Gary ‘Angry’ Anderson AM (b. 1947) is an Australian rock singer and television presenter. In 1976, Anderson joined the band Rose Tattoo, who gained a solid following on the pub circuit before releasing their first album in late 1978. Incorporating the hit single ‘Bad Boy for Love’, Rose Tattoo remains one of the classic Australian rock albums. It reached number one on the UK heavy metal charts, as did its followup, Assault and Battery. The Tatts were a major influence on American heavy-metal band Guns N’ Roses, who insisted that the band re-form in 1993 to support them on their Sydney and Melbourne gigs; Angry and Guns N’ Roses frontman Slash appeared together again in Australia in 2010. Rose Tattoo disbanded in 1987; that year, Anderson’s solo hit ‘Suddenly’ was used as the backing track for Charlene’s and Scott’s wedding on Neighbours. Having already appeared in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Anderson took on further dramatic roles, notably that of Herod in the arena spectacular Jesus Christ Superstar (1992). Since the 1980s, he has been an outspoken social commentator, appearing regularly on A Current Affair, for example. The one-time face of Australian prostate cancer research, in the leadup to the Federal election in 2016 he sought a Senate seat, saying ‘We have strict quarantine laws and it should be the same when it comes to cultures that do not want to integrate . . . If you come here, you should behave yourself – it’s as simple as that.’
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
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© Sally Robinson
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