The message is not subtle , but the band ’ s vibrant sound reveals nuance and inimitable character . Multi-instrumentalist Jim Moginie and guitarist Martin Rotsey intertwine their instruments in dazzling and melodic counterpoint . Drummer Rob Hirst plays with power , musicality , and precision . And for one final time on record , not-so-secret weapon Bones Hillman plays body-moving bedrock bass guitar while singing crystalline-high harmony . Having moved to the United States in 2007 , Hillman died at home in Milwaukee last November due to cancer .

In addition to its politics , Midnight Oil has long maintained a titanic reputation among rock ’ s most potent performers . Following a lengthy hiatus during which Garrett served as Environment Minister and Education Minister in Australia ’ s Parliament , the band traveled the world during 2017 ’ s Great Circle Tour . That run brought them to Chicago ’ s Vic

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Theatre for a rare performance of 1982 breakthrough album 10 , 9 , 8 , 7 , 6 , 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 , 1 . The Resist tour brings the band to the Riviera Theatre on June 10 , and it ’ s not a show to be missed . For a host of reasons , Midnight Oil has announced that this will be their final tour . The band members stake their reputations on their songs , convictions , and word , so fans shouldn ’ t expect to find the Oils touring through Chicago again . IE ’ s Jeff Elbel spoke with Garrett , who called from his home near Sydney . Thanks to Bronwyn Tasker at Sony Music Australia for the arrangements .

IE : In your memoir Big Blue Sky , you described seeing heroes like John Mayall and Chicago blues legend Muddy Waters while you were at college in Canberra . You wrote about learning the importance of having the music exit your head and take up residence in the gizzard . There must be a compromise of that rule for Midnight Oil . The band is a ball of fire , but part of your musical identity is undeniably cerebral . How do you explain that balance between the brain and the gut ? PG : I don ' t know that I can explain it . It ' s one of the unanswerable questions for a band like Midnight Oil to have been able to continue to make music that has got meaning but is also a celebration of performance and the live experience of being in a room with people and just sharing what you ' ve got . I think it ' s partly a tension between those two facets . The yin and yang , if you like . In a more scientific response , it ' s the left and right-hand sides of the brain , wrestling one another and coming up with stuff .

IE : I first read about these Australian agitators Midnight Oil as a teenager when 10 , 9 , 8 , 7,6,5,4,3,2,1was released in 1982 . Albums like Red Sails in the Sunset and your first book Political Blues , started me thinking about the world beyond my own borders and led me to care more about what happened in my backyard , as well as being electrified by the music . I think that ' s evidence of that head and heart combination , although it ’ s not much of a question . PG : No , but thank you for the comment . We ' re gifted with some really strong songwriters , and with these incredible songs that keep coming through Rob and Jim , we ' ve got a foundation upon which you can do just about anything else . To that , you add the way that we play and the way that we approach the business of putting a song together and taking it onto the stage . And then onto that , we add the dimension of “ let ' s be primal , let ' s be wild , let ' s see where tonight takes us .” On top of that is , what is it that we ' re singing about ? What do we care about ? What do we want people to have a listen to , and can we do something about it ? I mean , it ' s got ambition . [ Our music ] can be very over-serious at times and weighty , but when we make it work , it ' s probably in a different category from whatever a metal band down the road is doing in some club .

IE : “ The Barka-Darling River ” launches with pure adrenaline . I believe Rob wrote the first movement , with the opening line about “ Standing in the house of the founding fathers .” It seemed like it could have been Rob ' s own contribution to your post-

Parliament solo album A Version of Now , which was an interesting idea since that record seemed acutely personal . Was he writing to reflect your own time in Parliament ? PG : Yes , Rob was writing for my experience . It ’ s a really unique thing to be in a band where that can happen . I mean , people can often write for the experience of falling in love or something like that . But the experience that ' s embedded in “ Barka-Darling ” includes my own role when I was a Cabinet Minister . I thought that was really a bit of ambitious songwriting . Jim ' s provided most of the wild riffs , and Rob ' s provided most of the word and melody side .

IE : The song ' s second half is soothing and melodic musically , but it opens with one of the most Midnight Oil-y lines ever . “ Who left the bag of idiots open ?” encapsulates the band ' s withering criticism of abusive power . It ’ s also funny , and I tried to imagine you singing that lyric for the first time . PG : I thought it was wonderful . I think especially Rob ' s writing method was very much about collecting ideas having notepads on the go . And he saw that expression on a wall as a bit of graffiti . From memory , I think it might have been in Berlin . I think he said to himself , " Someday , I ' ve got to try and figure out how to put this in a song ."

IE : The chorus includes the line “ When the world becomes one , the country comes undone .” That connected to what you wrote about decades ago in Political Blues ,

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