OFF: Radio Birdman Oz gigs and interview

Peter Sondergeld p.sondergeld at QUT.EDU.AU
Fri Jan 19 18:51:21 EST 1996


I found this on the Web page for Time Off, a local gig guide, and it
seemed topical. I hope they don't mind a little extra promotion.
(http://peg.pegasus.oz.au/~timeoff/radio.htm)
Pete.

> [Time Off Magazine]
>
>                            Radio Birdman
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                               [Image]
>
>                            Radios reappear
>
> It's hard to do justice to Radio Birdman with words. Their music is
> what counts, the incredible energy, urgency and intensity of it. To
> say that it's classic rock is to imply that it sounds old now - but
> listen to Radios Appear, and try to think of anyone who sounds that
> powerful, that immediate. You'd have a bloody short list. That
> record is quite simply as good as rock'n'roll gets - and their
> second album, Living Eyes, isn't far off it.
>
> In their time (1974-79), Radio Birdman created what was to become an
> enduring legend. In Australia and Europe (and to a much lesser
> extent, America, where the band's records remain all but
> unobtainable), they achieved a fanatic cult following that is still
> growing. For a hell of a lot of Australian kids who entered their
> teens in the '80s, Radio Birdman was a much a musical rite of
> passage as the Sex Pistols. People who actually saw Radio Birdman
> play in the old days got sick of telling awed youngsters how good
> they were.
>
> So it is that the reformation of this seminal Australian band is a
> momentous event. The prospect of a reunion has continually been
> quashed by the band's members ever since the bitter split - that is,
> until they all came into contact with one another again last year,
> during the remastering and remixing of their two brilliant albums.
> Listening to their awesome output - and interacting with one another
> - for the first time in years, the members of Radio Birdman decided
> to play live again.
>
> "We realised that we're all good blokes and we enjoy each others'
> company, and 'Oh well, looks like it's okay to be together again',"
> explains guitarist and songwriter Deniz Tek. "It was the physical
> act of everybody getting together."
>
> Everybody except drummer Ron Keeley was involved in finalising the
> definitive re-release of Radios Appear and Living Eyes. When Keeley
> appeared at a Deniz Tek solo show, and guested on drums for two
> songs, the final component was in place.
>
> "We didn't think it would be honest to call it Radio Birdman without
> Ron, without all the original guys," Tek says.
>
> Most surprising of all, however, has been the readiness of singer
> Rob Younger. A well-known producer and leader of the New Christs,
> Younger has in the past been the first to silence talk of even
> partial reunions. What persuaded him?
>
> "You'd have to ask him that," says Tek. "I'm not sure why there was
> a change of heart. All I can tell you is that once he started
> working on these projects of the reissues, his attitude towards it
> seemed to change, and he was open to the idea. When [promoter] Ken
> West made us an offer, Rob was right there, putting his hand up and
> saying he would participate... He's as enthusiastic about this as
> anybody."
>
> Of course, when a kickass band decides to reform nearly two decades
> after they split (even when one just keeps going for two decades)
> some fans are going to have doubts about their ability to perform.
> Many see it as tarnishing the legend, padding out the epitaph. Deniz
> Tek is having none of that.
>
> "We're quite prepared for the myth of Radio Birdman to be destroyed
> by this, if that's what happens," he states. "All I can tell you is
> that we'll play as hard as we can, and if the old chemistry comes
> back, then interesting things will happen. But if it destroys a myth
> that somebody's carrying around, then fair enough. People should
> focus on what's happening now, rather than myths anyway.
>
> "Radio Birdman, at least the way I remember it, had its own
> chemistry... it generated its own other presence, just because of
> the combination of people. I think if anybody approaches the Birdman
> shows with an open mind, I don't think they're going to be
> disappointed."
>
> Considering the band's zealous following in Europe, it would seem
> inevitable that they tour there. Tek, however, remains
> matter-of-fact, and won't promise any Birdman activity outside of
> the Australian tour and concurrent Big Day Out appearances. He
> refers to the dates as a "test run", and the band won't commit to
> further touring or recording until they're done. Still, the prospect
> of new material has already arisen.
>
> "I personally would like to record again, but we just have to see
> whether that can happen," Tek says. "I think it would be a good
> idea. There should be more Radio Birdman songs recorded. I think
> we're going to write a couple of songs anyway, for the tour, so that
> we'll have a couple of new songs to play and it doesn't have to be
> all old stuff. So there will be a couple of new Radio Birdman songs
> performed. We just haven't talked about recording."
>
> It's fair that Tek should speak warily - the breakup of Radio
> Birdman in 1979 was bitter enough to keep them apart until now...
>
> "It was extremely acrimonious. Some members didn't speak for ten
> years. But it seems to be all water under the bridge now - I guess
> 20 years is long enough for those hatchets to be buried. At least on
> paper it looks good, and the time that we've spent together this
> time has been good. But who knows what's going to happen when we get
> back in the pressure cooker? A lot of times when families break up
> and have bad splits, if they try and put it back together again, the
> same personality problems come out again, even many years later. So
> I wouldn't be surprised if that happened again with these guys. But
> I'm hoping it doesn't."
>
> Radio Birdman play the Roxy on January 19, The Playroom on the 20th
> and The Big Day Out at the Gold Coast Parklands on the 21st.
>
> SIMON McKENZIE
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                    Back to Time Off contents page
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>              (C) Copyright 1995 Time Off Publications.



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