Wilbur Wilde has told Brian Mannix a very funny story about his small part in Mad Max on Brian’s new Podcast with Kevin Hiller ‘Life of Brian … Mannix That Is’.
Wilbur was a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons at that stage of his career. “George Miller, who directed Mad Max, came to see The Falcons play at Bananas one night around ’77, maybe the start of ’78,” Wilbur tells Brian and Kevin. “My girlfriend at the time and I were extras in ‘Mad Max’. We were the two young lovers naked in the field. They filmed it down near Point Cook, on that Melbourne Water land (the Board of Works it would have been back then). George found out from one of our mates Johnny Ley on the crew who said ‘Wilbur plays in Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons’. George said ‘we’re looking for a theme tune’ so he swanned into Bananas. George turned up in a linen suit and I think he had a cape. It was that late 70s Melbourne pub rock scene and Dr George Miller swans in to hear the band to get a couple of ideas for the soundtrack for Mad Max but it never happened”.
Wilbur’s starring role was at the start of the film. “Its in the first 59 seconds and there was an actor looking at us through the crosshairs of a rifle-scope,Stephen Millichamp, who sadly died before time. In the car was John Ley, the guy who got the saucepan through his throat. John Ley called up and said ‘we need a couple of extras for this movie’. We got a lift out to the location with John, stayed there all day and filmed our bit which was simulated. It was freezing cold. After we finished our bit we sat in Grant Page’s old Mercedes. I saw him last year when they had the 40th anniversary in Marysborough. Grant Page was the legendary stunt co-originator. I reminded him we sat in his Mercedes and got stoned. I reckon we got 50 bucks each for seven seconds. Some would argue it’s the best seven seconds in the movie”.
Wilbur has a lot of stories about meeting Ali, forming Ol 55, starting Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons with Joe Camilleri, partying with Nilsson and a whole lot more.
Check out Episode 1 of ‘Life of Brian … Mannix That Is’
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