Airbourne just premiered their brand new clip, Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast on whatUwant , so we caught up with the band's arresting frontman, Joel O'Keefe to learn more about their forthcoming LP and the rock and roll renaissance they lead...
[V]: Tell us about the new video...
We had a lot of fun doing it. We just said, Let’s make it big and old school and rock and roll and do it the real way. We shot it down in Docklands in a big warehouse, like an aeroplane hangar. It was freezing cold, we had to stand around all day for 14 hours without a shirt on, I ended up with a chest infection.
What sort of vibe were you trying to create?
Basically the band, in your face rock and roll, without it being a live show. It’s a no bullsh*t clip basically. We tried to make it feel like you’re there...rock out, jump up and down on the couch, accidentally kick the TV over, see the TV smash and then you’re sitting there with a broken TV.
How did four blokes from the country decide to make a rock and roll band?
It was just what we grew up on – Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Baby Animals, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs – that’s all they play out there in the country. My uncle’s record collection was all that. A lot of the other kids at school weren’t listening to that stuff, they were into whatever was cool at the time. We were listening to these old bands from the 70s, old Aussie pub rock bands and we just love them to death.
What did you learn from the elder statesmen of rock at the Rolling Stones show?
That was unbelievable, we couldn’t believe how nice the guys were. We had a chat, then they went onstage and did (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. I’m pretty sure they were pissed before they went onstage, and we thought, ‘If you can still drink and do this at 60, there must be something good about this.' They were having so much fun, they were like 16 year old kids…
Do you see yourself sticking around that long?
We ran into Angry Anderson at the Jack Awards and he said, ‘The only reason I keep doing this, is ‘cause its fun.’. I think everyone’s a bit of a kid in this industry. Def keep doing it til at least sixty.
Which frontmen inspired you to stand up behind the microphone?
Bon Scott, Jimmy Barnes, Angry Anderson, Billy Thorpe, Doc Neeson, Toughest frontmen, the best voices, the best attitude, you just look at them and go that’s the way its supposed to be done, none of this Bon Jovi sh*t.
What did you think was missing from modern Aussie rock?
Why we do what we do and play so hard, is because we love it so much. There seems to be this thing people don’t seem to love it to that extreme, they obviously didn’t grow up on it. We’re a direct descendant of that stuff we grew up on. We just love it to death, turning it right up and sticking it up the neighbours. F**king going for it. Its that whole Aussie mentality of no bullsh*t, if you’re gonna go, you go hard or go home! Its that whole footy team element, big V8s, that whole mentality.
What would you say to Bon Scott if he was resurrected for a day?
I’d like to have a drink with him and go out and rip up the town. I’d be shellshocked. I’d be like, what can I say, What size jeans do you wear because I’m having trouble fitting into size 8s – they always get wet from the show.
So what was it like, recording the new record in LA?
It took six months. We did three months of rehearsing so when we went in we wouldn’t be stuffing around, just banging them down real quick.
How did you hook up Faith No More and Slayer mixdown champion Andy Wallace?
They sent it to em, said: Andy you gotta do this! He listened to it and went 'f**k yeah!' He really enjoyed doing it. That album he did, Electric by The Cult is one of the most amazing sounding records.
Who did you work with as a producer?
Bob Marlette the producer came in and said I don’t want to get in your guys way, if I think you’re going down the wrong track, I might suggest another way, but otherwise you guys do your thing – I’m just here to press record and get the sounds you want. He let us go for it, we went crazy and it worked! Were a good team, we take the piss out of each other. Me and my brother fight, but they’re brother fights.
What inspired the LP?
When we went over, we saw Wasp live. Blacky Laws came out screaming his head off, had this big mic with a skull and chains flinging around the place and we saw Poison and Cinderella which gave us a bit of eighties metal influence. But we were just going for an Aussie pub rock sound - relentless, big and full. We were listening to Scarred For Life by Rose Tattoo album, and a lot of pub rock. When we got over there, we were missing Australia, so we kept in contact listening to The Angels.
Is the world lapping up Aussie pub rock?
Yeah, whenever we go over there, they’re like [insert cheesy American accent] “geezus Christ, there must be something in the water over there.” When you hit in the face with that stuff, they’re pretty safe over there…that British invasion they had - I think there’s going to be an Aussie invasion next.
What’s your favourite air guitar in the shower song?
We have such a crap hot water system, all four of us can only have a 30 second shower. We’ve been living together for years, We’re kind of like this one person, with four different parts. We’re always drinking, its only when people are hung over they get sh*tty.
If you did a massive stadium rock show, what stunt would you like to pull?
I’d love to blow the stadium up…and everyone still lived. Blow up all the tiers and the stage blows up and everyone lives and the concert’s over. And I’d love to put twice the PA onstage onto the roof so it would piss the f**k out of the neighbours in the whole area.
Which band would you like to battle to the death, go track for track?
That’d be a lot of fun. Instead of battle of the bands, do that. Imagine seeing Metallica go up against Motorhead, how cool would that be? Someone like Wasp, they’d be spitting blood at us and we’d be throwing VB cans.
If you could be transported to any musical place in time, anywhere… where would it be?
Sunbury. When Billy Thorpe upstaged Deep Purple. Deep Purple wouldn’t let anyone use their special PA so Billy rang up all his mates who brought down their Marshall quad boxes, they plugged em all in..ten times louder than Deep Purple!
Why get this record (out June 23)?
If you’re Australian you should get it.
What does Aussie rock mean to you?
If I look at the Australian flag, it means the same thing – its just national pride, the best form of music there is. You can put it next to blues, British heavy metal – theres aussie pub rock, kicking ass. It should be f**king next to Skippy, Qantas, 4 &20 pies, its that much a part of being an Australian. It should be appreciated – the national anthem should be Most People I Know Think That I’m Crazy by Billy Thorpe.
Where were you when rock legend Billy Thorpe died?
We were just here in Melbourne, we’d been out drinking, prod. manager was playing guitar for him. He was going really well, still playing killer shows. Then Jimmy Barnes goes into hospital! All these Aussie greats getting older, we don’t want to let them go… we’ve gotta keep flying the flag!
Quelle
[V]: Tell us about the new video...
We had a lot of fun doing it. We just said, Let’s make it big and old school and rock and roll and do it the real way. We shot it down in Docklands in a big warehouse, like an aeroplane hangar. It was freezing cold, we had to stand around all day for 14 hours without a shirt on, I ended up with a chest infection.
What sort of vibe were you trying to create?
Basically the band, in your face rock and roll, without it being a live show. It’s a no bullsh*t clip basically. We tried to make it feel like you’re there...rock out, jump up and down on the couch, accidentally kick the TV over, see the TV smash and then you’re sitting there with a broken TV.
How did four blokes from the country decide to make a rock and roll band?
It was just what we grew up on – Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and The Angels, Rose Tattoo, Baby Animals, Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs – that’s all they play out there in the country. My uncle’s record collection was all that. A lot of the other kids at school weren’t listening to that stuff, they were into whatever was cool at the time. We were listening to these old bands from the 70s, old Aussie pub rock bands and we just love them to death.
What did you learn from the elder statesmen of rock at the Rolling Stones show?
That was unbelievable, we couldn’t believe how nice the guys were. We had a chat, then they went onstage and did (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. I’m pretty sure they were pissed before they went onstage, and we thought, ‘If you can still drink and do this at 60, there must be something good about this.' They were having so much fun, they were like 16 year old kids…
Do you see yourself sticking around that long?
We ran into Angry Anderson at the Jack Awards and he said, ‘The only reason I keep doing this, is ‘cause its fun.’. I think everyone’s a bit of a kid in this industry. Def keep doing it til at least sixty.
Which frontmen inspired you to stand up behind the microphone?
Bon Scott, Jimmy Barnes, Angry Anderson, Billy Thorpe, Doc Neeson, Toughest frontmen, the best voices, the best attitude, you just look at them and go that’s the way its supposed to be done, none of this Bon Jovi sh*t.
What did you think was missing from modern Aussie rock?
Why we do what we do and play so hard, is because we love it so much. There seems to be this thing people don’t seem to love it to that extreme, they obviously didn’t grow up on it. We’re a direct descendant of that stuff we grew up on. We just love it to death, turning it right up and sticking it up the neighbours. F**king going for it. Its that whole Aussie mentality of no bullsh*t, if you’re gonna go, you go hard or go home! Its that whole footy team element, big V8s, that whole mentality.
What would you say to Bon Scott if he was resurrected for a day?
I’d like to have a drink with him and go out and rip up the town. I’d be shellshocked. I’d be like, what can I say, What size jeans do you wear because I’m having trouble fitting into size 8s – they always get wet from the show.
So what was it like, recording the new record in LA?
It took six months. We did three months of rehearsing so when we went in we wouldn’t be stuffing around, just banging them down real quick.
How did you hook up Faith No More and Slayer mixdown champion Andy Wallace?
They sent it to em, said: Andy you gotta do this! He listened to it and went 'f**k yeah!' He really enjoyed doing it. That album he did, Electric by The Cult is one of the most amazing sounding records.
Who did you work with as a producer?
Bob Marlette the producer came in and said I don’t want to get in your guys way, if I think you’re going down the wrong track, I might suggest another way, but otherwise you guys do your thing – I’m just here to press record and get the sounds you want. He let us go for it, we went crazy and it worked! Were a good team, we take the piss out of each other. Me and my brother fight, but they’re brother fights.
What inspired the LP?
When we went over, we saw Wasp live. Blacky Laws came out screaming his head off, had this big mic with a skull and chains flinging around the place and we saw Poison and Cinderella which gave us a bit of eighties metal influence. But we were just going for an Aussie pub rock sound - relentless, big and full. We were listening to Scarred For Life by Rose Tattoo album, and a lot of pub rock. When we got over there, we were missing Australia, so we kept in contact listening to The Angels.
Is the world lapping up Aussie pub rock?
Yeah, whenever we go over there, they’re like [insert cheesy American accent] “geezus Christ, there must be something in the water over there.” When you hit in the face with that stuff, they’re pretty safe over there…that British invasion they had - I think there’s going to be an Aussie invasion next.
What’s your favourite air guitar in the shower song?
We have such a crap hot water system, all four of us can only have a 30 second shower. We’ve been living together for years, We’re kind of like this one person, with four different parts. We’re always drinking, its only when people are hung over they get sh*tty.
If you did a massive stadium rock show, what stunt would you like to pull?
I’d love to blow the stadium up…and everyone still lived. Blow up all the tiers and the stage blows up and everyone lives and the concert’s over. And I’d love to put twice the PA onstage onto the roof so it would piss the f**k out of the neighbours in the whole area.
Which band would you like to battle to the death, go track for track?
That’d be a lot of fun. Instead of battle of the bands, do that. Imagine seeing Metallica go up against Motorhead, how cool would that be? Someone like Wasp, they’d be spitting blood at us and we’d be throwing VB cans.
If you could be transported to any musical place in time, anywhere… where would it be?
Sunbury. When Billy Thorpe upstaged Deep Purple. Deep Purple wouldn’t let anyone use their special PA so Billy rang up all his mates who brought down their Marshall quad boxes, they plugged em all in..ten times louder than Deep Purple!
Why get this record (out June 23)?
If you’re Australian you should get it.
What does Aussie rock mean to you?
If I look at the Australian flag, it means the same thing – its just national pride, the best form of music there is. You can put it next to blues, British heavy metal – theres aussie pub rock, kicking ass. It should be f**king next to Skippy, Qantas, 4 &20 pies, its that much a part of being an Australian. It should be appreciated – the national anthem should be Most People I Know Think That I’m Crazy by Billy Thorpe.
Where were you when rock legend Billy Thorpe died?
We were just here in Melbourne, we’d been out drinking, prod. manager was playing guitar for him. He was going really well, still playing killer shows. Then Jimmy Barnes goes into hospital! All these Aussie greats getting older, we don’t want to let them go… we’ve gotta keep flying the flag!
Quelle