Episode 31 - Jim's story

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Hi Listeners, 

In this episode I sit down with Jim Moginie. We had an amazing conversation over zoom from his home in Ireland and I was fortunate to meet him for the launch of his new book earlier this year.   

For 50 years, Jim was a driving force behind one of Australia’s most iconic bands Midnight Oil. 

He grew up in Sydney’s northern suburbs and attended high school in the city, where he befriended drummer Rob Hirst. Together with another friend, Andrew James, they formed the band FARM before recruiting singer Peter Garrett and Martin Rotsey and changing their name to Midnight Oil. Jim is best known as a songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist for the band, and has explored other creative adventures during his career such as playing traditional Irish music and collaborating with prominent artists such as silverchair, sarah blasko, the warumpi band, the living end, kasey chambers, neil finn and the Australian chamber orchestra. 

 In addition to his musical talents, Jim recently released his book titled- The Silver River; a memoir of family, lost made and found. We learn that Jim found out he was adopted when he was 11. His mum broke the news very matter of factly as the family returned by sea from a holiday in Tasmania. Endless questions quickly began to race through Jim’s mind. 

Why did people give me away? Was there something wrong with me? Did they give me away without a fight? Wasn’t I good enough for them? I probably deserved to be abandoned. He states “I felt like a fake, a mistake. My aunt wasn’t really my aunt, my cousins weren’t my cousins. My brother wasn’t my brother and my parents weren’t my parents. No questions were asked by me or explanations offered by my parents then, or for many of the years that followed. All I knew was that I had to get onboard with the new paradigm.” 

 By the time Jim hit high school he had discovered his love for the Beatles and a passion for music which he clung to. Teaching himself how to play and record music and aquiring many musical instruments helped him make sense of the world. Music became his refuge and a language he wanted to express himself with. 

 When Midnight oil was juggling chart success, political activism and global tours, the initial wave of stardom and limelight felt different for Jim, difficult even and unexpected and whilst at times he struggled to find meaning behind it all, he realised something fundamental was missing. 

 At the height of his career Jim began his quest to find his birth family that led him in many different directions, to the quiet suburbs of Canberra and across the rivers and rolling hills of rural Ireland, he talks about his career and being in the band, interweaving his journey of adoption and finding his roots. Jim craved information about his family background and began to fill in the gaps of his identity, sourcing medical records and electoral rolls. He confronted his infant trauma while in therapy and learned how this shaped his behaviour in adult life. Finally he writes about finding his birth family and sharing deeply emotional reunions with long lost relatives. 

You don’t want to miss this episode. 

Here is Jim’s story. 

Jims Memoir contains vivid recollections of childhood, behind the scenes stories of band life and fascinating insights into the creative process that produced some of this country’s most beloved songs, The Silver River is at once a lyrical coming of age story, a heart-warming family chronicle and a must read for anyone interested in the history of Australian music.  

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