Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from news Talk zed B.
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
They've sold millions of records globally, three paton selling records
in the US alone, with hits like Santa Monica, Everything's Wonderful,
Father of Mine, and Everything to Everyone. And they've been
a staple of rock radio and New Zealand since the nineties.
And now they're back in New Zealand for the summer
concert series with Ice House, the Mighty Cold Chisel and
our beloved Bitgodonga in Topol tomorrow and Fittyannger on Sunday.
(00:40):
And joining us now on ZB is singer, songwriter and
founding member of evericlear Art alec Arkas a good afternoon arts.
Super excited to be seeing you in Topau. Look, you've
written some massive tunes in your life. What's on the
setlist for tomorrow?
Speaker 4 (00:53):
First of all, thank you for having me on. I
appreciate it. Man. We're going to play all the hits.
They're only giving us an hour and we're going on first,
so it's kind of bizarre for us to do that,
but it's also exciting because all the other bounds are
so great and we're just glad to be in I did,
and it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It's interesting actually because I was thinking about that with
you guys, because we have a saying in New Zealand
which is world famous in New Zealand, and that kind
of extends to Australia, world famous in Australia New Zealand,
and you're kind of playing with world famous in Australia
and New Zealand bands that you might not have known,
and you've probably sold a lot more records than than
they have.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
But were aware of Ice House.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
And Cold Chisel and but Grunga coming from the States.
Speaker 4 (01:33):
Well, I had heard the name called Chisel, but I
didn't really know the band. But I know Jimmy, he's
come to shows before. He's a fan and I'm a fan,
and I mean I think he's just you know, he's
a legend. The Ice House guys. Yeah, I knew a
couple of times we got played in the States. I've
been doing a deep diet. They're really great. I mean,
I'm not telling you anything you know or know you know,
(01:54):
I was listening different types of music when they were
you know, making their bones back in the day. Now
going back on it, I'm just it's really great. And
Becky is just I met her the other day. She's phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Well yeah, she certainly. Ha's the New Zealand tool going
of you guys.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
We played one show of this tour and that was
in Queenstown. It was really hot that day and I
don't know if you know it, but I was diagnosed
about eight years ago with multiple sclerosis. Yeah, so heat
is not good for me right stage, wasn't wasn't too.
I just need to get out of this on that day.
But I think Topo is going to be a different
(02:34):
type of venue. So I'm really looking forward to seeing
old bench.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
You know, I hit about you diagnosis, but you're still
cracking out, craking out the gigs.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
So is is your health generally okay? Generally? I just
got to do the work. I do the physical therapy.
I get a swim every day. My pool was in
my backyard and a lot of my property was destroyed
in the past. It have fired, of course, we were
about two hundred feet from ground zero. Luckily it didn't
burn the house. We still have to get it deep
(03:02):
cleaned and just smoke, damage and stuff. But other than that,
we're blessed. My wife's and my daughter and my dogs
are still living in a hotel. They'll probably be there for,
you know, another two three weeks at least for the
powers on so long, long, winding explanation why I'm not
taking as good a care as myself as they should have.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
It's interesting talking to you because when those fires were
hitting in Santa Monica, I was thinking about you, and
I was thinking about the line, of course, which has
a different meaning in the song in Santa Monica, leave
the fly behind, swim out past the breakers, watch them
will die.
Speaker 4 (03:36):
Yeah, you know me too. A lot of places that
I grew up with back in the day on the
west side of La We're gone. It's just gone crazy.
Everything's wine but houses I used to go to a
friends of mine gone. I live in Pasadena. I'm out
in the drive so across the street is out the
dina either way, and the fire started, and they came
(03:56):
and pulled us out of our house and told us
to get in our car and leave.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
They must be an interesting, you know, deciding what's important,
What is the important things to take?
Speaker 4 (04:05):
It's weird, right, you think you're gonna be like, Okay,
I'm gonna be I'm gonna get all our important papers,
I'm gonna get all the pictures. I'll do all that. No, man,
you're like, should I go through the fridge and sit there?
I couldn't think straight because there's noise going on, there's heat,
there's huge cinders flying past the windows, there's smoke everywhere.
(04:26):
Finally they yelled at me to get out of there
in the fire department, and all those guys are heroes.
Those people were just amazing.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
We have Alexakis from Everclear on the line going back
to before you were saying that when you were growing up,
you were listening to different types of music than say
Ice House, and you're obviously an incredible songwriter. It's obviously
got rock and punk in there. Like I might sound
like an idiot here, but growing up listening to you
always thought there was a little bit of my parents,
like John Denver Records in the air, as well as
I don't know, Glenn Campbell or maybe even Barry manilone.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Easy Now, Easy Now. The first two guys, I'm like, okay,
I see what he's doing that for Berry Man alone. Yeah,
we're gonna have problems with that, all right, the songs
that make the whole word saying you didn't even write
that song.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
They didn't.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
No, look at the credits. He didn't write those song. Ah, okay,
I go back to John.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
You'll accept John Denver.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
The well, I'll accept John Denver. There's Hillbilly in there,
for sure. There's an R and B. There's soldiers plunk,
there's there's beach boys in there. There's beetles in there. Yes,
there's Black Sabbath in there. There's Arrowsmith in there. There's
a sex pistols, there's as there's no classic punk rock.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
You have a no Barry Man, Oh Maddie.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
With you game, and you were let an interview and
I didn't liking it at all. Oh Mandy, I just kidding.
There's a question, Well, you just that one thing.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
You've definitely got the pips this that's gonna be another
weird question for you. Then that's something I've been thinking about,
Like I've got so many of your lyrics flooding around
like it is millions of people do around the world.
And like as I was saying before, swarming out past
the Breakers, watched the world die was in a lot
of people's minds, and I often ironically think saying everything
is wonderful.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Now, yeah, I mean when the fire happened, uh, me
and my wife were talking about it, and it's just
like you know that it was never meant to be
a literal thing. Was the declaration of blood? Is like,
you know, we can we can live beside the ocean,
swim out past the breakers, watch the world bick because
as long as we have each other holding hands in
(06:33):
the cold water, we're gonna be okay. Right, Yeah, I
mean that's that's that's coming from beautiful. So yeah, I mean,
you know it's it's it's violent, but there's beauty to it. Yeah,
and think it's that and that's the way it was
always matted. And two that you know, it's about the fires,
and there's nothing cathartic about those fires. There's nothing but heartbreak. Literally, Maddie,
(07:01):
I got like seven people who are close to me.
Their houses are gone, everything, pictures of their kids, just
every memory and people I know, people talk about it like, yes, absolutely,
if you had to choose between losing your kid or
your your spouse or someone dying even your pet over things,
(07:22):
of course, that's a no brainer. But let's not forget
that these things have so many memories and life and
experiences attached to them, and we can't demean or diminish
how important those things are. It's part of the human experience,
as part of our experience. I'm pretty are broken, you know,
(07:45):
as a lot of people are. You know, that's like, dude, Yeah,
sometimes we feel fully when sometimes you gets broken.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Yeah, I'm talking to the great at alex Akis from Ikla.
There's another line that always stuck with me as a
line from learning to Small life just keeps on getting
smaller and we never ask why that. I think about
that line quite a bit because I say, friends that
are going down terrible power. That's a really great line
that describes the situation of a lot of ethics of none.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Well, it's definitely thank you for picking up that line,
because that's always been one of my favorites. And people
don't bring that up from that song. They'll bring up
you know, learn how to Smiles Grit song, you know.
I mean, I mean, there's some great lines and I
think it's one of my best songs. Yeah, lyrically and
musically melodically, that line particularly, is anyone who's dealt with
(08:37):
addicts or alcoholics or people who just cannot understand that
they're come to the grips that they're powerless over this disease,
over some disease that is just destroying them, and that
they're destroying themselves. It's one thing to go through it.
I've been there. It's another thing to watch it and
(08:59):
knowing you can't do it. You can't throw them a
light preserver. They're going to throw it back at you.
You know it's it. And that line right there, like you,
life keeps getting smaller, and when you're in the middle
of it, you just don't understand it until you actually
get to a place like I did. And it took
(09:21):
me many years to just realize that I was powerless
and I surrendered. And before you do that, when you're
an addict or an alcoholic, you think that that's giving
up until you learn that to accept reality the way
it is, accept the thing the way it is is
(09:42):
actually not giving up. It's getting over that so that
you can be successful and win and understand. And that's
what happened to me almost thirty six years ago.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, I'm so glad it did, and so well well
put there.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
That is all so true.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
And hey, look, thank you so much for keeping on
rocking and coming back to New Zealand. And I'm driving
down straight after work tonight to see you tomorrow lunchtime
and topoor bloody excited. Me and my partner will be
up front well as close as GA tickets get us.
So thanks so much for thanks so much for talking
to us. And you know I'm a big fan and
and this means a lot to me.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Okay, thanks many. I appreciate your car was greater and
interview'd be well, you should really meet people in bands
so they can get you a better chick.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Well, I'm happy, I'm happy in the g A.
Speaker 4 (10:33):
I'll be fine. Awesome the man of the people, Man
of the people. Yeah, there you go, all right, thanks, cheers,
take care.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
What a awesome dude. Are you really happy in g
A though?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Man, look, I am happy in g A. But look
if this look of some if id up in the
VIP seats, then.
Speaker 4 (10:54):
You wouldn't say that.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
You know, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Will
see how it goes. Maybe I should Maybe I'll ring
art back.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Still on the line. Just a reminder you can see
ever clear with Icehouse, Cold Chisel and Bikrunga tomorrow in
Topa and Sunday and Fidianga, all part of the Summer
Concert Tour twenty twenty five. It's going to be great.
Matt will be there. Say gooday if you see him.
It's going to be fantastic.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
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