Brisbanes premier country-punk, DICK DESERT, goes interwebbing with Raves sexiest reporter, JEAN NICOTINE

Dick Desert is a mystery to me. My knowledge of the man himself is pieced together via black and white posters haphazardly stuck around town, a name occasionally in the gig guide and the occasional Yeti picture enigmatic, hairy. Then I hear this Amphetamine Cowboy song, which sounds like its recorded in a tin shed-cum-Caboolture speed lab by some giggling redneck freak with no sense of rhythm. And whats with the name anyway? Is a good Brisbane man that hard to come by? (Pun intended) So. Anyway. Thanks to The Wavering Hand of Prehistoric Dentistry, (bitching wisdom teeth extraction) it looks like this meeting is never going to take place. Hence, the Last Resort of Lazy Journalism, thats right, Ladies and Gents email.

Jean: Youve had a busy year this year. Youve played a fair bit overseas, including the red light district in Paris. How did audiences there receive you- did they understand the perhaps distinctively Australian ideas and attitude you were putting across?

Dick Desert: Like Australians, the French love music and they love subversiveness. The language or the form the subversiveness is presented in seems irrelevant in Paris just like it is in Brisbane.

Jean: So the single that you are about to release is called My Dad Fucked John Howard When He Was In High School. Right, soooooo...is this meant to be subversive, or funny, or incite some sort of political change or what?

Dick Desert: To me its not about politics. To use a contemporary analogy ... if you saw Brokeback Mountain as a movie about love, then its about love, or ifyou see the song as being about politics, then thats also your choice. To me, its a just a family story brought up at Christmas dinner by my late, great dad as most history is. I didnt even know who John Howard was but everyone sure got a kick out of it when Vernon my dad announced it.

Jean: So, Dick, are you here to deal the country-punk deathblow to roots music and the S.N.A.G- dominated acoustic pop phenomenon?

Dick Desert: Nah, its impossible to kill a savage beast like that. Theyve got Ghandi on their side. A guy once came up to me and said Man, youre like roots music with petrol and a flamethrower. But I think my music is mostly about love. I think it has that in common with a lot of roots music.

Jean: What kind of stuff do you listen to?

Dick Desert: Frankie Laine, The OC Soundtracknot much more at the moment.

Jean: So, Youre playing with the Vaginabillies. Why would you want to do a thing like that?

Dick Desert: Because I like big tits and chocolate sauce.

Jean: Do you just play alone?

Dick Desert: Is that a political question?

Jean: One guy with a guitar?

Dick Desert: And a cow under the moon with my cross dressing cousin, Daisy.

Jean: ...Do you have anyone else

Dick Desert: Dont ask those sorts of questions, my girlfriends here.

Jean: ...onstage that helps you out?

Dick Desert: Its not that sort of show.

Jean: After the single launch, what is Dick Desert up to?

Dick Desert: A job with Peter Costello.

Jean: Okay, so well probably steal a picture from your webpage or whatever. I gotta get back to rubbing Deep Heat on my face and crying. Youd better fkn appreciate this, hillbilly.

Dick Desert: Shall send you some crack.

Its national My Dad Fucked John Howard Week, so celebrate by attending Dick Deserts single launch at Rics Bar on Wednesday night, supported by the Vaginabillies.

Source - www.ravemag.com.au