WEBVTT - Full Interview with Noah Kahan

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<v Speaker 1>Ricky Lee and Tim on Nova.

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<v Speaker 2>I know you've probably been interviewed by a lot of

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<v Speaker 2>people in Australia, but has anyone used your name like

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<v Speaker 2>Khan before?

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<v Speaker 3>Because we say Khan. Come on, I can't, mate. Are

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<v Speaker 3>you going to the gig? Has anyone used that on you?

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<v Speaker 3>You might be the first one. Okay, that doesn't mean I'm... Welcome.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Noel Kahn. It's such a pleasure to meet you, mate.

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<v Speaker 1>Good to meet you too, man.

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<v Speaker 3>Four shows in Melbourne. You're doing your fourth tonight in Sydney. Yes, sir.

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<v Speaker 3>Are you going to pick favorite city? Because there is

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<v Speaker 3>a great divide between our cities.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that right? Are you guys battling it out?

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<v Speaker 3>A little bit.

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<v Speaker 1>What does Perth think about all that?

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<v Speaker 3>Perth is their own base.

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<v Speaker 1>That's their own town.

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<v Speaker 3>They're like the world's most isolated city.

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<v Speaker 4>I loved it up there, man. I mean, we didn't

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<v Speaker 4>get to play up there this time, but Perth is gorgeous.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it's all gorgeous. And like the coffee and

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<v Speaker 1>the food and the shopping.

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<v Speaker 4>I went and got, I don't usually go clothes shopping

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<v Speaker 4>because of body dysmorphia, but I went and everything fit.

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<v Speaker 4>The first thing I got fit, my pants fit. Everything

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<v Speaker 4>fits me here. Australian sizing is unbelievable.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, good. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>I'll put that little feather in our cap.

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<v Speaker 4>I have a soft spot for Sydney because I lived

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<v Speaker 4>in Manly, actually, for a month and a half when

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<v Speaker 4>I was a lot younger and just had such an

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<v Speaker 4>amazing seminal childhood experience here.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you put a little Manly lyric in a song?

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<v Speaker 2>Because you know this little bit of trivia. The Beach

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<v Speaker 2>Boys in their song Surfing USA... use the beach Narrabeen

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<v Speaker 2>from Sydney. They go, it's Sydney's.

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<v Speaker 3>Narrabeen, which is weird because it's called Surfing USA.

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<v Speaker 4>No, but I might throw Corso in. There's the Corso

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<v Speaker 4>over there. Hungry Jacks instead of Burger King. There's all

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<v Speaker 4>sorts of information I could use.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's it. Golf courses I hear you're into.

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<v Speaker 1>So good.

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<v Speaker 2>I spoke to your support act, Michael, today, and he

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<v Speaker 2>told me that you hit a Sydney golf course and

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<v Speaker 2>you ran into something pretty crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>We ran into a red-bellied black snake.

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<v Speaker 3>You're dangerous, you know.

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<v Speaker 1>On the same hole.

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<v Speaker 4>So we ran into a red-bellied black snake, and then

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<v Speaker 4>two minutes later, my wife got hit in the thigh

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<v Speaker 4>by a drive.

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<v Speaker 1>It was like the most, like, endangerous hole ever, dude.

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<v Speaker 1>You're playing golf. You expect to be pretty sheltered from

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<v Speaker 1>any real-world issues.

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<v Speaker 2>I hear you're pretty brave, though, because Michael tells me

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<v Speaker 2>that you just Googled how dangerous they were and that

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<v Speaker 2>someone hadn't been.

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<v Speaker 3>Killed by one in the last three.

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<v Speaker 1>Or four years.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm looking for deaths.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm looking for if I'm going to die.

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<v Speaker 4>If I get a little sick and maybe my leg

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<v Speaker 4>swells up or something like that.

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<v Speaker 1>I can get through that. But if I die.

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<v Speaker 4>Then, you know, Michael has to headline the show and

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<v Speaker 4>find another opener.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a whole thing.

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<v Speaker 3>There's a lot of people out there who don't want

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<v Speaker 3>you to die, so it's good.

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<v Speaker 1>I know.

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<v Speaker 4>I know.

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<v Speaker 3>I hope so. Jesus. You wrote your first song at eight, right?

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<v Speaker 2>Talk to me about that because I always, and this

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<v Speaker 2>is not a real quote, but I use it anyway.

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<v Speaker 2>Paul McCartney apparently said, and this has been disproven, but

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<v Speaker 2>the lyrics only count for like 5% of any song.

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<v Speaker 3>It's all about the melody and things like that. Lyrics

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<v Speaker 3>are so personal.

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<v Speaker 2>They're about where you came from and they obviously resonate

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<v Speaker 2>from all over the world. How important is that for you?

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<v Speaker 4>In my head, I want lyrics to be 90% important,

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<v Speaker 4>but I do think that if you don't have an

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<v Speaker 4>accompanying melody that, that is connected to the lyrical intention,

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<v Speaker 4>that lyrics don't matter at all.

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<v Speaker 1>Like I've written a ton of songs.

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<v Speaker 4>Where like, I just had all these lyrics I wanted

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<v Speaker 4>to write and all these saying all these things, but

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<v Speaker 4>it just didn't stick.

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<v Speaker 1>And it was basically just like doing a podcast.

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<v Speaker 4>It's the emotional core really does come from the melody

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<v Speaker 4>and the lyrics intersecting.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think that's 50, 50.

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<v Speaker 4>I think a great song can speak just through melody

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<v Speaker 4>lyrics in a simple instrument. Um, And you can build

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<v Speaker 4>off of that, but I think they're as important as

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<v Speaker 4>each other.

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<v Speaker 3>Is there a song you wish you had written?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, oh, there's so many songs I wish I had written.

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<v Speaker 3>Like Gangnam Style?

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, we live in Malibu, dude. Dancing around the house. Op'em,

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<v Speaker 4>Gangnam Style, all over the place. A song called The

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<v Speaker 4>Curse by Josh Ritter I really wish I had written.

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<v Speaker 4>He's an unbelievable songwriter and it tells this beautiful story.

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<v Speaker 4>I find that any song that's a waltz, just a

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<v Speaker 4>song that's a waltz, my next goal is to write

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<v Speaker 4>a waltz because, you know, you have Phoebe Bridgers did

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<v Speaker 4>Governor's Walls, and Josh Ritter does The Curse, these songs

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<v Speaker 4>that I really, really connect to that are done in

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<v Speaker 4>that style.

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<v Speaker 1>So that's a song I wish I could write.

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<v Speaker 3>So we're backstage. You're about to go on. I've seen

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<v Speaker 3>the people. They're crowding in already. Oh, yeah. Eight shows

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<v Speaker 3>in Australia. You're all over the world.

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<v Speaker 2>What do you do, though, apart from this lovely little

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<v Speaker 2>experience with you and I right now? What happens before

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<v Speaker 2>you go on stage? What's your ritual?

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<v Speaker 4>I try to spend every waking second doing promo. I

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<v Speaker 4>was going to say, you're very good at that. It

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<v Speaker 4>just really levels me out. Before the show, morning promo,

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<v Speaker 4>afternoon promo, brunch promo.

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<v Speaker 3>Radio people just adoring you.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, just as much compliments as I can get.

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<v Speaker 2>I love your shoes, your socks compliment, your little sleeves there.

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<v Speaker 3>It's perfect.

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<v Speaker 4>I've been on a bit of a health journey this tour.

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<v Speaker 4>To be honest, I have been working out a lot,

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<v Speaker 4>even though it does not show for some reason. I

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<v Speaker 4>swear to God, I've eaten so.

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<v Speaker 1>F * * * ing healthily. I've worked out every day.

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<v Speaker 1>I jump on a scale the other day. I'm like,

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<v Speaker 1>here we go. I lost like 0.2 kilos or whatever

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<v Speaker 1>you guys are up to here. but I was fit.

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<v Speaker 3>So who cares? Exactly.

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<v Speaker 4>But yeah, barely, but the, uh, but the feeling, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>I've been feeling really good. I've been trying to walk

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<v Speaker 4>around more. I find a lot of times, you know,

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<v Speaker 4>you're in these downtown areas and you don't end up

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<v Speaker 4>seeing anything, but.

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<v Speaker 3>That's what I love that you play golf.

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<v Speaker 2>Cause a lot of, I assume a lot of your

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<v Speaker 2>life will be hotels and airports and there's not much

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<v Speaker 2>music in those.

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<v Speaker 1>We went, yeah.

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<v Speaker 4>Golf is a big one getting outside. Um, We went

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<v Speaker 4>deep sea fishing a couple days ago, which was really,

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<v Speaker 4>really fun.

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<v Speaker 3>Did you get a photo?

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, we did.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, the classic. We need more white people with pictures

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<v Speaker 4>of fish. That's what we need right now. We did

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<v Speaker 4>urban surf today. Went surfing this morning.

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<v Speaker 3>That's cool there, isn't it?

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<v Speaker 1>It is really cool.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, man-made surf page.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I was watching these nine-year-old kids shredding it up.

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<v Speaker 3>Then I got out there. Look at Manly.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah.

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<v Speaker 4>So I like to do as much outdoor activity as

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<v Speaker 4>I can, get myself away from the city.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not much of a city slicker. I love to

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<v Speaker 1>be out in nature. So whatever can get me out

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<v Speaker 1>to nature.

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<v Speaker 3>We do this thing. Have you heard of Robert Irwin?

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, yeah. Steve's son.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so we do a little thing called question past

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<v Speaker 2>the parcel, right? And it's where our last interview asks

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<v Speaker 2>our next interviewer a question, even though they have no

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<v Speaker 2>idea who it is. So Robert Irwin's asking you this question.

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<v Speaker 1>Whoa, cool.

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<v Speaker 3>Having no idea it's you. Okay, so let me see.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to pretend he knew it was me and

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<v Speaker 1>that he wants to talk to me. What's your favorite animal?

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<v Speaker 3>Classic Robert Irwin.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh, that's a great question. What a special guy he is.

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<v Speaker 1>That whole family. I'll do like the boring one. My

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<v Speaker 1>favorite animals are dogs. I love dogs.

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<v Speaker 4>They're just the most pure, innocent, loving creatures in the world.

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<v Speaker 4>My other favorite animal is the ladybug because I see

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<v Speaker 4>them as a good omen. So when I got a

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<v Speaker 4>record deal, I was 17 years old. And I remember

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<v Speaker 4>that morning there was like an infestation of ladybugs in

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<v Speaker 4>my room and they were like covering my room. And

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<v Speaker 4>at first I was like, this is a bad thing.

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<v Speaker 4>But that same day I got a record deal. And

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<v Speaker 4>now whenever I see ladybugs, I feel like something good

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<v Speaker 4>is about to happen in my life. And so actually

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<v Speaker 4>my whole record was kind of based around this omen

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<v Speaker 4>of bugs and what they mean in life and change

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<v Speaker 4>and how bugs are just like constant in our lives

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<v Speaker 4>that like they go away in Vermont for the wintertime

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<v Speaker 4>and they come back, but they always come back. And

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<v Speaker 4>so they remind me of this like constant source of

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<v Speaker 4>good energy. So I'd say Lady Bugs and Dogs.

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<v Speaker 2>I just want to also say I've never asked a

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<v Speaker 2>huge star what their favorite animal is before, but of

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<v Speaker 2>course Robert.

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<v Speaker 3>Irwin did it. Mate, such a pleasure to meet you.

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<v Speaker 3>We love having you here.

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<v Speaker 2>We love playing your music on Nova and yeah, good

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<v Speaker 2>luck out there tonight and come back and play golf

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<v Speaker 2>and kick some snakes and surf and do all that

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<v Speaker 2>other stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you very much for your time and thank you

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<v Speaker 1>for playing the music. I appreciate it.