Who is Preventing the
Men At Work Reunion?
the commune's Red Bagel poses the question: Who can it be now? 

Monday, March 4, 2002
I can’t get to sleep. A question’s been plaguing me lo these many nights, inspiring endless head-scratching and the use of dated vernacular like “lo.” All the members are alive, the audience is out there and hungry for it… who is preventing the Men At Work reunion?

Like a shooting star they burned brightly and then disappeared. For a very brief time in the 1980s, from 1982 to 1985, Men At Work were popular music. Who would you throw up against them? Pat Benatar? The Go-Go’s? Pitiful imitations Men Without Hats? All were common slaves in the arena against Men At Work—the gladiators.

However, the attention of the American public changes quickly, and by 1985 the group disbanded after the poor commercial showing of their third album. At least that’s what the Behind the Music guy said. My question, though, is what’s stopping the reunification of the 80’s greatest band?

To head off any potential arguments, the live shows played by Colin Hay and Greg Ham under the billing of Men At Work does not constitute a Men At Work reunion. Not until the original recording line-up for the albums Business As Usual and Cargo is reconstituted is Men At Work really reunited. There is no just cause to prevent this, as far as I can see.

The natural conclusions one would reach, as with any band, is that internal conflicts keep the majority of them apart. I refuse to believe this. You’ve seen the videos, those guys get along like aces. Digging a hole, jogging in place, juggling, they do everything like real sports. And yet now, all these years later, they’re missing out on a chance to bring real happiness back to the charts, not to mention make a tidy killing back in the record business. However, something is in the way.

I think it goes much deeper than the band. Far-reaching forces outside have prevented a Men At Work reunion. This goes high, people, all the way to the top. The American government has a vested interest in keeping Men At Work from returning to their former glory as the hottest band from Down Under.

Why? Without getting into the complicated details of trade, tariffs, super-power standings and plenty of things I don’t fully understand, let’s suffice to say that what’s good for Men At Work is good for Australia. And what’s good for Australia is bad for American business. Our country has struck an unholy alliance to keep the roster of big super-power countries as it is. If Australia breaks through to become a super-power, it could piss off a number of countries, just for example, oh, say, France? England? Canada? That’s all I need to say.

Australia has formed such a threat for quite some time, and this unholy alliance, which has existed since 1972, has been worn and weakened over time. Several times Australia verged on super-power stardom—the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, the Veggimite sandwich, the Crocodile Dundee series. The unholy alliance is under more strain than ever before to restrain Australia. And through threats and extortion they’ve kept Men At Work unemployed. It’s a travesty.

At another time I’ll tell you why Blind Melon has not reunited. To sum up, their lead singer and songwriter is dead.