Julie Mac , author of "RAGE: A Sharpies Journal, Melbourne 1974 to 1980 "

- Who are you , where are you come from ...

I' m Julie Mac and I grew up in Croydon, a suburb of Melbourne Australia. I lived at home with my father, step-mother, two annoying little brothers and various animals and birds.  

"This is Dad and his mates. Dad is front right."

- How did you come into music ?
My dad was a bodgie and he used to go to rock and roll dances seven nights a week when he was a teenager, our house was always filled with the music of Elvis, Johnny O'Keefe, Jerry Lee Lewis and other 50s legends. (Editor's note : Bodgies refer to a youth subculture that existed in Australia and New Zealand in the 1950s, similar to the Teddy Boy culture in the UK or Greaser culture in the United States.)

 - Your first souvenir about that ?
My first musical obsession was Suzi Quatro. I loved her and had my wall decorated in a big collage of pictures of her. Suzi Quatro's Can the Can was the first album I nagged my parents for when I was eleven, I even had a crying fit to get my own way.  

- What kind of music did you listen when you were young ? Any favorite band when you were young ?
 I listened to Top 40 and mainly liked the harder sounds, Slade, Sweet, T Rex, Aussie glam bands, like Hush, Skyhooks and later Rose Tattoo and the Angels. I don't know a lot about music, I just have favorite songs I like to have on in the background. My favourite Australian bands are The Angels, Rose Tattoo and Hush.  

- First gig ? best gig ?

One of the first gigs I went to was Hush an Aussie Glam rock band, at Iceland, a local ice skating ring. Hush wore satin and had an Asian influence in their stage props. It was a magical night.

 - Did you were in a youth cult ?

When I was 13 I had my long hair cut into a sharpie cut. Sharpies were a youth subculture in Melbourne Australia. They were influenced by the traditional English Skinheads, (not racist) but had a unique Australian flavour. Sharpies started in the 1950/1960s, but were at their strongest in the mid 1970s.

The Melbourne Sharps were fading out as the members grew out of their teens. When I broke up with Skeeta I went out with Iggy, he was one of the Westside Sharps.

 There were a lot more boys in the gangs than girls, so if you broke up with a boyfriend, you would have a new sharpie boyfriend in no time. A good looking sharpie, that could fight and dance was a grouse boyfriend to have. At the end of my sharpie period, I went out with Chap from the St Albans Sharps.

After my sharpie period, I became a punk, the two sub cultures were closely related, especially in attitude.

- Does style was important for you ? 

Style was important to all Sharpies, it was what defined us. The hair, clothes, jewelry, tattoos, dance and music.  

- Your past hobbies ? your best souvenirs ?

My bedroom was like any teenage girls? room, full of treasures and things that were important to me and the sharpie scene.

 - And now ? 

Now I am an old lady, style isn't that important to me, but I remembered how important style was when my daughter was growing up and asking for the latest brands.  I still listen to top 40 and music from the 70s.  

- Your 5 favorite records ? your favorite song ?
It is hard to say what my favourite songs would be, but recently I bought some old cassette tapes from ebay as my current car has a tape player, I bought : Slade's greatest hits Sweet's greatest hits The Angels's greatest hits Skyhooks Living in the 70s Rose Tattoo And will be looking to buy Can the Can by Suzi Quatro next

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