Our aim is to publish this excellent book – Confessions of a Lighthouse Keeper – produce personalised artwork on the first 50 copies of the book, and release associated music from the legendary band, the Lighthouse Keepers. The book has been written but now it's time to put it together! It will be around 250 pages, with around 200 photos – mainly in colour!

Book description and outline

This memoir is more than an insider’s account of a mid-eighties Australian independent band. Confessions of a Lighthouse Keeper provides multiple insights into the broader music and entertainment world – in a country that has mixed feelings about the arts.

It’s atmospheric, light, self-deprecating and full of musings from others who have travelled this road – over the last 50 years. The Lighthouse Keepers are sentimental favourites amongst the generation who came of age in the inner cities Sydney, Melbourne – and even Canberra – during the 1980s.
 

The book is written in an engaging style and features personal interviews, diary entries, and writing contributions from other witnesses – all linked by Greg Appel’s very personal text. After all, he has spent a fair part of his career linking the rantings and musings of Australia’s entertainers in TV and radio programs.  
 
Interviews include:

• Lindy Morrison – the Go-Betweens
• James Cruickshank – Widdershins, the Cruel Sea 
• Rob McComb – the Triffids
• Murray Cook – the Wiggles
• John Paul Young – legendary Australian popstar 
• Steve Kilbey – the Church
• Ken Gormly – the Cruel Sea
• Clinton Walker – writer/academic
• David Nichols – writer/academic
• Juliet Ward – the Lighthouse Keepers
• Sarah Macdonald – journalist/broadcaster
• with a foreword by the ALP federal member for Sydney, Tanya Plibersek.

Chapter breakdown

All chapters are named after Lighthouse Keeper’s songs, with a fairly linear narrative from the sixties, all the way to nowadays:
1. Ode to Nothing – the Lighthouse Keepers break up after an onstage brawl in Hamburg
2. Dishwashing Liquid – a dreamy Canberra childhood, followed by a not-very-good punk band
3. Lighthouse Keepers – early history in Sydney independent scene interviews, diaries
4. We’ve got a Gig – the Lighthouse Keepers play a lot, the inner-city scene explodes (sort of), interviews, diaries, records of live shows
5. Springtime – the Lighthouse Keepers play even more, interviews, diaries, records of live shows
6. Wheels over the Desert – the Lighthouse Keepers go overseas and try their luck with mixed results: interviews, diaries, records of live shows
7. Torture Road – one big tour to Europe: interviews, diaries, records of live shows
8. Bad Mood – the end of the road for the band: interviews, diaries, records of live shows
9. A Time of Evil – another band is formed – the Widdershins – some darker times, including witchcraft, drugs and even sex
10. March of the Green Men – Greg Appel starts to work at the ABC and begins to make documentaries
11. Cruising – Greg works on various ABC TV shows including King Street, Newtown and A Long Way To The Top
12. Shadowlands – the story of Van Park, a musical comedy about some old musos stuck in a caravan park, starring John Paul Young and Steve Kilbey
13. Return of the King – putting on live shows and making docos is occasionally rewarding
14. Love Beacon – flashes and reflections
15. Hoogle Waltz – what goes around comes around, a life in the arts placed into perspective

Appendix: Discography + a family tree of bands prepared by Roger Griffin

There are also online videos and a podcast being produced to coincide with the book’s publication.

1. Record and mix two Lighthouse Keeper tracks: $1,500
2. Artwork and layout: $3,000
3. Writing and administration: $2,500
4. Printing and postage: $3,000