Mark Opitz is one of Australia’s most influential record producers and audio engineers having helped craft the sounds of AC/DC, Australian Crawl, Divinyls, Cold Chisel and INXS during the 1980s and Paul Kelly and Hunter & Collectors during the 1990s. Born in Melbourne in 1952, Mark grew up in Brisbane before heading to Sydney to begin a career in audio at the ABC. In his role as producer and Head of A&R at Warner Records, Mark helped to steer the careers of artists as diverse as Cold Chisel, Richard Clapton, Swanee, and Billy Field. Mark is currently Visiting Fellow to the School of Music at the Australian National University in Canberra.

In this interview, Mark talks to Jane Gazzo about his early musical experiences including seeing The Beatles at Festival Hall in Brisbane at the age of 12. He recalls how his early training at the ABC, where he learnt the ropes working on everything from rock to orchestral music, and his apprenticeship as a producer at Alberts under the guidance of Harry Vanda and George Young, shaped him as a producer.

In the second part of the interview, Mark discusses his creative process as a producer and reflects on what music has meant to him and how profoundly it has affected his life. He also shares his memories of recording The Easybeats’ song, ‘Good Times’ with Jimmy Barnes and Michael Hutchence which became the signature song for the famous Australia Made concert tour and Mushroom 25th Anniversary Concert Of The Century.

Interviewer: Jane Gazzo
Location: Melbourne Room, Arts Centre Melbourne, 2017

For more Australian Music Vault stories and information visit https://www.australianmusicvault.com.au/

As part of our commitment to capturing and sharing great Australian music stories, the Australian Music Vault asked some of the country’s most influential trailblazers and unsung heroes to open up about their lives in music as part of our Long Play Series.