Words by Bryget Chrisfield
Vale Michael Gudinski, August 22 1952 – March 02 2021.
Probably the photo that was most commonly used to honour Michael Gudinski’s sudden passing within Instagram grids was a black-and-white portrait of The Godfather Of Australian Rock’n’Roll with pointer finger raised skyward to indicate ‘number one’.
Throughout the course of his career, Gudinski was often pictured jubilantly throwing up this same hand gesture alongside chart-topping artists from the Mushroom Records artist roster and/or the teams that worked on their respective records.
Gudinski was last spotted in the wild by this scribe walking with purpose – straight back, long stride – up in Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s stage-left balcony. He was at the Missy Higgins edition of 2021 Sounds Better Together – a series of COVIDSafe concerts put on by Mushroom Group in partnership with Visit Victoria – and had probably just visited Higgins backstage to say ‘chookas’ or initiate
By: Christie Eliezer
Michael GudinskiGudinski in his study during a livestream
The late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski spent his 50+ year career talking up Melbourne as a music hub and as a great city to live in. Now it’s returning the favor.
Daniel Andrews, premier of the state of Victoria, announced March 3 that the music entrepreneur would be given a state funeral.
“I don’t know many people who love Melbourne and Victoria more than Michael did, and we loved him too,” Andrews said. “Few people – if any – have shaped the Australian music industry more than Michael Gudinski. His was the beating heart of the Victorian scene, and his irrepressible spark entertained our state for 50 years.