Damien Lovelock

Damien Richard Lovelock (21 May 1954 – 3 August 2019) was an Australian musician, sports broadcaster and writer. He fronted the hard rock band The Celibate Rifles from 1980 as their lead singer-songwriter and they released nine studio albums. He also issued two solo albums, It's a Wig Wig Wig World, in June 1988; and Fishgrass in December 1991. As a sports broadcaster he worked on the SBS show The World Game and Sky News Australia covering football.

Damien Lovelock
Born
Damien Richard Lovelock

(1954-05-21)21 May 1954
Amersham, England, United Kingdom
Died3 August 2019(2019-08-03) (aged 65)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationMusician, sports broadcaster, writer
Years active1980–2019
Musical career
GenresHard rock
Years active1980–1992
LabelsFestival
Associated acts
Writing career
GenreSports and hobbies
Subject
  • Football
  • cookery
Notable worksSoccer: Great Moments, Great Players in World Football

Music career

Damien was the only child of songwriter Bill Lovelock and the singer Joan Wilton, and was born in Amersham during the short while they were living in England.[1] Soon after his mother's return, she was photographed with her son on the beach "teaching him to become an Australian".[2] With that for a background, Damien went on to fame as the lead singer and songwriter for the Sydney hard rock band The Celibate Rifles.[3][4]

Lovelock recorded his debut solo LP, It's A Wig Wig Wig Wig World.[5] In June 1988 Lovelock issued the album followed by a single, "Disco Inferno" in April 1990. Lovelock's studio band included Peter Koppes (guitar; from The Church), Rick Grossman (bass; from Hoodoo Gurus), Joe Latty (guitar; ex-Itchy Rat) and Richard Ploog (drums; from The Church). Guitarist Reeves Gabrels, from David Bowie's band Tin Machine, also appeared on "Disco Inferno". Lovelock formed a touring line-up of Damien Lovelock's Wigworld which comprised Joe Latty, Clyde Bramley (bass; ex-Hoodoo Gurus), Patrick Pollnow (guitar) and Hamish Stuart (drums). During 1991, Lovelock issued the single "The Dalai Lama" (October 1991) and album Fishgrass (December 1991) on Festival Records.[6]

Sports

Lovelock was for many years a contributor to the SBS show The World Game. On this Sunday afternoon programme he provided commentary from a fan's perspective.[7]

In the 2000s, he was a regular member of the football panel on Sky News in Australia, alongside former Socceroos captain Paul Wade.

He also co-hosted ABC Radio Grandstand for a brief period.

He co-hosted Football Fever, a weekly football radio show on Sky Sports Radio, created by Paul Williams, alongside Les Murray and other football journalists, such as Francis Awaratife. The show was axed by the station, which decided to provide more airtime to its coverage of horse racing. Lovelock claimed in final episodes during March 2010 to be searching for another station for the program to be revived on.

He was also a yoga instructor in Newport on Sydney's Northern Beaches. He was a known Southampton, US Cagliari and New York Jets supporter.

Death

Lovelock died from cancer at his home on the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, on 3 August 2019. He is survived by his son, Luke.[8]

References
  1. Sydney Morning Herald, 14 August 2019
  2. ABC Weekly 11 August 1956
  3. "Sunday Brunch - Damien Lovelock". ABC Online. 23 September 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  4. "The Celibate Rifles defy 'unsaleability'". Sydney Morning Herald. Google News Archive. 6 September 1985. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  5. "Damien Lovelock - It's A Wig Wig Wig Wig World (Cracks In The Prism)". Discogs.
  6. McFarlane, 'The Celibate Rifles' entry. Archived from the original on 7 August 2004. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  7. "Author - Damien Lovelock". Scribe Publications. Archived from the original on 2 October 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  8. Cannane, Steve (3 August 2019). "Singer, soccer commentator, yoga teacher: Celibate Rifles frontman Damien Lovelock dies". ABC News.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.