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can't compete with the Kev Carmodys and Billy
Braggs of this world: they are the masters,"
he says.The band found the environment at
Abbey Road Studios most stimulating for all
components of the creative process – they
wrote and recorded entirely inside the studio. "It
was fantastic," Heath enthuses. "I think at first it
was daunting and exciting because of its history,
but that soon wore off and it felt more like an
amazingly well equipped and well designed
recording space. It's very inspiring being there;
there is a strong work ethic in the place and
when you have time restraints you work very
quickly and make good decisions."
082 AUGUST 2015 JB Hi-Fi
visit NEWS MUSIC
Just because something is
demanding doesn't mean
it's problematic, believes
Josh Pyke. "I kind of regret
describing this album as the
most creatively challenging,"
he says of But For AllThese
Shrinking Hearts, out this
month (see our review on page
94). "People have been bringing
that up in interviews and sort
of assuming I meant it in a
negative way, and I didn’t at all.
I meant it in a really positive
way; I felt like I was deliberately
challenging myself." In writing
and recording the album, the
artist utilised a method of
which he'd heardWilco's Jeff
Tweedy was a fan: the mumble
track. Pyke would record
"jibberish" over the top of his
melodies, and then reinterpret
or refine it afterwards, which
resulted in some surreal lines.
"Im slowly building up different
techniques where I get the
same result, which is lyrics that
I can actually fully connect with
emotionally," he explains. "The
absolute ultimate experience
for me is when I sit down and
pick up the guitar, and lyrics
and music just kind of fall out
of my body.The integrity within
the lyrics and the song has to
be there, and I can only really
describe that as something that
I recognise through instincts."
As a result, But For AllThese
Shrinking Hearts contains
moments of incredibly lucid
clarity alongside dreamy and
evocative ideas.
josh pyke on the mic
This month, Oxfam launch their awesome Australia-wide
live music festival named Oxjam (the person who came up
with that deserves a Maxibon). In addition to a pile of partner
shows, you can get involved by registering your own event and
helping to raise money to end global poverty.There are a bevy of
splendid gigs already organised, such as an I OHYOU showcase
at Shadow Electric in Melbourne, a line-up presented by Noisey
atThe Vault in Brisbane, and the Heaps Gay-hosted Heaps Good
party at GoodGod in Sydney. Party for good!
continued
Q1/ Were you personally acquainted with
Michael Gudinski before you began this
project?
I first met Michael in the early '80s when I
became manager of Paul Kelly and negotiated his
re-signing with Mushroom Records... [Michael]
really took me under [his] wing and taught me how
things worked in the American music business.
Q2/ Did you have to work hard to convince
him to be your subject?
I tried to convince Michael about a book for
over a decade – and he says he’s turned down
dozens of offers and proposals. [He] spent at least
a year hoping that I and the book project would
just disappear, but eventually he agreed to a few
interview sessions and gave his blessing to people
in his world talking to me.
Q3/ You've worked with some stellar acts
in your time – how was your approach
to Michael different from the way you'd
normally work with bands and performing
artists?
I treated Michael with the same respect I’d
treat an artist who invited me into their world.
I told him very early that I didn’t want to write
another sex, drugs and rock’n’roll book and that
I not only knew how to spell defamation, but I
was aware of what it meant. I wanted to write
a book about an inspired entrepreneur, a great
lover of Australian music, and extremely astute
businessman.
Q4/ How did you go about collating all your
material and ordering it in a meaningful way?
I was very clear that I didn’t want to write a
history of Mushroom Records or Frontier Touring
Company – it is a book about Michael and his
world. Everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – has a
Michael story. I had to work out which ones were
true, and then if and how they related to my story.
Q5/ What was your major takeaway from
putting this incredible story together?
It was a saga from start to finish and I think I’ve
learnt a new calmness and philosophical quietness
from the past 18 months. You just have to learn to
operate on Gudinski Time and assume that 9 out 10
meetings or conversations will either not happen
or be rescheduled. It’s a sorta joke
but over the writing time I frequently
said, “It’s Michael’s world – we just
live in it.”
Gudinski by Stuart Coupe is out
now through Hachette, for $32.99.
the basics are back
When Kris Schroeder,Tim Heath and
Wally De Backer (that's Gotye, pals)
came together to formThe Basics in the early
'00s, they decided that having a cohesive
sound wasn't at the top of their priority list – a
sentiment which has served them grandly all
the way up to their latest and arguably greatest
album, this month's The Age of Entitlement.
"I think we've had so much freedom by not
being signed, by being un-managed and by
being three stubborn individuals," Heath tells
us. "We often wonder to ourselves, 'Will people
understand this?' but then we go, 'Well, who
cares?'" The Age of Entitlement contains several
tracks which comment on sociopolitical issues,
but this trio never take themselves deadly
seriously. Heath says delivering the messages
with humour fits with their personalities and
sound. "There are enough earnest and serious
songs that ably address these sentiments and
we wanted to try a different approach, and you
The Age of Entitlement
by The Basics is out August 14,
through MGM.
party for good with oxfam
STUART COUPE
AUTHOR OF 'GUDINSKI'
Oxjam runs throughout August; you can check out the gig guide at
Read our full interview with
Tim Heath online at
But For All
ese Shrinking
earts is out now
rough Sony.
Read the full interview with
Josh online at