What went through your mind when we came to you and asked if you'd like to be a guest curator of SBS On Demand?
I watch a lot of this stuff and a lot of SBS On Demand, so of course I was tickled pink and chuffed. I don't watch a lot of TV so much at home; I can't sit still very well. But when I'm touring and we are in the same spot for a couple of days or there's just downtime, I tend to watch a lot of SBS On Demand, I've just seen so many amazing docos. Around dinner tables, we have a lot of conversation, and often I will quote things and people are like, ‘how come you know so much stuff?!’ The secret is, I actually don't, I just get glimpses of things from watching on the road and there's all of this useless information now that I carry in my head, about things I'm just fascinated by.
You'd be great in a trivia contest.
Yeah, well, I mean, I've proved that even to myself, when they've had me on Spicks and Specks. Even my own knowledge was jaw dropping to me. I was like, 'How do I know this?!'
You could say I'm a music nerd.Mark Lizotte
It all gets stored somewhere, doesn't it.
Right. I guess the long and short of it, in the common vernacular, you could say I'm a music nerd. Long before I started working in the music industry, I was a music fan, And I feel like I've maintained that fandom, even though I've seen behind the facade and I've seen the machinations.
I won't , about the music industry being a dark alley or something, full of charlatans and dogs and blah, blah, blah: it’s true there's a lot of really bad people, but I'm still really beguiled by the whole thing. And growing up, I've almost exclusively read biographies. I had, and continue to have, a fascination with other people's lives. Like, I read Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, José Feliciano... [Pauses] Funnily enough, they are all blind artists, I don't know why that is, but I just found them so amazing as a kid. I loved music.
And that fandom comes through in , as a musician interviewing other musicians about some of their most memorable performances.
Yeah, I guess it does. It's an amazing thing to be able to get anyone to watch their own concert. There were a few who said, 'I've never watched it and I never will'. I was like, okay. But they still wanted to talk about it and of course they still have lots of memories in their memory bank about the night and that time. I sort of get it, for some people, it's painful to watch themselves back.
As for the series itself? Let's just be right up and honest about the state of things: Like, hardly anyone is buying a DVD anymore, so that kind of content, the full concert footage, it lives on the internet. This is a way to bring it back into the light and give it a point of view. It’s no longer just a clip that’s on the internet looping. When you bring it into the light like this and make a hurrah about it, it's like, it's suddenly really interesting again. And you just can't top something like bringing the artist into it and having them reflect, and bring foresight and hindsight and everything else to the moment. So that's the goal right there.
They're great moments in time, even down to the venues and the crowds.
I love that part, it's interesting looking at the way people react. For instance, the way they were dancing, their whole body language, compared to how things have changed. You look back and see just how unhinged some of the things were!
Now, let's talk through your selections for your SBS On Demand collection.
This new documentary details the creation of Electric Lady Studios, rising from the rubble of a bankrupt, Greenwich Village nightclub to the state of the art recording facility inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s vision.
Jimi Hendrix, June 21, 1970 at Ventura County Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA. Credit: Bruce D. Henderson / © Authentic Hendrix, LLC
I was talking to someone about this the other night. It's a bit like The Beatles and Apple Studios, where the band reached this pinnacle and they had this beautiful, groovy studio made. If anyone's seen the Let It Be doco, they move into the studio to do what they've got to do, and the carpet was brand new and it's a real '70s green, it's so of the time. But then , I'm not sure how much any of them actually used it. Maybe Paul more than anyone, because he started producing. But in the case of Jimi, he never got to use his much either.
It's kind of sad, not only because he died, but he always just felt like you'd go there and it was just a party all the time. It wasn't the sanctuary that unfortunately, he would have liked to have made. And it cost a lot. A lot of money. Because back then there was probably terrible project managing and people just taking advantage of these artists.
So, I've been to the Electric Lady, and yeah, it's cool because, I mean, there's a purple SSL console now which would not have been an original installation because SSL didn't emerge until the '80s, but it's custom made and it's in this purple, and so almost it kind of made me happy and sad at the same time. I was like, 'Okay, well, that's really fucking sad, because Jimi never got to see that'. He never got to use automation either. I'm sure he would have put it so much into use. I mean this doco is an amazing, amazing exposé of 8th Street, which is an extension of Bleecker Street. When I was living in New York, I would ride down there a lot on my bike. And yeah, Electric Ladyland. When I lived there you could come out and get a Krispy Kreme doughnut, and right next to it was a juice bar. So you could have the devil and the angel on either shoulder: like a Krispy Kreme and wash it down with celery juice...
But that area was the hub back then, people may not know. It was where all the gigs were and then a lot of them still are, like The Bitter End and places where Bob Dylan and everybody played when they'd get to New York City, Bleecker Street was the hub. So yeah, his studio hanging off it, was good and bad, I think. You know, there's a reason why people put studios in the woods [laughs].
Jimi was a very social guy, incredibly shy, but really social. And from all the things that I've read about him, about people's encounters with him, they just say he was he was always really easy to approach. And yeah, so unfortunately, I think Electric Ladyland, the whole thing, was just a little overwhelming for him.
Stream free On Demand
Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision
documentary • music • 2024
documentary • music • 2024
Dolly Parton is one of the most successful musicians of all time, managing to stay relevant in pop culture for over 60 years. Winning awards and penning some of the greatest country songs of all time. From humble beginnings in the heart of the Smoky Mountains to becoming an icon of American culture, Dolly has conquered not only the music scene but the entire entertainment industry as a whole. This documentary examines her long and storied career in the music industry.
I was watching her just the other day. A reel came up, and she was on Sesame Street. I didn't know that she did Sesame Street. But I'm not surprised, all the greats have. Yeah, she was singing Sly and the Family Stone's ‘Everyday People’. And hearing her sing that song with her vulnerability, her voice, was just so beautiful. It made my day. It was like, 'I'm going to have a good day now'.
I just can't, I can't tell you how much she means to me. We played a lot of cards in this house in Covid, and it became a joke every night once dinner would be cleared off. The congregation of the people that were isolating in the house with us -- 'the submarine crew', I call it -- stayed at the table, and I would put the Dolly CD on, because it runs for 80 minutes, which is perfect. And it would always start with 'Here You Come Again'. And it became the running joke because it's like, ‘Here we go again playing cards’. It was like I’d created my own Groundhog Day. But she puts puts me in a great mood.
This documentary, it's just the tip of the iceberg, I feel. But it's good and it covers a lot of things for people. I guess there were some things in it that were surprising to me. So I think it's a good start.
Stream free On Demand
Dolly Parton: Still Rockin'
program • biography
PG
program • biography
PG
Documents the story of the band Blondie and their rise from small clubs in New York City to selling out shows around the globe.
I just love how they started out at Max's Kansas City, as a New York punk band. When I worked with Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads on a record, we walked down into the East Village. And, you know, I'd been living in New York for a while at this stage, and I got used to the gentrification. I was witnessing it myself happen on my very own block. He pointed out places and was like, ‘Hey, yeah. Blondie and David Byrne and all, they were squatting in that house there.’ And it was a place that was something like, USD5,000 a month now, and they were living with no electricity? I mean, this this was the East Village back then. And they got from there to the world stage. I just think it's amazing how they kept their integrity. They somehow managed to pick up, make really great sounding records with really cool production ideas. And they just kept that punk aesthetic all the way through it, to invent this kind of punk pop, you know? Yeah. And the songs are just... they stand the test. They really do they’re great songs.
You can’t understate that a woman on a stage with a rock band was never going to be easy. It was like, ‘You do the folk; you’re allowed to do certain things. But punk rock? No, no, that's threatening’. So she would have had to put up with so much shit, as Joan Jett and Chrissie Hyde did too.
Stream free On Demand
Blondie: Glass Heart
program • documentary
M
program • documentary
M
The story of Taylor Swift, who is regarded as a trailblazer for her diverse musical ability, songwriting skill, and business acumen, all of which have served as an inspiration to musicians, entrepreneurs, and businessmen all over the world.
This documentary helps to show just the nuts and bolts of her work. She's fundamentally a songwriter who has really funnelled and tapped into something. In the way that blues music works off that 1-4-5 chord progression and people go, ‘Ugh Blues music is all the same, it's all the same’. You're like, ‘Yeah, but every time you use those chords it’s a different song’. It's almost like saying that all risotto or all noodle dishes are the same or something. It's ridiculous. My point is, the chords are a canvas.
So I noticed all this at the concert. If songwriting was a mine, she got down into that mine and she just found this gold seam that just kept going and going and she took that seam, and it really runs deeper than any artist that I can think of. But every song had a different top line. When I say different, I mean really different. That was amazing to me. It's like, wow, how do you use that same thing and reinvent it every time? So yeah, I mean, it was interesting just to see the process in this documentary. And I don't even think she's peaked yet. I put her in the same category as Charli XCX where they just haven't peaked, and that's a pretty amazing thing to have that success, and not to have even peaked yet.
Stream free On Demand
The Complete Taylor Swift Story
program • biography • 2024
PG
program • biography • 2024
PG
From being the queen of Motown to taking on the world stage. This 'Supreme' diva has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Her career has spanned decades, attracting generation after generation of loyal fans. It can only be the legendary, the iconic - Diana Ross. Big hair, sequins, scandals and sensational performances. Diana really did turn the world 'Upside Down'.
Yeah. Diana Ross. She's just timeless. Absolutely timeless. And probably one of the most posed performers, and she never over sings. I love her for that. Her and Dionne Warwick.
Stream free On Demand
Diana Ross: Supreme Sensation
program • biography • 2024
PG
program • biography • 2024
PG
The Greatest Rock star of the last 30 years, a Man of the People, "the King of Knebworth" gives 160,000 fans hope and joy through his music. 'Come On You Know'. 'As You Were'. Biblical.
I love Liam for the fact that he sings with absolutely no vibrato. It's not easy to sing like that. But by broadening and getting the amount of power and tone and musicality in the Melody Department, he's just one of the most melodic singers. He just sings the frickin’ song and he nails it. Yes, there are a few haters out there. I just say, get over yourself. The guy's got amazing tone, and the cut-through on that wall of distorted guitars, it's always omnipresent with the music.
This film is a great example of him just walking on the stage, you know, with his sports jacket with the high neck, just like grabbing the mic and bellowing, and absolutely nailing it the whole time on stage. There's just no fat in it at all.
Stream free On Demand
Liam Gallagher: Live From Knebworth 2022
program • entertainment • 2022
M
program • entertainment • 2022
M
Joni Mitchell 75: A Birthday Celebration
Captured over two nights in November 2018 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, an incredible array of singers and musicians come together to honour one of the world’s most remarkable artists, Joni Mitchell on her 75th birthday. The hand-selected group of peers and protégés include Brandi Carlile, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Kris Kristofferson, Los Lobos with La Marisoul, James Taylor, Rufus Wainwright and more pay tribute to the iconic artist, performing songs from all stages of Mitchell’s life and career.
I feel that it's really hard in one night to celebrate your catalogue. So which era would you want? We're going to do the part where she went down the Charles Mingus rabbit hole; Prince tipped his hat at her many times and even wrote her into some of his songs like ‘Starfish and Coffee’. Who knows when there will be another Joni on this planet. I feel like she's a 1 in every 300 years talent. I put her into a Mozart-level character category.
I hope she lives to celebrate some more of these celebrations. Celebrate artists when they get to a certain age! I think America does it a little bit better than maybe some other countries like Australia. We get cringey and it shows our immaturity I feel.
Stream free On Demand
Joni Mitchell 75: A Birthday Celebration
program • concert • 2019
M
program • concert • 2019
M
Examines Paul Weller’s human journey through changing times in the early 1990’s, the new direction in sound that he found and the resulting tour de force that is 'Wild Wood'. Through new interviews, Paul Weller and the band talk in-general about the period of 1992/3 and what was happening inside the studio, to provide social and historical context.
And Wild Wood was the shedding of that, I think to a large degree for him. He was like, I want to leave all that behind now. I want to make an album that feels more sparse. And, this was like the dawn of grunge, too. In a way. Things were changing. I felt at the time was a really modern album for him. He made the right album at the right time. I mean, the proof is in the pudding. That album just punched a hole in whatever he'd done in the past. He expanded his universe in a big way. Yeah, he did some really cool things after that. For a while it was just following everything he was making from Wild Wood on and just buying it. Yeah, he's an artist that I've loved to follow his career path and I guess not that dissimilar to Elvis Costello. They've just kept on making really great stuff.
Stream free On Demand
Record On: Paul Weller - Wild Wood
program • documentary
M
program • documentary
M
Premiere episodes of Great Australian Concerts with Diesel continue weekly Saturdays at 8:30pm on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand. Diesel is currently on his of Australia and New Zealand
Stream free On Demand
Great Australian Concerts with Diesel
