Chords for Crowded House: ’Music feels more important than it ever did’

First of all guys, thank you so much for your time and for wanting to do this interview with me today
Yes, how are you feeling?
I'm just a little I've just had an app afternoon nap and now I'm feeling pretty good ready.
I need a massage
[G] I might need a massage.
Is there a massage here?
No, it's currently having one look behind [E] you the tables ready already.
Oh
Yeah
[G] You can't of you massage sleep.
It's all there.
Yeah
_ [Eb] Everything's everything you need.
Well, I feel like I'm talking to the most hard-working men in music.
That's what I've been told really
That's what I've been [D] told and I'm wondering what do you is it a stretch?
You [Eb] or me
_ _ Yeah that you've got that now on camera do you agree that's forever
_ Well, I don't know we've worked hard at various points and yes
But I think a lot of bands are completely mad for it just like we are and musicians and songwriters
It feels more important than it ever did somehow and music's really
Well, I think it is because I think it's one of the few things in this world that you can rely on
That you know music is a for most people their appreciation of it and for most people making it it's a pure thing
So yeah, yeah got to be thankful for that
but I heard I [Ab] hear from a lot of people that We're just
Reliving the same things that we used to worry about like 30 40 years ago
And you guys been been around for a bit are these times really [Eb] different or do you feel like?
There is like just things coming back from the old well
It's an interesting time because nothing's really come emerged since the pandemic that is truly defining
Time defining I don't think partly because people don't really want to be reminded of what's going on
You know, they want to something escape and they want joy
Which I can't blame them for Nick, what do you think?
[E] I think in
[Ab] there maybe there's cycles of
Commons that come and go but the thing that I've noticed is that Commons seem to be disappearing [Eb] like common sense
common [N] knowledge
common experience
_ All of the different Commons are somehow being privatized or separated from our
Collective consciousness and that's something I haven't seen before in my and I'm 63
So, I mean perhaps it'll it'll swing back and you'll have the reinvention of trade unionism or
[Ab] cooperatives
Banking cooperatives all those sorts of things that happened after this the [G] depression in the [C] 20th century
Yeah before the Second World War, you know, I mean, it's hard to know
_ [Eb] Yeah
I think that it's [Ab] interesting.
No, it's interesting.
What are you having good thoughts at festivals in a way?
Just expanding on his theme an opportunity for people to gather again and have common experience
So in a way the season will be interesting.
I think there's a lot of joy
celebration in the year
About being able to you know, gather together as they are here and they will next weekend at Glastonbury and you know
Yeah, they all with stalwarts.
We're gonna turn up we're gonna give our [Eb] best and try some joy and some love to the proceedings
Yeah, it sounds a little bit cliche maybe naive to say but as soon as you walk like through the doors of like a festival
Like all [Gm] the differences that you have outside of the festival just kind of like melt away and you're just [Ab] all there to enjoy the music
That's [Gm] what it feels like.
Well, it is a common experience and it's interesting and it's beautiful day today and thank heavens
But the odd experience where it really pours with rain in some ways
Those are almost the best festival experiences.
Everyone has to abandon all hope of comfort.
Yeah
_ Everyone's getting rained on
We've had some really amazing shows with the whole saturated audience people resembling mud creatures from the underworld, you know
Dancing up a storm and going crazy.
So yeah
There's something ritualistic and wonderful about it.
That is very true.
I've never looked at it that way.
That's very true
Well, I'm also wondering because I think in 2018 [Ab] when you joined Fleetwood Mac
Hmm, you thought there wouldn't be a new crowded house album what changed?
[N] Well, I wasn't planning one at that point I think I came off the back of that
really
excited and fueled with the idea that classic bands
Vibrant and in the now rather than just because that band really did
I think we really were a vibrant presence wherever we went and to be standing with that rhythm section and singing with Christina and
Stevie every night gave me a fresh appreciation of what bands really are but I've got my own
It's there and it's up on wheels in the garage and I want to do is give it an oil
But we also expanded the lineup which was and it suddenly dawned on me that I've got my two sons who are the best musicians
I know of in the world who are deeply steeped in the soul and spirit of the band and Mitchell from who was our original
_ Producer keyboard player.
Mm-hmm.
We've been asking him to join for 40 years and he finally said yes
What what pulled him fine?
What made him feel like okay now I'm doing it.
What made the time timing, right this time?
desperation to be
_ Well, _ of course you also you [G] would say that your sons are like the best musicians in the [E] world
So I have to ask you Nick for an offer an unbiased opinion.
Do you agree [Ab] with Neil?
They're pretty good
I mean, you know, I I still think I'm a complete imposter.
So really
They are pretty good musicians.
It's a joy playing with them once that we do have a great chemistry.
Yeah, it's very intuitive
Well, I haven't seen the new lineup live.
I'm going to tonight, but I've heard from a lot of people that
[Gm]
The shows that you've been playing so far that it exudes a lot of joy
Yeah, I think there's a lot of joy
There's a lot of joy in melody and and I'm really enjoying that hearing the audience is saying they sing really well
I mean, it's interesting
I don't know how it will be in a festival environment, but certainly at our shows and just the other night in Antwerp
the people were just like
Absolutely spirited and they're singing and we stopped many times to listen to them and it's a joy for me
Yeah, my songs flying around a room with you know, thousands of thousands of voices
Yeah, [Ab] well, I've been reading a lot of the interviews [Eb] that you guys have done so far
Listening to you talk right now.
I feel like
_ Reinvention is a red line that's going through the band for the past years
I'm wondering what is a big misconception that people might have about reinventing yourself as a musician or maybe even as a person
_ _ Misconceptions are hard to to put [N] into a find a singular misconception.
There's probably quite a few _
Maybe that we are defined as most bands are by the first thing people hear
And in this part of the world that we had a really big hit on our first album
And I'm really [G] really proud of the song that became the hit and we still perform it and I love performing it
It creates a perception and so people don't unless they see us live
I don't see the breadth of what the band's capable of because there's quite a lot more to it
but any band will have that to deal with some bands have the misfortune of having a novelty song or a cover become their most
Well-known song and we've spared that thank goodness.
Yeah
How do you feel about it Nick?
[B] Reinventing.
Yeah
[Eb] Just
You know every time you you're trying to reinvent every day just [Ab] seeking inspiration.
I think [F] it's part of the journey.
So
[G] _ You know, I'm pretty much still up for anything.
Yeah, especially if there's a nap
_ Well, I'm gonna let you get another nap if you want to yeah, that's enough it's a wooden bench too he's can sleep anywhere
_ Champion really champion sleeper.
I'm so jealous.
I can't sleep that well anymore
_ Thank you guys so much for your time, thank you.
Thank you.
All right
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _