ONE thing was missing at last year's Concert for Max benefit: Max Merritt himself. But the music veteran considers himself remarkably well, in fact in vintage form.
In April last year Merritt was diagnosed with Goodpasture's Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease that attacks the kidneys, and he has since been having dialysis three times a week. ‘‘I'm remarkably well for a man of my vintage,'' Merritt, 67, says from his home in Los Angeles. ‘‘I'm maintaining my health. I have dialysis three times a week, but there's still no kidney function. I'm on the list for a kidney transplant, but one goes about one's daily life as best one can. You can't dwell on it. You just go on with your life.'' For Merritt that means making his first trip back to Australia for his induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame on July 1. ‘‘It validates all those years you spend thrashing away doing what you thought was right,'' Merritt says. ‘‘It came as a complete surprise. I thought I'd been long left in the dust.'' The Concert for Max, which starred Renee Geyer, James Reyne, Normie Rowe, Ross Wilson, Daryl Braithwaite and John Paul Young and was held at the Palais last October, will be released on DVD on June 21. The event raised more than $200,000. ‘‘It helped pay my hospital costs and took away the dread of all those impending bills hanging over my head,'' Merritt says. ‘‘I'm looking forward to coming back. I never got a chance to say thank you to all the people involved.'' Merritt joins the Triffids in the latest batch of inductees into the Hall of Fame, alongside Dragon and Russell Morris. Triffids guitarist Graham Lee says the nod is bittersweet. The band's frontman and songwriter, David McComb, died in 1999 after a long battle with ill health. ‘‘Dave would have been very pleased to see this happen,'' Lee says of the induction. ‘‘It's very bittersweet for us because Dave isn't here, but we are trying to make sure people remember him. ‘‘The Hall of Fame had never entered my mind. I thought we might eventually sneak in there somewhere, but the Triffids' initial level of success in Australia was not that great. Only over time has the music been recognised for what it is.'' Lee has been keeping the Triffids' legacy alive since McComb's death. He runs the band's official website and has steered several album reissues, lovingly adding rare bonus tracks. The Triffids have had a few sporadic reunions since McComb's death, most recently for the Sydney Festival in January. Steve Kilbey from the Church was one of many guest vocalists. ‘‘The people at the Sydney Festival realised if you want to sing Dave's songs you have to attack them,'' Lee says. ‘‘Steve Kilbey did so to such an extent he lost his voice after two nights. I thought we were going to get lynched by Church fans -- ‘Triffids destroy Steve Kilbey's voice!' '' The Triffids' legacy has spread far and wide. Diehard fans organised a plaque to be placed at the London studio where 1986's Born Sandy Devotional was recorded. ‘‘All these wonderful things happen and each time I think ‘Oh Dave, you should be here','' Lee says. The Perth band will soon be the subject of three books (including one of McComb's poetry), three CD reissues, steered by Lee, and two documentary films. Lee still has plenty of material in the Triffids' vault, from early recordings to McComb's unreleased solo album and unfinished material. Lee and Merritt are sworn to secrecy about their Hall of Fame performances and induction. However, Lee is happy to have another chance to air McComb's material. ‘‘We're very particular about what we do. We're not a band any more. The only reason we get together is to do justice to the songs of David McComb,'' he says. Meanwhile, Merritt has found being housebound has its compensations -- he's been writing a string of songs. ‘‘Writing songs doesn't require a lot of physical strength. There's definitely a CD in the making somewhere down the line,'' he says. Though he knows an Australian tour is unlikely at the moment (‘‘the cost would be immense -- you'd have to set up dialysis clinics around the country'') he hasn't ruled out a run of shows in one city. ‘‘I figure if I can pick up a jackhammer, which I have been using around the house of late, I can pick up a guitar. I'm not completely well, but don't write me off yet. It's going to take a lot more than that. ‘‘I'm too old and grizzly and ugly. You can't let something like that push you off the shelf.'' ARIA Hall of Fame, Melbourne Town Hall, July 1. $87.70, Ticketek.
