Michael Lawrence
Michael Lawrence, an English/Music teacher by profession, first saw Cold Chisel play as an underage punter in 1979 and kept a close record of their achievements ever since. In the mid-1990s he started documenting his collection of recordings and reviews and Melbourne DJ Billy Pinnell put him in contact with the band’s manager Rod Willis. Willis was impressed and gave Michael unprecedented access to his business records, diaries, band members and dozens of associated employees, family, producers and record company. The first biography on Cold Chisel, written by Michael, Showtime, was released in 1998 and his passion for Chisel has continued, resulting in this book, the most extensive ever published on an Australian act. He is also the author of Midnight Oil: The Power and the Passion. Moving away from music, Michael's latest book Testing 3,2, 1 looks at the Australian education system and the issues that lie within.