Transcript by Anne Marie
"...ALTHOUGH
THE NEW 'DIGGER' DIGS THEM"
(Rosalind Russell, Disc and Music Echo, May 29, 1971)
The Bee Gee brothers are expanding again after two years of being a family
business. Joining the ranks is drummer Geoff Bridgford a friend from the
outback – well, Melbourne – who has known them for five years.
Geoff certainly looks the part for the group, but we asked him how he felt about joining a band that was obviously a very ‘in’ affair and notorious for family feuds.
“I’m happy with their style of music – I think I’m meant to play like this. And the brothers are working well together and striving for the same thing.
“Maybe the other guys who were with them didn’t adapt to their style. Colin Petersen wanted to do films, and he said before he left Australia that he’d never play in another group. And Vince Melouney was a writer”.
Bridgford is a writer too, but won’t presume to offer any of his songs to the Bee Gees. He thinks their own are more suited to them.
He wouldn’t like to think he was chosen by the Bee Gees because of his looks, either, while admitting that he was chosen for an Australian group on that basis.
His first job was in an Australian band that had Colin Petersen in it. They were doing Bee Gee numbers, so it wasn’t very surprising that they all got to know each other. Geoff moved on to other groups and eventually joined the ‘pretty faces’ group, which was based on a kind of Monkees idea.
They were very successful and won a trip to Britain.
He renewed his friendship with Maurice Gibb and joined the ill-fated Tin Tin, who went well in the States but not here. Tin Tin stuck together for seven months before becoming a duo, without Geoff – who then did some session work for them and the Bee Gees before joining the Bee Gees officially only a few weeks ago.
Geoff was on the Bee Gees’ recent American tour, and decided that he fitted in. that more or less shelved his plans for becoming a full time songwriter.
“At last I’m in a group that’s going on one road. I like the security because I have a family to look after.”
All the criticism the Bee gees have had from press and public alike doesn’t worry Bridgford.
“Our tour of America was a success because there hadn’t been so much publicity about the break-up.
“But there’s no doubt that the Bee Gees would like to be accepted in Britain again. It would mean that they had been forgiven. Still, I think they’d like to feel a little more confident of a good reception before doing a British concert. If the new single is successful they may be tempted to try.”
One of the excuses given for no British appearances involves the problems of taking a 24 piece orchestra around. But the big problem is that of lost prestige.
“The Bee Gees were always respected until the break up. I think I
lost a little respect for them when they broke up. They trouble is that
they are brothers. They have hassles other groups don’t have”.
