June 20, 2025 • 36 mins
On a special bonus episode of In Service Of Steve Baltin sits down with Gary and Jon of the iconic Australian band Inxs. One of the biggest rock bands in the world in the late 80a and early 90s Inxs sold over 60 million albums. Now they are celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of their biggest albums, Listen Like Thieves.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hi, It's Steve Balton and welcome to a special bonus
episode of In service of this week, I am joined
by Gary and John from legendary Australian band In Excess
talk about the forty year anniversary package of Listen Like Thieves.
Great interview, a lot of fun to revisit these songs
forty years later. Hope you enjoyed this interview as much
as I did. You know, artists, by nature are always
(00:38):
looking forward and it's not often that you get to
look back. So when you go back and revisit something
like this especially Look, I talk about this with artists
all the time. You're having so much success in eighty five,
you're playing weird out Roy Leverhall, You're doing all these
big shows. Half the time you don't even know where
you are because it's all blur. So it's kind of
(00:58):
interesting to go back and revisit it, and you know,
see how these memories that you probably hadn't thought about
in years.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It couldn't be further from the truth.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
But what helped us a little bit actually is because
you know, when you do some of these little campaigns
to resurrect some of the past, you approve some of
these things you talk about, but you hear all the
other guys what they're saying, and I kind of forgot
half the stuff that was going on by listening.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To what everyone else was saying.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
So it did trigger some memories which I completely forgot about.
And you're absolutely right, Steep. I mean, we always look forward,
you know. That's that's part of what made this album
interesting is that we kind of had to look back
a little bit to the previous records to try and
sort of just make sure we could peg out the
(01:47):
right direction for this like things, because we knew we
were sort of you know, get to the point where
we weren't rehearsing anymore. This was this was the album,
really important album to do. But with Chris Thomas so
bring on board, being brought on board, the penny really
dropped how crucial it was just to assess everything and
(02:08):
just had the opportunity to look back a little bit
but keep continuing forward with really what the roots of
an excess are.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yeah, this is like Feast tour was a very long
tour and it was interesting too because in certain parts
of the world to be playing theaters and the other
parts to be doing smaller Renters or like. So it
really tested the band as far as you know, making
a good show where we went so and as John
was saying in the studio, it was a whole different
thing with you know, Chris Thomas on ward. Finally and
(02:40):
the band was playing really well and just we'll settle
into it run Uster studios, which by that time it
become ours. So that was our abbey Road, so to speak.
So we really started to really enjoy ourselves.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
So it's interesting for you guys when you go back
and revisit the set, because I imagine you probably haven't
listened to the original album some time unless it comes
on in a radio like Orsay store or something. So
were there songs that really yeah, because they've talked about
this with artist alid time to you and this is
very interesting. Look, when you're making a record, you're so
close to it you can't get any perspective. Then, of course,
(03:14):
forty years past this, you have their twins, you're you know,
you're a whole different people. It's almost like someone else
paid the album. So can you go back and appreciate
the songs like, Hey, this is really cool. I don't
know how made this, but it's cool.
Speaker 7 (03:29):
Yeah or not. Yeah, yeah, that is true. And Listen
Like Today's.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Was an album that had a lot of input from everybody,
like before we decided that, you know, the next album
was Kicked, which we decided Andrew Michael would write the
whole thing. So Listen Like Thaves was a big you know,
everyone had a say it, Like I wrote, yeah, the
music for the song Listened Like Thieves, and John wrote
Red Red Song, which is the closing song on the record,
(03:54):
which I listened to it recently and it's just it's
insane how.
Speaker 7 (04:01):
At least like it's.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
Like a huge jam, and I remember all scanning in
the room together playing and.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
The whole middle section.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Kirk was supposed to play a guitar part and he forgot,
so I started playing on the bass and left with
their way. So it's all like like the one disappears,
there's always everything's on the tool all of a sudden,
and it's actually quite interesting to hear it back. You're right,
it's like listening to some of the band or some
of the some of the players back, you know, because
you've moved on from then and it was all done live,
so you moved on immediately anyway.
Speaker 8 (04:30):
Yeah, I can't even believe how succinctly you put that, Steve,
because even when you're kind of saying what you were saying,
which is almost like kind of rhetorical.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
But it was a question.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
But you're right, really, it's I haven't really listened to
this stuff, like certainly in like as an album performance
from the beginning to the end, for decades, all right.
I hadn't really had any need to, of course, until
you know, Giles went and remixed it and stuff. But
(05:04):
I've been getting into vinyl again after all these years.
You know, I just had the vinyl there and I
knew it was tucked away somewhere.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
But since my son.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Started DJing, I was okay, so, you know, I've got
a couple of decks and got a mixer and started
to pull out all these records. But I never played
any excess at all. But then I pulled out looks
like these, and I was like, oh, I was really surprised.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I was really really it was.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Actually right, and I had never really done it this way.
And because I hadn't played vinyl for so many years,
with the convenience of everything else, you know, having everything
you ripped onto Apple iTunes, or even to go to
Spotify or whatever. So there I was playing it. But
when I got to the last song, like you were saying,
(05:50):
Gary reg wed Son, was.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
That taste of what it would have been like live?
I guess you know.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
And that's what Chris Thomas was trying to capture, was
in Excess life, because you know Chris Thomas at this point,
so it came along. He liked the band, he'd heard
about the band they him and saw us.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I think was that he was in la He said, look, you.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Know when I listened to your albums and now you
go see you live, it's like the two different bands.
You know, there's a band that's in the studio, then
there's a bad it doesn't stop live, and so what
he wanted to do is sort of just get some
cohesion and to make the two kind of join together.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And that's exactly what I heard.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
When I was like, this would have been the closest
thing anyone had heard to what an Excess was like, Like.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
Are there particular songs that you can now go back
and appreciate in a different way, because, like you say,
it is almost like a different person. So are there
songs that really stand out? For you, or that you
heard new things in that you maybe the first time
had to notice, or you know, again everything being such
a blur, you know where you're like, okay, cool, now
(06:57):
we're playing Cleveland, Now we're playing Detroit, now we're doing
we Do.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:01):
You know, for were the songs that bother you really
appreciated in a new way?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah, we all want all them?
Speaker 9 (07:08):
Really, Yeah, I agree, And I think certain songs that
were just so well written, like like Kiss the Dirt
you know, you know the song with Smoke Thieves, they
you know Shane like it.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Does they really stand the test of time and like
what you need you hear a lot in the radio
and even though Smoke Thieves I hear a fair.
Speaker 7 (07:27):
Bit, but to hear you know, Kiss the Dirt is
like and.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
Also being Australian, we it's a timeless piece of Australian
history in many ways, it just sounded perfect on the radio.
In summer we had a very summary video out in
the debsit with a bonfire and everything, and it just
really hit the mark in Australia especially, so Yeah, and
it's just a really just such an unusual piece of
music that really only need excess could have played. And
(07:53):
I remember, yeah, as John said, Chris, we really wanted
to have the band play together more.
Speaker 7 (07:59):
So.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
We were in a like a really divy rehearsal space
in Brookville, and I remember that was where we bashed
out Red Red Song, and we bashed out listening like
these and we you know, we really worked on songs
and and tried to keep it live in the studio
as much as possible, as opposed to doing the drums
first and then doing the bass, and which tends to
(08:19):
happen in a lot of studios because separation.
Speaker 7 (08:22):
But we really wanted to play live.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
Well for you, John, any songs that really stand out or.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, I mean it was not as so much the songs.
It was just the the the playing and the little nuances.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
And I think what Gary was saying is true about
how Chris sort of just.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Made sure that we were really oiled up.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
That we rehearsed these songs. We were just like, okay,
we've got a drum sound, we've got a bass sound. Now,
now okay what are we doing? You know, like we
really did rehearse those songs.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We played them. We just bashed them. We bashed them.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
We so it was so in a way, the recording
session was just another gig. But so that was really
the secret, I think was Chris Thomas capturing those live
take moments as many parts as possible at the bands,
you know, the band members were playing together, and that's
what we would do. We'd set the whole band up,
(09:21):
my thought, would have an isolation booth of his own
microphone and everyone, you know, to the furthest extent. Practically,
possibly we were isolated sonically, but we're you know, most
of the guys were in the control room with their guitars,
with their respective leads going out to you know, all
their amps and everything. But I just remember hearing just
(09:42):
all this interplay and stuff which could only really happen,
I guess if we're all playing together.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
So that's the first thing that really struck me. It
was just the great sounds that Chris pulled up. And
you know, yeah, there was certainly some blasts from the past.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
What's that song Gary with a big cow bell and
the chorus then and.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Good?
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yeah, I just I've forgotten completely about that song as
this another band.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
In fact, I was in one of those super mics
at will Works or whatever. It was a few months ago.
That's walking telling the aisle, looking through the conflicts.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I actually conflicts, but you know you just wanted down
the aisle go oh god, it it's in its says yeah, sorry,
I guess, I guess.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
It was just that little Miller second where I was
out of my own body and out of my own.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Band for a minute. But but you know it really is.
You're actually absolutely right that you just sort of look
forward and you just keep you.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Know, going to the spearhead, to the cold face. You
just keep moving forward. You don't really look back and
just yeah, I never did that.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
As I said, almost a whole other life, you know.
But it is funny because you mentioned the song still sounding,
so you know, like still holding up, and I love
the song this time. I've always loved that song, and
that's a song that feels like it could have come
out today.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Yeah, And I'm really happy that in excess music tends
to stand the test of time. I mean, you know,
I listened to a lot of music, and a lot
of stuff doesn't have the same luxury of sounding great
today's that sounded back in the eighties or whatever.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
But in excess to.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Music does tend to stand up to today's sounds and
and but yeah, this Time was a great song.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
I mean it was.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
It seemed to be the simplest song on the record.
So but that's the beauty of it, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, I love this Time.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I mean I think the lyrics used to make like,
like I always feel very emotional when they're playing these
songs and remembered them.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I mean, you know, I'm a fan of the band.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I'm in like it's not like like I was still
able to have some kind of perspective, you know, to
to recognize that, you know, where we sort of sat
in the salad, so to speak. You know, out there
in the big wide world, you know, what were we
(12:25):
are tomato or cucumber.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
But I mean, you know, I knew that we were.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
We fitted into this this other sort of all these
other flavors that were out there, but this time in particular,
you know, you know, we look at the lyrics and
and I felt emotional playing that song.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
It was a very sort of emotive song, and I
kind of thought, yeah, because I think that's the first single.
Speaker 10 (12:51):
Actually it was, Yeah, I mean only in color in
cream video, Yes, that's right, although the video was more
but wow, it's very light, right, like we got eated lots,
and and the cameras were like capturing so very white
the band.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
And the sort of pigey walking past you know. But no,
but I think that song again, it was just one
of those things that you know, I loved it.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I loved playing it, and I loved hearing it and
hearing it again affls ears.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, it kind of made me feel like young again.
Speaker 6 (13:26):
It's funny though, you say, Gary that it was the
simplest song, and for me, I always appreciate that in everything,
whether it's writing, whether it's music, there's something he said
for being able to say something and it's the most
minimal effect.
Speaker 7 (13:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (13:43):
Interesting again, spending a sixth pace and having you know,
sometimes two some songs, three guitar players. Especially as a
bass player, it was always keep it simple, you know,
and and John and I with it as the engine room,
just enjoyed keeping it just keeping a very but yeah,
simple groove like and whatever sort of stuff that we
(14:05):
put in there that was tricky was basically between us,
a little secret, secrete you know, sort of language we
had between ourselves, and and that was the beauty of
in excesses that we had, you know, we had the
three guys in the back, Andrew, you know, we're the
engine room at the back, and the.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
And the three guys, the two guitar players and Michael
the front. We called the pointing end and they you know,
they sort of were out the front and did the
performance part. So it worked out pretty well. The fact
that performance was that it was always solid. It was
always you know, on the on the money, and we
really always prided ourselves on being being good players and
giving a good a good performance. So you know, songs
(14:43):
like this time, when Andrew comes in with a song
that's just straight eight's and a really simple you know
and what basicly a basic rock beat, we're happy to
do it, you know. And the fact is we can
play that stuff, you know, in our sleep after our
Australian straight.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Pa, would you play? You and I just just I mean.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
We sparred you and me like in with those eights,
those four and the flour kicked drums of those eights.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I mean, you and I just endlessly just ground that down.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
To you know, if it was a football field and
we were running, we would have dug a trench with
how how long we'd just you know, rehearsed and played
and glued that that that.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
That locomotive coming down the railway track so.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Exactly, and Joe Watch would be as as tight as possible.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So whenever Brandona would write a song that had kind
of eights when the driving thing, I was like, yeah,
we're right.
Speaker 7 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
And then also when Andrew comes in with what you
need with the synth based you know, we we put
that down live in an afternoon and it was its
just it's just a whole you know, another side to
it to you joining I as a rhythm section and
as in Excesses as a band that just you know,
really found a home as well. We've always done the
(16:08):
that's the beautiful, the beautiful thing of in Excesses that
it used to drive the record label in America. Especially
crazy is that we can't be pigeonholed. We're not one
particular style.
Speaker 7 (16:16):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
We drove everyone nuts with it. It's emthesized. We had
rock guitars, we had dance crews. We grew up on
you on bands like Little Feet and American groove music
and English punk and a lot of Australian punk. And
then we're all together in a big melting pot. And
that's why I guess today it still sounds fresh because
it's it's not pigeonholed, and it doesn't sound like it's
(16:37):
from a certain style or error. So that's one of
the things that in excess that I love.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah, and then that's what bands do.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
I mean, you know, because there were six of us
we had, it was it was really important for Chris
to kind of all, how many albums have we done
before that for something? You know, we were so we
love so many types of music, and and and each
individual band member had in our taste and everything, they.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Were always such a broad palette of sounds and styles
that we were kind of mixing up.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
That that Chris really brought that sort of cohesion into
into that record. But but further, what Gary was saying
just about, like, for example, that that keyboard bass, you know,
I mean what your neque, Well, we're we're really getting
off on the keyboard bass. Marvin Gay, you know, who
was one of the first built to introduced introduced keyboard bass.
(17:36):
So like we were in the in the Soulo motal
and all that stuff way back then too, so and
they can hear that bleeding through you know, well, it's
so interesting.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Though, you know, John, what you were saying about fitting
into the salad and where you were do you I mean,
because as I say, I've talked to so many bands
about you know, when things are happening and it's hard
to kind of comprehend it all because you're so busy.
But when you look back by now, is there like
a little bit of a I don't know, not appreciation
(18:10):
and like I'm trying to think of the right word,
because you know, of course you don't want to live
in the past, but you also can appreciate maybe in
a different way, like oh, in excess was that's funny
because you say that it drove the American record company crazy. Yeah,
you guys sold billions of records. You were freaking huge.
You were right there with like you two police Metallica
(18:31):
ore YouTube Police says n Roses. You know, it's like
biggest bands at that time.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
You know, I think I saw them Goes on you
you sort of yeah, like you move on over to Cee.
We had a bit of a tragedy that put a
bit of a yeah, just a bad vibe on looking back.
As much as we would would have liked you as
far as but as Trong goes on and you know it,
(18:59):
access are still around, and I think seeing young people,
including my kids and their friends, yeah, discovering and excess
makes me really realize that, you know, well, as Johnson before,
pretty good and we're fans of our own music because
it is pretty good.
Speaker 7 (19:17):
We put a lot of effort into it.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
We're pretty good, you know, at the writing and playing
part of it, and always make sure we recorded it
properly and write people with us, working with us to
make the best records. So you know it, looking back
at it, it really does. As I said before, I
stand in the chest of time. But also it's just
(19:39):
really well in the history of music. And I think
that's where I'm starting to appreciate an excess his place
in the history of.
Speaker 7 (19:45):
Music right now, because I'm of a music historian.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
I grew up at the you know, we all grew
up at the right time with all the bands that
let the Beatles and the Stones and Zeppelin and Queen
and a CD. It's all these bands were coming out
and releasing new music when we were as kids, you know,
so it was you know, and as john was saying
that Marvin Gay and Motown was on the radio in Australia,
so you know, we really had the best education musically,
(20:10):
so it all went into what we wanted to put
out in our music. And it took us a while
to obviously as young kids, to formulate.
Speaker 7 (20:18):
How to play and how to write.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
But when we got it, we really got you know,
and I think that's what stands the test of time
and what makes me proud of it Excess today is
it It's it's really good music, you know, and really
well played, and it sits well and it's it's well
thought out. It's usually got a pretty good message. And
I think, you know, all the sad times that I
(20:39):
mentioned before have kind of you have moved on, and
now I can really sit back and look back at
my career and Excess and our music and really enjoy
it now as opposed.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
To go as a bummer.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
You know, there's a it's sort of went downhill quickly
for a while. That's all the past now, so now
I can really look at an excess kind.
Speaker 7 (20:59):
Of a fresh set of Ye is a listener of
the fresh sees?
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Well, yeah, it comes back to part to say about
you know, hearing things of a new perspective. But it's
interesting too because you know, you say that like it
was a kind of a bummer downhill for a while
and then you know, now you can look at it
with a distance. So is there enough time to be
able to say because it's funny. I just was interviewing
last week John Densmore and Robbie Creeker from The Doors
who are longtime friends, because I'm doing a story with them,
(21:36):
and it's like, you know, it's been fifty something years
for them, almost sixty, and it's like, you know, those
things still you know, like when you lose a brother,
it's still something that just always is there.
Speaker 12 (21:48):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, we'll say get out of
the guys by the way next time they say I
don't okay, why are you George Van?
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Absolutely what we all were.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
I mean, you know, it was just part of our quiver,
was was everyone had a you know, Doors album and wall.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
New the material.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
So I mean, you know, absolutely, of course, but look, yeah,
I think there's been enough time where.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
There's been probably twelve or thirteen years since we played live.
So we still operate, you know, obviously as.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
A family and as a business because we still speak
to each other all the time. You know, there's alway
stuff going on with catalog and other things, so we're
always in communication. But I think the endless sort of
grind of just getting, you know, to the lobby every
morning and getting into a van or getting into an
(22:51):
airplane and getting into.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
A bus and all that that kind of incessant travel.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Then until that stops, and and and so you actually
until you actually have time to kind of just stand
still for a few years and just wait for the
clock to kind of catch up to you, you know,
and give yourself some time to kind of let you
to process all the stuff, you know, that that happened.
There's so much stuff. I mean, I'll never be able
(23:20):
to process what happened, but not fully. But to to
the extent that we've had some time off the road
and that there's been you know, a lot of water
under a big bridge.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Time has healed a lot.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
I'm able to, yeah, just sort of make space to
to process all those things and look back and enjoy
a lot of the memoris, you know, and enjoy and
and to give thanks to God, you know, for the
opportunity for all these things, and all the people are
around us.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I mean it was all the crew. It was it
was Chris Murphy, it was it was Sam Evans, you know,
it was all the people in all but you know,
Chris Thomas, all producers, just everybody who was around was
all part of.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
This sort of this theme which was just moving forward.
You know. It was organic, it was it was a live.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Beast, you know, and it's really the people around it.
And of course ultimately it was it was the fans
that kind of wrapped around it and made it all work.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
And so to look back now, I just sort of
think it's just.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
An incredibly beautiful fan. Yeah, I'm just so grateful had
the experience.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I really, I really liked the music. I love what
we did, and I love these guys more than Ana.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Like I don't when we ing about these bands who
can't do it together and they got to get their
own planes, and you know what, I can't even get
my head around now.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I just can't, you know, I feel sorry for him.
I think it's a shame.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
Well, I mean we were stuck together the whole fifty
nine hundred years or how long we were together, right, Like,
we were always in I mean, always either in a
van or in a room or in a bus or
something where there was just constantly the need to try
to stop laughing, you know, or to stop the jokes
(25:17):
for fanidets. You know, there was a camaraderie that could
only be expressed as is highly unique and unusual that
six people could constantly get along so well and still
miss each other even when we're not together.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
So that that is really I think the essence that
that is what appears at the time to be absolutely normal.
When I look back, it seems to be completely unique.
Speaker 7 (25:42):
Was as true. That's very true.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
Yeah, someone who's talked to every band in history, let
me tell you that's really fucking unique.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Totally.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
I mean, but I just I just thought it was
you know, wherever it's in a band just all go
We're like, yeah, it's I mean, I just remember for
the minute then we ever played. The first time we
played together, it was this fun yeah, like that's so
we were blessed. I'm just what I'm saying, I'm like,
I thank God every day. Now, let's go, well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Just you met.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Yeah, and imagine how how she it would have been
when when it was shooting, how much more she it
would have been.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
If we were being woond right, true.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Yeah, it really was a family.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
There's all these are three brothers and everyone's best friends
and I went to school together and really looked after
each other. So as John was saying that the humor
the Australian humor, and we kind of had our own language,
which was really you know, a lot of fun and
very important when we're traveling. Every day is a different
country in Europe, you know, like you really do forget
(26:44):
where you are and he's going to sound check and
then you're going back tell and then it's like you're
got to an afternoon off that's to a photo shoot.
Let's really cram ourselves together and you know, just a
Italian TV like it's just it's just it's amazing looking
back what we got through, it's incredible.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Right, I mean, sorry, sorry, Steve, go ahead, No go ahead.
I'd say, you know, we get the giggles to doving
a photo shoot this Gary saying, because the photographer wants
us to stick our heads together, We're like, you know,
like the last we want to do a stick our
fucking heads together, right like, But we did it and
it was funny and half the time we're laughing because
(27:21):
we're like, yeah, we really want to put our heads
together because we just don't.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Seek enough of each other or something.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
You know, it would end up being funny and then
we get a good photo. So it would always somehow
turn out to be, you know, something good. And in
a way, you know that that incessant work that we did,
we just never really ever really had a break.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
But that that's what forced us to get along in
a way, you know, we just it created this. Yeah,
it forged, whether we liked it or not, an incredible bond.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
And and and we invented just like we invented music,
just like we created ways to do something unique and
a little bit fresh every time we try to do
a new recording or whatever we did, even hanging out together,
we were forging new ideas to hang out together. So
there was always a new way of finding how to
(28:20):
cope with some really unusual ship, you know, and put
in situations where you were just constantly tested and challenged
all the time.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
With a whole myriad of circumstances and situations.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
That would otherwise about people would not be put in
that situation. So so it forged a very unique bond
which other people sometimes when they were sitting around would
either be extremely exhausting to be around us if you
weren't sort of in the inner circle because of select
what these guys are worried talking about.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I know, and gets it, you know. But we were
just this sort of.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Yeah, this, this sort of buckled up all of whizzing
atoms all around being.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Sort of creative. It was just this unstoppable creation all
the time. Obviously we had our moments some sometimes it
wasn't great at all.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
But but I think that that But again, I keep
bringing it back to Chris Thomas, because Chris Thomas with.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
His record, captured all of that. On listen Like Thieves,
that's kind of like and I'm going into deserves and
mention as Steve Churchyard.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
We're an English engineer across for that one record, and
and Steve for me the guitars, it's my favorite album
for guitar sounds. I think the guitar sounds are really
really well recorded, really you know, really just perfect for
(29:52):
the song. So Steve was a very important part of
our career as well, and the sounds he got further
than Like Thieves.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
Just speaking of unusual ship, I heard the greatest story
of all time the other day and now I want
to like put it in context to you guys and
see it. I was doing, as I mentioned, I was
doing the door story. I interviewed a palaeontologist who was
excavating dinosaur dones and dinosaur bones and Patagonia and was
listed was a huge doors fan. So we hired these
(30:22):
cowboys and every day when they were like dragging the
dinosaur bones with horses, they would drag them while listening
to riders on the storem which was like, to me,
the coolest story ever because that's like Indiana zone shit.
And I was thinking about it, It's like that's the
whole thing of like music is just everywhere. So for
you guys, what is the coolest story you've heard of
(30:43):
people listening to your music?
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Ye're right, when you get you get the I mean,
I was just so I've read of a chuffle to
myself thinking about while I've digging out dinosaur bones that
they find any excess records.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
You know, But well, I think some of the funniest
things were like.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Just some of these extreme sports guys who like to
listen to in excess music, you know, up loud before
they jump out of aeroplanes or you know, jump out
of helicopters or something, you know, murdered bike Grand Prix
drivers and stuff like that. You hear a lot of
sports guys used to charge themselves up with the headphones
(31:25):
before the boat to run or go to football or
whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I mean, how about you guys.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Well, well, obviously you know through the year here about
your weddings and funerals and that sort of stuff. But
I mean, I think to me, there was a lot
to do with our peers, people that we looked up to.
Speaker 7 (31:46):
Yeah, when we were touring.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
With all of Notes through Europe, I remember they we
get to sound check after driving all night, and the
two of us and then his band, the whole of
Notes band. Sure, incredible players like g Smith and Timbo
and Burnette and probably amazing players would be jamming in
excess songs at sound check just because they know we
became pretty close with them and they It was always,
(32:12):
you know, just always more rewarding to hear that that
really great musicians and peers are really digging the music
and actually you know, learning how to play it. You know,
that was always to me, you know, a really exciting
part of being being in a young band.
Speaker 6 (32:32):
Mm hmm, yeah, there were those are some pretty great
players exactly.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
It's interesting to mention the Doors too because I remember
Ray Bansaret came to one of our shows early on.
I guess you'd heard about about the band and about
Michael and because there was comparisons with with Jim Morrison,
even though Michael would would deny it because I don't
think Michael really listened to the Doors that much.
Speaker 7 (32:58):
But and right your race urunded up and it was
a you know, hungout is obviously.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
I think he and Robbie were you know, great musicians
and obviously there for the music like we are.
Speaker 7 (33:09):
So it was great to.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Sit him turn up and sit down and have a
nice couple of tea to chat with them.
Speaker 7 (33:14):
It was Yeah, our paths have crossed a few times.
That was great.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Yeah, So anything he goes went out and didn't ask you.
Speaker 5 (33:22):
About the anniversary editions out on the ninth of May,
all the not some bald stuff about this release.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
But you're very excited about this release because it's it's.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
You know, all the new mixes and the having Jiles
Martin involved with uh, you know, with special mixes, and
having that connection with Avy Road now is kind of
really exciting for us to go as as you know,
Beatles fans and Abby Road fans that have that connection
now even in our ages, it's like being kids again,
(33:51):
you know, like it's having it. So Joel's has been
made of out since he was I think sixteen. We
met him in Ascca in Japan when we're working with
his dad and it's just straight down here on board
as well. So all right, example another great member of
the family.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Yeah, there's been some really full circle stuff. And I guess,
you know, Steve, even just that question you had earlier
about you know, because we always moved forward and we
didn't look back, and you're absolutely right. I mean, that's release.
(34:26):
So bringing home to me now by looking back, I
do realize how overwhelming, how overwhelmed there was when we
were bumping into people like Mick Jagger, or Keith Richard's
or Paul and Oates or or Queen or whoever it
(34:46):
was who really Welton John or all.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
These guys that we start to start at the sort
of come into our orbit.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
You know, I was always so humbled even just to
be around them. But whenever they were being complementing. I
sort of was always thinking, yeah, it was just sort
of a little bit of just what everyone does when
he goes, hey, I love your work man, and all.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That sort of stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
But I just figured, well, they didn't really know, you know,
But it turned out that they probably did, and they
really were fans, and I sort of almost couldn't believe
it because being isolated in Australia, there wasn't this burgeoning
sort of big time music business like it was.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
In England and America and those sort of places.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
Australia were so detached that it just seemed like it
had been imported from another time and planet. Basically, the
thought of ever even reaching those far away lands was
so far from our It was a dream and it
was our goal and it was our mission, but it
didn't mean that it was necessarily going to be really
(35:51):
happening as sort of when it did.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
You know, I just never thought it was a dream
and a goal, but hey, you know, it seemed to
sort of.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Happened, was actually happening before my eyes before I even
realized it.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
It lake sense
Hi, It's Steve Balton and welcome to a special bonus
episode of In service of this week, I am joined
by Gary and John from legendary Australian band In Excess
talk about the forty year anniversary package of Listen Like Thieves.
Great interview, a lot of fun to revisit these songs
forty years later. Hope you enjoyed this interview as much
as I did. You know, artists, by nature are always
(00:38):
looking forward and it's not often that you get to
look back. So when you go back and revisit something
like this especially Look, I talk about this with artists
all the time. You're having so much success in eighty five,
you're playing weird out Roy Leverhall, You're doing all these
big shows. Half the time you don't even know where
you are because it's all blur. So it's kind of
(00:58):
interesting to go back and revisit it, and you know,
see how these memories that you probably hadn't thought about
in years.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
It couldn't be further from the truth.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
But what helped us a little bit actually is because
you know, when you do some of these little campaigns
to resurrect some of the past, you approve some of
these things you talk about, but you hear all the
other guys what they're saying, and I kind of forgot
half the stuff that was going on by listening.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
To what everyone else was saying.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
So it did trigger some memories which I completely forgot about.
And you're absolutely right, Steep. I mean, we always look forward,
you know. That's that's part of what made this album
interesting is that we kind of had to look back
a little bit to the previous records to try and
sort of just make sure we could peg out the
(01:47):
right direction for this like things, because we knew we
were sort of you know, get to the point where
we weren't rehearsing anymore. This was this was the album,
really important album to do. But with Chris Thomas so
bring on board, being brought on board, the penny really
dropped how crucial it was just to assess everything and
(02:08):
just had the opportunity to look back a little bit
but keep continuing forward with really what the roots of
an excess are.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Yeah, this is like Feast tour was a very long
tour and it was interesting too because in certain parts
of the world to be playing theaters and the other
parts to be doing smaller Renters or like. So it
really tested the band as far as you know, making
a good show where we went so and as John
was saying in the studio, it was a whole different
thing with you know, Chris Thomas on ward. Finally and
(02:40):
the band was playing really well and just we'll settle
into it run Uster studios, which by that time it
become ours. So that was our abbey Road, so to speak.
So we really started to really enjoy ourselves.
Speaker 6 (02:53):
So it's interesting for you guys when you go back
and revisit the set, because I imagine you probably haven't
listened to the original album some time unless it comes
on in a radio like Orsay store or something. So
were there songs that really yeah, because they've talked about
this with artist alid time to you and this is
very interesting. Look, when you're making a record, you're so
close to it you can't get any perspective. Then, of course,
(03:14):
forty years past this, you have their twins, you're you know,
you're a whole different people. It's almost like someone else
paid the album. So can you go back and appreciate
the songs like, Hey, this is really cool. I don't
know how made this, but it's cool.
Speaker 7 (03:29):
Yeah or not. Yeah, yeah, that is true. And Listen
Like Today's.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
Was an album that had a lot of input from everybody,
like before we decided that, you know, the next album
was Kicked, which we decided Andrew Michael would write the
whole thing. So Listen Like Thaves was a big you know,
everyone had a say it, Like I wrote, yeah, the
music for the song Listened Like Thieves, and John wrote
Red Red Song, which is the closing song on the record,
(03:54):
which I listened to it recently and it's just it's
insane how.
Speaker 7 (04:01):
At least like it's.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
Like a huge jam, and I remember all scanning in
the room together playing and.
Speaker 7 (04:07):
The whole middle section.
Speaker 5 (04:08):
Kirk was supposed to play a guitar part and he forgot,
so I started playing on the bass and left with
their way. So it's all like like the one disappears,
there's always everything's on the tool all of a sudden,
and it's actually quite interesting to hear it back. You're right,
it's like listening to some of the band or some
of the some of the players back, you know, because
you've moved on from then and it was all done live,
so you moved on immediately anyway.
Speaker 8 (04:30):
Yeah, I can't even believe how succinctly you put that, Steve,
because even when you're kind of saying what you were saying,
which is almost like kind of rhetorical.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
But it was a question.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
But you're right, really, it's I haven't really listened to
this stuff, like certainly in like as an album performance
from the beginning to the end, for decades, all right.
I hadn't really had any need to, of course, until
you know, Giles went and remixed it and stuff. But
(05:04):
I've been getting into vinyl again after all these years.
You know, I just had the vinyl there and I
knew it was tucked away somewhere.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
But since my son.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Started DJing, I was okay, so, you know, I've got
a couple of decks and got a mixer and started
to pull out all these records. But I never played
any excess at all. But then I pulled out looks
like these, and I was like, oh, I was really surprised.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I was really really it was.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Actually right, and I had never really done it this way.
And because I hadn't played vinyl for so many years,
with the convenience of everything else, you know, having everything
you ripped onto Apple iTunes, or even to go to
Spotify or whatever. So there I was playing it. But
when I got to the last song, like you were saying,
(05:50):
Gary reg wed Son, was.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
That taste of what it would have been like live?
I guess you know.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
And that's what Chris Thomas was trying to capture, was
in Excess life, because you know Chris Thomas at this point,
so it came along. He liked the band, he'd heard
about the band they him and saw us.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I think was that he was in la He said, look, you.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
Know when I listened to your albums and now you
go see you live, it's like the two different bands.
You know, there's a band that's in the studio, then
there's a bad it doesn't stop live, and so what
he wanted to do is sort of just get some
cohesion and to make the two kind of join together.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And that's exactly what I heard.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
When I was like, this would have been the closest
thing anyone had heard to what an Excess was like, Like.
Speaker 6 (06:37):
Are there particular songs that you can now go back
and appreciate in a different way, because, like you say,
it is almost like a different person. So are there
songs that really stand out? For you, or that you
heard new things in that you maybe the first time
had to notice, or you know, again everything being such
a blur, you know where you're like, okay, cool, now
(06:57):
we're playing Cleveland, Now we're playing Detroit, now we're doing
we Do.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (07:01):
You know, for were the songs that bother you really
appreciated in a new way?
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Yeah, we all want all them?
Speaker 9 (07:08):
Really, Yeah, I agree, And I think certain songs that
were just so well written, like like Kiss the Dirt
you know, you know the song with Smoke Thieves, they
you know Shane like it.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Does they really stand the test of time and like
what you need you hear a lot in the radio
and even though Smoke Thieves I hear a fair.
Speaker 7 (07:27):
Bit, but to hear you know, Kiss the Dirt is
like and.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
Also being Australian, we it's a timeless piece of Australian
history in many ways, it just sounded perfect on the radio.
In summer we had a very summary video out in
the debsit with a bonfire and everything, and it just
really hit the mark in Australia especially, so Yeah, and
it's just a really just such an unusual piece of
music that really only need excess could have played. And
(07:53):
I remember, yeah, as John said, Chris, we really wanted
to have the band play together more.
Speaker 7 (07:59):
So.
Speaker 5 (07:59):
We were in a like a really divy rehearsal space
in Brookville, and I remember that was where we bashed
out Red Red Song, and we bashed out listening like
these and we you know, we really worked on songs
and and tried to keep it live in the studio
as much as possible, as opposed to doing the drums
first and then doing the bass, and which tends to
(08:19):
happen in a lot of studios because separation.
Speaker 7 (08:22):
But we really wanted to play live.
Speaker 6 (08:24):
Well for you, John, any songs that really stand out or.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, I mean it was not as so much the songs.
It was just the the the playing and the little nuances.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
And I think what Gary was saying is true about
how Chris sort of just.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Made sure that we were really oiled up.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
That we rehearsed these songs. We were just like, okay,
we've got a drum sound, we've got a bass sound. Now,
now okay what are we doing? You know, like we
really did rehearse those songs.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We played them. We just bashed them. We bashed them.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
We so it was so in a way, the recording
session was just another gig. But so that was really
the secret, I think was Chris Thomas capturing those live
take moments as many parts as possible at the bands,
you know, the band members were playing together, and that's
what we would do. We'd set the whole band up,
(09:21):
my thought, would have an isolation booth of his own
microphone and everyone, you know, to the furthest extent. Practically,
possibly we were isolated sonically, but we're you know, most
of the guys were in the control room with their guitars,
with their respective leads going out to you know, all
their amps and everything. But I just remember hearing just
(09:42):
all this interplay and stuff which could only really happen,
I guess if we're all playing together.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
So that's the first thing that really struck me. It
was just the great sounds that Chris pulled up. And
you know, yeah, there was certainly some blasts from the past.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
What's that song Gary with a big cow bell and
the chorus then and.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Good?
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yeah, I just I've forgotten completely about that song as
this another band.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
In fact, I was in one of those super mics
at will Works or whatever. It was a few months ago.
That's walking telling the aisle, looking through the conflicts.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I actually conflicts, but you know you just wanted down
the aisle go oh god, it it's in its says yeah, sorry,
I guess, I guess.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
It was just that little Miller second where I was
out of my own body and out of my own.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Band for a minute. But but you know it really is.
You're actually absolutely right that you just sort of look
forward and you just keep you.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Know, going to the spearhead, to the cold face. You
just keep moving forward. You don't really look back and
just yeah, I never did that.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
As I said, almost a whole other life, you know.
But it is funny because you mentioned the song still sounding,
so you know, like still holding up, and I love
the song this time. I've always loved that song, and
that's a song that feels like it could have come
out today.
Speaker 5 (11:22):
Yeah, And I'm really happy that in excess music tends
to stand the test of time. I mean, you know,
I listened to a lot of music, and a lot
of stuff doesn't have the same luxury of sounding great
today's that sounded back in the eighties or whatever.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
But in excess to.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Music does tend to stand up to today's sounds and
and but yeah, this Time was a great song.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
I mean it was.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
It seemed to be the simplest song on the record.
So but that's the beauty of it, you know.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Yeah, I love this Time.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
I mean I think the lyrics used to make like,
like I always feel very emotional when they're playing these
songs and remembered them.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
I mean, you know, I'm a fan of the band.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
I'm in like it's not like like I was still
able to have some kind of perspective, you know, to
to recognize that, you know, where we sort of sat
in the salad, so to speak. You know, out there
in the big wide world, you know, what were we
(12:25):
are tomato or cucumber.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
But I mean, you know, I knew that we were.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
We fitted into this this other sort of all these
other flavors that were out there, but this time in particular,
you know, you know, we look at the lyrics and
and I felt emotional playing that song.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
It was a very sort of emotive song, and I
kind of thought, yeah, because I think that's the first single.
Speaker 10 (12:51):
Actually it was, Yeah, I mean only in color in
cream video, Yes, that's right, although the video was more
but wow, it's very light, right, like we got eated lots,
and and the cameras were like capturing so very white
the band.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
And the sort of pigey walking past you know. But no,
but I think that song again, it was just one
of those things that you know, I loved it.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
I loved playing it, and I loved hearing it and
hearing it again affls ears.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Yeah, it kind of made me feel like young again.
Speaker 6 (13:26):
It's funny though, you say, Gary that it was the
simplest song, and for me, I always appreciate that in everything,
whether it's writing, whether it's music, there's something he said
for being able to say something and it's the most
minimal effect.
Speaker 7 (13:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (13:43):
Interesting again, spending a sixth pace and having you know,
sometimes two some songs, three guitar players. Especially as a
bass player, it was always keep it simple, you know,
and and John and I with it as the engine room,
just enjoyed keeping it just keeping a very but yeah,
simple groove like and whatever sort of stuff that we
(14:05):
put in there that was tricky was basically between us,
a little secret, secrete you know, sort of language we
had between ourselves, and and that was the beauty of
in excesses that we had, you know, we had the
three guys in the back, Andrew, you know, we're the
engine room at the back, and the.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
And the three guys, the two guitar players and Michael
the front. We called the pointing end and they you know,
they sort of were out the front and did the
performance part. So it worked out pretty well. The fact
that performance was that it was always solid. It was
always you know, on the on the money, and we
really always prided ourselves on being being good players and
giving a good a good performance. So you know, songs
(14:43):
like this time, when Andrew comes in with a song
that's just straight eight's and a really simple you know
and what basicly a basic rock beat, we're happy to
do it, you know. And the fact is we can
play that stuff, you know, in our sleep after our
Australian straight.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Pa, would you play? You and I just just I mean.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
We sparred you and me like in with those eights,
those four and the flour kicked drums of those eights.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I mean, you and I just endlessly just ground that down.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
To you know, if it was a football field and
we were running, we would have dug a trench with
how how long we'd just you know, rehearsed and played
and glued that that that.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
That locomotive coming down the railway track so.
Speaker 5 (15:34):
Exactly, and Joe Watch would be as as tight as possible.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:38):
So whenever Brandona would write a song that had kind
of eights when the driving thing, I was like, yeah,
we're right.
Speaker 7 (15:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:47):
And then also when Andrew comes in with what you
need with the synth based you know, we we put
that down live in an afternoon and it was its
just it's just a whole you know, another side to
it to you joining I as a rhythm section and
as in Excesses as a band that just you know,
really found a home as well. We've always done the
(16:08):
that's the beautiful, the beautiful thing of in Excesses that
it used to drive the record label in America. Especially
crazy is that we can't be pigeonholed. We're not one
particular style.
Speaker 7 (16:16):
You know.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
We drove everyone nuts with it. It's emthesized. We had
rock guitars, we had dance crews. We grew up on
you on bands like Little Feet and American groove music
and English punk and a lot of Australian punk. And
then we're all together in a big melting pot. And
that's why I guess today it still sounds fresh because
it's it's not pigeonholed, and it doesn't sound like it's
(16:37):
from a certain style or error. So that's one of
the things that in excess that I love.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Yeah, and then that's what bands do.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
I mean, you know, because there were six of us
we had, it was it was really important for Chris
to kind of all, how many albums have we done
before that for something? You know, we were so we
love so many types of music, and and and each
individual band member had in our taste and everything, they.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Were always such a broad palette of sounds and styles
that we were kind of mixing up.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
That that Chris really brought that sort of cohesion into
into that record. But but further, what Gary was saying
just about, like, for example, that that keyboard bass, you know,
I mean what your neque, Well, we're we're really getting
off on the keyboard bass. Marvin Gay, you know, who
was one of the first built to introduced introduced keyboard bass.
(17:36):
So like we were in the in the Soulo motal
and all that stuff way back then too, so and
they can hear that bleeding through you know, well, it's
so interesting.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Though, you know, John, what you were saying about fitting
into the salad and where you were do you I mean,
because as I say, I've talked to so many bands
about you know, when things are happening and it's hard
to kind of comprehend it all because you're so busy.
But when you look back by now, is there like
a little bit of a I don't know, not appreciation
(18:10):
and like I'm trying to think of the right word,
because you know, of course you don't want to live
in the past, but you also can appreciate maybe in
a different way, like oh, in excess was that's funny
because you say that it drove the American record company crazy. Yeah,
you guys sold billions of records. You were freaking huge.
You were right there with like you two police Metallica
(18:31):
ore YouTube Police says n Roses. You know, it's like
biggest bands at that time.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
You know, I think I saw them Goes on you
you sort of yeah, like you move on over to Cee.
We had a bit of a tragedy that put a
bit of a yeah, just a bad vibe on looking back.
As much as we would would have liked you as
far as but as Trong goes on and you know it,
(18:59):
access are still around, and I think seeing young people,
including my kids and their friends, yeah, discovering and excess
makes me really realize that, you know, well, as Johnson before,
pretty good and we're fans of our own music because
it is pretty good.
Speaker 7 (19:17):
We put a lot of effort into it.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
We're pretty good, you know, at the writing and playing
part of it, and always make sure we recorded it
properly and write people with us, working with us to
make the best records. So you know it, looking back
at it, it really does. As I said before, I
stand in the chest of time. But also it's just
(19:39):
really well in the history of music. And I think
that's where I'm starting to appreciate an excess his place
in the history of.
Speaker 7 (19:45):
Music right now, because I'm of a music historian.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
I grew up at the you know, we all grew
up at the right time with all the bands that
let the Beatles and the Stones and Zeppelin and Queen
and a CD. It's all these bands were coming out
and releasing new music when we were as kids, you know,
so it was you know, and as john was saying
that Marvin Gay and Motown was on the radio in Australia,
so you know, we really had the best education musically,
(20:10):
so it all went into what we wanted to put
out in our music. And it took us a while
to obviously as young kids, to formulate.
Speaker 7 (20:18):
How to play and how to write.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
But when we got it, we really got you know,
and I think that's what stands the test of time
and what makes me proud of it Excess today is
it It's it's really good music, you know, and really
well played, and it sits well and it's it's well
thought out. It's usually got a pretty good message. And
I think, you know, all the sad times that I
(20:39):
mentioned before have kind of you have moved on, and
now I can really sit back and look back at
my career and Excess and our music and really enjoy
it now as opposed.
Speaker 7 (20:50):
To go as a bummer.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
You know, there's a it's sort of went downhill quickly
for a while. That's all the past now, so now
I can really look at an excess kind.
Speaker 7 (20:59):
Of a fresh set of Ye is a listener of
the fresh sees?
Speaker 6 (21:13):
Well, yeah, it comes back to part to say about
you know, hearing things of a new perspective. But it's
interesting too because you know, you say that like it
was a kind of a bummer downhill for a while
and then you know, now you can look at it
with a distance. So is there enough time to be
able to say because it's funny. I just was interviewing
last week John Densmore and Robbie Creeker from The Doors
who are longtime friends, because I'm doing a story with them,
(21:36):
and it's like, you know, it's been fifty something years
for them, almost sixty, and it's like, you know, those
things still you know, like when you lose a brother,
it's still something that just always is there.
Speaker 12 (21:48):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, we'll say get out of
the guys by the way next time they say I
don't okay, why are you George Van?
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Absolutely what we all were.
Speaker 4 (22:01):
I mean, you know, it was just part of our quiver,
was was everyone had a you know, Doors album and wall.
Speaker 2 (22:08):
New the material.
Speaker 4 (22:09):
So I mean, you know, absolutely, of course, but look, yeah,
I think there's been enough time where.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
There's been probably twelve or thirteen years since we played live.
So we still operate, you know, obviously as.
Speaker 4 (22:31):
A family and as a business because we still speak
to each other all the time. You know, there's alway
stuff going on with catalog and other things, so we're
always in communication. But I think the endless sort of
grind of just getting, you know, to the lobby every
morning and getting into a van or getting into an
(22:51):
airplane and getting into.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
A bus and all that that kind of incessant travel.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
Then until that stops, and and and so you actually
until you actually have time to kind of just stand
still for a few years and just wait for the
clock to kind of catch up to you, you know,
and give yourself some time to kind of let you
to process all the stuff, you know, that that happened.
There's so much stuff. I mean, I'll never be able
(23:20):
to process what happened, but not fully. But to to
the extent that we've had some time off the road
and that there's been you know, a lot of water
under a big bridge.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Time has healed a lot.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
I'm able to, yeah, just sort of make space to
to process all those things and look back and enjoy
a lot of the memoris, you know, and enjoy and
and to give thanks to God, you know, for the
opportunity for all these things, and all the people are
around us.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
I mean it was all the crew. It was it
was Chris Murphy, it was it was Sam Evans, you know,
it was all the people in all but you know,
Chris Thomas, all producers, just everybody who was around was
all part of.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
This sort of this theme which was just moving forward.
You know. It was organic, it was it was a live.
Speaker 4 (24:14):
Beast, you know, and it's really the people around it.
And of course ultimately it was it was the fans
that kind of wrapped around it and made it all work.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
And so to look back now, I just sort of
think it's just.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
An incredibly beautiful fan. Yeah, I'm just so grateful had
the experience.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
I really, I really liked the music. I love what
we did, and I love these guys more than Ana.
Speaker 4 (24:43):
Like I don't when we ing about these bands who
can't do it together and they got to get their
own planes, and you know what, I can't even get
my head around now.
Speaker 2 (24:52):
I just can't, you know, I feel sorry for him.
I think it's a shame.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
Well, I mean we were stuck together the whole fifty
nine hundred years or how long we were together, right, Like,
we were always in I mean, always either in a
van or in a room or in a bus or
something where there was just constantly the need to try
to stop laughing, you know, or to stop the jokes
(25:17):
for fanidets. You know, there was a camaraderie that could
only be expressed as is highly unique and unusual that
six people could constantly get along so well and still
miss each other even when we're not together.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
So that that is really I think the essence that
that is what appears at the time to be absolutely normal.
When I look back, it seems to be completely unique.
Speaker 7 (25:42):
Was as true. That's very true.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
Yeah, someone who's talked to every band in history, let
me tell you that's really fucking unique.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Totally.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
I mean, but I just I just thought it was
you know, wherever it's in a band just all go
We're like, yeah, it's I mean, I just remember for
the minute then we ever played. The first time we
played together, it was this fun yeah, like that's so
we were blessed. I'm just what I'm saying, I'm like,
I thank God every day. Now, let's go, well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Just you met.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Yeah, and imagine how how she it would have been
when when it was shooting, how much more she it
would have been.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
If we were being woond right, true.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Yeah, it really was a family.
Speaker 5 (26:23):
There's all these are three brothers and everyone's best friends
and I went to school together and really looked after
each other. So as John was saying that the humor
the Australian humor, and we kind of had our own language,
which was really you know, a lot of fun and
very important when we're traveling. Every day is a different
country in Europe, you know, like you really do forget
(26:44):
where you are and he's going to sound check and
then you're going back tell and then it's like you're
got to an afternoon off that's to a photo shoot.
Let's really cram ourselves together and you know, just a
Italian TV like it's just it's just it's amazing looking
back what we got through, it's incredible.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
Right, I mean, sorry, sorry, Steve, go ahead, No go ahead.
I'd say, you know, we get the giggles to doving
a photo shoot this Gary saying, because the photographer wants
us to stick our heads together, We're like, you know,
like the last we want to do a stick our
fucking heads together, right like, But we did it and
it was funny and half the time we're laughing because
(27:21):
we're like, yeah, we really want to put our heads
together because we just don't.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Seek enough of each other or something.
Speaker 4 (27:24):
You know, it would end up being funny and then
we get a good photo. So it would always somehow
turn out to be, you know, something good. And in
a way, you know that that incessant work that we did,
we just never really ever really had a break.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
But that that's what forced us to get along in
a way, you know, we just it created this. Yeah,
it forged, whether we liked it or not, an incredible bond.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
And and and we invented just like we invented music,
just like we created ways to do something unique and
a little bit fresh every time we try to do
a new recording or whatever we did, even hanging out together,
we were forging new ideas to hang out together. So
there was always a new way of finding how to
(28:20):
cope with some really unusual ship, you know, and put
in situations where you were just constantly tested and challenged
all the time.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
With a whole myriad of circumstances and situations.
Speaker 4 (28:36):
That would otherwise about people would not be put in
that situation. So so it forged a very unique bond
which other people sometimes when they were sitting around would
either be extremely exhausting to be around us if you
weren't sort of in the inner circle because of select
what these guys are worried talking about.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
I know, and gets it, you know. But we were
just this sort of.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Yeah, this, this sort of buckled up all of whizzing
atoms all around being.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Sort of creative. It was just this unstoppable creation all
the time. Obviously we had our moments some sometimes it
wasn't great at all.
Speaker 4 (29:18):
But but I think that that But again, I keep
bringing it back to Chris Thomas, because Chris Thomas with.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
His record, captured all of that. On listen Like Thieves,
that's kind of like and I'm going into deserves and
mention as Steve Churchyard.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
We're an English engineer across for that one record, and
and Steve for me the guitars, it's my favorite album
for guitar sounds. I think the guitar sounds are really
really well recorded, really you know, really just perfect for
(29:52):
the song. So Steve was a very important part of
our career as well, and the sounds he got further
than Like Thieves.
Speaker 6 (29:59):
Just speaking of unusual ship, I heard the greatest story
of all time the other day and now I want
to like put it in context to you guys and
see it. I was doing, as I mentioned, I was
doing the door story. I interviewed a palaeontologist who was
excavating dinosaur dones and dinosaur bones and Patagonia and was
listed was a huge doors fan. So we hired these
(30:22):
cowboys and every day when they were like dragging the
dinosaur bones with horses, they would drag them while listening
to riders on the storem which was like, to me,
the coolest story ever because that's like Indiana zone shit.
And I was thinking about it, It's like that's the
whole thing of like music is just everywhere. So for
you guys, what is the coolest story you've heard of
(30:43):
people listening to your music?
Speaker 4 (30:48):
Ye're right, when you get you get the I mean,
I was just so I've read of a chuffle to
myself thinking about while I've digging out dinosaur bones that
they find any excess records.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
You know, But well, I think some of the funniest
things were like.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
Just some of these extreme sports guys who like to
listen to in excess music, you know, up loud before
they jump out of aeroplanes or you know, jump out
of helicopters or something, you know, murdered bike Grand Prix
drivers and stuff like that. You hear a lot of
sports guys used to charge themselves up with the headphones
(31:25):
before the boat to run or go to football or
whatever it was.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
I mean, how about you guys.
Speaker 5 (31:34):
Well, well, obviously you know through the year here about
your weddings and funerals and that sort of stuff. But
I mean, I think to me, there was a lot
to do with our peers, people that we looked up to.
Speaker 7 (31:46):
Yeah, when we were touring.
Speaker 5 (31:50):
With all of Notes through Europe, I remember they we
get to sound check after driving all night, and the
two of us and then his band, the whole of
Notes band. Sure, incredible players like g Smith and Timbo
and Burnette and probably amazing players would be jamming in
excess songs at sound check just because they know we
became pretty close with them and they It was always,
(32:12):
you know, just always more rewarding to hear that that
really great musicians and peers are really digging the music
and actually you know, learning how to play it. You know,
that was always to me, you know, a really exciting
part of being being in a young band.
Speaker 6 (32:32):
Mm hmm, yeah, there were those are some pretty great
players exactly.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
It's interesting to mention the Doors too because I remember
Ray Bansaret came to one of our shows early on.
I guess you'd heard about about the band and about
Michael and because there was comparisons with with Jim Morrison,
even though Michael would would deny it because I don't
think Michael really listened to the Doors that much.
Speaker 7 (32:58):
But and right your race urunded up and it was
a you know, hungout is obviously.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
I think he and Robbie were you know, great musicians
and obviously there for the music like we are.
Speaker 7 (33:09):
So it was great to.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Sit him turn up and sit down and have a
nice couple of tea to chat with them.
Speaker 7 (33:14):
It was Yeah, our paths have crossed a few times.
That was great.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Yeah, So anything he goes went out and didn't ask you.
Speaker 5 (33:22):
About the anniversary editions out on the ninth of May,
all the not some bald stuff about this release.
Speaker 7 (33:29):
But you're very excited about this release because it's it's.
Speaker 5 (33:31):
You know, all the new mixes and the having Jiles
Martin involved with uh, you know, with special mixes, and
having that connection with Avy Road now is kind of
really exciting for us to go as as you know,
Beatles fans and Abby Road fans that have that connection
now even in our ages, it's like being kids again,
(33:51):
you know, like it's having it. So Joel's has been
made of out since he was I think sixteen. We
met him in Ascca in Japan when we're working with
his dad and it's just straight down here on board
as well. So all right, example another great member of
the family.
Speaker 4 (34:06):
Yeah, there's been some really full circle stuff. And I guess,
you know, Steve, even just that question you had earlier
about you know, because we always moved forward and we
didn't look back, and you're absolutely right. I mean, that's release.
(34:26):
So bringing home to me now by looking back, I
do realize how overwhelming, how overwhelmed there was when we
were bumping into people like Mick Jagger, or Keith Richard's
or Paul and Oates or or Queen or whoever it
(34:46):
was who really Welton John or all.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
These guys that we start to start at the sort
of come into our orbit.
Speaker 4 (34:54):
You know, I was always so humbled even just to
be around them. But whenever they were being complementing. I
sort of was always thinking, yeah, it was just sort
of a little bit of just what everyone does when
he goes, hey, I love your work man, and all.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
That sort of stuff.
Speaker 4 (35:08):
But I just figured, well, they didn't really know, you know,
But it turned out that they probably did, and they
really were fans, and I sort of almost couldn't believe
it because being isolated in Australia, there wasn't this burgeoning
sort of big time music business like it was.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
In England and America and those sort of places.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
Australia were so detached that it just seemed like it
had been imported from another time and planet. Basically, the
thought of ever even reaching those far away lands was
so far from our It was a dream and it
was our goal and it was our mission, but it
didn't mean that it was necessarily going to be really
(35:51):
happening as sort of when it did.
Speaker 2 (35:53):
You know, I just never thought it was a dream
and a goal, but hey, you know, it seemed to
sort of.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
Happened, was actually happening before my eyes before I even
realized it.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
It lake sense
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