James Reyne gets hassled

At the start of Scott Howlett’s interview with James Reyne, the latter mentioned that most journalists pretty much followed a similar line of questioning. The former, expecting this, asked some different questions, ones Reyne possibly had not been asked before. By the end of the interview both Reyne and Howlett had forcibly put down the telephone in anger. And the story goes…

James Reyne is currently touring and awaiting news of success in the US. Fame and fortune in the US is important to Reyne, for he knows too well the problem of being popular in one small territory, Australia, and not the world market. He will be travelling to Europe and the US later in the year to see if he can augment his Australian success with that in other, far more lucrative, areas.

When I spoke to Reyne he was in Horsham, a country town in Victoria. Perhaps the country sharpened his acerbic tongue, for as you will see he gets pretty damned mad at certain questions put to him.

Author’s comments are in bold, Reyne’s in normal.

Being in Australia, an isolated nation, we get fed numerous untruths about Australian bands and their successes in overseas countries. Most bands invariably state that things are all great and it’s all happening when sometimes in reality they have made no headway at all. How is it going for you overseas?

Nothing at the moment. The first single was released around 10 days ago but it’s still too early to tell yet. It’s early days.

Some bands in Australia wait for success in the US and then go over, others, such as INXS, tour, tour and tour until they break through. How are you approaching it?

We are going overseas. We leave on the 23rd of August and after being in Perth it’s off to Germany, Paris, London and America. There is enough interest for us to go over and play in the smaller clubs. We can do that and get support. There’s no way you make any money but it’s like an investment in the future.

Does the thought of going to the US and starting from the bottom, starting again as it were, excite you or worry you?

I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for about eight years. It’s fantastic. For me to be able to go to America and start again is great. I remember with Australian Crawl [the band Reyne fronted before going solo — but you all knew that, didn’t you?] we used to play one week to about 50 people and then the next week to 100. You can watch that slow build. That’s the exciting bit. You’re not worrying about it or thinking about it, you’re just out there going for it.

Do you get blasé about your success in Australia?

Not at all, especially since going out on my own. I’m not blasé at all. In fact quite the opposite.

But the feeling of the slow build was what excited you. How are you at the top in this country…

But the build is the same here. When I came back on my own… I mean, yeah, I was probably a few steps ahead because of the band [Australian Crawl] but when I released my solo album it could have gone either way. I was very aware of that so I definitely wasn’t blasé.

You have to try and build something that lasts.

At the moment you are in Horsham, a country town. Tell me about the loneliness of the country hotel room.

I actually kind of enjoy it funnily enough because the audiences are usually so receptive. They work very hard, they are very enthusiastic and they sometimes react a lot better to what you do than the city audience. And they always make you feel very welcome. They look after you. It’s not as lonely as people make out. Plus you have a crew and the band and we all have a good time anyway. We go out together, look after each other, so it’s not really that lonely.

About six months ago on the television show Blah, Blah, Blah, you seemed very unsure of yourself, very unconfident. Nervous. A lot of people feel you are the opposite of that, a self-assured individual with a lot of confidence. Perhaps it was just being on television and you were a little in awe of it…

No I love going on TV but we had played live on that show and so you’re sweating it out anyway and then you have some idiot in your face trying to be funny. And I’m not very comfortable with people who are trying to be funny. I get really bored when people are constantly trying to be witty and funny and I can’t deal with it. I didn’t feel at all comfortable on that show to be honest and I’m sure it showed. They were asking me about my family and stuff and I didn’t want to talk about that. I don’t believe I should have to.

It’s like anyone. I’m not the sort of person who can bowl up to anyone and say: ‘Hi, how ya doin’?’ It makes me nervous.

It’s often true that the confident performer on stage is unconfident off stage?

They’re less confident, that’s why they’re on stage, most of ’em. It’s amazing. I mean I still get starstruck. I meet people in bands and they maybe sell fewer records or are less successful than we [his band] are but I still get starstruck. It’s weird. I still do it.

I wouldn’t call myself shy, but I’m not the sort of person who’ll go up to someone and say hi and introduce myself. I’ll wait.

Does the music industry and the public treat James Reyne, solo, differently from James Reyne, member of Australian Crawl?

Not really. They give me the same bullshit.

Does the sex symbol thing still hang about you?

Yeah, a little bit. I can’t understand it. You know, I’m getting old now, I can’t understand it.

How old?

I don’t know, about 48.

Awww, come off it James, you crazy, madcap guy.

I’m 28. I’m not getting any younger.

That’s hardly old. How does being a sex symbol manifest itself?

It still rears its ugly head. I don’t know what it means. I guess it’s flattering but it doesn’t actually mean anything. They call everyone that now. Every jerk in every backstreet gets called it so it’s no big deal.

Are you comfortable with it?

I don’t care either way. I don’t think about it. I don’t sit in my room and go: ‘Yeah, I’m a sex symbol.’

Let’s talk of touring. When bands or artists attain a rather large level of success, they usually only tour to specifically promote an album or because they need the money. They don’t want to tour too much for fear of oversaturation. They might simply need to do it to pump up the cocaine account, which of course I am not suggesting you are doing, but some do…

I’ve never tried it [cocaine]. I’ve honestly never tried it. Everyone keeps raving to me about it and the few friends I knew who have tried it tell me it’s the most ridiculous waste of money you’ve ever heard of. It sounds silly. It sounds like a complete waste of money. You feel good for about five minutes and then you’re just completely tense and paranoid and then the next day you just feel like dying and you’re depressed.

But you said you’d never had it.

That’s right, I never had. But from what I hear it’s a complete waste of money.

To get back to touring then, is it a way to balance the bank funds?

It’s touring to support a record release, which one should do and which makes a lot of sense. To be honest, I’ll walk away from the tour with a little bit of money. But that’s my job and I have to make enough money to sustain myself over the next six months because I’m going away.

Everyone works to make a living. It’s like talking to someone who’s working in a bank and you say, ‘Gee, what are you doing going to the bank, are you going because you love money or to make a living?’

It is a misconception that bands generally make loads of money touring.

Yeah, depends on the band mate. Some bands walk away making money.

The real money is in publishing, isn’t it?

Not necessarily. You get ripped off by publishers as much as you get ripped off by promoters. Bands lose money on publishing too. That’s how smart they were when they signed their contract.

In Australia, people really are now realising that it’s not just sex, drugs and rock’n’roll anymore, it’s a billion-dollar industry.

I thought rock’n’roll was always about that.

I thought it was about entertainment?

Show business. What are you trying to say here? What are you looking for?

The point of publishing deals…

I wasn’t talking about publishing deals, you were.

But you mentioned bands getting ripped off with publishing deals, and I was…

I don’t know if bands get ripped off, all I’m saying is… you ask where does the money come from, the touring or the publishing, and I say I don’t know. You can make money on both, you can lose money on both, it depends what you do. I don’t know everyone makes money from publishing and touring but I’m sure they do.

Some bands don’t.

Do you know that for a fact?

Yeah.

Well good. I don’t. So don’t quote me saying that.

You don’t have to be defensive about it.

I’m not being defensive about it mate.

But I’m simply commenting that it’s so business-oriented these days.

I don’t know. Is that bad or is that good? What are you suggesting?

I’m just making a comment.

What’s the big f…in’ difference? People are taking it more seriously because it’s on every f…in’ television and mums and dads are watching it and so it’s a little more legitimate.

Why are you so aggressive about it?

Why do you keep hassling me about this bullshit?

I’m not hassling you, I’m just trying to generate discussion.

[Adopting a ‘dumb’ voice] Well, you’re talking about getting away from sex, drugs and rock’n’roll.

What’s the point in putting on a different voice? I don’t talk like that.

Okay.

I’ll let you go mate, you seem pissed off.

Okay, bye.

Clunk.

Clunk.

This excerpt originally appeared in Issue 82 of X-Press Magazine, published on Friday, August 12, 1988. Share your memories of this and other classic X-Press content by joining the Rewind Facebook group. Rewind: 40 Years of X-Press Magazine by Bob Gordon is on sale now in hardcover and softcover.