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This interview took
place on the 20/11/1999 at the high-rise unit home of Ian Robertson
on Sydney's lower north shore.
So, is Odysseus' Dog a band or is it a pseudo-band like, say,
Nine Inch Nails?
Odysseus Dog is a band concept, I guess. Essentially, it is a
vehicle for my music, but I would like to think that I am open
for partners to take part in it in the future. For example, Belinda
Cox is part of Odysseus' Dog at the moment, and I would like
to think that she will be in and out of the project for a long
time to come.
Project is the key word, I guess. I like to think in project
names rather than band names, and for my core musical output,
Odysseus' Dog is the title of that.
Where do all these names come from? Odysseus' Dog, Agnes Records,
the album title?
Odysseus' Dog is from "The Odyssey" of Homer, it is
a passage when Odysseus returns home after twenty years and his
dog drops dead from the excitement of seeing him. It really is
a beautiful moment in literature. Agnes Records is from an old
band name with my brother, Dirty Agnes. The album title...well,
it just describes what that album is all about.
You refer to your music as 'Strange Rock.' Explain that little
more.
'Strange Rock' is something I came up with because whenever you
talk about your music with someone, they always ask "What
type of music do you play?" and I never had an answer that
was any good. I used to describe it as "Frank Zappa but
without the chops," but no one knew what that was supposed
to sound like either! <laughs> Plus, I felt a little...stupid
comparing myself to Frank. So, I sat down one day and really
listened to my songs, and I realised that most of my material
is fairly straight forward rock in form, with a few bent little
twists here and there. So I came up with 'Strange Rock' as the
term to describe it.
Is there a place in the industry for non-conformist music?
I should damn well think so! Progression, change...that all takes
place because of non-conformist music. If you look back at the
history of music, it is the innovators who are remembered...not
the Top40 icons. Beethoven, Mozart, Stravinsky, Elvis, The Beatles...they
were all the innovators of their time, and they are the greats
of music.
The album is dedicated to Frank Zappa. How important was Zappa's
influence on your music and who else was an important influence?
Zappa was a complete revelation for me. I was all at sea with
music. I consumed so much, because I was searching for something
in music that I was not finding. And then, through the music
of Steve Vai, I bought "The Man From Utopia" and heard
Jazz Discharge Party Hats. It was insane...I was in heaven. It
taught me that you CAN step outside the boundaries...not by sheer
virtuosity and a fusion like precision, although there was plenty
of that in Frank's music, but with a warped sense of humour and
challenging the listener. That is what I try and take from Frank.
Right now Mike Keneally is an extremely important influence,
and I am lucky enough to be helping him promote his upcoming
tour with Steve Vai. Keneally is the complete musician, composer,
and he is a rocker to boot. He is fantastic.
Tell me about your songwriting
process. How does a song like, say 'The Pancho Gonzales Song'
get created?
The concept for that song was the first thing. The story is on
the album liner notes...I was playing tennis with an old wooden
racket that had Pancho stenciled on it, and because I was in
a stupid mood, every time I hit a winner I sang what is now the
intro line, "World champion Pancho Gonzales do do do do."
It became a matter of time before I sat down and created a stupid
song to surround that.
Essentially I will almost always start with either a concept
or a title for a song, maybe a chorus, and then start building
it from the ground up. Rhythm tracks first usually, the guitars
and synth, vocals and leads last. With lyrics, I normally have
maybe the chorus and some opening lines written for quite a while
before I have to get off my ass and finish the rest of the words.
But I am not someone who thinks of the lyrics to my songs as
a major part - I am not a poet. The overall effect of the song
is more important than working for weeks on a single metaphor
or something.
Let's talk about your upbringing, both in life and in music.
I was brought up in a family with a brother 10 years older than
myself, who taught me the wonders of KISS and Led Zeppelin, in
two largish country towns in Northern NSW, Ballina and Lismore.
Ballina was a very relaxed place by the sea, Lismore 30km inland
and a bit of a hole really. I had a lot of decent friends growing
up though, so life was fairly sweet. No childhood trauma that
scarred ,me for life. About the age of twelve I picked up a guitar
because my brother played and I watched an AC/DC concert video
and thought Angus Young was cool. From there I progressed through
all the guitar music...Van Halen was big with me, and so was
a lot of big hair bands.
So you come from a very guitar oriented musical background.
Very much so. And when I first started writing music, that is
what I wrote. Our High School rock band, White Riot, played a
few songs that I had written, and they were very guitar driven
metal type songs with bad lyrics about fast women...oh, hang
on, that has not changed! <laughs>
It really was Zappa's music that changed my outlook. I started
to realise that there was more to music than the solo and a big
chorus. Although, I still have a passion for a good pop song.
You have an album in the works with your brother, "The Dog
Biscuit Project." What are we to expect from that?
Calling it an album in the works is probably giving it more credence
than it deserves! Essentially, my big brother Michael lives with
his wife and two beautiful little girls about 500km away. With
both of us full time working, we really only see each other about
twice a year for a few days, and it is usually a long way away
from a studio. When we do get around to doing an album, and we
will, it will be more straight ahead rock type material with
less bents. Maybe a bluesier direction as well. And hopefully
I'll convince him to sing and do all the leads. But, an album
is a long way off I fear.
You have adopted a very do-it-yourself ethos. Why take on so
much?
Because I'm poor and no one else was going to do it for me! <laughs>
I enjoy most aspects of what I do for Odysseus' Dog...from the
recording aspect which for me plays a big role in the writing
process, through to designing artwork for covers, doing the web
site and all the material that is on there, forming and running
Agnes Records...it is all stuff that I enjoy, because it is all
interrelated to what Odysseus' Dog as a project and as a product
is all about. I almost dread the day that it all does get too
much for me and I have to hand control of part of it over to
someone else, because it is my vision after all.
What's in store for the next 12 months?
A loose timeline of events consists of promoting Mike Keneally
and his new album Nonkertompf which everyone needs a copy of
from www.moosemart.com, and his role in the Steve Vai tour in
February of 2000. Meeting Mike will be great. On 7/12/1999 there
is the Demented Ravings Album Launch, which will be great to
play live after quite a while, especially since it is an acoustic
set and I have a morbid fear of the acoustic guitar! <laughs>
I plan to record the launch as well, so depending on how that
turns out, that may be a special edition release in the new year.
After then doing a little further promotion for the album and
doing an upgrade on Bordello Studios, I will then plunge into
the writing and recording of the next Odysseus' Dog album, which
I hope to complete mid way through next year. Then, after artwork
and financing is ready, look to release late 2000. And, if by
luck something else happens along the way like the Dog Biscuit
Project, well great!
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