Whitlams' frontman Tim Freedman has returned with his first album in five years, the aptly titled Australian Idle, released this week through Sony Music.
One of Australia's most loved and respected musicians, Tim Freedman along with his new band The Idle, have recorded an album rife with 70s and 80s influences. Taking cues from Elton John, 10CC, the Beach Boys, Australian Idle is a joyous body of work and a return to from for Freedman, whose work with The Whitlams has resulted in a slew of ARIA nominations and wins; even topping the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1997.
GB: So, six years since you’ve put an album out. Why such a long break?
TF: A perfect storm really – I was due long service leave, had a child, I opened a zip line business in Auckland for a while. I still played in the band though, I didn’t just lie in bed.
GB: Was it hard to start writing music again after a break or is it something you always do?
TF: I was a little rusty. When you think of everything in terms of it 'songability' it’s like a tic in that it’s a relief when it goes for a while. I’d been thinking about 'songability' for twenty years.
GB: Aside from the fact that you have new band members and new songs, how does the music of Tim Freedman and The Idle differ from The Whitlams?
TF: It’s like the cheery end of the The Whitlams, but with girls singing all the backing vocals.
GB: You've already filmed a video clip for your first single, what was that like?
It is bright and fluffy – a pastiche of a talent show. I end up with a Sri Lankan boy, which is always pleasant at the end of a long day.
GB: The rules for the album were ‘No booze, and no heart-break’. Explain that.
TF: They are the most obvious states in which to write songs, and I’ve done plenty of booze and break ups in songs. I didn’t want to repeat myself lyrically.
GB: We've seen the socially conscious Tim Freedman (with Blow Up the Pokies), do you go down this path with your new material too?
TF: I have a dig at the availability of porn, but I’m hardly going to turn back the tsunami. I’ll just have mums and dads nodding in agreement.
GB: You said that 10CC’s I’m Not In Love was a reference for one of the songs, Girlfriend Heaven, what other influences or references did you have for Australian Idle?
TF: There’s a little Beach Boys in “There Was a Time”, and a lot of Elton John in Peter Brown. Different journos have thrown different names at me, like Fleetwood Mac and Chicago, so I suppose it is a lot that came out of the radio in the 1970’s.
GB: How many songs did you write/record for the new album, and how did you decide which ones made the final cut?
TF: I finished 10, and 9 made it – in other words one sucked. I started a lot more though that never got finished.
GB: You're now in a band with two girls and two guys. How did you choose them? Did you know you would have this group dynamic when you were writing the songs?
TF: I’d chosen the guys before I started recording, but the girls got recommended to me by other musicians when I was in the middle of it.
GB: You’re a prolific touring artist, even though you haven’t made a new album in such a long time you still perform live quite a lot, how important is playing live to what you do?
TF: Yes, I get out and about as much as I can. Between albums I mainly did capital cities, but now I have single on regional radio I’m looking forward to doing the country towns again next year. I don’t like staying at home for too long, touring is in my blood now.
GB: For someone who has been in the industry for such a long time, what do you think of where Australian music is heading? Do you think it’s going in the right direction?
TF: I am a music fan, and I have listened to a lot more good albums this year than any other before. In just the last two weeks I’ve heard great albums by Husky, Big Scary, Lucie Thorne and The Middle East. They all come through town at some stage, so it’s great for a fan. Whether they can all make a good living is another matter, which makes longevity a big problem for the artists. How many decades can they sacrifice?
Tim Freedman and The Idle play The Gov on Friday, December 9. Tickets available through www.moshtix.com.au
Australian Idle is in stores now
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