Men at Work's Greg Ham 1953-2012 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Zoneboy · 04-19-2012, 08:25 AM

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Greg Ham, the man responsible for the flute rift in Men At Work's smash hit Down Under, has been found dead at his home.

The 58-year-old's body was discovered in his Melbourne property this morning. The cause of death is yet to be determined.

Musicians and commentators say the former band member was often the life and soul of the band, stomping around on stage as they reached the top of the charts in Australia and overseas.

Peter Karpin, who was involved in signing the band in the early 1980s, said Ham, who was found dead in his Melbourne home on Thursday, always attracted attention while on tour.

"He used to ham it up on stage a bit with his sax and the way he'd wander around and blow that on stage," he told Fairfax Radio.

Music historian and commentator Glenn A Baker said Ham's humour and quirky side was a perfect match with the arrival of MTV.

The band was able to utilise that quirkiness in its 80s music videos and through on-stage antics.

"If the band has a slightly zany reputation, then it had a lot do with him," Mr Baker told AAP.

"He was integral to the sound of Men at Work. He had a sort of elf or impish quality to him, bobbing around the stage with the flute."

Men at Work, founded by Colin Hay in 1978, was best known for its anthem Down Under.

The song became a No.1 hit, but Ham's Down Under flute riff attracted legal action in 2010 when a court found the riff plagiarised a children's song and ordered payment of royalties.

Despite the controversy, Rick Grossman, who toured the US and Japan playing bass with Men At Work in the late 90s, said Ham would be remembered as a multi-faceted musician.

"He was the guy who used to hop around all the time on stage - we used to hate that!" he said.

"I saw Colin a couple of months ago and he alluded to the fact that Greg had some health problems, but I didn't know to what extent," he told AAP.

"I think Colin will take this very hard."

Hay is currently on tour in the US and couldn't be reached for comment.

duckie · 04-19-2012, 10:33 AM

Thats sad news, i really liked Men At Work, they were a very popular band in the early to mid 80's, as they satuated the tv and radio with their music.

Marvo301 · 04-19-2012, 01:53 PM

Greg Ham

TheCars1986 · 04-19-2012, 02:02 PM

That sucks. Ham sang two of the most underrated Men At Work songs, "I Like To" and "Helpless Automaton".

AB · 04-19-2012, 06:52 PM

Rest in peace.

catlover79 · 04-20-2012, 12:24 AM

04-19-2012, 08:25 AM	#1
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,349	Men at Work's Greg Ham 1953-2012 Link Greg Ham, the man responsible for the flute rift in Men At Work's smash hit Down Under, has been found dead at his home. The 58-year-old's body was discovered in his Melbourne property this morning. The cause of death is yet to be determined. Musicians and commentators say the former band member was often the life and soul of the band, stomping around on stage as they reached the top of the charts in Australia and overseas. Peter Karpin, who was involved in signing the band in the early 1980s, said Ham, who was found dead in his Melbourne home on Thursday, always attracted attention while on tour. "He used to ham it up on stage a bit with his sax and the way he'd wander around and blow that on stage," he told Fairfax Radio. Music historian and commentator Glenn A Baker said Ham's humour and quirky side was a perfect match with the arrival of MTV. The band was able to utilise that quirkiness in its 80s music videos and through on-stage antics. "If the band has a slightly zany reputation, then it had a lot do with him," Mr Baker told AAP. "He was integral to the sound of Men at Work. He had a sort of elf or impish quality to him, bobbing around the stage with the flute." Men at Work, founded by Colin Hay in 1978, was best known for its anthem Down Under. The song became a No.1 hit, but Ham's Down Under flute riff attracted legal action in 2010 when a court found the riff plagiarised a children's song and ordered payment of royalties. Despite the controversy, Rick Grossman, who toured the US and Japan playing bass with Men At Work in the late 90s, said Ham would be remembered as a multi-faceted musician. "He was the guy who used to hop around all the time on stage - we used to hate that!" he said. "I saw Colin a couple of months ago and he alluded to the fact that Greg had some health problems, but I didn't know to what extent," he told AAP. "I think Colin will take this very hard." Hay is currently on tour in the US and couldn't be reached for comment.
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04-19-2012, 10:33 AM	#2
duckie Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 13, 2011 Location: south Posts: 1,784	Thats sad news, i really liked Men At Work, they were a very popular band in the early to mid 80's, as they satuated the tv and radio with their music.
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04-19-2012, 01:53 PM	#3
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,452	Greg Ham
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04-20-2012, 12:24 AM	#6
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,376
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04-19-2012, 02:02 PM	#4
TheCars1986 #VLSKMS Forum Fanatic Join Date: Nov 22, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 8,606	That sucks. Ham sang two of the most underrated Men At Work songs, "I Like To" and "Helpless Automaton".

04-19-2012, 06:52 PM	#5
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	Rest in peace.