Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
Legendary Australian rocker John Swan opens up about his highly anticipated Adelaide homecoming show at the Governor Hindmarsh on May 30th, where he'll reunite with The Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson and guitar virtuoso Kevin Borich for a night of pure rock magic.
The chemistry between Swan and Gleeson is palpable as Swan reveals, "Working with Dave is probably one of the most enjoyable things I've ever done in my life." This natural rapport promises to create an electric atmosphere when these two powerhouse vocalists share the stage. Adding Kevin Borich to the mix guarantees a performance that will resonate with any fan of authentic Australian rock.
The conversation takes a nostalgic turn as Swan shares the remarkable story behind "There's a Road," a song he co-wrote with Borich approximately 45 years ago in Bondi Beach. Recently rediscovered and recorded for Borich's new double album Duets, the track symbolizes the enduring nature of their musical brotherhood. Swan's excitement is evident when discussing his own forthcoming duets album featuring collaborations with Diesel, Mossy, Colin Hay, Jack Jones, and other Australian music icons—a project he considers might become his legacy.
Beyond reminiscing, Swan reveals his addition to the prestigious Empire Touring roster alongside Richard Clapton and Eurogliders, demonstrating his continued relevance in Australia's vibrant rock scene. His passion extends to nurturing the next generation of musicians, sharing stories about mentoring young talents like Stefan Hauk and advocating for better support systems for emerging South Australian artists. Don't miss this rare chance to witness three pillars of Australian rock music come together for what John promises will be an unforgettable night culminating in an all-star finale that will "bring the house down." Grab your tickets now and be part of this historic musical reunion!
What has Swanee been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
Episode Transcript
that radio chick, cheryl lee, here.
Welcome to the still rocking itpodcast, where we'll have music
news, reviews and interviewswith some of our favorite
australian musicians and artists.
John swan is heading back tohis hometown and teaming up
again with adopted southaustralian lead singer of the
screaming jets dets, daveGleeson.
(00:25):
There's a recipe for troubleright there.
They are also bringing theirgreat mate, kevin Boric, with
them, so hopefully he can keepthese two likely lads in check.
What is John Swan up to lately?
Let's find out.
To catch up on podcasts fromother favourite artists, simply
go to thatradiochickcomau.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Hello Cheryl.
What's that guitar in thebackground?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
That purple one is actually a CD player.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Cheryl, you're fibbing.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
No, see this black bit.
That's where you put the CD.
And look, see my tag.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I just got home from work, because I race home from
work to do these interviews andgo back and this dress arrived
and I thought oh, that'll benice.
I'll wear my new dress.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
It looks good.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
It's still got the tag on it.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You two are in such good shape.
I can't believe it.
I still see you going up anddown the hill all the time and I
just think, oh, I'd love to beable to do that.
I'm going to start doing itnext week because of my fall.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Yeah, no more landscape gardening for you
until you get here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I've done three different lawns.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I saw the photos.
It looks amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's absolutely beautiful.
I've got banana trees andoranges and apples.
Did you see the porch at theback under the studio?
Yes, Well, that's our building.
My friend Jim, my neighbour twodoors up.
He helped me with the stairsand the wonderful thing is, when
you've got good neighbours,they're gems.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
You've done a wonderful job, but don't kill
yourself in the process, forgoodness sake.
See, I fall when he's not there.
You've got to be careful,anyway, back to where we were.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Where were we?
Where were we?
What are we doing?
What's our?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
names.
Where do we live?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
You are coming back to Adelaide with your great mate
Dave Gleeson, Friday, May 30.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Tickets are available from the Garble Austitch.
Right now You're bringinganother special guest.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I've got two.
I picked one up in Adelaide,dusty and Carla Lippert.
You know fantastic act.
I don't know if you've seenthem during the Fringe, but
they've got Fringe awards.
They've got Sarah McLeod, soyou know Sarah's not going to be
there, it's just going to beDusty and her.
She's going to come out andplay first.
Then probably Dave and I willfight over who goes out first.
I don, he doesn't care.
(02:40):
So it's sort of like you go, no, you go, I'll follow you.
So I go and start one of hissongs, then he's got to rush out
.
Honestly, working with Dave isprobably one of the most
enjoyable things I've ever donein my life.
You know he makes getting upand nerves and all that go away.
And yet he's a nervouscharacter too.
I didn't realise.
You know, shy the man, not theperformer, you know I just love
(03:03):
him.
He's a sweetheart and my mate,kevin.
Kevin has got an album at themoment.
It's called Duets and I thinkit's a double album.
Speaker 1 (03:12):
You sing one with him , don't you?
Speaker 2 (03:15):
I do.
Yes, there's a road.
We wrote that in Bondi Beach.
He had a house there about 40years ago, maybe 45 years ago,
because you always got around toyour matchbox, you know like,
and all the people I knew inthose days was musicians.
So we're sitting there playing.
He said I've got a studio outof it.
I said, oh bull.
So we went out the back andLucius wasn't big enough to fit
in the drum kit, you know like.
(03:36):
So that's how long ago it was.
And we wrote If you listen tothe words you'll understand.
You know like we thought we'dnever be here again, you know.
And Kevin rang me up and he saidI found this song that we wrote
back in the old days.
You know, can I send it to you?
And I heard his version of it,you know, because he had
Mickey'd it up, put beautifulbacking vocals and everything
(03:57):
like that.
So I said yes, by all means.
I said, but I've got to tellyou I'm doing the same song.
He said, great, you know, we'lljust swap around all the vocals
.
And I went no, we'll just leaveit as it is.
Eh, you know, because he'sperfected it.
You are listening to StillRocking it.
The podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Let's hear that perfect song now, shall we?
It only took them 40 or 50years, but here it is.
There is a road, kevin borichand john swan back to speak some
more to swanny after this.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
That's a road that I've been down.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
I may never go down again There'll be no more such a
day.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Now there's time that we've been through.
We may never go through again.
There'll be no more searching.
I'll get there someday.
(05:44):
Like lemon and honey, we'llcome together like good friends,
(06:05):
and there's one thing that Iknow I will love you till the
end.
Now there's a road that we'vebeen down.
We may never come down again.
(06:26):
No more searching.
We'll get there someday.
You've got to do right, oh, ohoh.
You've got to do right.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
All night Remember the deep down in your soul, deep
down in your soul, you'llalways be with you.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
There's one thing you'll know.
There's one thing you'll know,you'll know.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
I play a song off it on the radio regularly,
including yours.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Looking forward to that.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
I don't know if you know much about Kevin, but he's
a notorious.
Get in a car and drive fromMullaney, which is a beautiful
little place in Queensland.
It's just outside GlasshouseMountain.
When I went there it was themost picturesque.
It was all little tiny Frenchwindows and shops had all lace
and stuff like that and Ithought it was in another world.
(08:20):
Mind you, I was half drunk atthe time.
But Kevin got out, I went tothe newsagent, he went to the
real estate agent and we bothcome back and I had my buy a
boat, you know, hundreds ofthousands of dollars.
And Kevin, he was sittingreally quietly, smug, smug as
shit, you know, and I said whatare you laughing at?
(08:40):
He said oh, nothing.
I said I just bought a hundredacres.
No, you want well, because wejust got our checks in the
morning, you know.
And he said what did you buy?
I said a boat, but it sleeps 10people and it's, it's huge, you
know that's not the bike thatsank.
Yes, yeah, hello know, years andyears later it sank twice.
I had five of those boats, youknow, or Bertrams, which are
(09:03):
really classy.
They're like a Mercedes ofboats.
When you look at this bandyou'll see what I mean.
I've been coming into Adelaidefor a long time with Rob, but we
played the same songs and itjust never changed, you know.
So I decided to have a chat torob and he got it, you know.
So the last time we came in Isaid I wanted, I want to use
dave.
He's just, you know, he.
(09:25):
I've got a double album comingout.
It's all duets with dieselmossy, colin hay, jack jones,
you know a few dad singers yeahum, yeah, but it's really the
best thing I've ever done.
And people say that about theirproduct because they've got new
product.
I don't.
I don't listen to a lot of mymusic, but this has got me
sucked in.
(09:45):
John Stevens does a soul songwith me and it's just.
You know.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
Are you going to be singing any of those songs?
Do you think, at the Gov, Dave?
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Gleeson is one of the guys who's on the album.
Yeah, so we'll probably do thatone and the one with Kevin, you
know.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, yeah, I think he did the one with Dave last
time if I remember correctly.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Yeah, yeah, last time was awesome.
This time's going to be evenbetter because you've got, you
know, a few more mates along forthe ride, and you're quite
right.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Carla and Dusty from the 27 Club.
We saw them every year at ourFringe.
Wouldn't have missed it for theworld.
So you know I was alreadylooking forward to it, you three
gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
I want to sing with Dusty and Carla as well.
So does Dave and so does Boric,because Dusty's such a talented
man, you know like he really is.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Oh, he is, yeah, carla's, amazing, and I think
you might get the chance, john,because I've read somewhere that
at the end there's an all-starget-together performance that
will bring the house down.
Yes, there you go.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
It will be fun.
Honestly I know everybody saysthat, but I mean this one I've
put my backside on the line anddecided to hire people and raise
the level of the show up.
You know I'm not an investmentsperson, you know that, but
Christ, you know.
So one of the reasons why Isaid, cheryl, can we have a blab
?
You know, because it is goingto be a great show.
(11:07):
You know, I hope people like itbecause the next time I come in
I'll be coming in with thealbum show.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Yeah, you know, we're looking forward to the three of
you ragamuffins Getting onstage together.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
Kevin was there through all the Party Boys stuff
too.
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
We'll have one from the Party Boys.
This is the Party Boys withJohn Swan Out the front, from
the greatest hits, misses,rarities and b-sides.
Party Boys album.
Hold your Head Up Back to saygoodbye to John shortly.
Hold your head up, whoa.
Hold your head up, whoa.
Hold your head up, whoa.
(11:46):
Hold your head high.
I was so pleased when I sawthat you were coming to Adelaide
because you know you did missthe biggest social event of 2025
last month, your birthday party.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Well, yeah, I know, but I had fallen down the hill.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
I think you were booked into.
Was it the Rock at the Racesyou have to get?
Your people, to speak to mypeople and organise that I know
it's terrible.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
They've just sent me a note saying we're about to
shift some more acts and put youback into the Empire touring
thing.
So I'm on that thing withRichard Clapton, eurogliders,
everybody.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
So what are you saying, John?
You've got a better offer.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
No.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Congratulations.
That is awesome though.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
They're booked up so far in advance.
So the people who run the showat Gosford said get Swanee in.
That was the best performanceof the day.
You know I was opening the show.
We had a great time backstagebecause Wendy Matthews is on the
album as well, so she was there.
It's not all about the album.
I just wanted to drop a fewhints that we've got this coming
up Fairly soon.
You'll be able to.
(12:50):
I'll put all the details upwhere to go and where to get it.
This is being handled properlybecause it may be my legacy.
I'm not a morbid person butrealistically, you know, this
week with Brian Cad getting sickGod bless him.
Everybody should say a prayerfor him because he's just such a
great man great son, goodfriend he was really at the
beginning of.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Support Act.
He was really instrumental insetting that up and I was
actually going to say to you,when we were talking about
getting your people to speak tomy people, and getting it
together next time you come needto do it near a support act
lunch we haven't seen you know,I was on the national support
act with him yeah, with chuggy,you know, and all the bigger
(13:33):
guys in melbourne.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
That was with colin hay, who's also on the album, by
the way.
You know, the thing is thatwhen you get Colin Hay in that
I'll explain it next time I talkto you, because what I want to
do is be prepared properly, youknow, and hopefully I can give
you little snippets.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
That'd be good.
So I will see you at you, andDave and Kevin at your rehearsal
.
We'll do a little thing for thetelly, like we did last time,
and then we'll chat again aboutthe launch of the album as well.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for yoursupport.
You've always been there for me, and that's the great thing
about Adelaide.
You know, if you try, then yourfriends get behind you.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Yeah, also, and I include you in this.
Obviously we've come so farabove our weight here in
Adelaide in respect to talent,don't?
We, we are such a talentedbunch.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Yeah, I'm going to be working on that as my next
project.
I want to see the SouthAustralian government set up an
agency run by musicians formusicians.
Set up an agency and bring kidsthrough.
That's the only way you knowhow we got through Hitchhiking
to Melbourne.
Doing it, doing it.
That's why I admire StephenHawke.
He's off his ass and he's doingwhat he needs to do in order to
(14:46):
get successful and he will doit.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
What a talent.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
See what I mean I've been mentoring him since he's 14
.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Yeah, with you at my 50th birthday.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Yep, yep.
And he also came out atChristmas Day when he was about
12 or 13 or something, and hecaught a bus from Parahills to
Hampstead Rehab and I wasstanding there on my own and I
was really sad because theydidn't have any visitors.
And I went in and they saidthere's only a few that we can
play to today, you know, becausethe rest of them are sick.
(15:18):
So my girl, today, you know,because the rest of them are
sick.
So my girl, you know, like shecame out, lauren, and uh, she,
she can't speak.
She was just sitting therecrying through the whole thing
and it was like I looked atstefan and he had his sister and
his little brother.
They were like this, but he gotthem on the bus with his
acoustic guitar.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
What a support, you know even before he's made it,
he's already giving back andcontributing.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
Yes, love him.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
I know you are very, very busy with the garden and
all and all the promotions, so Ireally appreciate you spending
a little bit of time with metoday.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
I love it.
I know I should have spent moretime talking about the Gov, but
I don't want to give the showaway because it's going to be
fun.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
I'm talking to?
What day is it today?
This is first.
I'm talking to kevin, nextthursday.
Okay, we'll be able to tee updave as well, and we'll get all
the info out, so nobody missesout you know, and then I'll see
you at rehearsals and I'll havea little one for the adelaide
people, the three us together,and then I'll see you down the
(16:19):
front on the 30th of May at theGov everyone.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Okay, my friend, I love you very much.
My love to Barry and the kids.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Will do.
Thank you, John.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Bye.
Now you are listening to StillRocking it the podcast with
Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Last time John came to town and played with Dave
Gleeson, they played tribute totheir friend and musical
colleague, bon Scot.
So let's have another one fromthe Party Boys now.
This has got John out the frontagain and it's an Akadaka hit,
high Voltage.
You're with Cheryl Lee, thatradio chick.
(17:06):
Thank you so much for joiningme on the still rocking it
podcast.
Hope to catch you again nexttime.
Get out when you can supportAussie music and I'll see you
down the front.
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