WE were there and it's all true

An interesting tale about Molly Meldrum screwing up the atmosphere on a Sydney Harbour cruise for Elton John. We know it's true because Whispers was there. Not only did many people immediately ditch odd little packes of white powder overbiard as a police boat delivering Molly approached (not us- we lead a clean life) what this atory doesn't mention is that Molly slipped as he was trying to board the Elton cruise and plunged into Sydney's deadly harbour. Why didn't a shark take Molly? Good taste I guess. And yes the party that was in full swing become a tad sober after that as the guests were forced to rely on alcohol only. READ IT HERE: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/elton-john-confirms-wild-sydney-party-rumour-with-molly-meldrum/news-story/e9483d7d26ff5228d113c8da3c627fda

Death of music figure Eric Robinson

Elton John & Patti Mostyn

Eric Robinson (centre) with Michael Chugg & Glen Shorrock

Australia's show business community is in mourning today after the death of music figure Eric Robinson who passed away from cancer on Wednesday.
Beginning as a roadie for local bands, Robinson eventually rose through hard work to become Australia's foremost lighting and sound provider for the biggest entertainment acts. For a time he also excelled in the same business in the UK before returning to Australia. Along the way he married the countries most powerful music publicist Patti Mostyn who achieved fame after becoming the best pal of some of her superstar clients like Elton John. This year Eric received the Sue Nattrass Award at the  Helpmann Awards to honour his long standing commitment to the live performance industry.

Robinson and Patti retired to Port Douglas a few years ago where Eric died at age 67 from complications from cancer.  He leaves behind wife Patti and their daughter Tara and will be farewelled in a private funeral.

Peter Ikin Case Heats Up

A must see TV show  : Sunday Night on the Seven Network has a feature on the late Australian music identity Peter Ikin who friends like Elton John and Molly Meldrum believed was murdered.

Ikin died in 2008 after a fall down a flight of stairs in Paris and his partner, handsome Frenchman Alexandre Despallières who Ikin had married shortly before his death, had his body cremated and presented a falsified will to a London court. That will was eventually over-turned and Despallières was arrested by French police after rock entrepreneurs John Reid and Billy Gaff hired investigators and a French lawyer to probe the events surrounding Ikin's death.

Despallières is currently on bail and the Shuttle previously posted a link to a fascinating article in Bloomberg Businessweek by journalist Brad Stone who had previous dealings with the Frenchman.
Our Seven insider says to expect to hear some remarkable new revelations on the show about the investigation. You can see a preview here.

Molly, Elton and Robert Hughes

EVERYONE loves Molly Meldrum.

 A year ago the most bumbling but lovable TV interviewer fell from a ladder while trying to hitch some Christmas fairly lights to a tree near the backyard pool in his Melbourne house. Molly banged his head on one of the repro Sphinx heads that adorn his Egyptian themed house and for a few months we all feared we may lose him.
In hospital doctors worried he may have suffered serious brain damage.

At times nurses had to lead Molly back to his bed when he was convinced the hospital hallways were a red carpet premier of a new film or rock event. Once they  nabbed him a nearby coffee shop where he had fled convinced he was being held prisoner and had begged the shop owner to call him a taxi. At times he looked perplexed when handed his trademark cowboy hat.

But Molly is back in form and the man who famously ummed and ahhed  his way through an interview with a bemused Prince Charles in 1979 (see below) has returned with a triumphant interview with his old pal Elton John who has slammed Madonna as as "like a fucking fairground stripper, a nightmare " and that "Her tour's been a disaster. And it couldn't happen to a bigger cunt"
 Several media outlets have proclaimed that Elton's outburst was meant to be off-camera and not part of the interview.
Oh yeah?. Our spy in the Molly camp says Elton said after his Madonna attack "and make sure you print that Molly."
                                                      


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Hughes with Danton

Art Critic Robert Hughes who passed away today at the age of 74 never fully recovered physically from a 1999 car accident in the Northern Territory


But it was the death of his son Danton Hughes in 2002 that really rocked Robert and and knocked the wind out of his sails.
Hughes confided to friends that he felt a total failure as a father after  Danton, who had been living with designer Jenny Kee, committed suicide in Kee's garage while she was visiting friends in Byron Bay.

 Although Hughes and Kee never spoke to each other while Danton was living with Jenny, they had one meeting after Danton's death and settled their differences.
Hughes would also say that if he had never met and married American artist Doris Downes that he believes he may well have joined Danton in suicide.