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{{short description|Australian didgeridoo player}}

[[Image:Charlie McMahon.jpg|thumb|right|220px|Charlie McMahon playing didjeridu]]

{{unreliable sources|date=April 2017}}

'''Charlie McMahon''' (born '''Horace Charles McMahon''' in the [[Blue Mountains]] outside [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], [[1951]]) is an [[Australia]]n [[didgeridoo]] player. The founder of the group [[Gondwanaland (band)|Gondwanaland]], McMahon was one of the first non-[[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal]] musicians to gain fame as a professional player of the instrument.

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Charlie McMahon

| image = Charlie McMahon Sfinks.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| caption = Charlie McMahon playing the didjeribone in 2002. The microphone going into his mouth is the "Face Bass," a seismic microphone that captures the subtleties of sound inside his mouth while he is playing.}}

'''Charlie McMahon''' is an Australian [[didgeridoo]] player. The founder of the group [[Gondwanaland (band)|Gondwanaland]], McMahon was one of the first non-[[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] musicians to gain fame as a professional player of the instrument. He is also the inventor of the [[Modern didgeridoo designs|didjeribone]], a sliding didgeridoo made from two lengths of plastic tubing and played somewhat in the manner of a [[trombone]] (hence its name).

==Early life==

In 1955, ''[[Jedda]]'', the first Australian feature movie filmed in colour, was released, and the McMahons, living in the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney, were just one Australian family among many who went to see it. The film was notable for many things. It wasbeing the first mainstream Australian movie to have aboriginalAboriginal actors in the lead roles. It dared to suggest to an audience used to Cowboys and Indianscharacters moviesthat andacknowledged a socialthe climateexistence of racial "assimilation" that the local "Indians" culture was still living, and thatidentification ignoringwith, oran being rejected by thatindigenous culture.<ref>"Myth couldof createCharlie manyMcMahon" emotionalDusk problemsDundler andGriffith couldReview even#42 lead to "death"23.10.2013</ref>

Jedda, in the screenplay, is an aboriginalAboriginal girl adopted by a white womanstation owner's wife to replace her own child who had died (coincidentally, Sarahthe station owner's surname, McMann, [!]is anda variation of the Irish surname McMahon). Deliberately isolated from all contact with her birth family influenceand untilrelations, sheJedda, is seducedunsure byof theher didjerduidentity playinguntil ofshe meets Marbuck, a tribal aboriginalAboriginal man in trouble with the European system of justice. TheirShe is seduced by his intense didgeridoo playing but their elopement into the desertwilderness ends in tragedy when Marbuck's tribe rejects him for having broken its own laws onregarding marriage. Marbuck, spurned by both the old and the new cultures, jumps off a cliff and takes Jedda with him.<ref>"Australian Drama" Australian Women's Weekly 13.10.54 p42</ref>

The movie was also significant for it'sits presentation of panoramic [[outback]] scenaryscenery and its mixture of documentary and fiction [(curiously, athe technicaldestruction malfunctionof withthe last reel of the newfilm colourin stocka meantplane partscrash ofmeant the moviesmovie's dramatic climax had to be redone away from ___locationrefilmed in McMahon's stompinghome groundsenvironment, the Blue Mountains]).<ref>"A Lifelong Battle for Films of Australia" Brian Jeffrey Canberra Times 15.10.89 p 20</ref>

After the show young Charlie McMahon had been so absorbed by his cinema experience he becametried lostto inimitate athe fantasygut-stirring worlddidge but,sound unlikehe heard in the daymovie dreamsby ofblowing mostinto foura yeargarden olds,hose McMahon'sand fantasyvarious washollow abouthousehold livingobjects like, andvacuum actuallycleaner being,nozzles. He also developed an Aboriginal.ongoing Anfascination with Aboriginals and their lives an unlikely ideainterest for a four-year-old as "there "weren't any black fellas living near us". -He evenalso sotook Ito developedrunning thisaway strongand fascinationwandering in the scrub for themcomparatively long periods. Later, when he got older, he used to live off the land for a night and generally "went native" whenever he could.<ref>"This Years Thing" Miranda Brown Road Runner newspaper Vol 4 No 6 July 1981 Adelaide Australia p12</ref>

During 1958, when he was 7 years old, the McMahon family relocated from the Blue Mountains to the tough outer western suburb<!--city - Sydney--> of [[City of Blacktown|Blacktown]] near Sydney, but McMahon still managed to find ways to "go bush" regularly.<ref>"Myth of Charlie McMahon" Dusk Dundler Griffith Review #42 23.10.2013</ref>

McMahon discovered that he could, more or less, imitate the gut-stirring didge sound he heard in the movie by blowing into a garden hose and various hollow household objects like vacuum cleaner nozzles. After seeing ''Jedda'' McMahon often took to wandering in the scrub for comparatively long periods. Later, when he got older, he used to live off the land for a night and generally "went native" whenever he could. [1]

In 1967, McMahon blew off his right arm experimenting with a homemade rocket in a friend's backyard at [[Seven Hills, New South Wales|Seven Hills]], a neighbouring suburb of [[City of Blacktown|Blacktown]]. The ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald|Sydney Morning Herald]]'' newspaper report of the incident stated that the friend, Ron Carley, had some of his fingers amputated so presumably both boys were holding the cylinder at the time it exploded.<ref>"Blast Costs Boys Arm" Sydney Morning Herald 10.9.67 p3</ref>

During 1958, when he was 7 years old, the McMahon family relocated from the Blue Mountains to the tough outer western suburb<!--city - Sydney--> of [[City of Blacktown|Blacktown]] near Sydney, but McMahon still managed to find ways to "go bush" regularly. [2]

During a lengthy recuperation period getting used to his new metal arm (which, true to character, he wrapped in [[goanna]] hide) McMahon reactivated his earlier interest in didgeridoo playing, this time as therapy. At the same time he concentrated on previously neglected school work. During study breaks McMahon used to relax by going off to the sand flats of the Windsor River with his [[bongo drum|bongo]] playing brother Phil and some mates and the "westie tribe" would dress up in loincloths, paint their faces and have a [[corroboree]].<ref>"Dreamtime Punk" People Magazine 15.9.1986 p36</ref>

In 1962 a single by the British instrumental group [[The Tornados]] opened both his emotional (the melodic A side "Telstar") and his tribal imagination (the heavily rhythmic B side "Jungle Fever"). [3]

With the wild side of his nature given an occasional outlet McMahon settled into study and won a university scholarship, achieving an honorary degree in Arts and [[Urban planning|Town Planning]] which led to him becoming, for a year, a lecturer and tutor in Town Planning at [[University of Sydney|The University of Sydney]]. McMahon has said he became interested in studying town planning as a possible future way of correcting the all too obvious mistakes he found in the running of Blacktown. He wrote a treatise on the subject but became disillusioned when he realised the many political and vested interests trying to prevent the ideal becoming a reality.<ref>"This Years Thing" Miranda Brown Road Runner newspaper Vol 4 No 6 July 1981 Adelaide Australia p12</ref>

In 1967, McMahon blew off his right arm experimenting with a homemade rocket in a friend's backyard at [[Seven Hills, New South Wales|Seven Hills]], a neighbouring suburb of [[City of Blacktown|Blacktown]]. The ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald|Sydney Morning Herald]]'' newspaper report of the incident stated that the friend, Ron Carley, had some of his fingers amputated so presumably both boys were holding the cylinder at the time it exploded. [4]

One fateful weekend at Australia's equivalent of Woodstock, the 1973 [[Nimbin, New South Wales|Nimbin]] [[Aquarius Festival]], McMahon found himself intrigued by the performance of The White Company an experimental Theatre Troupe featuring a number of alternative culture artists including one Peter Carolan, a 25-year-old actor with roles in Australian TV's ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', ''The Rovers'', and stage productions such as ''Servant of Two Masters'', and Graham Bond's Drip Dry Dreams. Carolan came from a musical family. His mother played classical piano; his father was a professional jazz musician who performed on accordion, piano, organ, and synthesiser; and his paternal grandfather, Bart Carolan, was a composer and arranger who worked for a time at the [[BBC]]. The Carolan family had immigrated to Australia from England when Peter was 18. At the time his gift for creating flowing melodies "with spine" was noticed by McMahon, Carolan was playing [[Appalachian dulcimer|lap dulcimer]], an instrument to which he was attracted because of its simplicity – "a primal drone, a strummed rhythm and a monophonic melody that could change mode by tuning". No direct communication between the two musicians was made at the festival but they had both noticed each other's presence.

During a lengthy recuperation period getting used to his new metal arm (which, true to character, he wrapped in [[goanna]] hide) McMahon reactivated his earlier interest in didgeridoo playing, this time as therapy. At the same time he concentrated on previously neglected school work. During study breaks McMahon used to relax by going off to the sand flats of the Windsor River with his [[bongo]] playing brother Phil and some mates and the "westie tribe" would dress up in loincloths, paint their faces and have a [[corroboree]].[5]

In 1974 a three-day arts festival season by the White Company at Sydney's Arts Castle venue included a performance by McMahon. After a productive post-show dulcimer and didgeridoo improvisation session in a dome on the roof of the venue the two players realised they had many attitudes towards music in common: McMahon was attracted to music with "atmosphere" while Peter had become interested in composing music that evoked a sense of "place" after hearing [[Maurice Jarre]]'s 1962 score for the film ''[[Lawrence of Arabia (film)|Lawrence of Arabia]]''. The two players made a vague promise to "do something in music together sometime in the future.<ref>Gwen Robinson "Blowing Sweet Harmony" unknown Australian newspaper 1984</ref>

With the wild side of his nature given an occasional outlet McMahon settled into study and won a university scholarship, achieving an degree in Arts and [[Urban planning|Town Planning]] which led to him becoming, for a year, a lecturer in tutor in Town Planning at [[University of Sydney|The University of Sydney]]. [6]

In 1974, back at his day job, McMahon was growing increasingly disillusioned with what he later described as the "too much talk" atmosphere of campus academic life. During one particularly stifling lecture in a dungeon-like library basement with no windows and bare walls McMahon and his assistant interrupted their discussion of map interpretation with the impulsive act of encouraging the students to join them in painting the walls. This behaviour was seen by the University Chancellor as the ultimate act of confrontation and defiance of authority by an untameable teacher and McMahon was dismissed.<ref>"This Years Thing" Miranda Brown Road Runner newspaper Vol 4 No 6 July 1981 Adelaide Australia p12</ref>

One fateful weekend at Australia's equivalent of Woodstock, the 1973 [[Nimbin, New South Wales|Nimbin]] [[Aquarius Festival]], McMahon met Peter Carolan, a 25-year-old actor (he had acted in ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', ''The Rovers'', and ''Servant of Two Masters'', and been a member of The White Company Theatre Troupe and Graham Bond's Drip Dry Dreams). Carolan came from a musical family. His mother played classical piano, his father was a professional jazz musician who performed on accordion, piano, organ, and synthesiser, and his paternal grandfather, Bart Carolan, was a composer and arranger who worked for a time at the [[BBC]]. The Carolan family had immigrated to Australia from England when Peter was 18. At the time he met McMahon, Carolan was playing [[Appalachian dulcimer|lap dulcimer]], an instrument to which he was attracted because of its simplicity - "a primal drone, a strummed rhythm and a monophonic melody that could change mode by tuning."

He decided to do something more practical so he bought a {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=on}} property in a thickly forested valley on the south coast of [[New South Wales]] with two of his brothers and settled down to building a house the hard way by hand (and hook), all the time learning more about bush craft and living in a natural environment—skills that would come in handy for his next cycle of experience in the desert regions of Central Australia.

After a productive dulcimer and didge jam session, the two players realised they had many attitudes towards music in common: McMahon was attracted to music with "atmosphere" while Peter had become interested in composing music that evoked a sense of "place" after hearing [[Maurice Jarre]]'s 1962 score for the film ''[[Lawrence of Arabia]]''. The two players made a vague promise to "do something in music together sometime in the future." [7]

In early 1978, McMahon jumped on stage during a [[Midnight Oil]] performance at French's Tavern in Sydney and added his didge sounds to their song "Stand in Line." This marked the beginning of a friendship that was to last throughout both their music careers (in 1978 Midnight Oil had only played a half dozen or so gigs under that name).<ref>"Beds are Burning" Mark Dodshon Viking / Penguin Group Australia 2004 p148</ref>

In 1974, back at his day job, McMahon was growing increasingly disillusioned with what he later described as the "too much talk" atmosphere of campus academic life. During one particularly stifling lecture in a dungeon-like library basement with no windows and bare walls McMahon and his assistant interrupted their discussion of map interpretation with the impulsive act of encouraging the students to join them in painting the walls. This behaviour was seen by the University Chancellor as the ultimate act of confrontation and defiance of authority by an untameable teacher and McMahon was dismissed. [8]

After two and a half years of labouring and living on his diminishing savings he finished his bush retreat and was fortunate to be offered a job working for the Federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs in the position of a Development Coordinator in the [[Northern Territory]], supervising outstation work grants to tribal people living hundreds of kilometres west of [[Alice Springs]] at the settlements of [[Kintore, Northern Territory|Kintore]], [[Kiwirrkurra Community, Western Australia]], and [[Papunya, Northern Territory|Papunya]] (the 1971 birthplace of the [[Australian Aboriginal art#Modern Aboriginal artists|Australian Aboriginal dot painting revival]]).

He decided to do something more practical so he bought a 40 acre property in a thickly forested valley on the south coast of [[New South Wales]] with two of his brothers and settled down to building a house the hard way by hand (and hook), all the time learning more about bush craft and living in a natural environment--skills that would come in handy for his next cycle of experience in the desert regions of [[Central Australia]]. [9]

An important part of McMahon's initial work program to supervise the building of a store and meeting place for the local people as the levelling of an air strip for the [[Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia|Royal Flying Doctor Service]]. He also helped construct a 400&nbsp;km chain of windmills and water bores in the [[Great Sandy Desert]] area, many times driving a three-ton water truck with only a thrown right hook to stabilise the steering wheel in rough country. Because of his obvious sincerity and work for the tribal communities McMahon was sometimes invited to observe traditional ceremonies held under the resplendent starlight of nighttime Central Australia.<ref>The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet" Karl Nuenfeldt editor Perfect Beat Publications 1997 Chapter Eight Shane Homan "Terra Incognita The Career of Charlie McMcMahon" p123 - 136</ref>

In early 1978, McMahon jumped on stage during a [[Midnight Oil]] performance at French's Tavern in Sydney and added his didge sounds to their song "Stand In Line." This marked the beginning of a friendship that was to last throughout both their music careers (in 1978 Midnight Oil had only played a half dozen or so gigs under that name). [10]

After 18 months he took some time off to gig with [[Midnight Oil]], where he learned set dynamics and the art of talking to an audience from watching frontman Peter Garrett.

After four years of labouring and living on his diminishing savings he finished his bush retreat and was fortunate to be offered a job working for the Federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs in the position of a Development Coordinator in the [[Northern Territory]], supervising outstation work grants to tribal people living hundreds of kilometres west of [[Alice Springs]] at the settlements of [[Kintore, Northern Territory|Kintore]], [[Kiwirrkurra]], and [[Papunya, Northern Territory|Papunya]] (the 1971 birthplace of the [[Australian Aboriginal art#Modern Aboriginal Artists|Australian Aboriginal dot painting revival]]). [11]

An important part of McMahon's initial work program to supervise the building of a store and meeting place for the local people as the levelling of an air strip for the [[Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia|Royal Flying Doctor Service]]. He also helped construct a 400 km chain of windmills and water bores in the [[Great Sandy Desert]] area, many times driving a three ton water truck with only a thrown right hook to stabilise the steering wheel in rough country. Because of his obvious sincerity and work for the tribal communities McMahon was sometimes invited to observe traditional ceremonies held under the resplendent starlight of nighttime Central Australia. [12]

After 18 months he took some time off to gig with [[Midnight Oil]], where he learned set dynamics and the art of talking to an audience from watching frontman Peter Garrett. [13]

==1980s==

In 1980, encouraged by Tony Walker, an announcer from [[Triple J]] (an Australian alternative music radio station), McMahon sold his Bush[[Toyota RangerLand Cruiser]]<!--whatMcMahon companystates makesthat thisit truck?was willa checkToyota notLand mentionedCruiser, inalthough a news clipping says that it was a Bushranger--> work truck and embarked on a two -month exploratory holiday to the United States starting in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], then going on to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] and [[Fresno, California|Fresno]]. Some soundtrack work beckoned in Hollywood on a 1981 horror film called ''[[Wolfen (film)|Wolfen]]'' but a musician's strike delayed the recording and, returning to San Francisco, McMahon, in the same week, missed his plane flight home and had his wallet, containing all his money, stolen creating the urgent need to find some way to earn a living wage and save for the air trip back to Australia. [14]

He found gigs on the daunting (and taunting) San Francisco punk club circuit and survived spectacularly with an improvised solo act alternating original didgeridoo compositions with stories based on memories of his desert experiences. He also involved himself musically on stage with whoever else was performing at the same venue. One such partnership resulted when McMahon was invited to join [[Timothy Leary]]'s 1980 lecture tour for a few gigs. AnMcMahon unnamedformed [[acid rock]]a band <!--whatwith wassome themusicians namehe ofmet thisin band?San haveFrancisco: sent[[Mark anIsham]], emailKurt toWortman, mcmahonand askingPat forCooley. aThey performed under the name-->accompanying LearyThe Yidaki Brothers and they did their own improvised [[acid rock]] take on the subjects of some of McMahon's stories ("Trek," "Campsite"). Another notable combination was with punk electronics group Indoor Life whose songs of urban frustration "buried in cement" were dominated by the sound of a trombone fed through a synthesizer. [15]

After five months of work he found himself earning about 500 dollars a week and quickly developing a fan base but, having reached one goal, financial, it was time to aim for the next one, creative, which for McMahon meant the recording of an album which he felt could only be done in Australia, the source of his musicialmusical inspiration.<ref>"This [16]Years Thing" Miranda Brown Road Runner Vol 4 No 6 July 1981 Adelaide, Australia p12 /"Arnhem Land to Internet" The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet" Karl Nuenfeldt editor Perfect Beat Publications 1997 Chapter Eight Shane Homan "Terra Incognita The Career of Charlie McMcMahon" p123 - 136</ref>

McMahon returned to Sydney and, in 1981, received his first major Australia-wide publicity when the [[Adelaide]] music paper ''Roadrunner'' published a lengthy article with the intriguing heading "This Years Thing? One Armed Didgerdu Players?!? It's No Joke! Says Miranda Brown."<ref>Miranda Brown – Road Runner Vol 4 No 6 July 1981 Adelaide, Australia [17]p12</ref>

As McMahon later stated, "I realised what I wanted to do was work with a good synth player -– a very good synth player. So I mucked around with a few guys in Sydney but their range was too narrow then I remembered hearing Peter Carolan's playing ten years ago. He was playing a dulcimer in the bush and when I heard he was now playing synth I knew straight away this was the melody man to compose that key part of GondwanlandGondwanaland." They worked on their first composition, "Pulse," inspired by the sound of a heartbeat. [18]

In the following months Carolan continued to create ideal music settings for McMahon's didgeridoo and expanded on his key image ideas such as an [[emu]] running, a drought, an eagle flying, and a landscape stretching beyond the horizon. Carolan's use of simple but powerful melodies linked to intelligently emotional arrangements openly conveyed in sound those poetic moments "when time stops and the joys, and mysteries of life are felt." [19]<ref>Hot Records Press Release Terra Incognita lp 1984</ref>

In 1984 McMahon and Carolan assembled a small studio band of musician friends and recorded the first Gondwanaland album under the title ''Terra Incognita''. When released on the small independent Hot label it was a critical and popular success. [20]

In October 1984, shortly after the debut of the first album, McMahon went "on the swag" again, only to be caught up in a sensationalist media drama when a group of nine Aboriginals, known as the [[Pintupi Nine]], were encountered near the last of a chain of water bores he had been overseeing between Kintore and "the remotest outpost in Australia"--Kiwirrkurra—Kiwirrkurra. A visiting journalist hyped the incident into a biblical "finding of the lost tribe" but the people concerned were not "lost" but had instead "gone walkabout" after rejecting attempts by 1950s [[Woomera, South Australia|Woomera]] rocket range personnel to resettle them at Papuna. The small tribal group managed to go through their usual birth, initiation, marriage, and death rituals for decades, living off the natural resources of their desert environment before "coming in" to face the anger, and relief, of their relatives. McMahon's diary at the time noted "Tomorrow [Oct 16 Oct 1984] we will find the two men's tracks and maybe they will spend their last night free of the modern world".<ref>"Last [21]of The Nomads" undated article The Bulletin Australia 2006</ref>

In April 1985 McMahon was flown to London to perform with the [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] on the recording of Maurice Jarre's ''[[Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]'' soundtrack.[22]

When he returned a month later an advertisement was placed in a music paper "Gondwana Wana Drummer." Only one reply was received -– from an energetic multi -– format percussionist called Eddy Duquemin as equally at home on electric pad drums as he was on acoustic "skins'. He joined the live Gondwanaland band and McMahon decided to make the group his full time occupation. (Because of his restless stage presence, Duquemin was soon given the nickname "Brolga" by McMahon--theMcMahon—the [[brolga]] being an Australian outback bird that is renowned for its dancing; Carolan had already been dubbed "Lizard," although this was later changed to "Professor"].<ref>"Gary [23]Morris agency press release 1986</ref>

In November 1985, Midnight Oil commenced a 26 -date local tour starting in Dubbo with Gondwanaland supporting. As well as feeding them to the [[moshing|mosh]] pit, this gave the newly constituted three piece some "tour of duty" exposure [if not exactly the type of audience they were hoping to attract]. [24]

In 1986, ''Let the Dog Out'', Gondwanaland's second album, was released. It contained a bracket of aggressive, up-tempo numbers followed by two extended compositions, the first of which, "Ephemeral Lakes," later became a regular choice for meditative ambient music compilations. [25]

Midnight Oil's Black Fella/White Fella tour of remote Northern Territory Aboriginal settlements in July 1986 recruited McMahon with the task of "co-ordinating the tour group's camping and guiding requirements and [contributing] plenty of common sense and a touch of sanity as well" [ A tour book "entitled ''Strict Rules"'', by Andrew McMillan, and a video: “Black"Black Fella White Fella”Fella," were subsequently released -and McMahon features in both.<ref>"Beds Are Burning" Mark Dodshon Viking / Penguin Group ]Australia [26]2004</ref>

In 1987, after a year of extensive live work in Sydney and an [[Arts Council ]]-sponsored four -week tour of the Northern Territory, the third album, self -titled ''Gondwanaland'', was released. It had taken many months to record and while the prolonged touring helped tighten the arrangements some of the groups intense live energy was diluted by the usual studio technique of making a separate recording of each member’smember's instrumental part before a final mix. Despite this limitation the album won the Australian music industry's [[ARIA Music Awards|ARIA Award]] for best indigenous album of 1988. One track from this collection, the outstanding "Landmark," features a dramatic use of McMahon's re-invention of an instrument first made in the 1970s in the UK by Dr Peter Holmes, the multi-tone, slide didgeridoo called "didjeribone." [27]

In November 1988 Gondwanaland performed during the "[[Isao Tomita|Tomita]] Sound Cloud Inin Sydney -– Hymn To Mankind," a AUS A$3 million, Japanese government sponsored, light and sound, opera spectacular held on [[Port Jackson|Sydney Harbour]] as part of the Australian Bicentennial celebrations. The concert attracted an audience of over 120,000 an Australian record for a live music event. [28]

==1990s to the present==

<!---looks like a lot of uncited copyvio here--->

In 1991, Gondwanaland's ''Wide Skies'' was released and even long time followers of the band were surprised at the progression of Carolan's compositions. Gone were the earthy good time romps and quiet moments of reflection. Now complex panoramic chord clusters enveloped the arrangements in an almost overwhelming evocation of the sky and all that happens in and under it. This album's multi-layered textures and moods earned the band even greater critical respect. [29]

[[Image:Charlie on track july 2007.jpg|thumb|right|230px|McMahon at [[Pine Creek, Northern Territory]], Australia, July 2007]]

In 1991, Gondwanaland's ''Wide Skies'' was released.

In 1992, McMahon appeared in a film with Indigenous didgeridoo master [[David Blanasi]].<ref name=note>{{cite web | title=David Blanasi Life Hisotry | website=note（ノート） | date=5 March 2024 | url=https://note.com/bambuman/n/n064f00e96ff8 | language=ja | access-date=17 March 2025}}</ref>

In 1994, after the great leap forward of ''Wide Skies'', McMahon formed a second band, Gondwana, with an emphasis on rhythm and increasingly dominant bass and experimental didge sounds. The band released three albums: ''Travelling'', ''Xenophon'', and ''Bone Man'', with the last two featuring another McMahon innovation: the mouth-held use of a geologist's seismic microphone to amplify the growling subsonic didge dynamics. This approach to music gave McMahon a new audience: the trance/dance crowd. A success evidenced by the placing of a Gondwana tune in the all important opening track position on each of the two volumes of highly successful Australian trance/dance compilation series. [30]

In 1994, after the great leap forward of ''Wide Skies'', McMahon formed a second band, Gondwana, with an emphasis on rhythm and increasingly dominant bass and experimental didge sounds. The band released three albums: ''Travelling'', ''Xenophon'', and ''Bone Man'', with the last two featuring another McMahon innovation: the mouth-held use of a geologist's seismic microphone to amplify the growling subsonic didge dynamics. This approach to music gave McMahon a new audience: the trance/dance crowd.

In 2005 McMahon experienced a bizarre case of déjà vu when he found himself, 20 years after his 1985 London ''Mad Max'' soundtrack work, in [[Russia]] with a new manager affiliated with a Moscow based biker gang running a Mad Max Smash and Crash "theme park." The unlikely partnership broke up because of payment problems (an all too common event in the social chaos of present-day Russia). However the episode was made the subject of a quirky documentary broadcast by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]'s ''[[Foreign Correspondent (TV series)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' TV series in March 2006 while considerable comment was made about the situation in various didgeridoo chat rooms. [31]

In 2005 McMahon experienced a bizarre case of déjà vu when he found himself, 20 years after his 1985 London ''Mad Max'' soundtrack work, in Russia with a new manager associated with a Mad Max Smash and Crash "theme park." The episode was made the subject of a quirky ''[[Foreign Correspondent (TV series)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' report in March 2006.<ref>"Mad Max Goes To Moscow" Foreign Correspondent 7.3.2006 ABC broadcast transcript</ref>

In 2006 Peter Carolan released a sampler CD called ''Overland'', collecting examples, old and new, of his many musical "hats." Two of the new tracks, "Airwaves" and "Dragonflies," have a strong Gondwanaland feel to them, and even though only samples of McMahon's didgeridoo are used, Carolan's Gondwanaland composing style, abandoned when McMahon left Australia and took to touring international big city venues 12 years ago, now appeared to be reactivated and continuing where it left off, this time influenced by the recent Gondwana albums. [32]

In 2006 Peter Carolan released a sampler CD called ''Overland'', collecting examples, old and new, of his various music explorations.

McMahon can be seen performing mainly solo on the world music festival circuit in Europe, Japan, Russia, the United States, and Australia. He has two acts: one set featuring the seismic sensor he calls the Face Bass[1]; the other is a playful exploration of the musical and experimental tone possibilities of the didjeribone. [33]

In August 2008 McMahon released a DVD storage disc library of over 800 samples under the title "Rhythm Organism".

==Interview quotes==

===On his accident===

"It knocked out most of the vision in one eye, perforated my eardrums, knocked out some front teeth. I awoke in a plum tree with one arm missing below the elbow and realised I had to change my lifestyle. I think it motivated me, it awakened my intellect. If it hadn't happened I probably would have left school when I was 16 and just got any sort of job, hung around with me mates ...Blacktown is that sort of environment."[34]

On 24 April 2012 McMahon released a subdued and mellow Gondwana album called ''Didge Heart''. On 28 July 2012 Peter Carolan died at the age of 64.

===On his dismissal from university===

"Normally they don't kick people out... For me it was straight out the front gate. And I don’t believe it was for simply painting a wall. I believe that the Vice Chancellor was p***ed off with my lack of protocol. I remember once sending him a memo on the back of a pie bag. That kind of thing isn't done."[35]

===On playing for Aboriginals===

"That's a funny story. I was with this fella down in Alices<!--is this a typo or is it spelled this way in the original article?--> Springs and I'd been playing by the river. We were walking back when we noticed this mob of black fellas in a circle about a hundred yards to our right. They motioned me to play without speaking. I sat down and played a little bit and they started laughing. I'd always had this reservation about my first encounter with top dog players and I thought they were rubbishing me, but with traditional black people communication always happens very slowly and that's how it was. After a while I got to understand that they were pleased at seeing it being played by a white fella with his own spirit. Aboriginal people say I play walla walla didgeridu. very fast, attack style."[36]

===On tribal initiation===

"The most important thing is the inculcation of tribal values and stories... The older you get the more fulfilled you become. In fact your initiation [only] finishes when you die..."[37]

===On mystical experience in the desert===

"At one death ceremony…I had this feeling that - it was so dark, about an hour before dawn - in that sky there, so clearly lit by the stars - I had this feeling of seeing all the spirits at once of all the animals and all the people that had run in that particular bit of country and …was it dense! everywhere, thousands of them. I didn't know what was going on but I could see and feel all those silhouettes."[38]

===On the ''Terra Incognita'' Album===

"Playing the 'didj' is very physical whereas the synthesiser requires a mental imput… One is powered by bodily rhythm, the other by an electric current."[39]

===On the original satellite map cover of ''Terra Incognita''===

"A satellite map is a beautiful thing. I ALWAYS look at that first when I open a newspaper because it's a read out of the elements, the currents, and wind patterns that determine our survival."[40]

===On recording and touring with Gondwanaland===

"I've always loved the Australian countryside and the irony about being involved with music is that now it has drawn me into these big studios in the big city. Of course people will still make sincere music and great sounds wherever they might be. In the end what counts is what's in their hearts but I, myself, am very affected by my surrounds. Definitely some of our more fun gigs have been in the bush."[41]

===On experimentation===

"I'll often hear things, melodies and you go to do them on piano and you can't. There are things that you can do where you can sing an overtone over the drone. It's amazing and its a bit like a voice. I’m looking at the theories of soundwaves and extending the range."[42]

==Discography==

*''''Long Way My Country'' Journey Home; Blue Wren at Waterhole; Swooped By Eagles; Spirit Dawn [McMahon]; Trek; Campsite [McMahon / Yidaki Brothers] Recorded San Francisco US Various Venues December 1980

==See also==

===Unreleased early Charlie McMahon live tape compilation===

* [[Gondwanaland (Australian band)]]

*''''Long Way My Country'' - Journey Home; Blue Wren At Waterhole; Swooped By Eagles; Spirit Dawn; Trek; Campsite [Recorded San Francisco USA Various Venues December 1980]

* [[Modern didgeridoo designs]]

===Cassette===

* 1981 - ''Didge/Synth'' [cover illustration: an Emu mesmerised by an Eye In The Sky] Hot

===CDs===

*''Terra Incognita'' - Gondwanaland [Hot / Log] 1984 / 1987

*''Let The Dog Out'' - Gondwanaland [Hot /Log] 1986 / 1987

*''Gondwanaland / Big Land'' - Gondwanaland [WEA] 1987 [LOG] 1993

*''Wild Life - Live'' - Gondwanaland [WEA] 1989

*''Wide Skies'' - Gondwanaland [Log] 1991

*''Travelling'' - Gondwana [Log] 1994

*''Tjilatjila'' - Charlie McMahon [Log] 1996

*''Xenophon'' - Gondwana [Log] 1998

*''Over Gondwanaland'' - Compilation [Latisphere] 2000

*''Spirit Of Gondwana'' - Compilation [Latisphere] 2000

*''Bone Man'' - Gondwana [Log] 2002

* ''Overland'' - Peter Carolan sampler album [McMahon 'ghosts' on new tracks "Airwaves" and "Dragonflies"] [Origin] 2006

===Unreleased Gondwanaland tracks===

*1986 - '''Oosh - The Alice Springs Camel Race''

*1986 - ''Land of the Lightning Brothers Soundtrack'' - Ancient Mysteries; Legend; Visiting The Gallery; Land Of The Lightning Brothers; Battle of the Lightning Brothers; Protecting the Paintings; Boomerangs''

*1987 - ''Ochre Dusk Dance Suite'' - World's End; Time Flies; Homelands''

*1988 - ''Trob''

===Other media===

*1987 - ''Bedrock'' [Video clip]

*1987 - ''Land Of the Lightning Brothers'' [Film Australia video]

*1987 - ''Ochre Dusk'' [Original Gondwanaland dance score for Dance North Company]

*1988 - ''Sound Cloud'' Spectacular with Tomita, Sydney Harbour [Gondwanaland performance]

*1988 - ''A Big Country'' - Charlie McMahon [60 minute special ABC television]

*1989 - ''Gondwanaland'' - Live at Kuranda [unreleased 2 hour video]

*1991 - ''Nature of Australia'' [ABC DVD of 5 hour TV series with Gondwanaland score]

*1991 - ''Until the End of the World'' [Gondwanaland appearance] Village Roadshow Film

*1992 - ''Didjeridu With Charlie McMahon'' [dir. Jeni Kendell and Paul Tait] Gaia Films

*1997 - ''The Didjeridu from Arnhem Land to Internet'' [pp. 123-37] John Libbey 1997

*1999 - ''Swarm'', Sydney Youth Orchestra and Gondwana, Australia Day Lunch, Sydney

*2000 - ''Gondwana performance'' Australian Pavilion, World Expo, Hannover

*2000 - ''Gondwana performance'' Opening Ceremony, Sydney Paralympic Games

*2006 - ''Mad Max Goes to Moscow'' - [ABC TV Foreign Correspondent Series]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

#"This Years Thing" / "Cinemedia" / Summary / "Dreamtime Punk"

#"Dreamtime Punk"

#Conversation with McMahon

#"Blast Costs Boys Arm"

#"Dreamtime Punk"

#"This Years Thing"

#Email reply from Peter Carolan / "Art For the Ear"

#"This Years Thing" / "Dreamtime Punk"

#"Look One Hand" / "Tune of the Outback"

#"Beds are Burning" p148

#"The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet" / "Wildbird Dreaming"

#Hot Records Press Release / Conversation with McMahon

#"This Years Thing"

#"This Years Thing"

#"This Years Thing" /"The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet" / "Live Tapes"

#"This Years Thing"

#"This Years Thing"

# Gary Morris Agency Press Release

# Summary

# Hot Records Press Release

# "Last of The Nomads"

#"Charlie's King of the Didgeridoo"

#Gary Morris / Charlie's King" /"Leaping Yo Yo"/ CM home page / "Midnight Oil Live Review"

#"Beds Are Burning" p42

# Summary / "Performance And Bush Art" Sonics Magazine

#"Beds Are Burning" p148 / Midnight Oil Home Page - Videos

#"Performance And Bush Art"

# Summary

# Summary

#"Didgeridoo Trance Dance Vol 1 + Vol 2"

#"Mad Max Goes To Moscow"

# Summary

#Charlie McMahon Home Page

#"This Years Thing" / "How Do You Cook A Kangaroo?" / "Look One Hand"

#"Dreamtime Punk"

#"This Years Thing" / "A Tune For The Last Frontier"

#"How Do You Cook A Kangaroo?"

#"How Do You Cook A Kangaroo?"

#"Down To Earth Music Highlights Album"

#"A Tune For The Last Frontier"

#"Performance And Bush Art"

#"The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet"

===References Footnote ===

===Source documents===

Note: Published information on McMahon's early life is difficult to findelusive. Many of the press clippings cited are obscure and could only be found as a single copy in a casually collected fan archive. Most of these fan cuttings did not record full or part origin details but these will be added when they are known. In the following list ifIf a date is missing the year the article was written is worked out from other references in the text [if this is possible].

*"Art For the Ear" - Bob Hudson review of ''Terra Incognita'', RAM music paper? [Australia] 1984

*"Beds Are Burning" - Mark Dodshon Viking / Penguin Group Australia 2004

*"Blast Costs Boys Arm" - ''Sydney Morning Herald'' 1967

* Conversation with McMahon by writer of this article - Sydney - May 1982

*"Charlie's King of the Didgeridoo" by Chris Blanche, unidentified newspaper [Aust.] 1986

* Charlie McMahon Home Page 2006

*Cinemedia Net Home Page "Jedda"

*"Didge Sythn" Cassette cover - 1984

*"Didgeridoo Trance Dance Vol 1 + Vol 2" CD - Music Mosaic

*"Down To Earth Music Highlights Album" - Kay Hartley unknown newspaper [Aust.] 1984

*"Dreamtime Punk" - People Magazine [Aust.] 1986

* Email Reply From Peter Carolan July 2006

* Gary Morris Agency Press Release - 1986

*"How Do You Cook A Kangaroo?" - unidentified USA newspaper 1981

* Hot Records Press Release - 1984

*"Last Of The Nomads" - the Bulletin Home Page 2006

* "Live tapes" - Charlie McMahon cassette collection USA 1980

*"Look One Hand" by Dave Dawson - unidentified Australian newspaper 1982

*"Mad Max Goes To Moscow" - Foreign Correspondent transcript ABC home page 2006

*"Midnight Oil Live Review" - home page list of MO live performances

*"Performance And Bush Art" by Andy Symaniz - Sonics Magazine [p16] [aust] unknown month 1994

* Summary - based on a number of newspaper and magazine clipping sources

*"Tune of the Outback" by Genny Coloughlin - unidentified, undated Australian newspaper 1982

*"Tune For The Last Frontier" by Edwaina Shannon - unidentified, undated Australian newspaper

*"The Leaping Yo Yo" by Brian Patterson - Juke Music paper [Aust.] 2.9.1989

*"The Didjeridu From Arnhem Land to Internet" Chapter 8 "Terra Incognita" - Shane Homan

*"This Years Thing" by Miranda Brown - Road Runner Music paper, Adelaide, Australia 1981

*"Wildbird Dreaming" [book review] - The Australian newspaper, unknown date

==External links==

<!----needs cleanup--->

*[http://www.anticearthworks.co.uk/charlie/charlie8.htm Video Interview with Charlie McMahon]

*[http://www.charliemcmahon.com/ CharlieOfficial McMahon's websitesite]

*[http://www.didjeribone.net/ Didjeribone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060202153359/http://didjeribone.net/ |date=2 February 2006 }}

*{{musicbrainz artist|id=d350989a-41fb-4bae-804a-d5a7593211d0|name=Charlie McMahon}}

*[http://www.didjeribonerhythmorganizm.netcom/ DidjeriboneRhythmorganizm Facebass site]

*[https://myspace.com/charliemcmahongondwana Charlie McMahon] on [[Myspace]]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060824031156/http://filmaust.com.au/programs/default.asp?sn=2810 Land of The Lightning Brothers DVD]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:1951 births|McMahon, Charlie]]}}

[[Category:Living1951 people|McMahon, Charliebirths]]

[[Category:AustralianLiving musicians|McMahon, Charliepeople]]

[[Category:DidgeridooAustralian players|McMahon, Charliemusicians]]

[[Category:Didgeridoo players]]