Aussie rock legend Ross Wilson is encouraging his fans to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious as he makes his way back to South Australia this year — noting he's now proud of the cultural phenomenon of the "Eagle Drop".
While being the founder of rock groups Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock, and a producer of the Skyhooks are just some of Wilson's many accolades — another tradition he can take some credit for is the 'Eagle Drop'.
"If anybody hasn't encountered this phenomena, young men tend to unbuckle their trousers and drop them around their ankles. They keep their undies on though," Wilson told ABC Radio Adelaide's Stacey Lee.
While Wilson didn't create the bizarre craze, it's become Aussie tradition to do the "dance" to Daddy Cool's song Eagle Rock — often at significant birthdays, weddings and sporting celebrations.
"It's gotten bigger and bigger over the years, I first became aware of it in the early 90s and I had to think, 'well, what do I think about this'?
"I'm actually proud of the Australian public that they've come up with this response.
"They pull them up when the song finishes. It's quite harmless, it's kind of silly and I think it's very funny."
While the Eagle Drop has been around for decades, Ross admits he's rarely seen men drop their pants in front of him while he is performing the song.
"The funny thing is that people don't tend to do it in front of me when I play it live, so if you come along to my gigs I don't think you'll get shocked," he said.
"They might run into trouble with security if they do it at my gigs."
Wilson commits to green touring
Wilson will be performing two shows in South Australia, with his Riverland show having to be postponed due to the flooding.
His tour is being organised in conjunction with Green Music Australia, a charity that helps musicians reduce their carbon footprint and promote environmental sustainability.
While Wilson has been committed to sustainable practices for most of his career, he said he won't be lecturing crowds on being more environmentally conscious.
But there are many things he would be doing to be 'green'.
"We cap the audience at 500, so there's plenty of room for people to move around and when people are eating food we try to have the utensils and plates and all that recyclable, and we try not to use plastic water bottles for our drinks and we take our own things on stage and that kind of stuff," he said.
"It's a small thing, but we're just trying to make it better and spread the message that we can all improve our behaviour.
"We just want people to have a good time, but be mindful of their environment at the same time."
Other measures Wilson takes to be more sustainable include holding daytime shows to reduce the need for lighting and smaller shows to limit the amount of equipment and infrastructure needed.
"We're just trying to raise the consciousness a little bit," he said.
"Cool World was a song of mine and we need to make the world cooler, so we've got a bit of a double meaning there."
