| THE 12th ANNUAL A.R.I.A. AWARDS
20th October 1998 The 12th annual Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards were held on 20 October 1998. For the second consecutive year the awards were held at the magnificent Capitol Theatre in Sydney. It had been a glorious day and scores of fans began assembling outside the theatre well before the ceremony to wait for their heroes. Earlier, a large group of fans were briefed about participating in the mosh pit. This was to add atmosphere and colour to the live performances on the show that would be telecast nationally. As part of the media contingent, I was ushered to the spacious media room with dozens of other reporters and photographers. As last year, the facilities were very good, with food and drinks available. The MC for the media room was a "Sydney identity" of no real note who, like his predecessor the year before, only knew the very basic information about the achievements and background of the nominated artists, and generally was ineffective. He even asked Jim Keays (of Masters Apprentices) of the band’s upcoming recording plans. This was just one example of inane questioning. We watched the ceremony on a large screen, and missed several important moments of the telecast (tributes to Masters Apprentices and Savage Garden & their acceptance speeches) when winners and guests were called in for photos and questions. This was unfortunate timing, particularly when there were occasions when we sat idle for 5-10 minutes here and there waiting for some action in the media room. Radio station had some representatives who provided a few humorous questions at first but, it wore thin after a while, as they only sought to embarrass an artist. They went overboard once too often by alleging to Human Nature that their music is rubbish. The band bit back by questioning 3JJJ and the whole tone of the room seemed to degenerate thereafter. The 3JJJ representatives were threatened with eviction, as they tried to ridicule Savage Garden and The Angels. It seemed that the great proportion of the media were there for the free food and drinks only as only a handful contributed questions to the winners and guests. There was scant treatment of Kylie Minogue as several reporters tried to provoke her into saying something bitter about Natalie Imbruglia, and considered it a great rivalry. There was inadequate reactions towards the achievements of the Masters Apprentices, The Angels and Savage Garden. Others made to feel uneasy were Shanley Del, Paul Kelly and Sarah McLeod (lead singer of The Superjesus). The conduct in the media room is unfortunate because of the lack of a qualified MC who knows something about all the nominations, and special guests. It is hoped that somebody suitable is appointed next year. The results demonstrated the incredible year by Natalie Imbruglia who won six ARIAs. Her immediate success with the single "Torn" and the album "Left In The Middle" is well deserved. However, one must feel desperately sorry for Kylie Minogue who, having released her best work to date, failed to receive any recognition, and left empty handed. In another year, Kate Ceberano’s single "Pash" may have reaped rewards for her, such was the strong competition this year in the female artists category. Regurgitator was duly rewarded for having the Best Album of the Year for "Unit", and they won four ARIAs, whilst The Whitlams won three ARIAs as an independent act. Lead singer Tim Freedman acknowledged the help of radio station 3JJJ in securing the band’s popularity through 1997/1998. In fact, The Whitlams became part of the ARIA Awards folklore when ex-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was called upon to present the award for the Best Australian Group. He received a standing ovation, and announced the winners as "my family". Tim Freedman, on behalf of the band, paid homage to Gough Whitlam in what will be looked back at one of the best ARIA Awards moments in history. Other results of note were dual winner Archie Roach for Best Indigenous Release and Best Adult Contemporary Release for "Looking For Butter Boy", Sgt. Slick for the Best Dance Release, and The Superjesus for Best Rock Release. The Channel V Award for the Best Australian Artist of the Year, which is voted by viewers and website visitors, was won by silverchair. Their popularity is enormously strong despite the boys having a relatively "quiet" year. From what we saw of the telecast, it could do with an overhaul in its production quality. There have been several well-produced television awards shows in the past. Perhaps a leaf could be taken from their book. The presenters were not of a high standard either, although host Paul McDermott has been a "find" over the last two years. One huge disappointment of the ceremony for me was that no tribute was paid to Michael Hutchence, the INXS lead singer who tragically died since the last ARIA Awards. Surely some mention could have been made of his enormous contribution to Australian music. I was surprised by this omission, and also to the speculation that the remaining INXS band members weren’t invited to the ceremony. The aftershow function was held at the nearby Paddy’s Market in Chinatown, where the guests were treated to a beautiful Chinese meal. It was an opportunity for those who wanted to go to the ARIAs to make their presence felt socially. Many then ended up at "private" parties at the Sebel Town House and Gazebo Hotel. The Sebel was jam packed as temporary bars were set up to cater for the awards guests. Many didn’t leave until daylight, such is the tradition of this industry bash. LIST OF WINNERS BEST AUSTRALIAN ALBUM Regurgitator "Unit" BEST AUSTRALIAN SINGLE Natalie Imbruglia "Torn" BEST AUSTRALIAN GROUP The Whitlams BEST AUSTRALIAN FEMALE ARTIST Natalie Imbruglia "Left Of The Middle" BEAT AUSTRALIAN MALE ARTIST Paul Kelly "Words And Music" BEST AUSTRALIAN NEW TALENT Natalie Imbruglia "Left Of The Middle" BEST AUSTRALIAN DEBUT ALBUM Natalie Imbruglia "Left Of The Middle" BEST AUSTRALIAN DEBUT SINGLE Natalie Imbruglia "Torn" BEST ADULT CONTEMPORARY RELEASE Archie Roach "Looking For Butter Boy" BEST INDIGENOUS RELEASE Archie Roach "Looking For Butter Boy" BEST COMEDY RELEASE Paul McDermott "Unplugged - Good News Week Tapes Vol.1" BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE The Whitlams "Eternal Nightcap" BEST COVER ARTWORK The Shits/Ben Ely "Unit" - Regurgitator BEST ALTERNATIVE RELEASE Regurgitator "Unit" BEST POP RELEASE Natalie Imbruglia "Left Of The Middle" BEST ROCK RELEASE The Superjesus "Sumo" BEST DANCE RELEASE Sgt. Slick "White Treble Blass Bass" BEST JAZZ RELEASE Chaplin/Tinkler/Rex/Lambie "The Future In Today" BEST COUNTRY RELEASE Shanley Del "My Own Sweet Time" BEST CLASSICAL RELEASE Yvonne Kenny "Handel Arias" BEST SOUNDTRACK/CAST/SHOW RELEASE Boy From Oz Original Cast BEST FOLK/WORLD/TRADITIONAL RELEASE Kavisha Mazzella "Fisherman’s Daughter" BEST CHILDREN’S RELEASE The Wiggles "Toot Toot!" ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Magoo PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Magoo/Regurgitator BEST AUSTRALIAN VIDEO Christine Anu/Dave Hobson "Now Until The Break Of Day" SONG OF THE YEAR The Whitlams (Tim Freedman) "No Aphrodisiac" HIGHEST SELLING SINGLE The Living End "Prisoner Of Society" HIGHEST SELLING ALBUM Savage Garden "Savage Garden" OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Savage Garden HALL OF FAME inductees The Masters Apprentices, The Angels |