Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome Radio Hodoki's Off the Record podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
With Big Sandy's.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
So is that time of year when the sun is
shining and the summer holidays are cooling? And what I
love most about summer holidays are the music festivals happening
around New Zealand and Greenstone. A summer concert is happening
end of January and Ossie band Hoodoo Gurus will be
playing alongside can We Banzid, Iggy Pop and Joan Jet
and the Black Hearts, and I've got Dave from Hoodio
(00:31):
Guru's with me. Now.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey, Dave, I beg, how are you?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
I'm very good now. It must be kind of surreal
knowing that you were touring with Iggy Pop and Joan
Jet in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Completely surreal.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I mean, the fact of playing with eve of them
is amazing, but both together is great. Obviously we're huge
fans of both and you know, Iggy really shaped our
our career, you know, as musicians.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I mean he's a total influence that.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Of course, Joan with the you know, going way back
to the Runnaway, big fan of that band.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
So you know, it's just incredible.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
That is so. I mean, you've toured you've done many
tours and festivals. You went to America and you were
doing the college circuit for a while there. Have you
come across big names over the years?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, Iggy saw us play way back when, and you know,
he spoke. I never actually got to meet him that
so I'm Brad and I think Clyde Bramley are basically
at the time they saw Iggy and chatted with him,
but I didn't get the chance. But you know, I
met Joe Ramone that was pretty good. So yeah, we've run,
we've rub shoulders, a few sort of luminarias, but most
(01:34):
of the time, you know, you're kind of just in
your own world. You know, they're doing their gigs somewhere
else in the world from where you are, so you
don't get to see them very often.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Because I read that you were influenced by the Ramones
against Stooges and the Canks. So now you know, here's
Eggy pot What are you going to say to him
when you.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Like, thank you? That's the biggest thing I can say.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And you know, how have you done it? I mean
not really I have any questions. It's all out there.
What he's done with the whole world to see. You know,
it's amazing and yeah, it's just me. I'd just be
saying thanks mate. You know you've You've shaped my life
and you changed the world.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Is there a particular song from the Stooges that you
would love to see him play live?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Look?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I like all of them, but I'll pick one that
he'll probably never play, the song called ninety to sixty
nine off, which is the opening track of the first
Doogi's album, because you know, I guess because of the
you know, he's got so many other songs that are
more well known, I guess, but I love that song.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Well, when I read the line up, I was like,
I've got to go see this concept because you're playing
in two pretty amazing spots.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
I know I have heard through the grapevine.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's actually why Eiggy's doing this tour is because of
the beauty of these particular locations, and for him it
was like something to kind of, you know, a special thing,
to reason to get out of the house and come
down below the equator. I mean, he's not going anywhere
else with this tour, so this is obviously the beauty
of these spots and the nature of that's been a
real sort of track for him.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah. So have you been to Topaul or Wanica?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
No?
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I have not.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I mean Rick, our bass player, has had a vacation
in Warnaica and so I'm going to be doing the
same math for this tour. But yeah, I've just been
hearing about these places obviously for most of my life
and finally get the chance to go there.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Oh they are summer hot spots. You've got Topaul, which
is amazing lake in the North Island. So you're playing
there on the twenty fourth of January, and a week
later you're going to be in Wanaka on the thirty
first of January.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Be wonderful. I look forward to it.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
What do you remember about the Because you've been to
New Zealand a number of times, what do you remember
about the very first Hodoo's Hudiguruz gig that you did
in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Well, actually, my first memory is actually not of a gig,
but before we did our very first usit to New Zealand,
I came over on a promotional tour and my first
top was christ Church and I've got to be honest,
it was a Sunday and it was a bit of
a sleepy town on a Sunday that back way back then,
because we're talking nineteen eighty four so things have changed
a lot. But back then you couldn't get a drink
(03:59):
on a Sunday at places, so went to a cafe
or like it was like a coffee shop, you know,
gig thing with an artist's performing. But they had this
special secret you know, nod that you could give to
get a little bit of a shot of whiskey in
your coffee. So I thought it was quite unusual, you
know the fact. You know, I come from Perth. We
(04:19):
had similar kind of weird licensing rules on a Sunday
back when I was growing up too, so I understand it.
But as I say, I'm sure things have changed on
a Sunday.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Now they definitely have. So we knew what where was
the first gig that you played in New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
I think it was the Gluepot in Auckland, so and
we've had a long association with the Glupot. We played
them a few quite a few times over the back
way back. So that's my my recollections being the Gluepot
with your first show.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Yeah, it was a great venue back in the day.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
For comedy and it's crazy.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
It was crazy, No great spot. I see that it's
been forty years since you released Mars Needs Guitars. What
has kept the band and coming back together and making
music after all these years because you first got together
in early eighties, wasn't it.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, eighty one was our first gig. So look, it's
a really simple answer. We are just nuts for music.
We love it, and we love the feeling of playing
music as well.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
You know, people think it's all about.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
You know, making money or you know, having people cheer
you on or something and that sort of stuff. So
that's all nice, but the fact is, just playing music
itself is a huge reward. You just feel great and
you kind of in a way get the switch off
from the real world for those that time you're on
stage while you're doing that that you don't get the
opportunity to kind of, you know, completely immerse yourself in
(05:41):
the world of music like you do on stage any
other way. I mean, rehearsals great, but you know, it's
not the same as being just puing the moment, trying
to just give everything you've got that to do interpreting
that music for you know, everyone else.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
So hopefully enjoy and do you.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Find you know, you're talking about being in the moment
and when you're on stage and you've got these audiences
in front of you, is it different when you're doing
an inside arena to an outdoor festival? Like, is it
a different vibe?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Yeah, of course it is. It is definitely.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I mean, you know, there's a song of ours called
A Thousand Miles Away that I always think is meant
to be played outside. It just has something about it
where he doesn't want a roof on it. You know,
it's even better with stars, you know. I don't think
we'll have stars at Tom and Dot. We'll be playing,
we'll be in the daylight, I think. But it just
the song for some reason has a different dimension to
(06:34):
me when it's outdoors.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I love that now. When I was in Australia, I
think it was early two thousands, might have been two
thousand and three, one of your songs, What's My Scene
became a theme song, well not a theme song, yes,
a parody for rugby league over there was it that's
my team?
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Yeah, no, it was the theme song, was there? You know?
Speaker 1 (06:53):
The campaign song they had for years they had simply
the best by Tina Turner, and there's a few other
things after that that were not quite as well known.
You know, they came in and went, but our stuck
around for actually one year longer than the team has won,
so we were kind of proud of that record as well.
But yeah, what's My Scene became that's my team for
the National Rugby League and that was actually really funny
(07:18):
because we've broken up at the time. We broke up
for six years, and I don't say that got us
back together again, but it was kind of and I
may not agree to it if we've been going to
be honest, you know, it was funny that, you know,
this big campaign came while the band had broken up,
but yeah, it was just a we.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Love rugby league.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
So for us, it was kind of like a proud moment,
a bit like getting asked to play, you know, the
theme song for James Bond movie or something. You know.
It was that sort of you know, high profile thing
that we couldn't say no to.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
And what is the team in our team that you support,
what's the team.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
That you bet Well, I've followed the Chronla Sharks, so
we've had mixed fortunes in recent years. But we did
have a premiership win a few years ago for the
first one in the club's history, and it was actually
on my birthday, so I was very happy.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
There's always good to have a sporting when on your birthday.
A it is because we're you know, New Zealanders, massive
was fans here and every year we're like, twenty twenty six,
it's got to be our year. This year we've come close.
So don't be surprised if you hear a few up
the wars.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Well, you're no problem.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
What's my scene? I guess that's one of the songs.
Is that one that is particularly a crowd favorite when
you're playing or are you quite surprised from from gig
to gig as to which song really?
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Oh, look, that's the one where the iPhones come out,
you know most commonly.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
Yeah, people want.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
To document I heard them do that one, you know.
But we have a lot of songs luckily in our
catalog that people recognizing people that don't realize they know
a lot as many songs as they do. That's the
thing about they might get a you know, even a
casual fan might be surprised how many of our songs
they've heard or know well, but yeah, What's My Scene
(08:57):
is a song I always like to talk about as being,
you know, one of my favorite examples of my songwriting,
which you know, I think I got it right on
that one.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, absolutely, I think it's for me. It's been an anthem.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Well it's still my anthem because you know, the song's about,
you know what, looking at search for identity and figuring
out where you fit in and if you don't, you know,
what do you do about it? So I'm always wondering that,
you know, I think many people do you always feel
a bit like, you know, have I you know, do
I know who the hell I am and what people? Well, lately,
you know, since I turned forty, actually, I've got to
(09:31):
say I stopped worrying so much about what other people
think of me, and that was a great thing to
finally pass that bloody hurdle. But yeah, I'm still not
quite sure who the hell I am and you know where.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
I fit in?
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Yeah, Well, I think that's why the song resonates with
so many people as we're evolving through the years. I mean,
I'm coming up fifteen next year, and the song has
I was just listening to it over the weekend. I
was like, Wow, it's really speaking to me on a
whole other level this song.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
I'm glad I love to hear that. Thank you so much.
I like that.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Yeah, so I saw over the weekend Garbage. We're playing
in Melbourne. Are you going to allow beach balls at
your gig?
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Bring them, mind, I don't care. We're going to be
in the daylight, so that might be a little bit
like of a light show for us. Have some colored
things floating around the audience. They'd be fun.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
Yeah, it'd be great to see you and Eggy and
Jones Jit.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Now, it's going to be a great show. I'm really
looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
And as I said, I'm going to be having a
little holiday afterwards myself, so you might see me around
the cafes, you know, after the days following.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Well, you have an amazing time you come over. Thank
you so much for your time today.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
Thanks bag, look forward to seeing you down there.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
Yeah, thanks mate.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Radio hold Aches off the Record podcast.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
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Speaker 2 (10:45):
Us five stars? Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Hodache dot co dot mz it