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Feature
Interview
6 iNarrabri Magazine
March 25th - April 8th
James Blundell
How and where did you get
started in music?
Music started from year dot, very
musical family, although no-one
who pursued it as a career... Start-
ed playing guitar at 4 years of age,
and writing songs at 7.
I would never have had the cour-
age to leave the bush and step
into the arts, but after being tram-
pled by a Brahman bull in PNG, I
was convalescing in Sydney and
started playing front bars in pubs,
where I was encouraged to enter
the Tamworth Star Maker Quest in
1987...
What’s the largest audience you
have played to?
‘Concert for Life’ in Centennial
Park, Sydney... Victor Chang’s me-
morial concert, and fundraiser for
the Heart Foundation... 150,000 in
attendance..
My biggest TV audience... Com-
mand Performance, Nanning In-
ternational Folk Festival, China...
750,000 viewers!
What has been the most memo-
rable performance and why?
‘Concert for the Troops’ East Timor
1999... It was the most vivid illus-
tration of the importance of music
and entertainment in social con-
nection and inspiration.
Funniest moment on stage?
An attractive 20 year old staring
fixedly at my groin during a per-
formance in Calliope, QLD circa
1991... I was sure it was all to do
with my incredible sex appeal and
charisma! During the solo, she
called me over, and in a broad
Australian accent, yelled out ‘Hey
mate, you’ve got a bloody great
grasshopper on your dick, get rid
of it before it bites through your
jeans.’
In your time, how has the indus-
try changed for better, and for
worse?
For the better in that Country Mu-
sic is now a well established genre
in the commercial music spectrum.
For the worse in that now there
are so many ‘formulas’ applied to
writing a hit song, that a lot of the
individuality that makes it a unique
style of music has been sanitised to
the point of being ridiculous.
Over your career who have been
your major influences?
Slim Dusty, Paul Kelly, Bruce
Springsteen, John Mellancamp,
Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and The
Angels.
What was going on with Chad
Morgan?
Chad is a wild boy! We did some
shows together before he stopped
drinking, and that was delightfully
chaotic... I don’t know, I guess we
just had a fair bit in common... he
was the real deal rebel hell raiser,
and I was always keen to see how
far he could go!
Your new album “Hills of Bris-
All At the one locAtion
- 3 cAroline wAy, nArrAbri
(next to Kaputar Ford)
reliable brands, Fantastic range, excellent Service & expertise.
cAll wAyne todAy
6792 1586
ironman 4 x 4
bane” is set for release in June
this year... can you briefly de-
scribe your process of creating
and releasing an album?
It’s vastly different now from the
traditional progression of as-
sembling the band, rehearsing
the songs, recording for 6 weeks,
mixing for 2 weeks, releasing and
touring for 2 years...
Now, we record one track at a
time, release it, measure its reac-
tion, and determine what to follow
it with... tours are far more flexible,
and we are able to follow positive
reaction much more quickly when
determining where to play.
Have you played/stayed in Nar-
rabri before?
Several times in the last 28 years,
but not recently. I love Narrabri as
a town, and am looking forward to
fishing on Sunday after the gig.
Have you played at a golf club
before... and what are your ex-
pectations for this show?
Yes I have... While I love the game
of golf, I’m a pretty anti social play-
er, and unfortunately I don’t think
I’ll have time for a round while
we’re there.. that said, golf clubs
always have a great atmosphere,
and our job is to keep the party
rolling once the sun goes down, so
it will be a pretty lively event, with
songs from all 12 albums..
Will you be competing in Sat-
urday’s Single Stableford (golf
event) beforehand?
Not that I know of... Sounds like fun
though!
Narrabri has the reputation of
the sportiest town in the known
Universe. What sports have you
played and/or are into now?
I’m trying to get fit again so I don’t
break my horses back, got a cou-
ple of young ones to work on...
Previously though, I loved my un-
ion, rowing, cross country, scuba
diving and surfing...
Aside from recording and per-
forming, how do you spend your
time?
Trying to fix every fence on our
5000 acre property in SE Queens-
land, so far the fences are winning!
And finally... The big question...
Baked beans or spaghetti?
I’m a Heinz spaghetti boy through
and through...!
after thirty years of performing, 12 albums and
countless awards... james is ready for narrabri...