Colin Macpherson

Colin Macpherson
Colin Macpherson recording harmonica track for Synaptic Overflow in 2016
Born	(1948-05-14) 14 May 1948 (age 77) Melbourne, Australia
Nationality	Australia
Citizenship	Australian
Occupation	Musician Songwriter Record producer Author Academic Aid worker
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Maggy Macpherson (m. 1973)
Children	3
Musical career
Background information
Genres	Folk rock Alternative folk Contemporary folk Pop music
Instruments	Vocals Guitar Harmonica Bass guitar Mandolin Keyboard
Website	mopoke.com.au

Colin Robert Macpherson is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Born in 1948, he is also an author – his literary works include three novels, several non-fiction books, and a range of newspaper, magazine, and academic-journal articles. As of 2023, his published music included seven albums, four singles, and an EP. He has also worked as a physicist, farmer, boat-builder, teacher, research fellow, and aid worker.^[1] He has a number of tertiary degrees, including a PhD from Monash University in Melbourne Australia – his thesis focusing on the development of particular types of mathematical models. ^{[2] [3]}

Music[edit]

Macpherson's music has been characterized as alternative folk,^[4] but includes styles and genres that range from rap to country music, and folk-rock to instrumental. A number of his songs also have an Eastern feel to them as a result of a droning open-chord instrument that he sometimes uses.^[5] Although his songwriting began soon after picking up a guitar as an adolescent – in the early 1960s^[6] – his formal entry in the world of published music didn't occur until relatively late in his life – in 2013.

In that year his first album Out of Nowhere was released under his own eponymous, independent label ('Colin Macpherson').^[7] Since then, a number of other albums (and singles) have been released, including his 2023 EP entitled Really Quite Small.^[8] Although the lyrics of his songs focus on many aspects of the human condition, it is concern about the environment that is repeatedly reflected in much of his work.^[9]

Macpherson is a total 'loner' in terms of his compositions and recordings,^[10] carrying out all the arrangements, playing all the instruments, providing all the backing voices (as well as the lead voice), and performing all the production and recording tasks except for the final mastering stage.^[11] Furthermore, as an independent artist, he is also responsible for much of the public information about his work that, for a 'signed' artist, would normally be produced and distributed by a record company. In 2019, for example, the online surfing magazine, SurferToday published an article written by Macpherson where he describes how events in an early period of his life contributed to the writing of a particular song.^[12]

Discography^[13][edit]

• Out Of Nowhere (2013)
• 1916 Memorial (single) (2015)
• Signs Of Corrosion (2015)
• Close To Zero (2016)
• Synaptic Overflow (2018)
• Rare Life (2019)
• Wire Angel (2020)
• Brink of Goodbye (2022)
• No-fly Zone (single) (2022)
• Bring Him Home (Julian Assange) (single) (2022)
• Vladimir Putin... (single) (2022)
• Really Quite Small (EP) (2023)
• Ticking of the Tock (single) (2024)

Music Videos^[14][edit]

• '1916 Memorial' (April 2020)
• 'Thin Blue Line' (April 2020)
• 'What A Game To Play' (July 2020)
• 'The Bird I Heard' (August 2020)
• 'The Kingly Ladder' (September 2020)
• 'Some Consolation' (November 2020)

Literary works[edit]

Novels[edit]

The Tide Turners[edit]

First published in 1999, The Tide Turners^[15] is: "a story which easily could be true in a world where radical activists have tired of government opting out of saving the Earth; radicals who opt to save the planet their way, even if the human race suffers."^[16] The book received plaudits from both environmental- and literary-focused reviewers: "...highly recommended to anyone concerned with the ability of our planet to sustain an ever-growing human population",^[17] and "...I found The Tide Turners utterly compelling...Colin Macpherson's message is as relevant today as was that of Aldous Huxley when he wrote Brave New World nearly seventy years ago", ^[18] and "...a proficient page-turner with an intriguing -- and important -- message."^[19] These and other reviews validated Macpherson as a talented new novelist,^[20] with the research behind the story being credible enough for the book to be used in a course on 'dark information' at a leading US university.^[21]

The Holy Well[edit]

Published in 2007, The Holy Well^[22] tells the stories of two men – Bren, who lives in Bronze Age Scotland, and James, a 20th century university graduate from Australia. An ancient well in the Scottish Highlands becomes the focus of their lives in their separate times, and leads them to have glimpses of what might be a higher reality. As with Macpherson's first novel, this work received wide praise from a range of reviewers: "...a well-crafted, thoughtful novel..."^[23] and "The author does a wonderful job of guiding the reader between the time periods, interspersing tales of early man with modern-day flight and intrigue",^[24] and "Powerful, imaginative, action-packed and passionate ... Macpherson's portrayal of life in ancient Britain is vivid, sober, witty and spellbinding".^[25] Other reviews were equally positive.^[26]

The Boatbuilder's Nose[edit]

Published in 2009, The Boatbuilder's Nose^[27] tells the tale of Derek Saddler, an Australian boatbuilder who injures his head in a work-place fall. He awakens in hospital with a condition known as hyperosmia – an enhanced sense of smell. The story follows the repercussions of Derek's new ability and the issues that arise. Despite being a departure in style compared to Macpherson's previous two novels, this one was equally well received: "It is written in an easy, dare I say 'blokey' manner...simply a good story with down-to-earth characters...an enjoyable novel",^[28] and "The main character (Derek Saddler) is constantly distracted by his new talent and, besides hampering his social interactions, it brings out some primitive drives as well. In a word: intriguing."^[29] At least one reviewer suggested an additional format: "It's the combination of exploring new territory – relieved by tradesman's humour – that makes The Boatbuilder's Nose a candidate for filming."^[30]

Non-fiction[edit]

Books & Software[edit]

Prior to his first novel, Macpherson authored a number of commercial products that were mainly aimed at the primary- and secondary-education markets. These included The Great Disasters Database,^[31][32] a computer-software and teacher-manual package that, due to its success, was followed by a similarly bundled package, Goodbye Forever? :a database of threatened mammals.^[33][34]. (This was an early example of Macpherson's concern about the environment, a concern that revealed itself further in his first two novels and continues through his music). Some years later, after having been an aid worker in the South Pacific, he wrote a textbook entitled Plant protection in the Pacific Islands:a course for senior high school students,^[35][36] producing both a student and a teacher version.^[37][38]

Academic publications[edit]

Macpherson's academic publications have been extensive but a few are cited here:

• Bias alert! Watch those survey data^[39]
• Virtual reality: What is the state of play in education^[40]
• The DDCE Online Learning Project^[41]

Popular-press articles[edit]

A range of magazine and newspaper articles have been written by Macpherson – often in a whimsical-but-serious style; several are cited here:

• Wombats and other subterraneans^[42]
• Right thinkers hogging the road^[43]
• An affordable dream^[44]

Whilst and aid worker on the island nation of Western Samoa (now Samoa) between 1989 and 1991, Macpherson created Our World Too,^[45] a monthly magazine that was distributed to all secondary-school students in the country. Besides writing and editing articles for the magazine, he also drew many of its cartoons. During this time, other cartoons of his also became a regular feature in the country's national newspaper, the Samoa Observer.^[46]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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