No Secrets
Author: Graham ‘Buzz’Bidstrup
Harper Collins, 2025
I wonder if Graham “Buzz” Bidstrup imagined he’d be writing a memoir about how long and fascinating his career in music would be when he co-wrote the Angels’ 1980 song No Secrets.
This book uses Bidstrup’s decision to leave the Angels just when that song was taking off as an opportunity to reflect on how he got to that point … and then beyond.
He clearly took to heart the Rolling Stones’ Charlie Watts’s advice to him as a 12-year-old aspiring drummer: “Keep practising and I’m sure you’ll get there.” Bidstrup applied it to drumming, songwriting, audio engineering, production and artist management.
In addition to the Angels, Bidstrup was a member of several Adelaide bands plus the Party Boys, the Stetsons and GANGgajang. He has played live and as a session musician for a host of Australian singers and bands, produced over 50 albums and managed Jimmy Little, Nathan Cavaleri and Diana Anaid.
He was the CEO of the Jimmy Little Foundation and is the founder and Managing Director of the associated Uncle Jimmy Thumbs Up! program, which uses music to engage Indigenous children and deliver positive messages about healthy eating. (Bidstrup says he is prouder of the charity work he has done to advance Indigenous health under the leadership of Jimmy Little than anything he has done in rock ’n’ roll.)
This book is an insider’s take on the rock ’n’ roll business, including the sex and drugs, but also the band politics, barbed interpersonal relationships and conflict, and the gruelling touring schedule and its effects on mental health.
You’ll never again ponder, “How hard can it be to play in a band that makes great music, doesn’t fight, and earns you a living?”
What comes through is the importance of long-lasting friendships, of family and mentors.
The name-dropping includes a Who’s Who of local and international stars and industry personalities from the past 60 years. And Bidstrup makes sure to acknowledge the talent of his fellows and to express gratitude for their part in his own notable successes.
Sadly, too many of the names mentioned are followed by (RIP).
