Fresh from a political dust up on the other side of the Tasman, the Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner tells Lisa Scott about the enduring appeal of making your own fun.
After their classic hit What’s my scene? was recently hijacked by Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and used at an anti-immigration rally, the Hoodoo Gurus didn’t mince words, telling Hanson followers: ‘‘Don’t play our music, don’t listen to our band, we wouldn’t p*** on you if you were on fire’’.
‘‘I wouldn’t normally make things political,’’ says Hoodoo Gurus lead singer Dave Faulkner, ‘‘but there had been a spate of using Aussie bands like The Living End, Icehouse and Men at Work’s songs without permission, and then us, I thought ‘now you’ve really done it’. We’d never give you permission, even if you’d asked for it, so, now you know. They need to get music of their own, maybe circus music, because they’re a bunch of clowns.’’
Formed in Sydney in 1981 from Perth punk roots, the Hoodoo Gurus (or le Hoodoo Gurus) hold a singular place in Australasian rock ’n’ roll history.
Renowned for their inventive and witty songwriting, dynamic live shows, and fusion of punk, pop, and psychedelia, they were the soundtrack of my teenagehood - a sunshine infused alternative to the rainy Dunedin Sound.
Forget the current trend of going back to 2016, pining for the past to escape current events, I’m going all the way back to 1986.
Mars Needs Guitars!, the Hoodoo’s second studio album had come out the year before (now celebrating its 40th anniversary) and, due to a slower trans-Tasman musical drift, finally made it into our ear holes. I have the original, on tape cassette bought from EMI in Dunedin.
Singles like Bittersweet and Death Defying blared on repeat from speakers totally unable to cope at surfer parties held in grotty St Clair flats where 16-year-old me wore my favourite outfit - a two-piece pyjama set that would, bizarrely, be eminently fashionable now - and flailed about like a distressed top loader.
The Hoodoo’s tunes evoked twilight dunes, surfer cowboys mourning the girl who ditched them, and a tie-dyed individualism. With thrashing guitars, banging drums, songs written with heart, fun and a kind of sandy grit, they remain great to dance to. The music might be celebrating 40 years, but it’s still got plenty of juice left.
Q: Visited Wānaka before?
A: ‘‘I haven’t but Rick (bass player) has, and he’s told me how lovely it is - he’s staying on for a vacation after the gig, but I’ll just have a taste of it.’’
Dave Faulkner loves New Zealand wine (we have so much in common!)
‘‘I don’t necessarily have a favourite brand, it’s an exploratory process, but a good pinot noir hits the spot. Sadly, I won’t be able to have any while I’m there, I’m literally flying in to do the show and heading off again, and I never drink on the day of a gig as it affects my voice.’’
Q: How is the voice after 40 years? Has it changed?
A: ‘‘It’s deeper, fatter and I’ve learned how to use to it better. I’m not the ‘boy soprano’ I was in my twenties, but my range is really good - you’ll still hear me hit the high notes on all the old hits.’’
Still doing what they love, the band boasts nine Australian ARIA Top 20 albums, nine ARIA Top 40 singles and a host of multi-platinum albums - they’re mainstays of the live scene with their string of pop-rock hits, and their biggest single, What’s My Scene?.
Q: The enduring significance of Hoodoo Gurus is reflected in sell-out tours, but after 40 years do they get on each other’s nerves a bit sometimes?
A: ‘‘All the time, that’s natural, but we have an incredible strong bond and Nick (replacing original drummer Mark) has brought a new energy. On stage, there’s a kind of magic about it, the flavour of the four of us and the places where the music can go now.’’
Q: Are you excited about the rest of the line-up?
A: ‘‘We were stage-side in Taupō watching Iggy who’s an absolute legend, he is a magnetic, commanding performer and the set list is amazing. He played songs you don’t expect him to, Stooges material, and his back catalogue from his solo career is huge. You’re like, ‘Oh! He’s playing this!’ He’s on fire.’’
Q: What is it about the punk ethos that’s stood the test of time?
A: ‘‘In Perth punk was obscure in ’77 when I started (as co-founder of punk band The Victims) - back then it was very rare and hard to find, and people thought you were an idiot for liking it. For me it was about making your own fun and not worrying about the world around you, something that funnily enough still seems good advice, especially these days. Punk lives on in the spirit, through yourself.’’
So, tomorrow, shrink your world, tune out the global palaver. Let’s stand together in a field on a sunny day and wait for that D chord and the classic opening line: ‘‘And another thing I’ve been wondering lately ...’’ and pogo around like the hopeful, innocent mentalists we all used to be.
It’s an early gig, the Hoodoo Gurus on stage around 2pm.
‘‘Yes, we’re all playing in daylight, which is a bit different, but it gives everyone time to get home.’’
Before your knees give out.
The gig
The Hoodoo Gurus play the Wānaka Summer Concert at Three Parks Outdoor Arena on Saturday with Iggy Pop, Joan Jet and the Blackhearts, and Zed.
