Feature image credit: Sylvia Liber
Jeff Apter — undoubtedly one of Australia’s most prolific music biographers — returns with his latest Oz rock book: Reckless.
Jeff’s book isn’t the first to delve into the history of one of Australia’s most recognisable bands. Core member and drummer Bill McDonough released Sons of Beaches in late 2023. McDonough’s book shared the heartfelt and heartbreaking tale of his and his late brother Guy McDonough’s life. This release had an impact on Jeff’s own work.
‘I began work on this book five years ago,’ Jeff tells me. ‘I started out corresponding with Simon Binks (lead guitarist for Australian Crawl). We sent about 60 emails. I also contacted Bill (McDonough) as he was preparing to release his book. He asked me if I would hold off on releasing mine, to give his time to breathe. I was happy to do that, and it gave me time to do further research.’ Jeff goes on, ‘Unlike any other book I’ve written before, the timing couldn’t be better, from a publicity perspective, with the court case (over the name Australian Crawl, a battle which has been fought for decades), alongside the recently announced tour.’
So, what prompted Jeff to start research on the band, some 35 years after their time together came to a tumultuous end?
‘I was a huge fan,’ he explains. ‘I remember seeing them back in the late ‘70s, when there was a pub on every corner with live music. It was like reliving the moment of the band at their peak — it must have been so exciting. The downside was discovering the truth of what happened to them, and the rapidity and brutality of the downfall. It must have hurt.’
The truth of that pain became clear as Jeff corresponded with Binks, McDonough, and bassist Paul Williams: ‘Simon went quiet; he wasn’t comfortable with some of the contributions. Paul is still performing, but when it comes to Australian Crawl, it can feel like PTSD. Bill moved on from music, altogether. They have fond memories, but the scars linger on. I couldn’t have asked for more from them and I hope it has helped them, too.’
James Reyne, however, is not a contributor, with his manager citing Reyne’s work on his own memoir as the reason. Jeff tells me he wishes he had a dollar for every time a manager rolled out that line.
As Jeff details in the book, James Reyne’s light outshone the rest of the band and there is a feeling that many see Australian Crawl as Reyne’s band. Jeff notes that Reyne’s own opinion of the band is one of it being an apprenticeship — an opinion that has contributed to the ill feeling of the other band members.
‘It’s such a common pop/rock story,’ Jeff says. ‘The lead singer moves on to a solo career and seeks to distance themselves from the band. It’s made even more painful by the fact they were so close since childhood. They were a band of brothers.’ This is both literal and figurative, with Bill and Gus McDonough, and James and David Reyne all having played a part.
‘They are also one of the few Aussie bands that didn’t come from “struggle street,” apart from Paul Williams,’ the author clarifies. ‘They weren’t doing it to break a cycle. They wrote songs that reflected that Mornington Peninsula lifestyle.’ Jeff adds, ‘They also had amazing opportunities — touring with Duran Duran, meetings with top American producers. When Gus died, they weren’t sure how to deal with it, being so young. When they went back to the US, they were shunned and no one really knows why. It could be that the death of a band member is seen as a taboo, or they (the producers) had just moved onto to the next thing.’
Reckless adds to Apter’s extensive catalogue and cements his position as a careful and caring biographer. Check out our review here.
2026 promises to be an interesting year for Australian Crawl and for Jeff alongside them. As always, he is hard at work on his next book – about another legendary Australian band — to be released in 2027 — and Glam Adelaide will be here for it.
