Reviewed by Norrie Sanders
Nicole Arthur of the Washington Post once wrote that there are 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” [p151]. For those of us who have reared preschoolers in the last 30 years, the Wiggles have loomed large, whether we like it or not.
This is the story of one of the Wiggles and his take on the Wiggles journey. And it has been an incredible trip. Like many of the household names of long-standing entertainers, it is easy to forget that they started from nothing and have had many peaks and troughs since. Reinvention and hard work has been the order of the day.
All of the Wiggles were steeped in music from an early age and rock and roll was their favourite genre. But the real key to their success is their tertiary education as early childhood educators. Anthony, Murray and Greg all went to Sydney Uni and, with long standing musical mate, Jeff, they developed a particular approach to entertaining young children that has created a phenomenal base of fans – even if their average age is four. The parents may not be quite as devoted, but they love to see their kids so engaged. And many teenagers admit to still being hooked.
A recent testament to their versatility and wide appeal is their cover version of Tame Impala’s psychedelic rock song “Elephant” that won Triple J’s hottest 100 in 2021. A rare, if not unique feat, for a children’s band! Worth a listen on your favourite streaming channel, if only to wait for the not-so-subtle injection of “Fruit Salad” into the lyric.
The longevity of the Wiggles, according to Anthony, stems from their fundamental mission – to entertain children. “If the Wiggles have made mistakes over 30 years, it hasn’t been anything to do with a bum note, a dud song, or a story that didn’t resonate. …It’s when we’ve allowed ourselves to ignore our mantra, to be sucked into the idea that popularity, not a collective approach to selfless, child-centred creativity, is the goal” [p141].
Anthony comes from a large and talented family, many of whom have applied their musical and organisational skills to the Wiggles’ ecosystem over the years. For a group running for so long – apparently without the help of mind-bending substances – it is no surprise that they have all had their share of mental and physical struggles. Anthony has long had to deal with depression and feelings of inadequacy and his success must surely be inspirational to many.
“Possibly one of the reasons I bang this drum of positivity so hard within the Wiggles and in my daily chore of coping with life is because depression, for me, is a soup of bitter cynicism and hopelessness, the opposite of what children need. Or what I can deal with” [p283].
This is an entertaining read, and Wiggles’ lovers will delight in the detailed chronology of their long and successful journey. For those who know less about the Wiggles, it is a remarkable story of how four ordinary (but talented) blokes created an empire that still delights children across the world.
Anthony Field is a musician who is best known as the Blue Wiggle in the Wiggles and a member of the 1980s and 1990s rock band the Cockroaches with his brothers, Paul and John, and another future Wiggle, Jeff Fatt. He plays many musical instruments including the guitar, drums, violin, didgeridoo, banjo, bagpipes, trumpet, and bass. Anthony, the only remaining original member, continues to perform, write and produce for the Wiggles, the most successful children’s musical group in the world and one of Australia’s greatest entertainment exports.
Greg Truman is a New York-based Australian writer, editor and story consultant. After a distinguished career in journalism in Australia and the United States, he operates a literary business in New York, working with authors and publishers on long-form projects, including memoirs, entertainment and business titles, and fiction manuscripts.
(October 2024)
by Anthony Field with Greg Truman
Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 978 1 76147 1 230
$34.99 (Paperback); 304pp