Well hello and welcome to another episode of What A Great Punk. Thank you. A podcast by Jamie and Todd from the band These New South Wales from Australia. From Victoria Australia Melbourne to be specific. This podcast is produced on the land of the Wurundjeri, Wurrung people of the Kulin nation. We'd like to acknowledge their elders past and present and acknowledge them as the traditional custodians of the land. We're joined today by Ian from Military Gun, which is super exciting, isn't it, Todd? Yeah, really exciting. This is the last minute thing. He was in town and kind of hang out for a bit. So yeah, it was super fun. Yeah, we recorded this on Friday afternoon and straight after the pot Ian went to sound check at fucking Amy Stadium, supporting hockey dad, shout out to hockey dad. Yeah, huge show. Yeah, it might not have been Amy Stadium as one of the arenas. Oh, same shit. One of those big arenas. Big fucking venue. Shout out. Yeah, I'm sure that show went well and yeah, big shout out to Ian. Thanks. It was a lovely chat. Great to meet him. Yeah, yeah, it's a really nice guy. Military Gun is a great band. Check it out if you haven't listened. If you're new to the pod, like I said before, we're a band called These New South Wales. You can check us out online. We also have a series, a comedy series, on Comedy Central, which is all on YouTube now. There's two seasons of it. It's called These New South Wales as well. It's a mockumentary. Check it out. If you like funny shit, mockumentaries, that kind of stuff, think you'll enjoy it. Yeah. Also, if you like this episode, you might like recent ones, one we did with Justice from Angel Dust. And Trapped Under Us, that was a sick chat. Shout out if that was. A little while ago, we did one with Ross Farah from Ceremony 2. Yeah. Another good chat and another great band. Yeah, shout out. Check out those episodes. Have we got any new sign ups to The Patreon this week? Oh, yes. A couple of people are welcome. We do bonus episodes each week on our Patreon. So it's a good way for more shit and to support the pod. Yeah. We got welcome to The Patreon, Bradley Dixon. Welcome to The Patreon, Bradley Dixon. I hope you're not as crazy as Henry Nixon. Who's Henry Nixon? That's my friend. That's my friend. I don't know, but I certainly hope so. Who's Nixon? Who's the President Nixon? I hope you're not as crazy as President Nixon. There you go. Welcome to The Patreon, Rowan Dolan. Rowan Dolan? Yeah. How you doing, Rowan Dolan? Welcome to The Patreon. Welcome to The Patreon, son. Welcome. Thanks for joining up. That's great. Yeah. You just win a bonus episode every week. So good for you. Yeah. This week's Patreon is quite a good one. We wrote some Bridget Jones's diary scenes on chat GPT. And then acted them. And acted them. It wouldn't let us make up that she kept pissing the bed, but unfortunately it doesn't like to do naughty things like that. Yeah. We wanted a scene where Bridget Jones pisses the bed, but it was too rude. Yeah. So we had to keep it a bit more PG than that, but it doesn't mean they weren't hilarious. So that's out now if you want to go and sign up for The Patreon and listen to that. It's good fun. Cool. All right. Should we get into the app? Yeah. Let's get into it. I hope you enjoy it. This is Military Gun. Catchy smile, you got that catchy smile, stop a while, come back with that catchy smile, come back baby, we'll fly away, come back, we'll just fly away, together baby, but. Don't tell you're a no-no. All right. What's up? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't tell you're a no-no. Welcome back to another episode of What A Great Punk, we're recording live at Gumbar on Johnson Street. Gumbar. Shout out. Towing wood, shout out. You announce where you're at? Yeah, we do because they give us this space to record in. And it's not a, it's not an agreed upon thing that they'll get a shout out, but we like to shout them out. They're friends. I just know I get to be, then people drop by. Yeah. But that's the point, right? Oh, while you're recording me. Oh, yeah. I might just like, stock you. I think Americans are a lot more unwell than Australians. So maybe we just have higher alert, but I'd be like, I will not let anyone know where I'm at. Yeah. Well, there's guns that are coming. Kill me. Yeah, they might. Yeah. Every third person has a gun, some shit like that. I remember being at South by once and because someone told me like every third person or some shit. It's like got a gun. In Austin, probably. Yeah. At the time. It was on that main strip, you know, when there's this like everyone everywhere and I was like gun, gun, gun, gun, gun, most likely. Yeah. Yeah. But at least they own one. Oh, they're not. They're not necessarily on their person, but they have it. They own it. Yeah. And a gun? I can't because my, I live in my brother who's a felon. Okay. Yeah. I can't. Fair enough. Fair enough. Yeah. I will once, once we don't live together anymore. Yeah. Yeah. Gladly. Oh, and many guns. Yeah, you'll be packing stockpile for the water wars. Yeah, fully. Oh, yeah. The water wars. Yeah. Well, when there's no water left. So. Yeah. Well, I mean, all the billionaires are buying farmland and water. What the fuck? Is that real? Yeah. Like all the farmland in the middle of the country is being bought up by like Bill Gates and shit. Where it come? Yeah. I did not know this. Yeah. So like all the billionaires are buying the farmland and the water. So did you guys ever watch that movie, The Big Short? Yeah. So the ending of that movie is the guy that bet on the big short, the guy who discovered it. Right. And the other thing he shorts now is water. Oh my God. So it's making me feel a bit sick inside. Yeah. No, I try not to think about it too much, but you're like, I'm pretty, yeah, like in our lifetime, it will be, I think there will be water scarcity. That's why a liquid death sponsorship is probably the most important thing you can get. Yeah. Well, we got sent some of that one. We did. You should have it. You should have it. Now you should have kept it for the water wars. We should have kept that going on. Yeah. It was really good. A case of liquid death in the fridge, like coming home from work and like it was, it was such a nice, like it gave the same feeling as a beer, like cracking that big thing over. Are they murdered your thirst? Yeah. It really mattered at first. It's like, is that their tagline? That's a tagline. Oh, really? Okay. I'll tell you what I'm going to say. No, I'm not that clever. Yeah. You're just rough about something that exists. Like that tagline rules. I said no to the liquid death. Do you know that? Anyone else in the band said yes. You were practicing what's it called? Anti-commercialism? I was just like, I got water at home. I don't need cans of it. But I think that-- What would you stop to everyone else from getting water? No. I went, hey guys, this has come through. I'm not keen, but if you are, take it. Yeah. And everyone else went, yep, yep, yep. And I went, damn it. But I'm the only one that got them. No one else received them, yeah. Oh, that's interesting. So you're the one hoarding water. So we know who to look out for in the water wars. We know who's house to go to. Yeah. That's where the water is. The idea of running out of water is deeply terrifying, hey, that's a really thought of that one. I've kind of think along the lines of you, surely that's coming in now with the crumbling of Western-- Can you not boil seawater? I think he can, but-- I mean, the water's not going to taste good at something. Still salty, yeah. I guess. Yeah. I guess what we have with the dehydro-- I don't know. We have questions. We have to start researching. That's what I know. Well, when shit goes down, you guys will be a couple of years behind us at least. Once you see it happen to us. Yeah. Like everything else. Just know that you have about five years, you've got to fuck. That's right. Just like everything else. In the '90s in Australia, in a lot of places, it was a big thing, like a cultural thing that used to be able to leave your front door unlocked. That was a whole-- Oh, we used to leave that front door unlocked all night. That was just how we did it back then. But that's not a thing-- I've kind of lived-- that's been my thing my whole life is like, I'll leave the door unlocked. If you want in, if someone wants in, they're going to get in. Yeah. So-- My auntie and uncle leave their front door unlocked because we've got a lot of-- like a big family-- I'm going to drop the address. People-- Yeah, but no one's going to do anything. Yeah, I know. Fuck. Who knows where that is. Not many people. Oh, no one. Because people pop in all the time, so it's just easier for them. Yeah, I mean, I grew up in a small town, and that was certainly-- door was always unlocked. My friends' houses were always unlocked just pop by and drop in. I lived in punk houses where the door was always unlocked, and then-- I mean, rightfully so, then you start living with women, and they're like, I don't think that people should just be allowed entrance to the house, and you're like, oh, yeah, it is a pretty privileged idea, the idea that I was like, yeah, it doesn't matter, anyone could just walk through. Yeah. And so, yeah, then I learned to lock the doors, but-- Yeah, okay. And was this-- this was around Seattle somewhere? Is that-- Yeah, I'm from, like, the Seattle-- Seattle area originally. Yeah. I live in Los Angeles now, though. Yeah, okay. Yeah. Cool. With the whole band. Whole band with it. The whole band lives like Southern California. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Oh, yeah. But I am from a small town, most famous for Mr. Hands. Do you guys know Mr. Hands here? It's a man of famous viral snuff film where a man died by having sex with a horse, and it pops his colon. Oh, my God. Yeah, that happened in the town that I'm from. Wow. Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's a real film. It's a real film. Yeah, no, it's a real occurrence that happened, because up until that year, which was 2004, 2005, bestiality was legal in Washington state as long as the animal was bigger than you. Aww. Kidding, that is what? Yeah. No, not kidding. No, not kidding. That's real. What kind of thought process is going into that? It's like, look, we'll allow it. Like the making of the law? Yeah, we'll allow it. Yeah. You've got to think how many people signed off on that. No, I can't believe that got talked about by people in suits. Yeah, yeah, you're like, it should be illegal, but when someone's like, well, not if it's bigger than you. Yeah. And then someone's like, oh, yeah. That's actually kind of a good idea. Yeah. Yeah, good point. I almost didn't like it. He would simply kick the kick a gentleman away. So it's a very interesting concept of how that I would love to do, I would love to see a film on just the passing of that wall because, you know. And the guy's got Mr. Hands. That was what the video was called. Oh, yeah. It's that. I'm still trying to live. I don't know. It just seems like very, you know, early odds internet. Have you watched it? Never. I've heard the audio though. I've heard the... Oh, the pop? Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. It's like a... Yeah. Fuck. All right. Seeing as we're on the topic, did you guys ever, you know how it was like, there were things that in the zeitgeist, growing up in the internet was new that like most people had watched. Oh, yeah. Two girls, one car. Yeah. Never seen that. Put your hands up if you've seen it. I've seen it. I haven't seen it. It makes me gag thinking about it. What is it again? They fart on a cake or something? No. They're like eating poop, which I heard on a podcast the other day that it's actually ice cream that they had injected into their butts. Oh, okay. Oh, yeah. Because if you've seen it, you're like, that doesn't quite look like poop, but also I'm throwing up right now. Yeah. It's still really probably coming from the butt. Yeah. No, it makes you get... I mean, I have a very sensitive guy. Like, a lot of the big snuff, like all the gross stuff, pain Olympics, I did see. But then... Heard about this. This is insane. What was that? People would have won up each other on... It was like people were just mutilating their genitals. Yeah. Like slicing it off. Sliding, slicing it off. Oh, my God. Larry, Larry told me about that. It again has to be fake because there's no, like, affectation to the person doing it from my memory. They're not like... Yeah. Yeah. They're like... You're going to steal that. Yeah. I feel like it's probably a fact. The original David Copperfield. Yeah. Yeah. He probably was probably what he was really inspired by. Yeah. I mean... Cake farts is a... Yeah. What's that one again? Have you seen cake farts? No. Literally, the extent of what I've seen is the pain Olympics and two broken dogs. Okay. Okay. Well, this one's... You know what that cake farts are? I mean, I imagine it sounds pretty intuitive. It's a classic... Like, it's like a '90s American... I guess he'd call it like soft porn in a way. Okay. And it's just a girl going, "You want to know what I like the mouth?" She goes, "Cake fart." To the camera. She's just rubbing her bare bum on a muddy chocolate cake. And then just... So what someone told me once was that the idea of the cake fart thing is that it's poop without it being poop. Oh. Like, that's the deal of it, I guess, is that you have the titillate if you're into that but without the smell or anything like that. Yes. That made it make sense to me where I'm like, "I see." I love poop aesthetically. I love the idea of poop but not the smell and taste. And so you're like, "Okay, well, I guess it makes a little bit of sense." Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I can't believe that's a very pertinent point. I've never noticed. You've tried to think about these things as like, "Why?" Yeah. You know, like, this is happening and en masse to some degree. Yeah. This isn't the only person that's thought of being... Well, I guess that's when you think about, you know, not to go into a full conversation about porn or whatever, that's not what we hear discussed. But when you think about, like, steps you can do with porn and all that kind of step marm and all that kind of stuff... Yeah. What's that saying? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I've said this on POD before, actually, but the foot fetish is a born of, apparently, when you're a kid, your first intimate relationship is with your parents, obviously, and you are at feet level all the time, like crawling, and so that becomes like an object of your sort of... A defection? Yeah. It's interesting. I always thought that all the, like, fetish is born of shame. Oh, yeah. So, like, if you, like, think you have weird feet, you probably think feet look good to you. Oh, okay. Yeah. It doesn't work for me, personally, I mean, totally, you know, because I've got like, I've got a terrible fetish thing going on, but I've got fine feet, you know, fine. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But, yeah, I think shame and fetish is a surely... Yeah. Well, that's... They're intertwined. They are, they are, aren't they? Couple of us. How did we get there? Yeah. In there. Mr. Hands, sorry. Oh, yeah. I got the talent that I'm from in Washington. That's right. Yeah. It really set us down a dark path. And when did you move to LA, then? I moved to LA in 2018. Right. Okay. And I moved to work and film. All right. I thought that I was going to, like, quit music. Wow. And then a pandemic. You moved to Hollywood. I moved to Hollywood. No, not too. To be near Hollywood. So, in what capacity were you looking to work in that? I was directing a lot of music videos. Yeah. I've directed music videos for, like, bands like Angel Dust. Shout outs. Bad sons and, like, I do a lot of the military gun ones myself. Yeah. Or at least I'm very heavily involved, if not directing them. Mm-hmm. And, yeah, I just was kind of going down that path, wanting to get into commercial directing and trying to make movies and television someday. Yeah. But now I'm on tour all the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So, yeah, because you were thinking about quitting music and the plan to, you didn't move to LA for music? No, I didn't move to LA for music at all. Yeah, I was like, "Oh, I have to, to be in film. I have to be in Los Angeles." I would have, if I thought all I was going to do is music, I would have stayed in the Seattle. Yeah. Yeah. Not have gone. Where's the music spot? Like, if you'll say you're, I'm 19. Yeah. And I'm starting a band and I'm living in a country town in America, but I want to go to LA. LA. Yeah. Yeah. In a, like a blast beat hardcore band called Regional Justice Center. And I moved to Los Angeles as our first album came out and like, just being in Los Angeles already made the band, like more successful somehow. It was like a weird thing where like the accessibility, like you're just so, like opportunity is very accessible. Yeah. Yeah. In Los Angeles. And there's a stupid perception of like, you're where people, successful people are something. Yeah. I don't know what it is. It must be similar with Melbourne or Sydney, right? Yeah. Where it's like, like, I'm sure there's people who start bands and move to either Melbourne or Sydney. Yeah. Absolutely. There's like bands like Tame and Paolo that are from Perth and they stayed there and they never moved to whatever, but it is a similar thing. And I think, well, I mean, isn't like California like traditionally punk and hardcore, it's like being quite big and in that area? Yeah. I mean, it's funny because I feel like Los Angeles has had our, our, our fair share of hardcore bands, but it's like, I feel like there's, it's not as regional. It's like not a very regional sound currently, at least, you know, but definitely it's got a good thing going. I can't deny that. Did you tour much prior to military gun and your other bands? Were you constantly touring? Yeah, constantly touring. And that's why I was moving to quit music was I was like, you know, I, I, I have a very bad habit of, of, I can't do anything casually. So like I was playing in a blast beat hardcore band, which like, especially the time was not in vogue at all, but we treated it like a full time job. Yeah. You know, and it was like not what any normal person would do. And where does that, like, where does that come from? What do you reckon? It's just who I am. I don't know. I just, I have a one gear and it's good. And what are you driving towards? Just like, like, what is it that you're, what is it that drives you in that way? Like, is it like, I want to complete a, I want to create. I guess it's just having a goal, you know, and like seeing through the goal. And like, you know, you create art, you want people to observe it. Like there's like, you could pretend that that's not our goal when you create art, but like, that is the goal. Yeah. I made this. I hope someone looks at it. Yeah. Someone hears it. And likes, likes it as much as I do it. Yeah. Yeah. And it grows. And yeah. Yeah. And so it was like, I just always have had that in me of just like, like, just claw and fight my way towards anyone realizing something I've made exists. Yeah. Yeah. And so we pre pandemic, you know, like I was thinking about it in context, like of like my life pre and post pandemic, because obviously they're very different in the level of eyes on my stuff. And I was like, we were going to Japan with like a thousand Spotify monthly listeners. You know, like it was like, like just, yeah, there was no no proof it was even working. Yeah. And it did not deter me at all. Yeah. And so then on the other side of it, when regional just center and both military gun have more eyes on them, that's like, Oh, well, now there's no reason to stop. You know, like gotta keep swinging like and swing harder than ever. Yeah. Yeah. And you just like right now, you're six weeks away from home right now and you're six weeks. Yeah. This is the six week currently. How many more have you got to go? We had home on Wednesday and then I get to be home for two weeks. Okay. That's all right. Two weeks. How are you feeling about a amount of time before we talk about what's been going on this week and the last six, how are you feeling about going, are you excited to sit down for a minute or? Yeah. I was supposed to start another really big project and I just canceled it or postponed it so that I could actually not have a nervous breakdown and relax. Yeah. I went through a breakup not too long ago, about six weeks ago. Oh, sorry. And so I, you know, it's a weird spot. I won't have a home to turn home to you, but you know, it's a lifestyle I've been very accustomed to. I've done this before. I've lived in my van many times. I've, I've kind of shows, you know, we choose the dirt bag. Yeah. We chose. Yeah. So I'm excited to get two weeks off. I'm also excited to keep going. So it's what are you going to do in those two weeks, you reckon, like what's your, what's your data? I have to relearn how to play drums. Okay. Because the other band I drum and sing and we have our first show, August 4th. Okay. So I got to get good at drums again. Yeah. Let's play live. So you're busy still. Yeah, I'll be busy. Where are you going to do that at the studio or something or? I have a practice space. I'm probably just going to live in the practice space and play drums and sleep there. That sounds sick. Yeah. Have you got mates that live close by? Not unreasonably far, but yeah, yeah. So. Hoping in the car to see them sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah. I'll see plenty of people. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck yeah. And then what's your impressions of Melbourne being like this week? So we've just been in Fitzroy the whole time. Yeah. I have walked to operator diner every morning downtown and because it's like an American style diner. Dude, I know the one. It's kind of a side straight in the city. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like right next to you, these like churches that are like under the skyscrapers. Yeah. It's very cool. Yeah. We'll set up. I mean, I've been, so also, I had like a doctor telling me I shouldn't be on tour. Like for my voice. Okay. And so I like, I didn't speak for a handful of days when we first got here and like an out of vocal rest. So I've just been kind of by myself just kind of vibing. Yeah. I like Melbourne. I'm ordering food pointing to the menu. I speak. So I'm not a complete douchebag when I go out. I'll speak in those settings, but it's like, can't hang out with the guys, you know, like I can't just be like yucking it up necessarily, but you don't want to be the, you don't want to be like the guy who's not speaking to Savvy's voice like Michael Jackson. Yeah. Yeah. You have like a little sign like, I know I'm not trying to do all that, you know, like, yeah. But anyway, yeah. I've, I've been living, I'm excited to play Margaret Court tonight. I think it's going to be interesting. It's very funny. Like people reacting to it. Yeah. It's a big spot. Do you guys know who Greg Turkington is? Yes. Yes. I met Greg Turkington at Emporium yesterday. Oh, he's in the country. I fucking love Greg Turkington. Emporium. In the city. I met him at Emporium. What? You ran into him? Yeah. Yeah. What the fuck? Do you have a photo? I'm sick. He, yeah, dude. I was. I was a Neil Hamburger is Greg Turkington, but also he's on, um, fucking on cinema. On cinema. Yeah. Oh, dude. Wow. Starstruck. That's so cool. At Emporium. And so yesterday we just went to the mall and. Wait, you hung out after meeting him? No, no, no, no. No, no, no. I just, we were at the mall. Yeah, yeah. And that's where I saw. I think you and Greg went to the mall. No, that'd be amazing. I would love to go to the mall. How was he to meet? He was so kind. He actually talked to me for like five more. What did you say? Like. I went. Greg. Yeah. I was like, he popped up the escalator and I lit it. I'm peering from behind the escalators. So funny. Because not only that, for me, him and I live in the same city. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. But we're here. Yeah, yeah. That's right. And yes. And so he popped the escalator in my eyes. Just lit up and he saw me light up for sure. And then he like went, tried to walk the opposite way. Pass me. And I just went. I was like, yeah, you're like, Greg. Here you come. He's like, what's up, man? And he like stopped. He fully just like planted. He was like fully locked in on just like interacting with me. That's so cool. And it was very, very kind. And he just, yeah, he was like, I was like, what are you doing here? And he was like, oh, my, his wife is from here. Raw. Didn't know that. His wife is from here. And he said he has a show tomorrow tonight. He has a show tonight. There's a Neil Hamburger show somewhere tonight. That's so cool. I haven't actually seen Neil Hamburger. It's crazy. It's crazy. Yeah. And yeah, I told, I brought up to him his old, he had it planted in a noise rock band called a zip code rapist. And I brought that up to him. He was like, you know that? And I was like, yeah, dude. I don't know. But I know that it exists. Yeah. I just thought it was funny to bring up. Oh shit. Yeah. And it was. He's like, keep it down. Yeah. It's cool. Yeah. Very interesting experience. So I love Melbourne for that reason that I got to meet Greg. That's cool. And so just talking about Greg a bit more. Does he spend them all the time here? Did you get that? Yeah. He says spent a lot of time here. He generally spends a lot of time here. Because his wife's from here. Hopefully I get to run into him on there. Go hang out and pour him. Yeah. What's important? Important. It's a mall downtown. Yes. It's the mall. It's Melbourne Central. Oh yeah. Yeah. Gotcha. I think. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I'm all in the city on the sponsor street. Sick. All right. What were we saying with that? Oh yeah. You've just been... That's right. My impression of... Yeah, we golfed. We golfed? Yeah, we golfed. We were talking about this when you weren't in the room before. Oh, what did you go? I was saying slipknot golfs. Yeah. Yeah. I need to get good enough at golf so that when I have... Yeah. When I make friends with these celebrity bands that I can go play golf. Yeah. Smash, Corey, Taylor. The... We played at Royal... Royal... Okay. Yeah, I'm cheap, of course. Do you get the same feeling with golf? Like because I play a little bit of golf. Very, very rarely. Yeah. It'll be like four or five times a year with my brother because he likes it. And I like it. It's the best time. But um... Do you get a bit like... I have a bit of this as well. Like if I'm going to like go and play golf I like should try and really like learn how to... Do you have a good swing and stuff? I have a fair swing. The problem is that I've only ever gone to driving ranges before. Yeah. Oh, okay. And so... And I'm... I can use an iron but it was like... I understand I used the pitching wedge and... Yeah. And I'm definitely... Yeah, I smashed it so far. I could have had a great like on a part three I probably could have got a... It's so nice the pitching wedge is like... Oh, there's nothing better than a nice little chip shot though. That goes perfectly. Yeah. I was getting there towards the end. Yeah. But before I was just fucking beating the shit out of the pitching wedge and just sending it so far past where I needed it to go. Yeah. But um... No, so yesterday was my first time playing holes. Yeah, right. And so I really enjoyed it. I was the worst of the group but I really enjoyed it. Yeah. It's fucking good. My goal is to get good at golf. Yeah. Okay. I would like to... I would like to... Yeah, no. I don't do... Like I said, I don't do anything casually. Yeah, exactly. So what I will be doing is spending every day whacking balls. But you do start humbling. See? You've finished last. You don't feel too down about it. Yeah. It's just... It's fuel the fighter. Yeah. I'm only playing against me ever. So... Yeah. Um... So... What's the plan? Are you going to fucking hit the course when you get back or...? I'll definitely be. That'll probably be the one thing that I do that's not playing drums. You need to get some clubs though, that's the problem you got. Yeah, I need to get... My stepdad, uh, is like, he's like, he's like, uh... Works in money. So he has clubs and he's like, "I need to get new clubs. I'll give you my old ones." Oh yeah. So I'm just waiting for that. That's the classic move. It's a hand me down. Yeah. He doesn't even need new clubs. He just wants them. Yeah. And you're a similar heart though? No. That's a little bit taller than you said. It might not work out, but I'm going to try to get the free clubs and stuff and stuff. Yeah, I think so. You might just choke up on it more, you know? Yeah, fully. Just stand further away from the ball. Yeah. That'll do it. Is this the second... This is the second Melbourne show tonight. You played your first one shoe center. Yeah, I've played Tuesday night. Was that an Amy arena as well? No. No, I wish. That'd be great. So... Oh, I had long yet. Oh, I had long yet. Headlining show at... I'm going to guess. That's here. Stay gold? No. Do I hear that? That is the spot everyone ends up at. Yeah, I'd go punk bands. It has an open... The ceiling opens? Oh. Gasso. Gasso. Gasso. That's a good one. Awesome show. Yeah. Good crowd. Very good crowd. Nice. Fantastic. I was talking about... I didn't know that was on. I should have... That's near my house. Well, if you guys want to come tonight, I'm sure we can get you into the... I'm in Margaret Court. That would be amazing. Yeah. We'll be like watching the food finders. But as if no one knew them. Have you played in... In the arena before? Yeah. We just got off in a whole amphitheater/stadium tour in the States. Really? So we flew from to this. Dude, it's... I imagine it's like flying first class, you can't go back now. Yeah. You're going to have to... No. In the way that that is similar is that you get catering every day. Oh, yeah. Because there's... It's like when these tours have really big crews, they have to have catering. Feed them heads, yeah. Yeah. And so we had lunch and dinner catering every day. Yeah. So we spent no money. Yeah, that's so good. The entire trip. And that was amazing. I got a good catering story from an arena. That's right. One of my old bands supported Madness on the Australian shows. It was my first time I was like really young. It was my first time ever in this kind of thing like that. Yeah. And I saw there was catering. And I went up and I stood in the line. And I got to the front and I ordered the Oso buco. And all lamb shanks or something like that, right? And then the person was like, "You're not allowed this because we were in the support band and we weren't allowed it." And so I just had to do the walk of shame of like, "Oh, okay, pass the whole line out of the room." And it really scared me. Yeah. I should have just given it to me. Why? I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. Yeah. And I don't think it was a directive from Madness to be fair. Yeah. I just think that you weren't given those... So you weren't given those... Yeah, exactly. No privileges. They should have just given you that one I think. Supposed to themselves... Sorry for me. There's no way that they shouldn't be. Oh, yeah, definitely. That's the only way you get paid. Exactly. You get paid by saving money on food. That's it. Yeah. That's fucking bullshit. Otherwise, everything else about every other tour is great. The catering is great about the big tour, but I like playing to people that want to see us. Yeah. That's a different show. It's a different energy on the stage in terms of performing and what you get out of it. Definitely. Definitely. Yeah. Well, because like, what's common in that culture, just a big show culture, right, is that there's people who get there at the very beginning because they need to reserve their spot for when the headline is. So you're playing 200 people up front that don't care whether they're alive or dead. They're like, "When are they on?" Yeah. As soon as they get off the list, I have to hold my going to the toilet. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So you must be really like, because you know if you're playing a bunch of support shows for a while, you slip into that zone of like, you sort of forget what it's like for a moment to do your own like, you know, and you get into it's own way like this. You never go long enough. You never go long enough. Yeah. But this is how it feels now, whatever, you know, that feeling gets, yeah. How have you been like managing those? Have you been fine those performances going? That's the game. Fucking whatever. It doesn't matter. Or is it being a bit of a drag? So the tour we just did was with a day to remember. And I honestly just didn't know a ton about the band before going into it. And I basically thought they were a different genre than they were in most ways. I thought they were like a pop punk band. That's what I think. They're more so a metal core band. Okay. So, and like, and I'm saying this ain't nothing but love and respect. It just was. Yeah. I was expecting something. And so I was like, well, they like vocal melodies, you know, like we're not necessarily a pop punk band, but we're also not necessarily not a pop punk band, you know, we have vocal hooks. Yeah. And so as you get a work, and then I realized what their fans wanted was shooting again. Yeah. True. And now that we don't have that, literally any of that, like even my version of what a breakdown is is more punk, that and they wouldn't like that. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so just kind of felt like, oh yeah, they just don't like us. And that's, that's fine. Yeah. Yeah. But I was just like their fans just don't like us. And then so how did you go throughout the, like, did you maintain your sort of, were you loving the songs yourself or you do that thing where you sort of closed that. No, I'm very confident in the songs, but I just also, it was an amphitheater tour. We flew 18 hours from Portugal to St. Louis, Missouri to start the tour, which shot my voice. So I just wasn't ever comfortable on stage for the duration of the tour. I got just never got comfortable. Yeah. So it'd be one thing if I was confident in my own performance and was like, this is you have bad taste. Yes. I'm making good songs. Yeah. They don't get what we're doing because I'm not doing a good enough job at showing it. I had that exact experience in December. We toured UK and a few EU dates and stuff. Yeah. And I got sick the day I landed. And so it just like, you know that feeling when you know you're getting sick and when you start to sing to check if you can sing the notes and it goes, fuck. Yeah. So you do it every morning where I hum check. Yeah. So I'll roll over and go, like just to be like, where's my voice at? Yes. What's going to happen to that? It's really stressful. Oh, dude. They don't tell you about that. It's really stressful if you're about to play a massive show that you've worked so hard to, and you're really looking forward to doing it. You've done all this. You've made an album. You've fucking been working at it for your entire life. And you get a moment sometimes and it's like you can't really seize it. Now that's how I felt about we played Bonnaroo. And I just was like, I wasn't me, I just wasn't, you know, like I feel bad that people, I feel bad for my band members that they show up and played their normal thing. And then I, my voice didn't show up to the game. Yeah. Where it's like, yeah. It's really disappointing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if that's, I'm guessing it's something that pretty much everyone goes through. Right? I think I could say something. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, maybe more people I think are more guarded about not allowing it in, you know, not telling the public that they feel that way, but like, I'm, I don't, I, I try to wear every emotion of this whole thing. Yeah. I'm going to be like, I don't know. I have bad mental health. I have bad physical health because of my bad mental health, you know, it's like it, we're just being ground, you know, we're grinded up. You would say you have bad mental health. Uh, I'm kind of unwell. Yeah. I just kind of like, I think all this is kind of a symptom of a, a, a poor upbringing, you know, of like, I think that we, if you choose to do this instead of a normal job, like that actually pays you in a way that you can have a secure life and you choose to do this instead, then like, yeah, where there's smoke, there's fire, you know, yeah. But also you also just, well, I guess we're choosing the, what we perceive to be the happier option, right? Like it's the happier option you get to like, yeah, I don't know, I don't, well, I just, I guess you, would you be happy doing a like nine or five, exactly, personally? But, um, the thing that I, I think it's because we don't think about the future that we feel that way. I think that it's like, yeah, if you were to think any bit about, oh, and, you know, like, so Frankie Valley, you guys know, Frankie Valley, the, the, yeah, crazy falsetto people. He was like noted as like one of the first people where it was like, he has to tour until he really dies because he ended up paying a mob debt for one of his band members. Right. And, um, there's no other reality now besides that, which is if you want to be in music, you have to tour until the day you die because there is no way to, to have a retirement. That's the reality. I haven't really confronted it. The way that you will ever make enough money at this point to ever not work. Yeah. Yeah. Which I mean, is also the reality of potentially every job anymore, at least in the States, like, yeah, retirement is largely a concept that is going away. Yeah. Same here. Honestly. Yeah. But, you know, like reasonably like with the lifetimes, yeah, touring that, you know, that lifestyle being traveling, being living in hotels, cheap hotel rooms or whatever, um, I don't know, it's kind of an interesting back and forth. And like, for me, it's worth it because I know that. It's a bit of a deal with the devil, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. I know that I can't achieve happiness in another way. I mean, it's the same thing even with filmmaking with anything. Like there's just not the money. There's no money. No. Yeah. If taken away any video about the middle class, it's just, it's either you're at the top or the bottom. Yeah. I mean, like a period where there was a naivety about that when you were younger where you thought like, oh, I just keep working at this and that will give me a life that will know. It's funny because so what my entire life, I just kept going and then I'll stop doing music and be and do a real job, right. And now I don't say that anymore. But that was what I said, like from like 17 on, I'm like, I'm going to tour until I'm 20. Yeah. So I'll stop touring and, and go to school and get a degree. Yeah. And then 20 happens and you're like, I'm not done yet. A couple more tours. I want to go on. The interesting thing is that can happen at 50 really kind of. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Go back to school and get yourself a. I don't think they hire people old anymore. I don't know. Yeah. Don't say again. I, I, I have a very bleak world view. Yeah. Well, the water was full of things. Yeah. The water was. Yeah. The colleges won't even be a thing at the point by the time I'm 50. Yeah. That's true. I agree with these days. You need to, if you want to get a job. A degree, get your water bottle. Hopefully you have water water. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Get lost. All right. So what's happening tonight? We're playing with support in hockey dad. Hockey dad at Margaret Court. Okay. And have you been to the venue yet? No. I'm a heading straight there from here. Yes. I'm excited to see it. I mean, it seems like everyone reacts. What was great about meeting Greg. Ergington was, I was like, I was like, Oh, I'm an American. I'm here. And he's like, where are you playing? And I was like Margaret Court. And he's like, Wow. And I was like, we're the support band. We're not doing that. Yeah. I wish that we had the money. Yeah. Yeah. I saw Elton John there. Oh. Elton John has played Margaret Court. Oh, no. Sorry. This was Amy. It's similar. Next door. Oh, okay. There's a different stage. Yeah. Because I would say there's, you know, like we've gotten to be on a lot of stages that are are idols have been on. Yeah. I don't think I could have ever seen Elton John before. Yeah. You've just robbed me of it. Well, there'll be a bunch of Margaret Court alumni. Okay. When I was watching Elton John, though, with my mum, she took me there and like, I'm, you know, I like Elton John. I'm not massive on him. And then he finished it. He did his last song and it had like a, the Wizard of Oz backdrop on the big LED. And as the band was sort of finishing, he was waving to the crowd and stuff. And then he went towards the back of the stage where the yellow brick road was. Oh, yeah. And the yellow brick road and my mum who loves Elton John and his Scottish went, she was like, Oh, she was covering her mouth like this amazing end to the show and he stepped through the door and waved to everyone and then she goes, that's him away off the yard. That's him away down the yellow brick road. That's him away off down the yellow brick road. I was like, yeah, mum. That's him. I think she was thinking. I'll never see him again. It's like when she went. Never. Probably didn't. I think that she went to one of his concerts. No, I think that was his last. It was his farewell tour. So that was him away off down the yellow brick road. Goodbye. Goodbye. Yeah. And, um, and we went to see Phil Collins as well, but he was in a wheelchair. He got wheeled out in a wheelchair because he broke in his leg or something. A lot less romantic. Yeah. Yeah. He can't even walk down the yellow brick road. Right. He's wheeling. Someone's got a wheel of his ass down there. Yeah. It's all up here as well. I felt, I really felt, um, I had a strong sense of mortality during that concert actually because I grew up listening to Phil Collins because my mum was like a fanatic. Yeah. Um, I'm sitting next to my mum watching him and he's in a wheelchair like, because he can't. Oh, yeah. So I was just like, oh my God, it's all ending. It's pretty bleak. That's why it's like watching ACC these days. It's sort of like a big show, but they're off, they're up the yellow brick road sometimes. Yeah. Half out. Yeah. Well, shut out. It's ever been to an academic concert? No. Me either. I reckon I enjoy half an hour of it. I think it's kind of hard for you guys to have not been to one. I just have. Okay. This is the reason I haven't been. Well, some AC DC songs are amazing. That's no one here is going to deny that. I just can't imagine watching three hours of it. Yeah. That's my thing. Yeah. Yeah. Those stadium concerts, the set list. The cure I've seen three hours of and it was brilliant. No, that was boring as well. It got really boring in the middle. Yeah. But yeah. Fucking three hours of AC DC to be a bunch. Play for an hour in the middle. I watched Gotta Buy Voices for four and a half hours once. And how'd you go? I stood the whole time. It was really cool. Go back. Yeah. It was that was that was New Year's New Year's 2020. Fuck. It sounds like it was a horrible experience. I saw Warren drugs play once and it was two and a half hours for like just a normal headline set. Where was that? Fucking Metro or something. Oh yeah. And I was just like, that's way too long. That is too long for a normal headline. Normal headline bands. Normal headline bands. You're not that big. Two hours and a half. Yeah. You've got to do an hour and a half. On our headlining shows, we're playing about 50 minutes. I think that-- No, yeah. I think we do about that on headlining. About like an hour. Yeah. Yeah. But you have to have enough good songs. And you don't want anyone to ever do this at your show. Look at their watch. But they do that anyway. Yeah. They're doing this the whole time. Yeah. Support band. Half an hour. Tops. What do you reckon? 35. I think 40 is fair for support. You know, like a three band. Like it's a three band build. Oh yeah. We have a shortage. I think we do a 35. Yeah. That's good. Yeah. I reckon 50 is a good call. An hour for me is just too long for any band, even seeing my favorite band in the world. It's like I'm like, oh, like a restless one. Yeah. I like it. I like it when it's, you know, when it's my favorite. You know, like I got to see Lana Del Rey twice recently and really, really love her. Cool. Yeah, me too. Yeah. But like when I saw Blur even Blur, I was like, yeah, at a certain point, I'm like, yeah. You could have dropped that one. Yeah. What have you been listening to while on tour for the last six weeks? I've been listening to a lot of Father John Misty, I don't know what I just suddenly he re-emerged in my subconscious. Yeah. And I just was like, I'm listening, I just, the lyrics for him lately have really been speaking to me. Right. Okay. I think the like the dirt bagness of it, the like self awareness I really like about his lyrics. Yeah. It's kind of really interesting. There's this guy Dan Spencer from Tennessee, smaller artist, very, very amazing kind of like more country alt rock type stuff. Okay. Um, I've been listening to a lot of, I've been listening to be here now by Oasis a lot. Okay. Yeah. And just studying it in all of its failures. Oh. What do you mean? It's an amazing record. Yeah. But it is the same amount of tracks as Morning Glory and it's 40 minutes longer. Oh. What? Yeah. 40 minutes long. It's too long. Yeah. My song is eight minutes. So like, I don't know. I don't really know. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Too much cocaine, too much indulge. Yeah. It's just, they just know. It's just fuck up. Yeah. Well, it's funny because the chorus is like the pieces of the songs. Yeah. Just as iconic and amazing. Yeah. But for some reason they're eight minutes. Gotcha. Yeah. You know, like, yeah. Yeah. And so it's a really like. That's me up the yellow brick road right there. It's too much. Yeah. And it's like hard because you, you, like, I want to recut the record or something. It's going to be like, take away all the extra bits. Yeah. And here is how it's going to be. That'd be a funny thing to do. You know? Just hand it to him. I'm going to say that. Just produce it and send it back. Yeah. Yeah. And send it back. Because I mean, I think that it would be talked about as, as, as classic as morning glory. If the songs weren't so overindulgent. Yeah. But yeah. Like I've, I spent a month recently only listening to that record. I reckon I'm going to check it on. Yeah. Check it on. Yeah. Give it three listens and then you'll kind of understand the chorus is and you'll know it like, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And it makes it worth it. Yeah. It's a good band, isn't it, Oasis? Yeah. I've been tapping back into them recently to every year. So I'll hit, but I'm, I'm recently back on an Oasis. They never get old. The songs never get old. They're so cool. They're so cool. They're so amazing records. But you, those two records do it. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. And you know what I've been doing? Just listening to the live albums. Oh, I'd, the Knappworth one? Yeah. Yeah. Like even just listening to that, you can see how cool those guys are. Yeah. It's just fucking crazy on the, like he, he was a, it's funny because it's kind of like a little bit washed out in history now. He had a lot of vocal problems. Right. Right. That's why Noel started singing. Okay. With that Liam would leave stage all the time because his voice would go out. Gotcha. She's going right. Yeah. But like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like he like screams. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Sick. And the set is like, it's so much 26 songs or something like that, 30 songs. Yeah. And, but that doesn't feel old actually. Like that's sick. That carries. Are you doing vocal warmups and stuff regularly now? Yeah. I got all sorts of, I got a whole regiment now. Yeah. And it helps, doesn't it? It does. Yeah. Helps. Yeah. Heaps. Yeah. Amazing. To speak my Australian heaps. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. Never. I, I, I all delay stage before I, before I don't do it at this point. Yeah. Yeah. I was um, I, I work in a bottle shop, a wine store, um, then I was working last night and a lady who drinks there every day and there's a good friend of mine, just 67 her name is Moxie. And um, she's a cool, cool, old lady drinks more than anyone I know, honestly, beast. Sounds right. She's there every day. Yeah. She's there every day. Yeah. It's like a heart attack in the shop last night. Oh no. Yeah. Which was really intense. She just like kind of collapsed and smacked her head on the bench. Jesus man. And got caught by her friend and I was like fuck and I caught an ambulance and um, they got her onto the ground and she started vomiting and it's really intense. Yeah. That sounds terrible. It's not terrible to witness, terrible to, to experience. Yeah. Any customers in the shop? Packed. Really? Packed. Is she doing all right now? Okay. Good. But um, I said, are you still in a hospital? And she goes, yes darling. Yes. And I was like, okay, um, when are you going to get a glass of wine? Yeah. Are you going to get out today? And she goes, well, I hope so. I don't want to miss the soiree tomorrow night because there's a piano party on tomorrow night like the local. Oh my God. I live in a real posh area. And so it's filled with posh people drinking wine all the time. She's not like that, but she kind of associates with all that crowd. And um, she a bit of a social art, would you say? Yeah. She's just like anyone that comes in. She's talking to. She'll make friends with everyone that they all know her like, she's just a real lady about town, but um, she doesn't want to miss the soiree tomorrow night. So I hope she doesn't have to. She's going to get straight back on the fucking on the gear tomorrow. Soon she's out. Yeah. I'm sure she's drinking right now. Yeah. Probably. Yeah. Bless. Very scary though. I got a proper shock. I was like, I got real vague afterwards. So what did you, did you see? She was fine. One minute. And then so yeah, she was just sitting there. She stood up and said, um, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and then she went, oh, feel a bit dizzy. And then her friend Kelly went, sit down, down and she sat down. And then she was like, oh, I just got very hot. And Kelly's like, oh, let me grab you a water and then she went. Oh, wow. Into the desk. God. Yeah. Just like that. Not good. Anyway. Terrible. Yeah. So I hope you're doing all right. Yeah. I hope you have a great swiree. Do you ever worry about your heart or health or physical, you mentioned your physical health before as well? Um, I mean, mainly I only care about my throat health, you know, getting older, you have to embrace the idea that like you're one injury away from like getting fat and, yeah, and living way worse of a life for your son than the life you're living. Not just speak on any way, but you know, just be like one back injury, one knee injury, one, anything is. Yes. And it can happen at any time. Anytime. The back thing is a really good thing to bring up because I think we, um, go through life a bit cocky about our backs and we'll just pick up a box, uh, and it's like, you're right. One injury away from like two years to lifetime of family life rehab. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I, I embrace, I, I sleep face down like a corpse, uh, hands by the side down. Uh, hands like either under me or by my side. Yeah. So, uh, face turn to the side, face barely. It's like barely. Oh, really? So like it just looks like I'm a dead body. Okay. Yeah. Wow. That's comfortable. Oh, on your, like, on your nose. Damn. Just turn this cushion up. So it's not getting smushed. Yeah. Or you're sleeping off the side of the pillow or something. Yeah. Like sleep with like that much pillow on your hand. Cause if not, you'd be like, you'd be like, you'd be sleeping in a U-shape, you know? Yeah. Every time your forehead is just grazing the, the front of the pillow and then if, have you ever tried going in between two, two pillows, uh, no, cause, cause again, you don't want the neck lift because then, then you're like, that's bad for your, I mean, I'm not, I'm not saying it's good for my back. I'm not doing currently, but, uh, yeah. I don't know. What's the best way to sleep? Does anyone like that? On your back. Yeah. On your back. But then you're going to snore it out. Yeah. I snore it out. I can't. Yeah. But you're sleeping on your side gives you all sorts of back weird back. So stomach, tough to say what she's. It's good. Stomach is good? I think so. Okay. I think it's the second. Oh, side's the worst. Which is what. I think that might be the hierarchy. For any back sleeper, because I'm straight up like my hips and shoulders are square down. Yeah. Planking. Oh, which is important. Yeah. Planking. Just straight down. Planking yourself to sleep. Yeah. But I, I slept on the floor a lot as a kid. I slept like I have had a lot of weird living arrangements. So just like I got used to sleeping. Yeah. Face down. Yeah. This is what you can. I could sleep right here on this hardwood and be fine. Yeah. Really. Like no blanket. Really. Like I, I just, I could do it. Small couch. No. Never. Never. Ever will I sleep on a, on a small couch. It needs to be in plank position. Yeah. Yeah. I never thought about or said that before, but that just popped into my head. Because I will see a small couch and go, that would be terrible to sleep on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, so it's like, like DIY touring, like I learned how much importance everyone put on the, where to sleep. Yeah. And how that would affect the tension of the group. You know, where it's like people are mad that one person got to bed and. Yes. You know, like the resentment that comes from stupid things, yes, I from an early age was like, I will opt out altogether. Yeah. I'm going to sleep on the ground. Okay. I love that. So to me, like it was like from my first tours on, I sleep on the ground. Yeah. You're avoiding the drama. There's no drama. You guys take the bed. That's quite monk. You take it. Monk. But it's not. It's just like, I don't like being involved in stupidity. Yeah. That's all it is. It's like it's selfish. Someone's got to land in the, on the floor. Yeah. Right. So I'm just going to do it every night. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then someone says, who are you? And you go, I'm no one. Yeah. Just a guy. Yeah. No, I'm no one. That's the truth anyway. Yeah. It's true. Yeah. So I don't know. We played a show in UK last, late last year on that same tour. And we were told there's accommodation at the venue upstairs. And um. Danger. There's literally no beds, just a freezing cold green room with three sort of, how would you describe it? Like just. Leather. Leather fucking random couches. Two of which were just one cedars. What's hilarious about like that, about touring is that they're like, yeah. They can still. Like nobody that works there ever would be like, I'd sleep here. Yeah. But for some reason they're comfortable going. They'll sleep. Yeah. Yeah. You guys could sleep here. Yeah. Why do they, why does anyone think that this is acceptable? Yeah. Yeah. That's so cold. A poor driver slept in the van and it was like two degrees. Truth is though, I must say, um, I didn't feel too bad about that room. I was like, oh, yeah, I just feel cozy. Is this like, yeah, yeah, yeah. It was just. That's when you feel bad for as a driver, the person that like, doesn't make more money depending on how much money you save, you'd be like, yeah, you, I feel bad, that you, you didn't. Yeah. It's completely by his own choosing. Yeah. Well, I mean, we're all in this stupid thing. He did the huge thing. He's like, I'm not going to get involved in this bullshit. I'm going to get sleep in the van. Yeah. See, my new thing with sleeping in the van is if it's an early enough call time for the van, yes, I'm staying in it. I love that. Oh, because yeah, okay. Why would I leave? Then you don't have to wake up and, yeah, you guys get in the van, I'll already be there sleeping and I will stay asleep. Yeah. And the van will continue on down the road. And that's awesome. Yeah. Because how annoying is, you know, when you're on tour and like your socks and undies from last night or whatever, or your socks at least and your pants are on the ground, your hoodies on the ground and your fucking jackets on the ground and you can use wallet and phone and your fucking toothbrushes in there and your charges in the wall and you've got five minutes to pack it all up and get it all and yet squashed as well, like everyone's doing. And you've got to wheel it down some weird fucking English staircase that doesn't make any sense. Yeah, it's upped out. That's it. That's stupidity when you see it. You know, you're like, you see a stupid situation in advance and you go, I think I'll not. I think that's, is that negative visualization? Is that what it is? Yeah. You kind of like visualize, all right, how would this be shit? In this way, I'm going to do this to avoid that. But isn't it like I, that term makes me think that it's saying something negative, but it's not being negative. No, it's not. It's visualizing the negative aspect and making steps to do that. My whole life has been planning everyone else's life. You know what I'm saying? Like, I started going on DIY tours and booking tours when I was 17. Yeah. And so I learned on that first tour that when something went wrong, it was my fault because I'm the one who planned everything. So then you're like, you have to like, as you slowly over time learn each variable, you anticipate the variable and you go, how am I going to get blamed here? That's, that's exactly what you do. What's that going up and does so much of the heavy lifting, the variable logistics. Yeah. And do you, do you feel that pressure as well, if something goes wrong, it's, you feel like you take responsibility for it, where it on your shoulders. Yeah. I guess so. It doesn't go wrong to laugh on the bum. No. Yeah. Hopefully it doesn't go too wrong. Yeah. You know, you do it so many times. Yeah. Yeah. That, that, the no bed situation, though, wasn't my fault. No. Just a clue. That was their fault. Yeah. Yeah. They promised us beds and gave us couches. Barely. Yeah. Um, the album is so good man. Thank you. Yeah. And it's so melodic. Yeah. There's some great melodies in there. Thank you. Um, we should talk, we'll finish up soon, but we should, I'd be good to talk a little bit about the creation of that, like. Yeah. I mean, it was like coming from punk and hardcore, it's like, uh, I feel like a lot of what we do is disguised, like not, is not trying and pretending you don't care. And so this was like, Oh, what if I finally tried all the things I've been like too afraid to try, you know, like singing is very scary, uh, not only in the recording sense, but also in the, in the, you know, then you have to do it live and you have to, you have to commit to that. You have to perform those melodies that you wrote. That's right. That gives you the rest of your life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Potentially. And so, um, yeah, it was like this record was just like, all right, I'm going to do all the things that I've always dreamt of doing that I've kind of been actually too afraid to try. Yeah. Um, and that was just, you know, kind of, and that's been the whole band process since the beginning was like, I've always wanted to sing and I've always been too afraid, you know, like, uh, I think that at a certain point I was very like open and vulnerable and then kind of like that went away, like where, uh, I thought it was uncool. Yeah. Open and vulnerable. I'm, I'm really feeling you on all this. And, and then you eventually you're like, no, okay, how do I bring myself back? You know, like I need to coax myself out and, and try to say something that's actually meaningful. Cause, um, I don't think that I was doing that for, for a long time. I feel you, I really feel you on that. It's, it's so true. I think like part, part of the sort of artist journey in a way is like, is recocusing yourself back out. How do you become a kid again? Yeah. You know, like when you're a kid, you just say it. Yeah. Uh, and then. Do the first thing that, but it's like that first thought, best thought kind of thing Yeah, get, you know, and then, and then you, then you are told you're gay enough times or you're told that you're, you know, like as you get older and you're like, Oh, okay, I, that I'm not supposed to do that. Yeah. And then, um, yeah. And then, then hopefully you nurtured in, in a way that where the first lot is the most genuine thought and you just follow that threat. Yeah. And that whole period where you're sort of like denying, denying yourself in a certain way where you sort of almost molding yourself to other people's sort of expectations of what is good and all that kind of stuff, that whole time you're listening to bands who are being their authentic selves and going, fuck, I love that. Yeah. You know, you're listening to Bowie or whatever going, fuck, that's cool, you know, yeah. And but you're not allowing it for yourself, you're not allowing yourself to express in that way. I think specifically with punk music, it's kind of this, a large amount of disingenuousness because I think it is not, it is more cool guy than it is, um, genuine. Yeah. Awesome. And it's so much more about posturing. Even the more you get into like obscure punk, and the reason that punk is obscure is oftentimes it didn't say anything that actually resonated with enough people for it to warrant a big audience. Mm. And so you're like chasing and for me personally, chasing these kind of more obscure things and you're like, instead of it being what it should be, which like would probably be more towards avant garde and challenging, it's like really becomes quite safe and boring. Mm. Like I think that the state of punk for a long time has been, you know, not very vital because it's not very challenging. And that's why it honestly becomes more fun to be melodic is that you're like, well, at least I can like put my, my own fucked up feelings to, to a nice melody that gets stuck in your head. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. There's some real ear worms on the album. Yeah. That was the, I mean, we just want to make big catchy songs and you know, that's the records we love. I want to go away from a record with it stuck in my head. I don't want to be. Yeah. I don't want to pass me by. I'm not going to re listen to that record. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So did you find yourself more so with this new band tapping into yourself at a younger age and like what you used to listen to play. Yeah. One hundred percent. Yeah. Well, but it's, it was like a combination where like, I think the first iteration of the band like was like trying to be somewhere between born against the Jesus lizard and modest mouse, you know, or as like this, this, like confluence of three very different, but kind of con all confrontational. Yeah. You know, I think those are three very confrontational artists. And then like as it went on, you're like, well, I do love third eye blind. You know, like, let's put a little bit of that in the mix and let's, let's find ways to take all these other things and then just put them in a blender and just like, yeah, racing the naivete of childhood songwriting to not look past an idea, to not go, yeah, that's just that. You go, well, that's just that. And I like it. Yeah. Yeah. Like I think those are the best songs. Yeah. Those are the songs that still work. Are the songs really like, well, that was, that is a stupid song. Yeah. We've been writing a new album recently and we've literally been having this exact same thing. I think like our last album was a bit more, again, like finding that authentic tone, but this new one that we've been working with written some songs where we're like, fuck that is like, so didn't even think one I owed or there's no posturing whatsoever and it's really confronting as well. Yeah. But then you're like, also like, if, if, you know, some of them are like really good, you know, it's like, you got to have the courage to commit to them and do them. Yeah. Well, you had to, you had to be confident enough in your own taste. Because at the end of the day, like it's the combination of taste and influence and perspective. I think that's like what makes, perspective is what makes music great. Yeah. We're on tour with hockey dad and the, you know, like we're in the airport and we hear a hockey dad song and it goes, bah, bah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, and he's just singing the melody going, bah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, and you're like, fuck, why have I never written a riff good enough that I should mouth it? Yeah. Yeah. Like that's like, yeah, it's so genius. It's stupid. Yeah. You know, where you're like, I've made a mistake my entire life by never having attempted to write something so catchy that just humming it is the isn't is it? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. They're nice guys. Have you hung out with them yet? Yeah, I hung out with them a little bit. I was having like, my voice was just weak the first day. So I didn't really hang out. I was excited to hang out with them tonight and tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah, great. They're the ones who brought us out here. So we're very stoked, very privileged to do it. We've known them a long time kicking around and the scene together back in Sydney actually as well, where we were from, but we played with them probably like 10 years ago or something like that. Yeah. And it was one of their first shows and it was tiny. It's amazing to think they're playing the fucking arena tonight. Yeah. It's insane. Unbelievable. Yeah. Shout outs. We'll end the pod there Ian. Thanks so much for coming on. It was a great chat. I hope you enjoyed it. It's fun. Thank you. Anything specific you want to plug? I don't know when this comes out. We'll have a new Monday. Monday? Yeah. Nothing to plug. We have a new song coming out July 17th called "You're Waving." And just go listen to the military guy. It's good shit. Yeah. Thank you. Cool. Thanks for coming on.
