1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: Streaming on iHeartRadio, on EAV and on air at ninety 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: six AIRVM, I'm Crazy and Iber Davies celebrating the music 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,479 Speaker 1: of Ice House on Australia Day by the Sea with 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: Ice House, fans of Tokyo Eskimojo and more, Saturday April 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: twenty nine at wid This's Notes Park. Tickets on sale 6 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 1: now at Ticketmaster. 7 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: Can you imagine being a young man with an oboe 8 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 2: in his hand and a whole lot of dreams and 9 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 2: a bucketload of talent, and then here we are just 10 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 2: a few years later with top twenty hits, well top 11 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 2: forty hits, something like twenty. We can correct the numbers 12 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 2: if we need to. Eight top ten albums in Australia, 13 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 2: induction into the Australian Aria Hall of Fame and international success. 14 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 2: I speak of the one and only IV Davies of 15 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 2: Ice House. Iver. Welcome, Matin, good to talk to you 16 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 2: this hour. 17 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 3: Thank you very much, thanks for having me. 18 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 2: Like we're going to celebrate the music and talk about 19 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,120 Speaker 2: a few of the stories. And we've been chatting many 20 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 2: times over the years, and you've got some beauties for us. 21 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 2: But can we start with can we start with a 22 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: Bowie story because we're going to be playing Hey little Girl. 23 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: And I know that you did get to sewer with 24 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 2: David at least at one stage, but it was that 25 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 2: song that he heard. Is that correct? You know? 26 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 3: It's interesting where were we second album and we wrote 27 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 3: a song right at the end of the album. It 28 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,760 Speaker 3: was one of those horror stories actually that with the 29 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 3: record company comes back to you and you know, they've 30 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,400 Speaker 3: had the demos for months and you've been recording the 31 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 3: whole thing and it was finished as far as I 32 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 3: was concerned, and they said, oh, I know, we don't 33 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 3: hear a single, better go and write something right, and 34 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 3: which freaked me out completely because I just you know, 35 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 3: I was in Los Angeles and you thought we'd wrapped 36 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:40,680 Speaker 3: up anyway. The co producer had been Georgio Moroder's drama 37 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 3: for ten years. You know, he played on all the 38 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 3: big disco hits at Donna Summer hits and all that stuff. 39 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 3: He said, Look, I'm house minding George Joe Moroda's mansion 40 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: up in the Bellaire Hills and it's got a full 41 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 3: twenty four track recording studio, and why didn't you come 42 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 3: and stay up there and just see what you come 43 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 3: up with and I did came up with a song, 44 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 3: and anyway, cut a long story short, it turned out 45 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 3: to be a massive hit in Europe and it was 46 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 3: a song called Hey Little Girl, and it was a 47 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 3: complete add on to the whole album. A lot of 48 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 3: people must have heard that song because it was playing 49 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 3: all over Europe and it was top twenty in England 50 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 3: and whatever. And so we got two phone calls. We 51 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 3: got one from Peter Gabriel's management, and Peter Gabler at 52 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 3: the time was massively touring as well, and he'd heard 53 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 3: it and invited us to go on tour with him. 54 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 3: And then we got another phone call and it was 55 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 3: from David Bowie's management and he'd heard it and he 56 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 3: wanted to go us to go on to it with him. 57 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 3: And I had to make this horror decision. I had 58 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,399 Speaker 3: to choose one or the other because they both clashed. 59 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 3: And Bowie had just had his biggest hit of all 60 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 3: time at the time, a song called Let's Dance and 61 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 3: it was finally broke America and he was just huge. 62 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 3: I don't think it was ever bigger. And I kind 63 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 3: of chose that tour to go on because I wanted 64 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 3: to see what it was like at that scale of things, 65 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 3: and it was quite unbelievable. We were playing too, between 66 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 3: forty and seventy thousand people every show. I think when 67 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 3: we first turned up Milton Keynes is outside of London 68 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 3: about an hour and drove into the backstage area and 69 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 3: there are about ten full sized coaches there and I 70 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 3: said to the guy driving as what are the coaches 71 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 3: for and he said, oh, that's for the crew, and 72 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 3: I went on, that's a big joe and I went wow, 73 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 3: just amazing. Anyway, and then David Bowie had a chat 74 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 3: with me one day and he said, and you know, 75 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 3: I'd never forgotten obviously. He said, you know what, you 76 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 3: never know who will be listening. And he couldn't have 77 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 3: been more correct, because obviously David Bowie been listening. Even 78 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 3: you can hear a Takahashi from Yellow and Magic Orchestra. 79 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 3: I got an invitation from him to go and write 80 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 3: songs in Japan with him, purely because he'd heard that 81 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 3: song on the radio. 82 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 2: How incredible and possibly the only person in history to 83 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 2: say I knock back at to it with Peter Gabriel. 84 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 3: No, I still can't, And my son said, because he's amazing, Gabriel, 85 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 3: What were you thinking? What were you thinking? I was 86 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 3: thinking it would probably be cool to go on to 87 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 3: it with David. 88 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 2: Course, of course I didn't know. I didn't know about 89 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 2: the Georgia Morata bit. 90 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 3: That's cool. I've never heard that before. Oh, I know, 91 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 3: it's such a freaky thing to say I wrote this 92 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 3: song in Georgia. 93 00:04:17,160 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 2: I can only imagine what the house was like, let 94 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 2: alone the studio. 95 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 3: Look. It was completely brilliant because it was right up 96 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 3: in the top of the ridge, of the top of 97 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 3: you know, it looked out. You walked in the front 98 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 3: door and there was a sunken lounge room with a 99 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 3: white grand piano in it. You look past that over this, 100 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 3: over the sort of what do you call it, endless 101 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 3: edge of swimming pools. Yeah, to the lights of the 102 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 3: whole of Los Angeles, to the Pacific Ocean. You know, 103 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 3: it's like, wow, this is proper. 104 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 2: You know, that is very cool, unreal. One of my 105 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 2: favorite tracks that you ever whenever you put pen to 106 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 2: paper mate and then got in the studio. I love 107 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 2: that song crazy. I heard it the other day and 108 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,159 Speaker 2: I hadn't heard it for probably six or seven months. 109 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,599 Speaker 2: It's just a bit of a masterclass that one mate. 110 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 2: Songs like that. Do they come quickly or does it 111 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 2: depend on which of your babies? You know? Sometimes they 112 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: evolved differently. 113 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 3: You know what. Every single experience is completely different. It's 114 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 3: one of those things you wish and wish and wish 115 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 3: that you could kind of repeat a process to make 116 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 3: it a little bit easier, but it's not. They're all different, 117 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 3: and I think crazy. It was not one of those 118 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 3: ones that kind of popped out of the universe and 119 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,480 Speaker 3: sort of landed in my lape. It was a bit 120 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 3: of hard work, and I remember I was actually working 121 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 3: with the other guys, like three of the other guys 122 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 3: in the band, and not a situation that I'm normally 123 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 3: find myself in. I kind of tend to work fairly 124 00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 3: isolated situation, and of course I was driving the whole thing, 125 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 3: but I remember that I had a kind of melody 126 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 3: for the chorus. And Andy Kunter, our keyboard player, was 127 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 3: came from London, but he was in Australia at the 128 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 3: time and he was working and I remember he called 129 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 3: me because we were so close to kind of cracking 130 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 3: the nut, as it were, and he called me from 131 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 3: the airport and said, Andy, Andy, I've come up with it. 132 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 3: I've come up with it. It's called crazy, that's what 133 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 3: it's called. And so he got he got onto that 134 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 3: plane and kind of go oh right, we've got it, 135 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 3: and it kind of I filled in all the blanks 136 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 3: and there it was. It was the one that kind 137 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 3: of cracked America for us. It was. I remember I 138 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 3: was on a bit of a holiday and in those 139 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 3: days were no mobile phones really to speak of, and 140 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:30,280 Speaker 3: I had to had a system whereby i'd go and 141 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 3: call my manager who was in America kind of you know, 142 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 3: weekly briefing, and I was in a phone booth and 143 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 3: he said, guess what crazy is just kind of the 144 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 3: USA Top twenty. And I just went, oh, that's amazing, 145 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 3: was standing in a red phone booth talking to America 146 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:48,640 Speaker 3: of all places. 147 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I was just one of those songs mane, Yeah, 148 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 2: fanboy here. But you know, it had a bit of everything. 149 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 2: Was about relationships. It was a rock song, it was 150 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 2: a pop song and had everything going for it. But 151 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 2: the way it came together and what it did for 152 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 2: the matter of Color's album, you can't speak too much about. 153 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, No, it was obviously we had a song that 154 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 3: came out after next called Electric Blue, and that was 155 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 3: the only Australian number one we've ever had, and that 156 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 3: actually eclipsed Crazy in the American charts. But I've got 157 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 3: a special affection for Crazy because it kind of did 158 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 3: the heavy lifting. I mean, it was the one that 159 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 3: really kind of set us into the American imagination, that 160 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 3: got there and kind of declared that we'd arrived. Electric Blue, 161 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 3: as you mentioned earlier, I was the one that well, 162 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 3: I just shot you even further up the charts and 163 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 3: the States, but a massive hit here in Australia as well. 164 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:44,679 Speaker 3: It surprised me. I mean, the background behind the whole 165 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 3: story is surprised really because it goes back to that 166 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 3: thing again, you never know who'll be listening. So I'm sitting, 167 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 3: I guess nineteen eighty two, sitting in Adelaide Airport waiting 168 00:07:54,760 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 3: for their guys to get their luggage and stuff, and 169 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 3: this short mustached man walked over to me in an 170 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 3: American accent and he said, Hey, I'm John Oats from 171 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 3: Hall of Oats and I just bought your album I'm 172 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 3: loving it. And that was our second album. So this 173 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 3: is a long time ago and he simply sort of 174 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 3: shook my hand and walked off into the airport. And 175 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 3: I was sitting there kind of stunned it and what 176 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 3: that was John Oates of Hall and Oates, and so 177 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,000 Speaker 3: it was just one of those moments. I thought that 178 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 3: was fantastic. But you know, fast forward about another four 179 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 3: years and I'm sitting in a bar and a hotel 180 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 3: in New York. I'd been staying there for three weeks 181 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 3: at the bartender and knew who I was, or whatever 182 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 3: human name at least, and the phone rang behind him, 183 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:39,680 Speaker 3: and he passed me the phone and said, this phone 184 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 3: call for you, and I picked it up, and hey, 185 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:45,760 Speaker 3: it's John Olts. I know you're in New York and 186 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 3: I want to write songs with you. Sorry about my 187 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 3: bad No, No, you're a good And look, I'm kind 188 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 3: of a hermit, you know, and I'm especially nervous in 189 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 3: the songwriting environment because I kind of don't know what 190 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 3: I'm doing. And I'm constantly nervous about the fact that 191 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 3: I don't know what I'm doing. And so I said, well, 192 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 3: I'm just making every excuse I could possibly make. I said, oh, 193 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,079 Speaker 3: I'm in the middle of a tour. Oh don't worry, 194 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 3: I'll wait until the tour is over. Oh well, well 195 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:15,960 Speaker 3: when the tours I over got to go back to 196 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 3: a street. Hey, I'll come to Australia and so we 197 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 3: canind of pin me down. I couldn't get out of it, 198 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 3: you know. And he boxed up a whole bunch of 199 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 3: his you know stuff, his guitars and a drum machine 200 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 3: and whatever, and he just arrived and I lived in 201 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 3: this really kind of falling down terrorist's house that had 202 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 3: admittedly some very nice recording equipment in it, but it 203 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 3: was a dump complete so it was kind of embarrassing. 204 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:41,960 Speaker 3: And he turned up and we spent a week and 205 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 3: at the end of the week we had this song 206 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:45,440 Speaker 3: that it wasn't finished. I mean, there were lots of 207 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 3: blanks in it, and especially at certain point I had 208 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 3: a melody for the chorus, and I really had no 209 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:55,319 Speaker 3: ideas now, so I made a joke to him and 210 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 3: I said, oh, you know, if you mate Daryl was here, 211 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 3: you do that kind of falsetto thing that he does, 212 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,320 Speaker 3: it I can do and I love that. I love that. 213 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:05,960 Speaker 3: Let's get that. And you know, I had this melody 214 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 3: and we didn't have a title, and it was kind 215 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 3: of crunch time, and I was really embarrassed, and I 216 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 3: said to him, look, the only thing I've got is 217 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 3: this phrase. And the phrase comes from a really early 218 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 3: Tyrannosaurus Rex song Her Eyes are electric Blue? And he said, 219 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 3: I love that. Nic said, but it doesn't fit in 220 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 3: there of the melody that we got there. Don't worry 221 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 3: about We just whack it on the end, electric blue. Okay, simple, sure, 222 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 3: just just whack it on the end. So and that 223 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 3: was how electric Blue and he looked. It wasn't finished 224 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 3: when he was about to go home, but he stood 225 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 3: in the doorway and he made me promise, he said, 226 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,600 Speaker 3: this is going to be a hit. You tell me 227 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 3: if you're not going to record it, because Hall and 228 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 3: I will recorded and it will it will be a hit. 229 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 3: Absolutely believe it's going to be a hit. And then 230 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 3: he got on the plane and sure enough he was 231 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 3: absolutely right. Was he like me, you could do some 232 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 3: bloke times, oh incredibly generous? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. 233 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 3: And you know things that are sort of massive. Well, 234 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 3: for example, you know, we were playing in New York 235 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 3: and it was Madison Square Garden and just sort of 236 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:15,800 Speaker 3: out of the blue, he must have been following the 237 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:17,680 Speaker 3: tour and he said, hey, I'd like to come and 238 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:19,599 Speaker 3: get on stage and do Electric Blue with you and 239 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 3: Madison Square Garden. And so I've got a photo in 240 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 3: my kitchen in fact of both of us on stage 241 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 3: at Madison Square Garden. But I mean, that was a 242 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,560 Speaker 3: completely generous offer from him. Yeah. Yeah, there's nothing in 243 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 3: it for him, but it was a great thing for 244 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,680 Speaker 3: me to have, you know, the co writer John Oates 245 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 3: on stage. 246 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:36,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was just a you could tell he was 247 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:38,199 Speaker 2: a music fan. It just always felt like he was 248 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:40,920 Speaker 2: so overshadowed, overshadowed by Darryl. It was it was nice 249 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 2: to find out he was a good fellow that is sensational. 250 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 2: Made I want to move from mad of Colors to 251 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 2: Measure for measure and a song that always got my 252 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 2: attention with the first time I heard it because it 253 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 2: was just something really different. It was funky and quirky 254 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:54,959 Speaker 2: and very different. How about Baby You're So Strange? Track 255 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,160 Speaker 2: your mind back to how that sort of evolved because 256 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 2: it was a different kind of song for you guys. 257 00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 3: Look, it was and you know, often i'd kind of 258 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 3: pick somebody whose songs I really loved and really had 259 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 3: no chance at all and being able to kind of 260 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 3: copy them at all. But I just on this particular occasion, 261 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:16,439 Speaker 3: one of the things that fascinated me about Mark Bowlin 262 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:19,520 Speaker 3: from t Rex's songs was and I didn't know this 263 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 3: until quite recently, that he had these kind of almost 264 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 3: childlike lyrics and they were so simple, and it kind 265 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 3: of frustrated me that I couldn't do that. And I 266 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 3: only found out relatively recently that he was dyslexic. He 267 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:40,720 Speaker 3: actually couldn't read, but he loved the sound of words, 268 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 3: and so as a result of that, he would just 269 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 3: put things together that rhyme that kind of didn't necessarily 270 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 3: make any sense. And so I guess one of the 271 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 3: starting points for Baby's As Strange was I wanted to 272 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 3: write a song with every kind of cliche rhyme you 273 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 3: can put together in one place. And so if you 274 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 3: actually do any study folks at all on the lyrics 275 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 3: to this, you're going to just cringe because they are 276 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 3: just such obvious rhymes. But that was kind of the 277 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 3: whole point for me. And obviously it doesn't sound like 278 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:13,640 Speaker 3: a t Rex song, but that's where it started. 279 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 2: Right, Okay, Yeah, it would have been a temptation to 280 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,680 Speaker 2: maybe reuse or rehash. I drive a Rolls Royce because 281 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 2: my voice that was one of these classics, wasn't. 282 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 3: It one of his classics? That there are many? And 283 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 3: it kind of makes sense now when you go through 284 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 3: you know, yeah, Telegram Sam, you who are the main man? 285 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 3: Jungle Face, Jake jungle Face. I mean he's just thinking 286 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 3: about the actual sound for the sound. 287 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, But I want to bring back a memory for 288 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:39,880 Speaker 2: you and see what you remember of the night I 289 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 2: remember hosting a charity ball about I would say it's 290 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,840 Speaker 2: about twelve or eleven or twelve years ago in Perth, 291 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 2: and it was a night in which you had confessed 292 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 2: you hadn't played in Perth for a long long time. 293 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,960 Speaker 2: And someone said to me, I've said backstage, I wonder 294 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 2: if they'll remember us now. I don't know, I though 295 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 2: the actual words you used, but that was sort of 296 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 2: where you were heading. I got to introduce you. The 297 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 2: giant black curtain came down at this ball venue and 298 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 2: you guys whipped into we can get together, and I've 299 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,240 Speaker 2: got goosebumps thinking about the atmosphere in that room as 300 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 2: that moment happened. I don't know, do you remember that moment? 301 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:13,840 Speaker 2: You remember that. 302 00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 3: Night, Yeah, I do, I think you know. At that point, 303 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 3: so we hadn't played for sixteen years sixteen so, and 304 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 3: we hadn't played publicly for sixteen years. I think we've 305 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 3: probably done literally five kind of closed private events, and 306 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,760 Speaker 3: so it was in my mind, you know, the public 307 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 3: hasn't seen us for sixteen years. And so the other 308 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 3: thing about Perth too is that Perth was always, especially 309 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 3: in the very early days, notoriously difficult to get to 310 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 3: play in Perth if you were a band that was 311 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:55,080 Speaker 3: based on the Eastern coast, because you know, the whole 312 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:58,480 Speaker 3: prospect of carting all of your equipment. There weren't local 313 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,680 Speaker 3: pa companies of note then, so everything would have to 314 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 3: go across a nullable by semi trailer. It was massively expensive. 315 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 3: And so therefore, generally speaking, if you're a band like 316 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 3: The Angels or Cultures or you know, in Excess or 317 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 3: Midnight All or whatever, you would do you know, every 318 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 3: capital in Australia except Perth. And so there was also 319 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 3: that factor of you know, this is Perth. It's been 320 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 3: a long time since we've played in Perth, a very 321 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 3: long time. Will will they remember us here? 322 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,440 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah? And do you, you know from that and that 323 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 2: era when you're you know, at that time, after all 324 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 2: that time, sixteen years as a hell of a long 325 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 2: time in the music piz, do you remember feeling that love, 326 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 2: because that was quite incredible, that reaction to you guys, 327 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,440 Speaker 2: that the whole gig, not just the start of the gig. 328 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:47,480 Speaker 3: It looked. It didn't really dawn on me until I've 329 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 3: got a phone call from my tour manager from way 330 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 3: back in the day who we're still working with, Larry 331 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 3: from nineteen eighty six still now, Yeah, every long time. 332 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 3: And he come up with an idea and he said, look, 333 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,280 Speaker 3: I've had this idea. I've run it by Michael Gigdinski 334 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 3: and it was after the dreadful bushfires and floods in 335 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 3: Queensland and he said, had this idea. We're going to 336 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,360 Speaker 3: run two parallel stages, one in Melbourne, one in Sydney. 337 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 3: We're going to call it Sound Relief Midnight. All are 338 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 3: going to be headlining in Melbourne. You're headlining in Sydney. 339 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 3: And I said, you insane, Larry. We haven't played for 340 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 3: sixteen years. 341 00:16:22,160 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. 342 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 3: And we turned up on the night and there were 343 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 3: forty thousand people in the SCG and that was kind 344 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 3: of the night I went oh wow, hello, Hello, We're back. Yeah, 345 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 3: it was quite extraordinary and it's also coincidentally was really 346 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 3: the first time my two children, I think would have 347 00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 3: been thirteen and fifteen at the time, it was the 348 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:46,120 Speaker 3: first time they ever saw us play. Oh wow, So 349 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 3: they had no idea what my day job was, you know, 350 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 3: the whole time that they're growing up. 351 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, that is very cool. By the Sea is Saturday, 352 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 2: April twenty nine at Woodford's Notes Park with yourselves of course, 353 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 2: Birds of Tokyo, Eskumo Joe, the Models and a lot more. 354 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,760 Speaker 2: And either you have mentioned you've seen Eskimojo fairly recently. 355 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 2: They are a cracking live band, aren't those boys? 356 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 3: Cracking live band, and really have a history that goes 357 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 3: back with them because they you know, they've cited in 358 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 3: that concert that I saw quite recently, but it's been 359 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 3: said before that they've they've been influenced by a number 360 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 3: of Australian bands, in excess by US, and that's really 361 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,919 Speaker 3: lovely to kind of see the music going down generations 362 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 3: because they are a generation believe much older than the Eskimoja. 363 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 3: But yeah, a great, great live band, and we're kind 364 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 3: of sort of friends with them. I'm notoriously, as I 365 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 3: said before, a bit of a hermit, but they're lovely 366 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 3: guys and they're great songs. They're brilliant, Yeah, beautiful. 367 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, it wasn't that unusually walking through Freemattle. You talk 368 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:52,320 Speaker 2: about being a bit of a hermit and preferring to 369 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 2: write songs by yourself. That you walked past a cafe 370 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 2: called x Ray and see Cap Temporley. They're scribbling in 371 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 2: a pad or whatever he was doing. It was quite 372 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:00,159 Speaker 2: a while ago, now. 373 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I mean it was great to see this 374 00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:03,800 Speaker 3: last show that they did took the form out of 375 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,919 Speaker 3: two albums, and but as well, I mean the bonus 376 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 3: of it, which you know, it was really interesting, was 377 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,960 Speaker 3: to actually have them telling stories in between songs of 378 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 3: this this is what was happening when we wrote this song. 379 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,199 Speaker 3: This is what happened when we recorded this song. You know, 380 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:18,720 Speaker 3: they are all living together in a share house and Freemantle, 381 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:21,639 Speaker 3: and yeah, it was it was great to get that 382 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 3: kind of extra insight into them. 383 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, we're really looking forward to that gig mate. 384 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 2: One thing I wanted to touch with you either after 385 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 2: all these years I mean I saw there must have 386 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 2: been a decade or so ago there was you in 387 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 2: this magnificent home of yours. I think it was Better 388 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: Homes and Gardens or one of those shows. It looked 389 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 2: like a home overlooking the ocean. How has your I'm 390 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 2: going to use the word fame, how is your? Your 391 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 2: fame affected us, particularly in Australia, But the international success 392 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 2: has there been? Have there been times where it's been 393 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,639 Speaker 2: problematic for you? You know, the success from appreciation the 394 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:52,040 Speaker 2: music is wonderful, but there's sometimes it just encroaches a 395 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 2: bit too much. 396 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 3: Look, I've always been gone to fairly big lengths to 397 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 3: be incredibly private person, and there was only the period 398 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 3: of Amount of Colors, which was incredibly successful, was problematic 399 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 3: in so much as I had to have a bodyguard 400 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 3: for three years and that was Look took the form 401 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:15,919 Speaker 3: of a personal assistant who happened to be in the 402 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 3: top fifteen kickboxing champions in the world, and that'll help. 403 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 3: But he was incredibly valuable. He turned out to me 404 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:30,320 Speaker 3: incredibly valuable in a very unexpected way because it was 405 00:19:30,359 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 3: a massive work period. I mean, the Aunt of Colors 406 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 3: tour was fourteen months, seven of which was in America alone, 407 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 3: and I kind of fell apart physically and mentally, to 408 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 3: the point where he actually contacted our management company and said, 409 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 3: Ivor is just not coping with this, and you need 410 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 3: to make two hours a day for him to have 411 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 3: time out, and I'm going to take him to a 412 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 3: boxing gym every city that we're in. And so I 413 00:19:55,440 --> 00:20:00,080 Speaker 3: started training with him. And these were not kind of 414 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:04,760 Speaker 3: of Spandex sort of aerobics gyms. These were hardcore boxing 415 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:06,719 Speaker 3: gyms that he would source. He would get on the 416 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 3: phone and he would call ahead, you know, if we 417 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 3: were in Denver, he'd call ahead to Chicago or whatever, 418 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 3: and he would find the grubbiest boxing gym he could 419 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 3: find in Chicago, and then we would turn up there 420 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,719 Speaker 3: for two hours and lift weights and do stuff. And 421 00:20:20,800 --> 00:20:23,199 Speaker 3: I got incredibly fit. And that's the only way I 422 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 3: survived that tour. So it wasn't just the kind of 423 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 3: security level I have Martin to thank for, but you know, 424 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 3: a kind of dimension. The first thing when I got 425 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 3: back home, I said, I went and I introduced him 426 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:35,639 Speaker 3: to my parents, and I said, this is a man 427 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:36,480 Speaker 3: who saved my life. 428 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 2: Oh wow. 429 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 3: So it was pretty pretty serious. 430 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:41,400 Speaker 2: He's had a very rocky Balboa in a gym there, 431 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 2: the rustic old gym. 432 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 3: Yes, I have lifted those ancient dumb bells in New 433 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 3: York wims. Yeah yeah, the ones that you're seeing Popeye 434 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:51,680 Speaker 3: and yeah, those ones. 435 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 2: Anyone who can help you through that's that's wonderful and 436 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 2: a bit of protection there. I think I spoke to 437 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,120 Speaker 2: Dave Fawk from the Huduo Gurus recently. He said when 438 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,640 Speaker 2: they had a couple of really big upum especially guitars, 439 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,439 Speaker 2: he said girls would follow him home and sit behind 440 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,359 Speaker 2: bushes in the front guard. He said it was the 441 00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 2: most surreal thing. But if you went and got some protection, 442 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:08,800 Speaker 2: that's handy. 443 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the feeling, Dave. 444 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 2: It's been a real treat to talk to you. I'ven't 445 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 2: been a fan for a long time. It's probably fairly obvious, 446 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 2: but wonderful. And the people are Perth and the radio 447 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 2: station ninety six of him has been there from the 448 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 2: start supporting you guys. It's way back with Flowers and 449 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,640 Speaker 2: it's wonderful for you to join us on this really 450 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 2: special day. 451 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:30,919 Speaker 3: It's been an absolute pleasure and thank for all that 452 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 3: support for all those years. Thanks. 453 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 2: Thanks not all the best,