MIDNIGHT OIL'S JIM MOGINIE 'FAME MADE ME FEEL EMPTY

The founding member of one of Australia's biggest rock bands lays it all bare in his new memoir

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After a slew of internationally successful albums, Midnight Oil were on top of the world in the late '80s. But for founding member Jim Moginie, it was time to take a break something he writes about in his memoir, The Silver River, which deals with his experience as part of the Australian rock band.

"[The success] was great in terms of being in a nice hotel and there's a big crowd and someone carries your amp for you," says the songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player.

"But for me, it just brought on this feeling of emptiness. I hadn't really dealt with things that had happened in my childhood. Then it became this quest to find my birth family."

The journey to global success had been gradual for Midnight Oil, with an early version of the band, then called Farm, forming in 1972. Frontman Peter Garrett was recruited the year after.