The High Life

They've toured with The Rolling Stones, look set to take off with their debut album and think there are too many Australians in London.  uk-fusion hit a raw nerve with Jet's mainman Nic Cester on the band's recent stop-over.  Oh, and they're from Melbourne...

You played at this year's Reading and Leeds festival plus you're set to release your debut album Get Born on 15 September.  The NME have proclaimed this year to be your year–
NME says a lot of shit.
Well, we’re two-thirds through 2003.  Do you think this prediction will come true or do you not take any notice what one publication says?
Everyone’s making a big deal of it but honestly, I couldn’t give a fuck.  We do this because we love music, we love writing songs and we love playing them.  The rest of the shit that comes with it – I’m not saying it’s a bad thing to have that happen – but it’s not why I’m doing it.
You’re named after a Paul McCartney song – why?
It’s not like we named ourselves after the song as an ode to it.  We do like the song and we like that album - not all Paul McCartney stuff – but we just thought it would be a cool name for a band.  And it doesn’t have “The” in it.  That’s really important.
What’s the Australian music scene like?
It’s really fucking good.  It always has been and it’s only now that people are starting to give a shit.
How much of that is reflected over here?
I don’t think it has been shown properly.  I’ve been to so many places and I can tell you the standard of music, songwriting and performance is pretty fucking exceptional in Australia – Melbourne in particular.
You have been labelled ‘garage rock’ but you don’t agree with that.
That’s just some lazy bastard calling us that.
How many times have you come across that?
Not very often.  We’re so not that it’s kinda stupid.
Your sound is compared to The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks – Chris calls this “lazy journalism” but how can that be when those comparisons are inevitable?
We only get pissed off when someone says “they’re a cross-between the Stones and AC/DC” – that’s fucking lazy.  We’re not.  We’ve never denied those or tried to hide it.  If someone says “that sounds like…”, we’re like “yeah, thank you”, but definitely yeah, there are elements of The Kinks, The Who and all our favourite bands.
What was it like touring with the Stones (on the Australian leg of their tour)?
(on cue, switches on this minature mic with a pre-recorded message) “Playing with the Stones was a lot of fun!”  Um, it was good.  We did six shows.  It was gonna be eight but we had to stop as we were in the middle of recording and we had to fly back to do that.  We were happy just to do one.
What were your previous day jobs?
I drove a fork-lift truck, Chris drove a delivery van, Mark was starting to be a school teacher and Cam was an orderly at a hospital.  
Who’s a better driver?
Well, I was a better fork-lift driver.  Fork-lifts are fucking hard – no, they're not.  I was a pretty fucking good fork-lift driver, let me tell you.  
Is Vegemite worth the hype?
Yeah, it is.  If you didn’t grow up eating it, then it tastes like shit basically.  I grew up eating it so it tastes fucking great.  I’ve never had Marmite but I imagine it’s very much like Vegemite, which is salty as fuck.  It’s hard to get in other places – I’ve actually got a jar in my bag!
You and Chris have been described as “photogenic brothers” on your press release/biog.  Do you agree with this statement?
Who the fuck said that?  I don’t think I’m a particularly good-looking dude - I’m just a dude in a band.  Playing in a band is like having tits.
What’s the meaning behind the album title?
There’s a line in a Dylan song that says “get born”, and it always struck us as ‘what a fucking statement!’  No one ever says "get born".  Of course there’s the fact that it’s the best album…  It was something that we talked about ages ago but we never really decided officially that we were going to do it.  Then the press started saying it [the album] was called Get Born so we just went along with it!
‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ has no question mark at the end of it.  Are you following a trend set by The Strokes?
There’s supposed to be a question mark – I always write it with one. 
I thought you did it intentionally.
We’re not that clever.
Are you going to move to London like every other bloody Australian?
There are too many fucking Australians here - Shepherds Bush is the worst place.  Mark went for a walk, not knowing where he was going and ended up in Walkabout [Aussie bar] in Shepherds Bush.  He was there for not more than five minutes before some fucking Australian yells out “nice hair-cut, you faggot!”  Australians in England are the biggest bunch of arseholes in the world.
Cricket or rugby?
Neither – they’re both fucking boring.  Cricket is so fucking boring unless you’re playing it. 
Why is Shane Warne so fat?
It’s not a very active sport!  He’s a spin bowler so he doesn’t even have a big run-up, he just fucking stands there and throws it.
The Mile High Club is otherwise known as the online street team promoting you–
Oh really?  
Did you know that?
No.
Are any of you members of the actual Mile High Club?
Chris is.
Any desire to follow on?
Sure!  Having sex is great regardless of where you’re doing it.
(At this point the interview is about to be wrapped up before guitarist Cam Muncey arrives, grinning sheepishly.)
C: How are you?
Great - we're just about finished.  
Press officer: Ask him why he was late.
Why were you late?
C: I went out for a few beers last night, and I overslept.
(At this point, the press officer offers to wash Cam’s apple that had just fallen onto the floor.)
What else are you going to get your press officer to do for you?
C: Cracking the whip, you know, keep him well trained.
Would you reckon you’re hairier than Kings Of Leon?
N: I reckon they are.
C: They’re well groomed.  I saw them in Japan and they were dressed just like they do in all their photos! 
N: They are very well groomed; we’re just lazy.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
C: I’m sure he probably covered it.
What about on the album?
C: Well he wrote it.
(Both laugh)
What have you got planned for the rest of the day?
N: I’m planning on finishing this packet of cough lollies [he means cough sweets] ‘cos I have a very sore throat.  Probably planning on finishing these [a packet of cigarettes] as well.  They cancel each other out.  Cough lollies and cigarettes!