Stay in Touch EDITED BY DAVID DALE AND BROOK TURNER Dale, David Page 28 Wednesday, 24 September 1997 SMH, SECTION: NEWS AND FEATURES / STAY IN TOUCH GOSSIP The eye had it Monday’s ARIA Awards were so smooth it was hard to stay awake, but host Paul McDermott (Triple J and Good News Week presenter) managed to find a sharp point on which to impale himself within minutes of taking the stage. The Newcastle band silverchair had performed a couple of songs before McDermott’s official entrance, and the band’s drummer, Ben Gillies, tossed his sticks into the mosh pit. A fan happened to be waving one about, as apparently one does, when McDermott was introduced. As the host took a deep bow, he was hit in the eye by the stick, which dislodged his contact lens painfully. At which point McDermott proved to be either a consummate professional or a former boy scout. He hopped off stage, replaced the damaged lens with a spare he happened to be carrying and soldiered on. And there you have the most interesting part of the evening.