Reg Mombassa | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher O'Doherty |
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, musician |
| Website | regmombassa |
Christopher O'Doherty, also known by the pseudonym Reg Mombassa, is a New Zealand-born Australian artist and musician. He is a founding member of the band Mental As Anything and member of Dog Trumpet (alongside his brother Peter O'Doherty).
Mombassa was born Christopher O'Doherty in Auckland, New Zealand, on 14 August 1951. [1] [2] O'Doherty, his parents and younger brother Peter immigrated to Sydney, Australia, in 1969. He enrolled in what is now the National Art School in Darlinghurst in 1969 but left the following year. He returned again in 1975 and obtained his Diploma of Painting in 1977. Between and during his stints at college he supported himself with menial jobs such as builder's labouring, cleaning, house painting and working on the railways.
In 1976 he formed the rock band Mental as Anything with four fellow art school students, [3] ostensibly to play at school parties. Although they did not initially intend to be a serious band, the Mentals, as they became known, eventually turned professional.
Mombassa is the father of comedian Claudia O’Doherty.
Mombassa's artwork is in two distinctive styles. The type of artwork he designs for the Mambo fashion label is almost cartoonish and in vivid colours, incorporating religious, political and popular culture themes. [4] He also produces landscapes and portraits, many of which are inspired by his childhood in New Zealand. His artworks can be found in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of Australia and regional galleries. Patrick White, Elton John and Ewan McGregor have all purchased his work.[ citation needed ]
Mombassa's first public showing was in a group exhibition held at Watters Gallery in Sydney in 1975 while he was still attending art college. It was at this exhibition that Patrick White purchased some works and subsequently became a patron, purchasing many others over his life. He first exhibited solo at Watters in 1986, the year he also began designing clothing for Mambo. His works were exhibited in three Mental as Anything collective exhibitions in 1982, 1990 and 1998. Further solo shows were held at Watters in 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1998. Alongside posters, record covers and merchandise for Mental As Anything and Dog Trumpet, he has designed record covers for the likes of PIL, Crowded House, Mondo Rock and Paul Kelly. He has gifted artwork to many charitable and environmental organisations including Greenpeace and The Wilderness Society.
As Mombassa's artistic output and demand increased it prompted him to make the difficult decision to cease touring with the Mentals in April 2000. He has continued to design for Mambo and hold sellout exhibitions at Watters in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009.
In January 2000, a career retrospective of his work was held in Sydney at the S. H. Ervin Gallery. An 80-page catalogue was released by the National Trust to coincide with this exhibition. It also saw the release of "Golden Sandals" directed by Haydn Keenan, a documentary on Mombassa featuring animated versions of his artwork. In March 2007 his self-portrait was selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize. 2 May 2007 saw the broadcast of "Golden Sandals" on SBS independent. One of his most famous works was "Self-Portrait with Spots and Veins" (2003). He was also featured on the ABC TV profile show Talking Heads . In 2009 he was featured on BBC TV's Peschardt's People . In November 2009 HarperCollins released a biography by Murray Waldren called "The mind and times of Reg Mombassa", which includes over 200 art works.
In 2013, Mombassa was the creative ambassador for Sydney New Year's Eve; the event featured a special one-minute display inspired by one of his paintings, and artwork of a giant blinking eye on Sydney Harbour Bridge. [5]
In the early days of the Mentals, the band would often invent pseudonyms for each other that combined an exotic last name with a common Australian first name. "Reg Mombassa" was one of the products of that amusement.[ citation needed ] He has stated in interviews that some of his earlier pseudonyms included "Brett Orlando" and "Dorky Bladder".
In 1991, Mombassa formed the band Dog Trumpet with his brother Peter O'Doherty. Since leaving the Mentals this has been his sole musical outlet. Dog Trumpet has released eight studio albums and three EPs. The band's sixth album, Medicated Spirits was released in August 2013 and was long-listed for the Australian Music Prize Album of the Year award for 2013. Dog Trumpet released the album Great South Road in May 2020 and signed to Demon Music in 2021; and all of their albums at that time were issued on Vinyl on 29th Oct 2021. Dog Trumpet's seventh album, Great South Road, featured the singles "Gravity", "Wallpaper", "Lonely Death Cleaning Company", "You've Heard it All Before" and "Overseas and Elsewhere". The album garnered great reviews and because of COVID19 the brothers decided to do various performances live on Facebook to promote the album. [6]
A new single and video, "F**king Idiots", was released 20 May 2022. Dog Trumpet released a further single. "The Ballad of Clayton Looby" on 9 September 2022, from their album, Shadowland, which was released on 4 November 2022, on vinyl, CD and digitally worldwide by the Demon Music Group. The video for "The Ballad of Clayton Looby", contains footage from some of Australia's 1970s surf films, including Alby Falzon's Morning of the Earth and Phil and Russell Shepard's A Winter’s Tale and Paul Witzig's The Lost Witzig Reels. "Nina Simone" the third single from Shadowland, was released on 7 October 2022. A video for the title track was released on 12 December 2022
Shadowland is a distinctive blending of psychedelia, folk and blues, the album probes the perils and absurdities of human existence, kicking off with the title track "Shadowland", a nervous musing on digital over-surveillance; followed by "Nina Simone", a song reflecting on romance and memory. "F***ing Idiots" points out the shameful idiocy of our addiction to war and militarism; "The Ballad of Clayton Looby" is an anti-establishment ode to a larrikin surfer.
In 1987, with Peter, Martin Plaza and members of GANGgajang, Mombassa recorded a country music album credited to The Stetsons.
Mombassa has also appeared in a number of small Australian films, including Tender Hooks (1989), Strange Planet (1999) and Love's Brother (2004).
Mental As Anything are an Australian new wave and pop rock band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne de Lisle on drums; and Andrew "Greedy" Smith on vocals, keyboards and harmonica. Their original hit songs were generated by Mombassa, O'Doherty, Plaza and Smith, either individually or collectively; they also hit the Australian charts with covers of songs by Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry.
Andrew McArthur "Greedy" Smith was an Australian vocalist, keyboardist, harmonicist and songwriter with Australian pop/new wave band Mental As Anything. Smith wrote many of their hit songs including "Live It Up" which peaked at No. 2 on the Australian singles chart. Smith had a solo music career, had worked with other bands and was also an artist and television personality.
Peter O'Doherty is a New Zealand-born Australian musician and visual artist. He is a founder of Australian pop band, Dog Trumpet, in 1991 on guitar and vocals, alongside his older brother, Chris O'Doherty on guitar, keyboards, harmonica and vocals. They were also members of new wave group, Mental as Anything, which O'Doherty joined in August 1977 on bass guitar and vocals, until they both left in 2000. As a visual artist, O'Doherty specialised in still life and everyday suburban scenes. He is married to Susan, who is also a visual artist.
Martin Edward Murphy, commonly known by the pseudonym Martin Plaza, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist who is a founding member and vocalist and guitarist of the new wave band Mental As Anything. He has also worked with other bands and is an accomplished artist. Plaza also has a solo music career and had a No. 2 hit in Australia with his 1986 cover of the song "Concrete and Clay".
"The Nips Are Getting Bigger" is the debut single by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in July 1979. It was released as the first single from the album Get Wet and the song reached at number 16 on the Kent Music Report. The song was written by Mental As Anything lead vocalist Martin Plaza.
The Stetsons was an Australian country and western band formed by members of GANGgajang, Mental As Anything and Flying Emus. They released a self-titled album in 1987 and played a few live shows, including at the Tamworth music Festival for the next two years. In 1997 the bands producer, Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup and his friend Andrew Richardson, made a record with former ABC JJJ sound engineer Keith Walker in Jimmy Barnes old studio. The album was called Their Most Successful Album...Ever. The band released three singles with videos and the debut single "There's A Train In My Head" was used in Crocodile Dundee II. Their music was also heard in the film Tenderhooks.
Creatures of Leisure is the fourth studio album released by Australian band, Mental As Anything. It was released in March 1983 and peaked at #8 on the Australian Album charts.
Fundamental or Fundamental As Anything is the fifth studio album released by Australian rock/pop group, Mental As Anything. The album was produced by Richard Gottehrer and was released on Regular Records in March 1985. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums charts.
Dog Trumpet, originally known as Reg & Peter's Dog Trumpet, is an Australian rock band, founded in 1990 by brothers Reg Mombassa and Peter O'Doherty, original members of Australian new wave and pop rock band Mental As Anything. The brothers formed dogtrumpet
Bernie Hayes is an Australian singer/songwriter who has released four albums as a solo artist and written songs for other Australian artists notably "You Made Me Hard" which was the third single from The Whitlams Love This City album.
Get Wet is the debut studio album released by Australian band Mental As Anything. It was released in November 1979, and peaked at No. 19 on the Australian Album charts.
Essential As Anything or Essential As Anything – 30th Anniversary Edition is the fourth compilation album by Australian rock band Mental As Anything, which was released in May 2009 via Warner Music Australia. It celebrates the band's 30th anniversary. Essential As Anything includes tracks from their eight studio albums. It also included a DVD featuring Monumental and Monumental II; two compilations of the band's music videos plus bonus footage and interviews. The album reached number 54 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It was later re-released by Universal Music Australia through Syray Music.
Best Of is the third compilation album by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in September 1999. The album reached number 42 on the ARIA Charts and was certified gold.
"He's Just No Good for You" is a song by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in July 1987. It was released as the second single from the band's sixth studio album, Mouth to Mouth. The song was written by Mental As Anything guitarist Greedy Smith and peaked at number 15 on the Australian charts.
Cyclone Raymond is the seventh studio album by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in September 1989 and peaked at number 34 on the ARIA Charts.
"Date with Destiny" is a song by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in 1985 through WEA Records. The song was written by Guitarist Greedy Smith. The song first charted on 9 September 1985, peaked at No. 25 on the Kent Music Report, and stayed in the charts for eleven weeks. It was released as the third single from the band's fifth studio album Fundamental.
Berserk Warriors is a song by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in December 1981, through Regular Records. The song was written by band member Peter O'Doherty. It is a thinly-veiled reference to the marital travails of the members of ABBA. It was released as the third and final single from the band's third album Cats & Dogs. The Song first charted on December 14, 1981, and it peaked at no. 30 on the Kent Music Report and it stayed in the charts for 16 weeks. The song Berserk Warriors was used in the 2010 movie Animal Kingdom.
Let's Go to Paradise is a song by Australian pop rock band Mental As Anything, released in November 1986. It was released as the first single from the band's sixth studio album, Mouth to Mouth. The song was written by Mental As Anything guitarist Greedy Smith and peaked at number 15 on the Australian charts.
Watters Gallery (1964–2018) was a private art gallery in Riley Street Sydney, Australia, run by Frank Watters with his business partners and friends Geoffrey and Alex Legge. It was influential and well-known, hosting exhibitions and works by some of the most prominent non-mainstream artists in Australia of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Tony Tuckson, James Gleeson, Richard Larter, Robert Klippel, and Garry Shead.
"The World Seems Difficult" is a single by Australian band Mental As Anything, released in 1989. It was released as the first single from the album Cyclone Raymond. The song charted at number 53 on the ARIA Charts and it stayed on the charts for 14 weeks.
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