Why The Sunnyboys Reunion Is A Miracle

Sunnyboys bassist Peter Oxley has opened up about the battle his bandmate and brother Jeremy fought with schizophrenia and alcoholism, which derailed the band in 1984, a mere five years into a successful career.

“We didn't think we would be ever able to play again,” Oxley admitted, “due to Jeremy's battle with schizophrenia for many years, but since doing the Dig It Up! [Hoodoo Gurus invitational festival] show, which was last year, it was really a little testing ground for us to see if Jeremy enjoyed playing in front of people again and if he had the confidence to play. So really, none of this would have happened if it hadn't have been for that Dig It Up! show where we played under a different name and we played on the Sunday afternoon, just to sort of protect ourselves and Jeremy. But the show went very well and Jeremy loved playing again, and the audience loved us, which was quite overwhelming on the day.”

A big part of Jeremy's recovery was the creation of an award-winning  ABC documentary, The Sunnyboy, which details his slow path back towards wellbeing from the physical debilitation of his condition and his once-broken relationship with Peter, who gives his thoughts on the film:

“It's a very positive documentary. What we're trying to show, through Jeremy's portrayal, is that there's always hope, and if possible, if you can be there, there's always the chance that that ray of light can come through – there might be some sort of success in the end. I mean, he's still very fragile, but he's able to live in our world now and be part of our world. He's able to sing again and to play his guitar, and he's in a great, loving relationship with his wife Mary. So it's almost a miracle,”

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