is being described as their first ever full-length televised documentary.

The screening on November 1 is being timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the album 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1.

Midnight Oil remains one of the most prolific and enduring bands in Australian music history. Album sales and Awards success aside, this is a band that inflamed passions, inspired fans, challenged the status quo and broke new ground to create a lasting legacy globally. With an illustrious career spanning thirty years, MAX explores the untold story of these cultural icons in the exclusive local production MAX The Artist’s Story: Midnight Oil.

Premiering Thursday November 1 at 9:30pm this one hour documentary utilises a wealth of rare archival footage as well as the only interviews with each of the five band members granted in recent years and follows the rock legends chronologically through their long-lasting career. The result: the first ever inside story of Midnight Oil.

Through interviews with Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Martin Rotsey, Jim Moginie and Bones Hillman, MAX explores how the band’s music was more than just entertainment – it was about raising awareness of environmental, political and Aboriginal issues and inspiring people to take action and seek out change. Every album in the band’s impressive catalogue is highlighted with the band providing their insights on each body of work.

In MAX The Artist’s Story: Midnight Oil, the band reveal how their renowned protest performance outside the Exxon building in New York in 1990 came together. A response to the environmental disaster caused by the Exxon Valdez tanker oil spill, band members share details about the chaos of shutting down Sixth Avenue and the resulting legal minefield that erupted between Exxon, New York City officials and Midnight Oil.

The band also talk about their performance at the 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony in Sydney where they controversially wore the word ‘Sorry’ in bold letters emblazoned across their clothing in protest against then-Prime Minister John Howard’s refusal to apologise on behalf of Australia to the Stolen Generations. Other topics discussed include the eventual break up of the band and how WaveAid in 2005 became their pseudo farewell concert.

This documentary also features interviews with key figures in the band’s history including David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine USA) and the band’s dedicated roadie, Ozzie, as well as some of the band’s record label and music industry insiders.

The story of Midnight Oil is the first in the new documentary series MAX: The Artist’s Story which sets out to uncover the exclusive, untold story of some of the world’s most revered artists. This is the authorised biography, as told by the artists and those on the inside.

MAX The Artist’s Story: Midnight Oil coincides with the 30th anniversary of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1, the 25th anniversary of Diesel and Dust and the release of Essential Oils, a 2CD collection of their greatest hits which is out Friday November 2.

The music and legacy of Midnight Oil continue to resonate around the world today. Discover the story behind this iconic Australian band in this first ever full-length televised documentary, MAX The Artist’s Story: Midnight Oil.

Thursday November 1 at 9.30pm EDT on MAX.