Anthony Field, the original Blue Wiggle, imparts his thoughts on shaping a safe and imaginative place for our children, nurturing the creativity of others in the band, and on music, originality, entrepreneurship and much more in Out of the Blue: Everything this Wiggle journey has taught me. Photo: Supplied.
Many of us remember those well-shared media experiences, the special family viewing times, when The Muppets, Sesame Street and The Wiggles (among others) were childhood favourites in our homes.
In our case, nurturing preschoolers more than 35 years ago, our cherished recollections are the animated chatter between parents and children, actively learning, watching, singing, dancing and, together, discussing these shows.
Out of the Blue: Everything this Wiggle journey has taught me has ignited many a fond memory and made for absorbing reading. It’s an outspoken memoir from Blue Wiggle Anthony Field, written in a way that is unfiltered and honest, often exploring difficult or controversial topics without censoring details. It’s a biography in which the author is transparent about experiences and feelings.
It tells the story of Field himself, and of The Wiggles, an Australian children’s music group formed in 1991 by Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt. Anthony is a musician, a multi-instrumentalist, who founded the rock band The Cockroaches with his brothers Paul and John in 1979, joined by Tony Henry on drums and Joseph Hallion on saxophone. Fatt joined them on keyboards in 1981. They are now a worldwide phenomenon, a multi-million dollar global brand.
This group has been a remarkable force in children’s entertainment, changing the world of educational music since 1991. They became childhood favourites, winning over millions with their bright outfits, catchy interactive songs and unwavering commitment to helping children grow. I remember spending many hours of child-parent television viewing, singing catchy tunes with engaging lyrics that resonated with the young ones: Hot Potato, Fruit Salad, Rock-A-Bye Your Bear. Oh, and let’s not forget those spirited dance moves … swirling, gliding, undulating, zigzagging and swaying!
“For more than 30 years the Wiggles have been able to stick to their core values and celebrate by presenting a show built on goodwill, positive intent, and early education principles,” Field recalls.
“I have always had clear ideas about our priorities and process. The Wigs are there to make children happy, assist in their development and maybe put a smile on their parents’ faces. Occasionally we’d cop cynical comments about being a big business, or maybe we’d be the subject of a muckraking media ‘celebrity’ piece or two. Still, it was essentially water off the little ducks’ backs (quack, quack, quack, quack).
“… I believe the reason for our longevity and ongoing creative development has been the ability – the necessity – to ensure we realign or adjust to honour that doctrine … it’s been the guiding force for what we have done in the past and will do in the future.”
Over the years, The Wiggles have experienced incredible successes, unexpected failures and exciting reinventions. Field speaks honestly of his struggles with chronic pain and depression.
In a lively description of more than four decades on the road, he also discusses the glory and challenges of his unique fame, and the occasions when he came perilously close to personal and business disaster.
Greg Truman is Field’s cousin, who has not only witnessed his “creative, successful and regularly enthralling career”, but also worked with him as a singer and a writer. It hasn’t been plain sailing.
In the preface, Truman, a New York-based Australian writer, editor and story consultant, writes: “We all know a little about the booms in The Wiggles’ journey. But the near busts, both emotionally and from a business perspective, not so much.
“What has saved Anthony and the business more than once has been The Wiggles’ mission, which provides focus, purpose, and a path uncluttered by pure self-interest or the excesses of entertainment for entertainment’s sake.”
While there have been plenty of moments in the spotlight, The Wiggles’ longevity has been ensured by a commitment to education and child wellbeing, rather than by exploiting opportunities in the entertainment industry.
“… perhaps their most significant achievement is that they have maintained the concept and the quality of content despite personnel changes, the creep of age, health battles, and the potentially undermining influence of wealth and fame.”
Goals are achieved while maintaining a fierce creative and commercial independence. It’s a complex story, but one that’s nowhere near finished.
The group’s hugely successful following is best encapsulated by this quote from Nicole Arthur of The Washington Post, who said there were two types of people. “Those who have never heard of The Wiggles and those who know all the words to Fruit Salad. There’s a word for those in the latter group: parents.”
Out of the Blue: Everything this Wiggle journey has taught me, by Anthony Field with Greg Truman, Allen & Unwin, $34.99
