Neighbours Angry Anderson now – 35 years since song for Scott and Charlenes wedding

They're called flashbulb memories. Those events in history where you can remember exactly what you were doing at the time they happened.

From the election of President Obama to the announcement of the Covid-19 pandemic and even Take That splitting up – all belong to a part of psychology where personal memories of significant events are somehow imprinted in our brains in a different way to everyday ones.

One such event, at least for soap fans old enough to remember it, is the late 1980s wedding of Neighbours favourites Scott and Charlene, played by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue.

It was the TV wedding of the year, possibly even the decade, which saw Charlene walked up the aisle to be given away by her brother Henry (Craig McLachlan) and then married to Scott in front of Ramsay Street residents including Paul (Stefan Dennis), Madge (Anne Charleston), Harold (Ian Bishop) and Mike (Guy Pearce).

With Neighbours' popularity mushrooming among UK TV viewers at the time, the much-anticipated nuptials were enjoyed by nearly 20 million of us in the UK, making it the third most-watched programme that year.

The whole iconic drama was accompanied by a song called Suddenly by singer Angry Anderson, chosen specifically by Kylie herself, as she said she loved the song and the lyrics meant something to her.

Reminiscent of a Phil Collins hit, it's a true 1980s power ballad, complete with a drum break and key change. The song was so popular, it reached number three in the Official UK Singles Chart. And it was even later parodied in Gavin and Stacey when Nessa and Dave were getting married.

But what became of Suddenly singer Angry Anderson himself? OK! takes a look…

Back to the beginning

Angry Anderson was born Gary Stephen Anderson on 5 August 1947 in Melbourne. He reportedly developed the nickname 'Angry Ant' as a child when he let his 'volatile nature get the better of him', yet his upbringing was horrific.

In a 1994 biography, Angry – Scarred For Life, author Karen Dewey said young Gary was "sexually, physically and mentally abused", with Angry telling Classic Rock magazine in 2018: "I was constantly belittled and beaten by my father, and also a victim of paedophilia by another family member. On top of being a little guy, it was a lot to deal with."

Standing at just 5'1" tall, Angry became a member of several bands, including Sydney's Rose Tattoo in 1976. In 1981, during a performance at the UK's Reading Festival, he repeatedly head-butted an amplifier until his scalp started bleeding. A year later he met the Lindy Michael, with the couple having a daughter together in 1983.

In 1985 he progressed from music to acting, with a role as Ironbar Bassey in the Mel Gibson movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Suddenly success

Angry had his biggest hit with Suddenly in 1987/88, taken from Rose Tattoo's debut album released years earlier, Beats from a Single Drum. He appeared on the Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops, and crooner Cliff Richard told Angry he personally loved the track.

However Rose Tattoo split up, and Angry went on to have a solo music career, alongside a venture into musical theatre where he played Herod during a 1992 revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar.

In 1993 he made a Member of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the community, particularly as a youth advocate" and Rose Tattoo reunited to support Guns N' Roses on the Australian leg of their latest tour, although they split again as the tour concluded. Sadly, all other band members have since died from cancer, leaving Angry as the sole survivor.

Reality star

At the turn of the millennium, Angry took part in a string of charity events, before going on to minor film roles and suggesting he would be a local elections candidate. By now, he and Lindy had welcomed three sons together, but the couple sadly split and divorced in 2002.

In 2012, he told a reporter from Australia's TV Week that Suddenly is the best song he has ever written, explaining it's "about a man coming to a point in his life when he says, 'I know who I am, and I don't mind revealing myself and being vulnerable.'" And in 2014 he became a judge on Australian TV show Bogan Hunters.

Family tragedy

Incredible tragedy struck when Angry's 26 year old youngest son, Liam Anderson, was beaten and kicked to death in a Sydney park in November 2018.

Twenty two year old Matthew Flame, who'd been partying with Liam and had taken 10 capsules of ecstacy, suffered an acute psychotic episode that led him to carry out his actions, saying he believed Liam was a demon, and wanted him dead.

Angry Anderson told the court he had been "condemned to a lifetime of sadness" by the brutal death of his son. Matthew Flame was later jailed for eight years for Liam's manslaughter.

Just a month ago, a new line-up of Rose Tattoo – fronted by Angry – hit the road again to celebrate the band's fourth album as it approaches its 40th anniversary. Meanwhile Angry has said he will vote 'no' in a referendum to establish a Voice to Parliament that would advise the Australian government on issues facing Indigenous Australians. Angry thinks the Voice will simply be an ineffective bureaucracy that does little to bring change.

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