Normie Rowe shares the story so far

AUSTRALIA’s original King of Pop, Normie Rowe, is bringing songs and tales of his storied career to Twin Towns next month.

Normie – The Story So Far travels through an extraordinary time in music and geopolitics, from humble working-class beginnings to the heights of pop music, from war to reinvention.

Rowe is known for passion and resilience. He also rates highly as a raconteur, and while fussing with the settings on his brand-new iPhone, the singer said ‘the story so far’ was an apt summation as he had no alternative plans.

“I don’t have a journey’s end, and as long as I’m fit enough to be doing stuff and I’m singing well, then that’s the plan,” 79-year-old Rowe said.

“I know what I’m doing on stage, finally, after many, many years, so there’s a lot to impart,” he said.

“My main problem is what to leave out because it’s all there, and we have 11 Top 10 records to choose from.”

The young popstar was at the precipice of international stardom in the late 1960s with chartbusters including Que Sera Sera, Shakin’ All Over, It’s Not Easy and Ooh La La.

The level of fan hysteria surrounding the young singer was unprecedented in Australia, and similarly to his US pop counterpart, Elvis Presley, Rowe found himself drafted into military service at the peak of his fame.

Rebuilding his career upon his return, from pop idol to acclaimed actor and stage performer, is a testament to the artist’s determination and the many sliding-door moments along the way.

“I think I was either deemed or doomed,” Rowe said.

“I was doing some maintenance on an armoured personnel carrier out in the bush, and I was listening to the radio as Neil Armstrong landed on the moon,” he said.

“And just after he said, ‘one small step for man and the one large step for mankind’, a helicopter landed.

“Out popped a music party from Sydney, with this guy with a piano accordion and a big, big moustache – Eddie Mendoza.

“It was so surreal sitting there, in the middle of a war where if we’re not doing what the other side wants you to do, you get shot, but we can put a man on the moon.

“Why can’t we use all that smarts to not fight with each other?”

From stardom to war and back, Rowe said his experiences had given him rich pickings to marry talent with his values and give a voice to those who didn’t have one.

“I was always enamoured with scuba diving, and not long after I came back from Vietnam, I was surfing at Torquay with a mate,” he said.

“I wasn’t very good at surfing, but I really wanted to go scuba diving.

“I’d seen Jaws the night before and thought, if I don’t go diving now, I never will, and I’ve been diving ever since.”

“I was at a real crossroads. It was more like a five-way intersection, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.

“I decided that I didn’t want to be an entertainer in any way because I’d seen people, dead people, innocent people die, who were just living hand to mouth. I’d seen my mates killed. It seemed pointless.”

A concert at the Melbourne Town Hall featuring the Fourth District Military Band, marriage, and fatherhood followed, and slowly, Rowe’s platform grew to say things that other people couldn’t.

“In many ways, it all started when I was sitting on that beach,” he said.

“We lost 5000 Vietnam veterans in the first two and a half years to their own hand or single car collision, and I couldn’t let that go.

“Then, nine years after I got back, I lost my son and then became very involved with Variety, the children’s charity.

“I would always put my hand up for the telethons because that way, I could do something with the notoriety that I had.

“I think your life has to be for something, and what you do contributes to whatever that something is.”

Rowe performs the songs and stories with his original band, The Playboys, on July 8.

For tickets, visit twintowns.com.au/events/normie-the-story-so-far