TIM & TEX TALK...

1) Does this tour recall your earlier days, when you were able to just go out and play on a smaller scale in front of more manageable, intimate crowds?
Is it enjoyable to be able to go out and do this without all the
logistical issues of mounting a hughe, full-band tour?

TIM: Oh, earlier tours didn't involve playing in other countries, and the prospects of any attendance to anything i've been involved in has never been assured, so the nature of this tour doesn't feel that different to the haphazard, unpredictable past, save for that i'm doing it with Tex, with whom i have a relationship unique to any other. This collaboration started out as an excuse to drink together and maybe make a buck, anything past that has been...a wonderful suprise.

TEX: Yes, that is what the idea of TnT was right from the beginning, no managers no crew nobody but us chickens. nothing but double barrel star power.

2) In Australia, you had a few gigs where you were backed by a full orchestra. Did that change anything, in terms of how you presented and performed the songs? Were they ever imagined with that sort of accompaniment? What do you feel it added, or subtracted, from the song's original presentation?

TIM: Of course it changed the presentation, although we had scant time to get it together...the places where you could take these songs were swimming in my head AS we were performing them, they were never imagined that way to me. Tex's command of his voice made the biggest impression on me; i was humbled by the shallow recesses of my voice, but ecstatic to be there, and digging my inability to say no to anything.

TEX: Yes thats right, it didnt take long for the original concept to be bastardized, one minute its the 2 of us, next its the 77 of us. Working with an orchestra could not be more foreign to the way we rock musicians work, but after some hard work in preparation and rehearsal (and careful song selection) we realized we could just relax get drunk and be ourselves ...in front of a huge orchestra and 80000 people.

3) How did this collaboration come about? Were you big fans of each other's music? What has been the biggest surprise about playing together? How well have each of your fan bases meshed, in terms of enjoying the shows?


TIM: Fan bases? Never thought 'bout it. We got together coz we dig hanging out together and have a similarly disparate attitude toward furthering ourselves in a "career" sense if we're not right into what were involved in. We've been friends for 13 years, and the thought of roaming the wastelands with someone i admire and conspire with was a tease. Surprises? The new songs. I don't enjoy collaborating..but this was a joy. And a lesson.

TEX: We have known each other for about 13 years. THE BEASTS took YOU AM I as a support in 1993 and they have been one of my favorite bands since. Last year we started to hang out together more than we had (going to football matches together embarrassing ourselves at awards shows and getting drunk together) we thought as long as we were getting drunk together we may as well put it on a stage, get our drinks for free AND get paid...BRILLIANT!

4) My understanding was that the original idea was to just get together and play a few pub gigs, and then it expanded into a full-blown tour, then an album. How did all this emerge? Were there any label or management issues getting this all together?

TIM: Small label issues. Our shared manager (since the idea came up) is a charming braggart who uses OUR not inconsiderable charm to woo women. His ridiculous, yet, conversely, wise, faith in us has brought this all about.

TEX: OH YES ,we now have a genius manager known as BOXY who can make anything happen.. more orchestras, our own TV show, lunch with the queen...sorry, thats lunch with A queen, and our own perfume are all possible.

5) The music industry has changed significantly - at least here in the States - since the time when you guys got your start. What has been the biggest thing that's changed from the business side of things? How has the Internet, and music downloading, affected you, both as an artist and as someone in the music business?

TIM: I like makin' a buck to buy some hooch and make sure my daughter can go to school, but "the industry" and business stuff, while i keep a crooked eye to it, gives me the runs. Most folks i've met who download stuff are music fans, or nerds..godbless em, i don't download nuthin, but i used to make tapes for friends all the time, and gladly received them. Sure i wish everyone would buy things i'm involved in, but the only folks complainin 'bout it are the same fuckwits who probably wanted me to take out every
second word of my lyrics years back.

TEX: All those things are beyond our control, we just keep doin the do.

6) Do you think it would be easier or harder starting out
compared to when you guys did? A lot of U.S. artists complain about the lack of artist development by major labels, and that they have to have a hit with their first album or they get dropped.

TIM: Complain to someone else. Myself, i don't like being lied to or taken for a fool.. hey.. i KNOW what a fool i am.
But if you sign to a major label, what do you fuckin expect but manipulation and misunderstanding? My band You Am I
has had ridiculous experiences with small AND major labels, and while it sucked the bag at the time and people
disappointed me, i've still got my legs, and ..really..i dunno..i hate this sorta shit.Apologies.

TEX: Those artists should quit complaining and stop depending on those major labels, do it yourself look at the Arctic Monkeys. Fuck major labels fuck mainstream radio, get up off your arses and make it work yourself, do your own ground work, make THEM want you .

7) Can you talk a bit about recording the album? How did that decision come about? Was it a lot different sharing the
responsibilities, as opposed to doing it yourself with a single vision of how it should be handled?

TIM: Beer, wine, cups o' tea, good coffee, gin, vodka, lemons...no clue to start with...once again were just hangin
out and Tex had some tunes that blew me westward. I wanted to play on those songs and he dared me to come up
with some others....kinda simple really...but i hadn't stopped playing or doin other shit for ages..so i must have been whacked or eager to impress the guy with my pan-handled genius. We disagreed on small things, but mostly to do with matters sartorial.

TEX: We just threw ourselves in at the deep end, didnt give ourselves too much time to think about it, had a laugh and just did it. 11 days in all recorded and mixed. Tim is an incredible songwriter totally in control of his craft, so I had faith.

8) Given the huge back catalog of material you have, how did you go about creating the set lists for the tour? Do you add or remove songs, depending on how well they go over with the crowds? What do you do to keep things fresh for both you and those fans that might attend multiple shows?

TIM: No idea. Pardon the cliche but we play songs that are fun, or emotional, for us. It's not fuckin worth it to do it otherwise. On the other boot, if someone buys me a drink i'll play em anything after the show. But i'm tryin' to impress my mate here, so it'll be in the front bar OK?

TEX: Yes we both have a lot of songs in our back catalogue, but its the songs we have recorded together that will be the mainstays in our live set. We add or remove songs depending on where we are in the world and how many drunk Australians are in the audience, I have no short term memory so everything is always fresh for me.

9) How do you guys look at the U.S. market - is it critical to
crack the U.S. as an Australian band?

TIM: God, after being told endless reems of bullshit over the years i couldn't give a fucking toenail about "cracking" the US. I haven't got the patience. I LOVE coming to the U.S.....there are places i want to re-visit so bad my pereneum aches, but i'm not into what i know needs to be given up.If, by luck, something i did was successful... i would go ape. But what are the chances o that. Good luck to anyone who wants it that bad

TEX: You could bang your head for a very long time trying to crack that egg. Im very happy to be coming to America, I have many friends there I havent seen in a while.

10) What advice do you have for emerging artists as they
start to make their way in the music business?

TIM: ....from me??? Jeez. OK. Spend less time on your hair.

TEX: TO EMERGING ARTISTS I WOULD SAY; 1; never have sex with your band mates 2; be wary of junkies 3; listen to IGGY POP 4; thats a stupid hair cut 5; lend me 10 bucks sonny.