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Martin Plaza

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Martin Plaza
Plaza performing in 2013
Plaza performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameMartin Edward Murphy
Also known asMartin DeJesus Plaza
Born (1955-12-23) 23 December 1955 (age 68)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresNew wave, rock
Years active1982–present
LabelsRegular
WEA
CBS Records
RCA Records
Liberation
Warner Music
WebsiteOfficial website

Martin Edward Murphy (born 23 December 1955),[1] commonly known by the pseudonym Martin Plaza, is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and visual artist who is a founding member and vocalist and guitarist of the new wave band Mental As Anything. He has also worked with other bands and is an accomplished artist.[2] Plaza also has a solo music career and had a No. 2 hit in Australia with his 1986 cover of the song "Concrete and Clay".[2][3]

Education and early career

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Plaza was born Martin Edward Murphy on the North Shore of Sydney. He attended St. Pius X College in Chatswood, excelling in sporting and artistic pursuits but showing little interest in other subjects. After attending Hornsby Technical College he switched with fellow student Steve Coburn to the East Sydney Technical College in Darlinghurst in the mid-1970s where he met Chris O'Doherty. Around this time he was working part-time at KFC. With O'Doherty (later known as Reg Mombassa), Coburn and another student, David Twohill, he formed the pop/rock band Mental As Anything in May 1976.[2] Mental As Anything went on to become one of Australia's most popular bands touring widely in Australia and overseas.[4][5]

Mental As Anything

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Main article: Mental As Anything

Art career

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All early members of Mental As Anything are also artists in addition to being musicians and have exhibited their artworks since 1982.[2] Whilst not being as acclaimed as bandmates Reg Mombassa or Peter O'Doherty, Plaza has become prolific in recent years. He has held numerous solo exhibitions working with a variety of media and has entered the Archibald Prize, notably with a self-portrait and a portrait of Mombassa. In the mid-1990s his artwork appeared on his own line of Dodgy brand clothing as well as his designs appearing on Mambo clothing. Many of Plaza's artworks are Hawaiian in style.

Pseudonym

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In the early days of Mental As Anything, band members would often invent pseudonyms for each other that combined an exotic last name with a common Australian first name. Martin Plaza was one of the products of that amusement whilst obviously being inspired by the famous Sydney pedestrian mall Martin Place. He has in the past jokingly stated that his full name is Martin DeJesus Plaza.

Solo and side projects

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In 1986, Plaza performed with the Rock Party, a charity project initiated by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NCADA) composed of many Australian and New Zealand artists including members of Crowded House, GANGgajang, Models, and Mental As Anything.[6] The Rock Party released a 12" single "Everything to Live For", which was produced by Joe Wissert, Phil Rigger and Phil Beazley.[6]

In 1986, Plaza had a No. 2 hit in Australia with a cover of the 1960s Unit 4+2 song "Concrete and Clay",[2] and the subsequent solo album Plaza Suite also charted.[2] Further singles were not as successful. In 1991 another planned solo album morphed into a collaboration with former Models member, James Freud. Entitled Beatfish,[7] it became one of the first Australian Dance or House albums.[8] Another surprising turn was his 1994 album Andy's Chest.[9] Composed almost entirely of Lou Reed covers,[2] it divided critics at the time. Another collaboration with Freud in 1996 produced the Hawaiian-inspired Moondog project; however, Plaza only appears on some tracks.

Discography

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With Mental As Anything

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Main article: Mental As Anything discography

With the Rock Party

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Title Year Peak chart
positions 		Album
AUS
"Everything to Live For" 1986 - Non-album single

With Beatfish

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Main article: Beatfish

With Moondog

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Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
Postcard to Hawaii
  • Released: 1996
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Camouflage
 -

Solo work

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Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak chart
positions
AUS
[10]
Plaza Suite
  • Released: March 1986
  • Format: LP, Cassette
  • Label: CBS
 12
Andy's Chest
  • Released: May 1994
  • Format: CD, cassette
  • Label: RCA
 58

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart
positions 		Album
AUS
[10]
"Concrete and Clay" 1986 2 Plaza Suite
"Best Foot Forward" 51
"Use Me All Over" —
"Labour of Love" 1990 78 Non-album single
"Satellite of Love" 1994 — Andy's Chest
"Women" —

Soundtracks

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Awards

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Australian Songwriter's Hall of Fame

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The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to honour the lifetime achievements of some of Australia's greatest songwriters.[11]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019 Andrew "Greedy" Smith and Martin Plaza (Mental As Anything) Australian Songwriter's Hall of Fame Inducted

References

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  1. ^ ""Don't Tell Me Now" search result". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Mental As Anything'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  4. ^ Sutherland, Johanna (7 March 1984). "Mentals not fazed by tour of US". Canberra Times. p. 24. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Mental As Anything – back in town". Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999). 10 July 1994. p. 8. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b Holmgren, Magnus; Warnqvist, Stefan. "The Rock Party". Passagen.se. Australian Rock Database (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Live it up with Mental as Anything". Times (Victor Harbor, SA : 1987 - 1999). 18 December 1992. p. 38. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  8. ^ "A big night for fans of that rap and dance stuff". Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). 19 September 1991. p. 16. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  9. ^ Mapstone, Naomi (30 May 1994). "Martin Plaza pulls up the covers". Canberra Times. p. 32. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b Peaks in Australia:
    • All peaks pre-1988: Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 234. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
    • Andy's Chest and "Labour of Love": Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 220.
  11. ^ "Hall of Fame". asai. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
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