April 2012 I think. He was found dead. He was said to be devastated after being accused of plagiarism with the Down Under flute riff sounding like Kookaburra Sits in The Old Gum Tree. Think he had been taking hard drugs and suffering with depression from what I heard. RIP Greg x
I loved this band for so many years. Played their albums constantly. Even just got my wife hooked on them recently. The other day I drove her car and Down Under was on loop lol Timeless ! :)
Hi. :) I was 7 when they came out. It was at a time where every month some new band would come out with a good album. The radio was the most interesting place to be. I thought Men At Work had been around for a long time before they did their first album. The idea that they had only been around for 2 (TWO!!!) years before hitting the absolute top is astounding. What it says though is that Colin Hay is a musical genius of a song writer. He had a bunch of songs that he had written in his life. He met Ron Strykert (himself a very uniquely voiced musician) and they did the acoustic open mic thing while looking for other musicians to make a proper band with. Upon meeting the rest, they began to get their set together and TIGHT. (This means playing it to the precision of a second hand on a clock). They were so good and lucky that they were put into a place to be able to record an album with a producer with an ear for hits. The album was magically good and they absolutely blew up. An incredibly rare and brilliant feat to be certain. The whirlwind of attention, success, and EXTREMELY BUSY schedules to follow meant that after Cargo was recorded, it was time to write the THIRD ALBUM. The THIRD ALBUM is usually when a band needs to write new material. When you run out of your first batch of songs (written in your life when you have time to live, experience, grow, and nurture them) and are under the most immense pressure imaginable to follow up and keep the machine going, it takes the strongest of wills, the greatest of focus, and tightest of bonds to keep things together. These guys had only collectively known each other for 5 years. 3 of those years had been spent on roller coaster of life. Constant adulation, pressing demands on personal time, drugs, ego, immaturity, and differing personalities that had not had the time to adjust to normal human growth got in the way of the machine that had been created and they broke up. Hay, Strykert, and Ham tried to finish their 3rd album with studio musicians but all it takes is a few seconds to hear that Jerry Speiser was not on the drums and it *felt* different. The magic was gone. Colin Hay remains an incredibly authentic and sincere songwriting genius. He continued with an acoustic solo career that I did not find out about until I was working at a music store in 2005. Check out one of his albums "Going Somewhere". I bet you will like it. I bet you will *feel* it. :D
Best.Band.Ever.I wish they could have stayed together longer and put out a bunch more great albums...but I still treasure the ones they did make,and I have all of them!
The interviews of the band members in this video are from 1995. This episode was later updated with new information about the band though in early 2000s, but the actual interviews with the members are from 1995.
Was a HUGE fan of MAW back in the 80's, later also was a huge fan of "Scrubs" and enjoyed having Colin Hayes in a memorable episode- which prompted me to buy the cd "Man at Work," Colin's more recent work!
There was a time , my son, when squadrons of musicians roamed the Gold Coast taking no prisoners, and Aussie Rock ruled the world. Well. my world, anyway!
Ac/Dc is amazing, but you guys put out a lot of really good bands. Buffalo and Billy Thorpe who no one remembers and later less hard groups like Men. Canada has a similar reality. We had men without hats one hit wonder Safety Dance and a lot of quality rock that no one knows about. Tragically Hip, 54-40, Tea Party and the zanny Barenaked Ladies. Also BTO and Guess Who from the 70's and of course Rush-the Canadian AcDc (the band that made it huge)
Ik John personally he actually teaches me drums Here are some facts I learnt from him Cherry rupee have turnips He is missing an eye from a miss fired bow And he loves Turkish delights
The early 80's was an awesome time for pop music. I remember being in 5th grade and my sister was a few years older. We would listen to the top 40 countdown. The songs were really dynamic and could fit any mood you had. There is a some good pop music these days but I just don't think it's as inspiring(IMO).
@6:19 Quiite interesting because Eric Burdon, the singer of Animals, best known for their hit "House of the rising Sun"", said exactly the same: Reporter: "So what is your advice to young musicians?" Eric: "Don't start with a big hit. " I thought it was a joke, but apparently it wasn't!
So basically if you have some claim to any of the publishing royalties you could relax, enjoy your home studio and not worry to much even if the band were never heard from again. If you didn't, then you had to get a new day job.
son una de mis bandas favoritas y me pone tan triste que hayan durado tan poco tiempo,como me encantaría que tuvieran decenas de discos y poder ir a verlos en vivo :,(
hanamichi sakuragi Digo lo mismo,tengo 12 años y me gustaría haber nacido antes,se que estaría vieja pero me encantaría haber tenido una infancia y adolescencia grandiosa con esta música.. 😔
If only that band could have known that the light at the end of the tunnel was actually a freight train , maybe they could have stepped off the track and let it go by and then continued on their journey .
So fked up what happened to Greg, is just another reason I hate humans. You can tell they regretted breaking up. The story is that initially Colin and the drummer had issues and the manager was Colin's buddy and made him fire him and told the bass player to go too because they were buddies. Then the guitarist quit while they were recording the 3rd album because he said Colin's ego was out of control and he said the spark was missing without the original drummer and bass player. Then Greg quit on the tour for the 3rd album, so it was pretty obvious that Colin pushed everybody away. Just wish they could've worked things out but like the guy said many bands were destroyed by quick rises to fame that they just couldn't handle for one reason or another. Men at Work got super HUGE basically overnight, so I'm sure that was a lot to deal with for the most solid and grounded person.
Interesting that Colin integrates the "Kookaburra" song into "Down Under" at the end of this clip. In fact he regularly sang the "Kookaburra" lines as part of live solo performances of "Down Under" since at least the mid-90s. Probably didn't help his case in court.
they should have been able to quietly settle that whole thing. I am just learning about that whole mess now since I am learning the song (and live in the USA where the lawsuit did not get much news). it is very obvious that they had borrowed a few notes from kookaburra - in the original video, the flute player is sitting in a gum tree while playing the riff (I mean, come on!!!). An even sadder fact is that the band imploded after just a few years and 2 super albums.
Actually it was a mangrove tree.Regardless of whether the "borrowing"was intentional or not,the whole court case was just ridiculous and driven by greed.Poor Greg took it very hard and it is ,y belief that he died of a broken heart.Literally and figuratively.
I'm actually from Missoula Montana and I remember when I watched this biography when it was new and being surprised that Ron Strykert the guitarist had moved to Montana in 2000. I actually heard from some girl that I briefly spoke to at a gas station I used to work at that Ron got kicked out of Hamilton Montana which is just on the outskirts of Missoula for supposedly trying to drink rain water from a large outdoor umbrella where some people were seated and trying to eat. I guess he must have been bothering them. Another interesting fact: Ron Strykert and comedian Denis Leary were both born on August 18 1957! Denis Leary was born in Ireland and Ron Strykert was born in Australia. ~Dutch
***** Oh. I didn't realize that. I guess sometimes people have this thing about making up stories. As a born native of Missoula Montana, I've come to realize there are lots of people who are dishonest around here. I know because I've been lied to and taken advantage of by many of the Missoula residents. Have Colin Hay and Ron Strykert resolved their differences since then? ~Dutch
***** I would love to read your Article. I am a huge fan. Its a shame what has happen to these guys and then to loose Greg in the midst of the bull that went down over the song Down Under. Just hard to believe hes gone. I used to chat with Greg a lot.
Band Down Under Tribute To Men At Work Yeah, it was so sad. Greg was wonderful. The whole band incredible. Very underrated and incredible set of musicians. At least we got two legendary albums out of them and a decent third effort with "Two Hearts" (but sorely missing Jerry and John). So much potential with that band and they were legendary in my eyes. The music stands the test of time!!!
This was before the lawsuit, Colin singing kookaburra sits in the old gum tree merry merry king of the Bush was he! I wonder if this clip came up in court, its pretty damning!!!😁🖖
I came back here to check if this wasn’t a dream or not, such odd and interesting career paths they all chose, business physics sure sounds interesting.
q.dificiles reunitlos es el orgullo y el resentimiento enetre ellos de les olvidaron sus sueños cuando se juntan expmota el odio y tesentimiento yflorece el amor y amistad animoo gupos. son como familia
And the Blind Melon song from the early 90s during the Jerry Speiser clip. Guessing VH1 paid for the rights to use particular songs x number of times and would use those songs whether they were appropriate or not. Still weird.
+Larry Dockery Greg Ham died in 2012 - the flautist etc - Colin Hay still tour regularly, he just finished a UK tour with Barenaked Ladies, and he's going on a US tour really soon!
There was a big story about it as both he and Colin Hay (singer) dad died in 2010 when there was the lawsuit over Land Down Under (a company said they copied an old Australian song) and the extra stress were a factor in the deaths, Greg Ham played the flute part that they were suing over :( - Colin Hay lost the law suit and spent $4.5 million in legal fees, and the whole fight and the deaths were over $100,000 :(
***** wow man I didn't know that u sure really got alot of information thanks I really like this group I was hoping they would get back together I think 1 of the members has passed away if I'm correct
the promise man Colin has been making great albums since the break up of Men at Work, tours all the time and has a good following. He fills up small venues and grows his audience each year. The guy is still amazing in concert, one the best I've ever seen.
The drummer is really good. ! Saw them live in 1982 and they were amazing
i'm 18 and 80s music is my thing
Defalized I’m 10 and 80s music is my thing lol
I'm 4 and I don't give a fuck..
I love the backing vocals in "Who can it be now", those "aaaah aaaah aaaah"
*VH1, when music was all what mattered most*
Awesome. One of the great bands from the 80's. Hail Men At Work.
amen
I knew the drummer became a physics teacher, but didn't know Greg Ham died. That's awful news. RIP, you will be remembered dearly.
April 2012 I think. He was found dead. He was said to be devastated after being accused of plagiarism with the Down Under flute riff sounding like Kookaburra Sits in The Old Gum Tree. Think he had been taking hard drugs and suffering with depression from what I heard. RIP Greg x
They were a great band.shame they finished too soon. Fondly remembered 😊
I loved this band for so many years. Played their albums constantly. Even just got my wife hooked on them recently. The other day I drove her car and Down Under was on loop lol Timeless ! :)
i have been listening to them since 11, such an amazing band ...at least i can listen their songs , they really were talented
Hi. :) I was 7 when they came out. It was at a time where every month some new band would come out with a good album. The radio was the most interesting place to be. I thought Men At Work had been around for a long time before they did their first album. The idea that they had only been around for 2 (TWO!!!) years before hitting the absolute top is astounding. What it says though is that Colin Hay is a musical genius of a song writer. He had a bunch of songs that he had written in his life. He met Ron Strykert (himself a very uniquely voiced musician) and they did the acoustic open mic thing while looking for other musicians to make a proper band with. Upon meeting the rest, they began to get their set together and TIGHT. (This means playing it to the precision of a second hand on a clock). They were so good and lucky that they were put into a place to be able to record an album with a producer with an ear for hits. The album was magically good and they absolutely blew up. An incredibly rare and brilliant feat to be certain.
The whirlwind of attention, success, and EXTREMELY BUSY schedules to follow meant that after Cargo was recorded, it was time to write the THIRD ALBUM. The THIRD ALBUM is usually when a band needs to write new material. When you run out of your first batch of songs (written in your life when you have time to live, experience, grow, and nurture them) and are under the most immense pressure imaginable to follow up and keep the machine going, it takes the strongest of wills, the greatest of focus, and tightest of bonds to keep things together. These guys had only collectively known each other for 5 years. 3 of those years had been spent on roller coaster of life. Constant adulation, pressing demands on personal time, drugs, ego, immaturity, and differing personalities that had not had the time to adjust to normal human growth got in the way of the machine that had been created and they broke up. Hay, Strykert, and Ham tried to finish their 3rd album with studio musicians but all it takes is a few seconds to hear that Jerry Speiser was not on the drums and it *felt* different. The magic was gone.
Colin Hay remains an incredibly authentic and sincere songwriting genius. He continued with an acoustic solo career that I did not find out about until I was working at a music store in 2005. Check out one of his albums "Going Somewhere". I bet you will like it. I bet you will *feel* it. :D
@@leftyzappa231 Yes, I do like it. Colin Hay is one of the best musicians ever.
80s was a magic decade on music Industry
this is one of my all time favorite groups
I love the early eighties!!!
Nostalgia 😔
Best.Band.Ever.I wish they could have stayed together longer and put out a bunch more great albums...but I still treasure the ones they did make,and I have all of them!
im so glad to have grown up in the 80s
Speiser was IT in my book, I played to his work for hours on end. Don't quit bro!
The interviews of the band members in this video are from 1995. This episode was later updated with new information about the band though in early 2000s, but the actual interviews with the members are from 1995.
After more than 40 years, I still enjoy listening to "Business as Usual".
Was a HUGE fan of MAW back in the 80's, later also was a huge fan of "Scrubs" and enjoyed having Colin Hayes in a memorable episode- which prompted me to buy the cd "Man at Work," Colin's more recent work!
Linda Bealer Huge MAW fan??? just three letters shouldn't be difficult.
Hay
This is one band, that should've stayed together. Loved their music, and still do to this day!!
I had the Cargo album on cassette. Played it so much it warped.
Business as Usual was so great that they needed a album equal or greater. Still love them, though.
Cargo was a pretty solid follow up in my opinion , had allot of good songs . Not as good as the first one but solid
These guys are music geniuses , wtf!
There was a time , my son, when squadrons of musicians roamed the Gold Coast taking no prisoners, and Aussie Rock ruled the world. Well. my world, anyway!
You're right. For a period of time, everything coming out of Australia was a sure thing. Good times.
Ac/Dc is amazing, but you guys put out a lot of really good bands. Buffalo and Billy Thorpe who no one remembers and later less hard groups like Men. Canada has a similar reality. We had men without hats one hit wonder Safety Dance and a lot of quality rock that no one knows about. Tragically Hip, 54-40, Tea Party and the zanny Barenaked Ladies. Also BTO and Guess Who from the 70's and of course Rush-the Canadian AcDc (the band that made it huge)
R I p Greg ham
Y‘know jerry (the drummer) is actually related to me. I think it links back somehow to my great grandma who had quite a few kids.
I finally got the reference at the end. Brilliant.
I love where are they now and the 80's.
Amazing man true legend never forgotten ❤️
man at work great group true music 🎶🎶🎶 miss you guys 🤣❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jerry Speiser was a skilled drummer. I think of him as a real musician and not some animal pounding away at the drums.
no doubt about it!
This.I am a drummer and like his drumming, for example the fills on "high wire"
@@longde His fills were always sick, right up there with Pert & Copeland.
Joe Flink
He’s good, but not on the same level as Copeland and Peart
@@DrMackSplackem ha Neil Peart , is the best
Ik John personally he actually teaches me drums
Here are some facts I learnt from him
Cherry rupee have turnips
He is missing an eye from a miss fired bow
And he loves Turkish delights
Does he always wear those sunglasses due to his missing eye?
His drums were always so well tuned and musical
The early 80's was an awesome time for pop music. I remember being in 5th grade and my sister was a few years older. We would listen to the top 40 countdown. The songs were really dynamic and could fit any mood you had. There is a some good pop music these days but I just don't think it's as inspiring(IMO).
vista7 yes so true
Totaly agree.
@6:19 Quiite interesting because Eric Burdon, the singer of Animals, best known for their hit "House of the rising Sun"", said exactly the same:
Reporter: "So what is your advice to young musicians?"
Eric: "Don't start with a big hit. "
I thought it was a joke, but apparently it wasn't!
Rip Greg Ham
Could be a sacrificed death.
www.billboard.com/articles/news/492365/greg-ham-no-foul-play-in-death-of-men-at-work-instrumentalist
So basically if you have some claim to any of the publishing royalties you could relax, enjoy your home studio and not worry to much even if the band were never heard from again. If you didn't, then you had to get a new day job.
Melhor banda.. ouço quase todos os dias...
son una de mis bandas favoritas y me pone tan triste que hayan durado tan poco tiempo,como me encantaría que tuvieran decenas de discos y poder ir a verlos en vivo :,(
hanamichi sakuragi Digo lo mismo,tengo 12 años y me gustaría haber nacido antes,se que estaría vieja pero me encantaría haber tenido una infancia y adolescencia grandiosa con esta música.. 😔
They were a great band. Met them in Australia in 1982.
I dont know how or why I can See it In Your Eyes off BaU wasnt released as a single. Its the best song on the album.
RIP Greg Ham
Overkill….still one of my favs…..just brilliant…..
The real down under national music
Always be so very special 💓
Rip Greg hamm :( that lawsuit was unfair. You were pure talent and never have I thought you were a plagiarist
Sweet reel to reel
If only that band could have known that the light at the end of the tunnel was actually a freight train , maybe they could have stepped off the track and let it go by and then continued on their journey .
80's were the best!
After watching this I can see that Colin Hay must have been the creative force behind Men at Work
Adoro esta banda. 🇧🇷
Colin one amazing artist!
So fked up what happened to Greg, is just another reason I hate humans. You can tell they regretted breaking up. The story is that initially Colin and the drummer had issues and the manager was Colin's buddy and made him fire him and told the bass player to go too because they were buddies. Then the guitarist quit while they were recording the 3rd album because he said Colin's ego was out of control and he said the spark was missing without the original drummer and bass player. Then Greg quit on the tour for the 3rd album, so it was pretty obvious that Colin pushed everybody away. Just wish they could've worked things out but like the guy said many bands were destroyed by quick rises to fame that they just couldn't handle for one reason or another. Men at Work got super HUGE basically overnight, so I'm sure that was a lot to deal with for the most solid and grounded person.
COLIN HAY...THE VOICE❤
Interesting that Colin integrates the "Kookaburra" song into "Down Under" at the end of this clip. In fact he regularly sang the "Kookaburra" lines as part of live solo performances of "Down Under" since at least the mid-90s. Probably didn't help his case in court.
they should have been able to quietly settle that whole thing. I am just learning about that whole mess now since I am learning the song (and live in the USA where the lawsuit did not get much news). it is very obvious that they had borrowed a few notes from kookaburra - in the original video, the flute player is sitting in a gum tree while playing the riff (I mean, come on!!!). An even sadder fact is that the band imploded after just a few years and 2 super albums.
Actually it was a mangrove tree.Regardless of whether the "borrowing"was intentional or not,the whole court case was just ridiculous and driven by greed.Poor Greg took it very hard and it is ,y belief that he died of a broken heart.Literally and figuratively.
Was a quote from before the days of samples. Should have owned it and paid the lady
Massa muito massa mim encontro aqui com o melhores sucesso
I'm actually from Missoula Montana and I remember when I watched this biography when it was new and being surprised that Ron Strykert the guitarist had moved to Montana in 2000. I actually heard from some girl that I briefly spoke to at a gas station I used to work at that Ron got kicked out of Hamilton Montana which is just on the outskirts of Missoula for supposedly trying to drink rain water from a large outdoor umbrella where some people were seated and trying to eat. I guess he must have been bothering them.
Another interesting fact: Ron Strykert and comedian Denis Leary were both born on August 18 1957! Denis Leary was born in Ireland and Ron Strykert was born in Australia.
~Dutch
***** Oh. I didn't realize that. I guess sometimes people have this thing about making up stories. As a born native of Missoula Montana, I've come to realize there are lots of people who are dishonest around here. I know because I've been lied to and taken advantage of by many of the Missoula residents.
Have Colin Hay and Ron Strykert resolved their differences since then?
~Dutch
*****
I would love to read your Article. I am a huge fan. Its a shame what has happen to these guys and then to loose Greg in the midst of the bull that went down over the song Down Under. Just hard to believe hes gone. I used to chat with Greg a lot.
Band Down Under Tribute To Men At Work
Yeah, it was so sad. Greg was wonderful. The whole band incredible. Very underrated and incredible set of musicians. At least we got two legendary albums out of them and a decent third effort with "Two Hearts" (but sorely missing Jerry and John). So much potential with that band and they were legendary in my eyes. The music stands the test of time!!!
WRONG Ron never did that, ask Colin. Don't believe everything you read in the press.
Well too bad he moved, I was going to take a drive to Hamilton and see if I could spot him. Lol
Rest in Peace GREG HAM, such a Talented Kat
This was before the lawsuit, Colin singing kookaburra sits in the old gum tree merry merry king of the Bush was he!
I wonder if this clip came up in court, its pretty damning!!!😁🖖
Talented people. May Greg be at peace.
I came back here to check if this wasn’t a dream or not, such odd and interesting career paths they all chose, business physics sure sounds interesting.
Colin is awesome, and love the sax Ham.
q.dificiles reunitlos es el orgullo y el resentimiento enetre ellos de les olvidaron sus sueños cuando se juntan expmota el odio y tesentimiento yflorece el amor y amistad animoo gupos. son como familia
Garry Numan's cars wasn't made in the 80s
It was made in 1979
love colins house and the stain glass window behind him as he sings down under
Greg what a showman
85!!??! Wow…..
Insane how much greg aged from 1995 to 1998 (5:31 and 6:50)
Heroin addiction will do that to you 😞
, Colin Hay seems to be a fairly regular member of Ringos all stars
I'm not sure why they are playing a Duran Duran song in the background when talking to Ron Strykert, seems weird? lol
And Cranberries.
I thought it was weird too
And the Blind Melon song from the early 90s during the Jerry Speiser clip. Guessing VH1 paid for the rights to use particular songs x number of times and would use those songs whether they were appropriate or not. Still weird.
Vh1 does that or used to do that.
Colin sounds exactly like Jack Bruce.
Gee Blanco I know it sounds like Dave Wakeling from the English Beat and public General Public
John rees reminds me of a ringo Starr Robin gibb imposter
GUYS GET HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES GET BACK TOGETHER HAVE FUN LIFE IS TO SHORT BRING BACK THE OLD DAYS DAM IT MAN
+Larry Dockery Greg Ham died in 2012 - the flautist etc - Colin Hay still tour regularly, he just finished a UK tour with Barenaked Ladies, and he's going on a US tour really soon!
+CKPix dam I did know he died very sad man I loved men at work I will try to see them in the us tour
There was a big story about it as both he and Colin Hay (singer) dad died in 2010 when there was the lawsuit over Land Down Under (a company said they copied an old Australian song) and the extra stress were a factor in the deaths, Greg Ham played the flute part that they were suing over :( - Colin Hay lost the law suit and spent $4.5 million in legal fees, and the whole fight and the deaths were over $100,000 :(
+CKPix that is sad I would to see the other band mates
+CKPix
Great band such a shame
Does anyone know the name of the song that plays at 3:48 ?
Kiss of death lol
Is original members of the band of men at work going to get back together😅
💜💜💜
Damn he just admitted at the very end that they knew that flute part is a copy of kookaburra song 😳 still think the lawsuit was just greedy
Why Wouldn't Men At Work Reunite?
Why is Duran Duran music played during this clip ?
"over-kill"
name of song pls 3:48
th-cam.com/video/3qVPNONdF58/w-d-xo.html
0:05 song?
Gary Numan - Cars
All those millions of dollars and Colin never fixed his lazy eye.
He couldn't decide which one was the lazy eye
is colin hay scottish
yes
discoball2011
he is actually Welsh hailing from the little shipping community of BOX
great band
Aye
Where are they now? Lol
vh1 just went all to the dogs and still is a dog lousy job as usual great band great songs
No longer working.
I didn't know he is Scottish lol
I bet these guys still living off there royalties they ain't worried about money cause money don't matter
***** wow man I didn't know that u sure really got alot of information thanks I really like this group I was hoping they would get back together I think 1 of the members has passed away if I'm correct
***** Thanks for the background info!
the promise man
Colin has been making great albums since the break up of Men at Work, tours all the time and has a good following. He fills up small venues and grows his audience each year. The guy is still amazing in concert, one the best I've ever seen.
@Babyhowdy233 Peruvian
Holy lazy eye
Lemme just leave the white side of TH-cam
fkn crap
Rip Greg Ham