Dragon
Arriving in Australia from New Zealand in 1975, Dragon adopted a
hard image that was somewhat at odds with their genius for
creating classic Top 40 pop with memorable hooks and riffs.
They were noted for never smiling in publicity photos,
staring icily into the camera and smoking cigarettes when it was
no longer fashionable (which was to cost singer Marc Hunter
dearly in the end).
This was no Teenybopper band . . .
On stage they were ultra loud, almost menacingly. Keyboard
player Paul Hewson liked to wear aviator sunglasses on stage,
and sometimes dyed the flicks of his hair blonde, but these
touches of glam were rare. Dragon were hard, hard rockers.
They had quite an impact on the Australian singles charts
throughout the 70's, with tracks such as This Time (1976),
Get That Jive (1977), Sunshine (1977), April
Sun In Cuba (1977), Are You Old Enough? (1978) and
Still In Love With You (1978).
But the bands self-destructive streak ended their one big
chance to make it overseas. It all went wrong at a make-or-break
gig at a place called the Armadillo Room in Dallas, Texas, in
front of a crowd of American record executives.
Frontman Marc Hunter took it upon himself to announce to the
audience that he had heard oral sex was illegal in their state
and declared the Texans "wankers". As the audience
pelted the band with bottles, Hunter further antagonised the
audience by striking a crucifixion pose . . .
Upon returning to Sydney, Marc was sacked from Dragon in
February 1979 due to drug problems which were seriously
affecting both his vocal performances and his
health. Singer Billy Rogers and violinist Richard Lee were
recruited and Dragon recorded the commercially
unsuccessful Power Play LP before breaking up in
December 1979.
Marc Hunter cleaned up in the post-Dragon years and released
two successful solo singles, Island Nights (1979) and Big
City Talk (1981). The band reunited in August 1982,
ostensibly to pay off outstanding debts, with Terry Chambers
(ex-XTC) joining the line-up on drums.
The single Rain (1983) was a surprise hit, going to
Number Two on the national chart and prompting Dragon to stay
together as an ongoing venture. Their 1984 album Body
and the Beat became one of the biggest-selling albums in
Australia and New Zealand, producing two further hit singles, Magic
(1984) and Cry (1984).
Keyboardist Paul Hewson died of a drug overdose in New
Zealand on 9 January 1985.
Further line-up changes took place before the release of the
Todd Rundgren-produced album, Dreams of Ordinary Men (1986),
which spawned the Top 20 singles, Speak No Evil (1985)
and Dreams Of Ordinary Men (1986).
Todd Hunter left the band in 1995.
Marc Hunter was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1997 and died
on 17 July 1998 at David Berry Hospital on the South Coast of
NSW, Australia. He was 45.
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