High Notes & David Hobson

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Hi, Helena. Hi, Adam. And hi to all of our listeners.
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Before we get to our fabulous guest, Helena, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
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Hello there. My name is Helena Dix and I'm an international soprano of mystery.
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Well, I'm not sure about the mystery, but I'm definitely an international soprano.
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It has been said that I'm queen of the wacky high notes, but don't let me tell
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you that. Come and watch a performance and see what you think.
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Apart from causing chaos on global stages, I also love to teach.
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I have a beautiful dog called Bastion, who I adore, and I love to get in the
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kitchen and do a good cook.
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So feel free to come around for cakes at any time, apart from when I'm singing high notes.
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And my name is Adam Miller. I'm a former opera singer turned producer, writer and director.
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Now, today we're joined by a tenor who has shaped the landscape of Australian music for decades.
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David Hobson is known for a career that stretches from rock bands to opera houses
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to television and everything in between.
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You'll know him from Opera Australia, Carols by Candlelight,
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his chart-topping albums and his unmistakable mix of artistry and charm.
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Plus, he's currently starring in the hit show Boojum for Victorian Opera.
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I'm very lucky to have worked with David via the Burendara at Stedford where
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he sits on the advisory committee and has adjudicated the ARIA competition He
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brings a generosity of spirit to every room he enters and a wealth of insight
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that only comes from a fascinating life lived on and off the stage Now,
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we pick up the conversation with David recalling where he first heard Helena
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sing way back in the dawns of time If that sounds interesting to you, then listen on.
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Correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe something like, was it some Muscani or was it,
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maybe was it the Easter Hymn, something like that?
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I think the Nun's Chorus or something like that. Something like that.
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Something like that, yeah.
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Nun's Chorus. You did the Nun's Chorus by yourself. That's impressive,
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Helena. They call me holy, holy dicks, but let's not go there.
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So what's the podcast called? It's called High Notes and Anecdotes.
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Okay, let's go. Okay, let's go.
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So you're perfect for it. Yeah, he's perfect for it. He's got high notes and
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anecdotes. That's exactly right. That's what you bring to the party.
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Well, you bring so much to the party. You're a man of many talents.
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You do a million different things.
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But we might actually kick off by going right back to the start,
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because I'm really interested in how you got into opera in the first place,
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because, of course, you started in rock and jazz bands before you moved into the classical world.
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How did that come about? And how did rock and jazz influence? Have we started?
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I guess we have. Apparently. This is kind of how we roll. Wow.
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We're up and rolling. We're rolling. Yeah.
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Okay. So, we're starting with an anecdote, not a high note. Well.
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You can do whichever one you want.
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How did I get into opera? Well, I had no... Yes, I didn't have any ambition
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to be an opera singer and I didn't really know much about opera.
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I grew up in a relatively musical family in Ballarat.
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I mean, my dad was in the music theatre and, you know, I sang in church choirs
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and he was like the baritone du jour for all the local, you know, music theatre roles.
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He was Fagin and he... Baritone. So, was he disappointed that you went tenor? Well, I don't think so.
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I mean, he was a light baritone, so maybe he was a lazy tenor.
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Who knows? No. A lazy tenor.
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Right. Okay. No, it's a tenor runs in the family.
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He bought David all this like really tight underwear when he was little,
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hoping that he'd go up to tenor and that he wouldn't stay with baritone, you know.
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He bowled at me in the nets, you know, in cricket. That's it.
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Without a protector. No, it wasn't that.
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But he, you know, so it was a pretty musical family. I had four sisters.
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They all, is this too long-winded? No, this is great. This is,
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the whole thing about this is it's just a meandering chat.
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Well, if you want to know, if you kind of want to know my background,
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it was, yes. So I was one of five.
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I was a middle child. I was the only boy, though, so all the girls,
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all my sisters learned two instruments, by the way. Oh, wow.
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I kind of started to learn instruments, but then...
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I was too much into sport, but I sang. And I'd started to get into rock and
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roll, obviously, when the hormones kicked in.
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So, but my dad said, you know, my mom said, oh, you know, he should be continuing
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on with his piano or violin.
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He said, don't worry, he's a singer or he can sing, which was pretty stupid
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of him, really. But that's because he was a singer himself.
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But, yes, you're right, Adam, I did play in rock bands and what have you,
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but I wrote a rock opera based on Macbeth.
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Really? What? Yes. So I was at university, had designs on, I was studying commerce
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and also designs on doing law.
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But I spent most of my time playing footy or playing the piano.
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Okay. You know, obviously I should have done music from the outset.
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But I had written this rock opera in my early 20s based on Macbeth.
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And I did a demo tape where I, you know, did all the voices with the lyricist
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and I played all the instruments.
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You imagine back then, you know, there was no computers.
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Oh, yeah. played everything and had a synth. So it was fully orchestrated.
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Two hours of sung through madness.
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And I did what is known as a backer's audition. So the art centre had just opened,
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the Victorian Art Centre, and I took this demo tape, it was a cassette,
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to the art centre and I was hawking it around.
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They said, yeah, look, we like it. We need some money, though,
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to put it on. So we're going to do what's known as a backer's audition.
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So on the stage of the stage theatre, just me and a piano playing through,
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you know, probably half an hour of the material, singing and playing it.
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And there were these producers out in the front and one of them happened to
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be the Victoria State Opera. Oh, wow.
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And they said, look, yep, we're going to put money into the show,
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but we think you're a singer. I said, oh, yeah, okay.
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They said, we're doing this new production of the Pirates of Penzats,
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this new Broadway production. We'd like you to come and understudy the tenor role.
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I said, no, it sounds a bit daggy for me. Thanks very much, but no, thanks. Thanks.
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But they rang me a couple more times and they said, look, it'd be really good for your composition.
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We think, you know, it'd be good for you to come and do this.
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So they kind of convinced me and so I, you know, I understand the role of Frederick.
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Was that Broadway production, don't you remember? Yeah, yeah.
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John English. Yeah, yeah.
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Dune, Bron Hill. And it launched a lot of us, a lot of young kids were in it,
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like Marina Pride was Marina's first show.
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It's like people like Todd McKinney, John Welsh. I mean, it was a whole stack of us.
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So that's how the singing started. So I went in and I went on as Frederick.
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It kind of snowballed from there. They kept offering me stuff,
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even though we did, you know, I just consider myself an accidental tourist.
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So that's literally how it began. So, yes, I was doing rock and roll.
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Do you still consider yourself an accidental tourist?
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No, because obviously I did fall in love with the music. I mean,
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I grew up loving classical music as well. Yeah.
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But I didn't. And my dad sang kind of classically in that old,
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you know, Peter Dawson type way.
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So that sound was always in my head. And I was from a pretty clanny Welsh family.
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My dad's side were Joneses.
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So there was all, you know, Rhys and Evandor Jones and everyone was a Jones and everyone sang.
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So there was always singing and there was always lots of singing.
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So I grew up with that kind of that sound in my head, but I didn't think I was an opera singer.
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But I obviously naturally sang with a relative, well, I guess,
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you know, high, squillowy, classical-y type sound to a degree.
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I guess my burning question right now is did they put on,
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Lady Macbeth, the rock opera, and did you sing Lady Macbeth?
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I mean, that's all I need to know.
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No, look, unfortunately, no, I didn't sing Lady Macbeth, even though I did sing
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Lady Macbeth on the demo tape.
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Now, that's something for the records. That's something for the records.
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We did actually do, so we did a version of it at the Arts Centre.
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It had Daryl Braithwaite as Macbeth and Jennifer Lettica as Lady Macbeth,
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people like Rhonda Birchmore, one of the witches.
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And so we did a pretty decent workshop, like it was a big workshop,
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but it was a production and people came and it got well received and so we were
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going to take it to the next level.
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We had the original director of Jesus Christ Superstar from New York was going
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to direct it. We had a called Frank Rosaro.
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He traveled over three times. He had a designer from San Francisco.
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It was going to be a big million-dollar production back then.
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But the people who had their money in a thing called the History of Australia,
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the musical Manning Clark's History of Australia back in 1988,
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you know, a musical on six volumes of constitutional.
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You know, how could it not fail? That failed.
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And so the people who had their money in that lost confidence in putting money
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in shows. So my show got put on the back shelf.
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I went into a steep kind of mental decline, but opera kept on rearing its head.
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So I think by that stage I'd done, we'd done a country tour of La Bowen, you know.
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So I was kind of considering opera as a little side thing. A side hustle.
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While I was doing my writing. Does that make sense?
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That's amazing. So, that's what happened. So, that's how, literally,
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that's how I got into the biz, I guess.
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And so, do you still think of yourself as a writing singer or a singing writer?
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Oh, look, I mean, as you both know, being opera singers, you know,
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you've both been classical singers, it is a full-time job. Yeah.
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You know, to be a singer, you just, the older you get and the further you go
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in the business, the less you know and the more you have to practice and the
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more you have to discover. Yep, yep. Discover.
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So, look, yes, I still write and I was still writing and I've done film scores
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and one-act operas and songs and what have you, but I still…
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I'm probably more a full-time performer than composer. Yeah.
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Yes. But for a while there, you know, I was touch and go.
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I did take about a year or two off in the late 90s when a guy,
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David Hirschfelder, so David who's a film composer, you know,
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do things like Elizabeth and Shine and what have you. We grew up together.
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I took a year out of opera where we just wrote. We were going to do a music
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theatre piece, but we couldn't get the rights to a thing called The Alchemist.
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Have you heard of a book called The Alchemist with Paolo? Yeah.
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Yep. I love it. Yeah, beautiful book.
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And Warner Brothers had the rights, so we couldn't get the rights.
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But we were working on a world music concept.
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And world music was very much in the zeitgeist back then.
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So we did an album called Inside This Room, which was kind of basically about
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world music and espousing the kind of philosophies that Paolo Joella was kind of citing in his book.
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And we used the voice of a guy called Joseph Campbell.
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I don't know if you've heard of Joseph Campbell, who is a mythologist.
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And Joseph Campbell was an American kind of – I find him like a tribal elder,
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brilliant philosopher and mythologist.
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He was the inspiration for George Lucas to write Star Wars. No way.
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Wow. Yes, because he did this – he used to talk about archetypes,
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and he wrote a book called The Hero of a Thousand Faces, which was literally
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talking about all creation myths and –.
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Many. Is that your phone, Helena? It's my doorbell. Great timing.
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Yep. Sorry. My apologies. We can pause for a minute. You go and do it. We can pause. Okay.
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But anyway, I don't know where I got to. Sorry. There's like all kinds of things
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going on over here. So my apologies. What are you doing at the moment, Helena?
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What am I doing? What are you up to at the moment? Like career-wise,
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you mean? Yeah. Not just sitting here talking to you.
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What are you doing, Helena? What are you doing, Helena? doorbell,
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you're letting the dog in. So rude.
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Um, I've just moved back to Melbourne actually after 22 years in London.
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So that's quite exciting. And how's that feel? Uh, look, just amazing.
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Liberating. Yeah. Yeah. No, it's just really nice. It's nice to come back.
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It's been wonderful, but you know, my heart's always been in,
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in, in Australia and I'm, you know, I am at the core very Australian as a human,
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you know, so I think that there's only so much kind of globetrotting you can
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do before you know that you've got to come back.
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And my mum's getting on and so we've moved in next door to my mum, which is amazing.
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Oh, nice. And just being able to see her every day and stuff is just the best
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ever. Look, it's really important.
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And it's, yeah, that's a lovely thing to do.
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I mean, I just lost my mum last year and it's the time you spend with her, particularly...
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In the latter years are really important. Absolutely. And if you're lucky enough
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to have her at that age, I mean, it's. Correct.
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It's even more special. And that's why I wanted to take it now and sit and be
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like, no, this is, you know, this is the right time and I can go off and do,
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no, look, so yeah, so I've just come back and, you know, fly the flag.
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And of course, singers, no matter which country you're in, every singer wants
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to go to another country and another country and experience their culture and do the things.
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So I say this to Australian companies, they're like, oh, we can't afford to
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have blah, blah. And I'm like, why don't you just bloody ask them?
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Like there's, I know so many, even like really big names from America that I've
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worked with who have said to me, oh, just let us know.
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We'll come out for half the price, you know, like just to come out and do it, you know.
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And I think people forget that, you know, people forget that part of the joy
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of the job is, you know, just learning about different places and experiencing
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different rehearsal rooms and people and, you know, vibes and stuff. Different cultures.
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Yeah. Yeah. Because it is natural. Yeah.
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I was just going to say, although, am I right that you're not a big fan of flying?
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Did I read that correctly? Look, it used to be. Yes, you did read that.
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And that did kind of stop me for a while there.
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I just had a real kind of, but, you know, recently I'm on a plane almost every
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week. Right. Yeah. So not so much.
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Yeah. Your touring schedule is bonkers. I just toured all the time.
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Yeah. Yeah. We'll definitely chat about that a bit later because I'm really
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curious about what you've been doing, what you've got coming up.
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Because I, you know, especially your shows with Marina Pryor are legendary.
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Like everyone has seen at least one of those shows somewhere and raves about them.
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That's what's really lovely is that they've become iconic and I know they will go down in history.
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It's one of those cultural things that people, you know, you saw that show,
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right? Oh, no, of course I saw that show. I saw it in Ballarat.
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Oh, I saw it here. I saw it there.
00:14:13.434 --> 00:14:17.114
That's what I think is really interesting. But we'll definitely chat about that
00:14:17.114 --> 00:14:21.954
later because, yeah, Yeah, I've got a million questions around all of that type of stuff.
00:14:22.194 --> 00:14:24.914
But do you know what? Can I interrupt there, Adam, and just say,
00:14:24.994 --> 00:14:28.734
and I wanted to say this to you, David, is that, you know, when one of the things
00:14:28.734 --> 00:14:32.654
that I reckon about opera nowadays that's not as cool as it was,
00:14:32.814 --> 00:14:38.954
you know, back in the day is having names like yourself who are associated with the opera world.
00:14:39.054 --> 00:14:41.614
And nowadays, there's not as much of that, you know? No.
00:14:42.014 --> 00:14:45.134
Yeah. Yes, like the top 5%. Yeah, but you know what?
00:14:45.194 --> 00:14:49.254
I reckon we'll bring people back are people like yourself, people who have these
00:14:49.254 --> 00:14:52.814
fantastic personalities, fantastic entertainers, people that you can put in
00:14:52.814 --> 00:14:56.294
front of the social media, have a bit of a laugh, the public get to know them,
00:14:56.414 --> 00:14:57.634
and then they want to follow you.
00:14:57.754 --> 00:15:01.534
They want to go to stuff that you're in, you know? And I think opera companies
00:15:01.534 --> 00:15:04.094
need to do this again. This is something I'm really strong about.
00:15:04.154 --> 00:15:05.694
But I think, Helena, they have not.
00:15:06.045 --> 00:15:11.645
Been propagating the younger talent or, you know, like, yeah, I was lucky.
00:15:11.985 --> 00:15:16.165
I had no kind of say in becoming a bit of a, you know, a name or what have you.
00:15:16.245 --> 00:15:20.465
But I just felt as though over the last 20 years or so, the companies haven't
00:15:20.465 --> 00:15:21.405
done that with them. Exactly.
00:15:21.745 --> 00:15:27.465
Yeah. They've just kind of gone, here's the opera. Yeah. And here's a poster.
00:15:27.685 --> 00:15:30.285
But I think that's conscious because there's that opportunity.
00:15:30.465 --> 00:15:31.525
I did. Well, it's conscious.
00:15:31.705 --> 00:15:34.025
They did consciously do that. And I think it was wrong. Yeah.
00:15:34.185 --> 00:15:39.905
I agree. Because I think we all love kind of aligning ourselves with a singer.
00:15:40.045 --> 00:15:42.405
Yes. Or, you know, you get to know the singers. Like we grew up,
00:15:42.745 --> 00:15:49.105
I mean, in Australia, you know, I grew up knowing who Donald Smith was or Anson Austin.
00:15:49.545 --> 00:15:53.125
And, you know, the tenors these days, the young tenors wouldn't probably know
00:15:53.125 --> 00:15:56.525
who the tenors above their generation are or the sopranos.
00:15:56.705 --> 00:16:00.025
Like, you know, Helena should be a household-y name, you know,
00:16:00.085 --> 00:16:04.185
like Joan was or even Joan Carden back in the day. Yes. Yep. Yvonne Kenny.
00:16:04.625 --> 00:16:07.705
Yep. It doesn't, it didn't seem to happen or it doesn't seem to have happened
00:16:07.705 --> 00:16:10.745
as much over the last 25 years ago. Someone else was saying that the other day.
00:16:10.845 --> 00:16:16.045
It's insane because we live in a world now that's dominated by the ideal platforms
00:16:16.045 --> 00:16:17.425
for that to be happening.
00:16:18.245 --> 00:16:21.665
Yeah. And, you know, and I really do think that people still love it when they
00:16:21.665 --> 00:16:23.085
can, you know, follow a singer.
00:16:23.325 --> 00:16:27.325
Identify with. And Opera Australia certainly definitely don't do that anymore.
00:16:27.705 --> 00:16:30.425
And I'm just so pleased that they've put their Young Artist Program back in
00:16:30.425 --> 00:16:33.485
and they're starting to do different things now. But, you know,
00:16:33.585 --> 00:16:37.705
like for me, like yourself, you know, as you said, all these names of these
00:16:37.705 --> 00:16:39.045
great singers, you know, you...
00:16:39.686 --> 00:16:42.046
You know, and I even call them, and I mean this in the nicest way,
00:16:42.166 --> 00:16:44.786
you know, like household names, like people who don't necessarily go to the
00:16:44.786 --> 00:16:47.606
opera all the time know who these people are.
00:16:47.726 --> 00:16:50.606
They know who you are. They know who Marina Pryor is. They know who,
00:16:50.666 --> 00:16:52.586
you know, they know who these people are.
00:16:52.646 --> 00:16:55.786
But then if I said to someone in Australia who literally had never been to the
00:16:55.786 --> 00:16:58.386
opera, name me an opera singer, name me an Australian opera singer.
00:16:58.946 --> 00:17:01.066
Yeah, they wouldn't know. It's wild what people.
00:17:01.786 --> 00:17:05.026
Or they would say like fan of the opera. They'll say Anthony or,
00:17:05.126 --> 00:17:06.766
you know. Which is also fine.
00:17:07.786 --> 00:17:11.126
And Anthony did do this. And I'm talking about Wallows now, someone who was
00:17:11.126 --> 00:17:14.146
earlier opera, but they would say that's opera. Yeah. But it's not.
00:17:14.406 --> 00:17:16.926
Yeah. You know, I've been to the opera, been to Phantom of the Opera, but you haven't. Yeah.
00:17:17.726 --> 00:17:22.766
But also I think, you know, I was also in the tail end of where there was a,
00:17:23.066 --> 00:17:28.606
dare I say, like a hierarchy and there was, you step stones to get to a certain point.
00:17:28.806 --> 00:17:34.166
So, you know, when I first went to the national company, it was an ensemble company.
00:17:34.506 --> 00:17:39.086
Yeah. You know, I think there might've been 34, four or maybe more singers on
00:17:39.086 --> 00:17:40.966
contract, you know, principal artists.
00:17:41.126 --> 00:17:46.846
Yeah, wow. And so as a young singer, you, you know, you literally only spoke when you were spoken to.
00:17:46.926 --> 00:17:49.926
I mean, you had that, you know, there was a definite. No, absolutely.
00:17:50.186 --> 00:17:53.926
Hierarchy and you had to earn your stripes and you learnt from,
00:17:54.286 --> 00:17:58.166
you had to respect the older singers and you learnt and you watched and you.
00:17:58.406 --> 00:18:01.806
Yes. I don't think the younger singers have had that opportunity as much these
00:18:01.806 --> 00:18:06.526
days because they don't have the ensemble like we used to have in the day,
00:18:06.766 --> 00:18:10.226
I think that makes it more difficult as well. And it's interesting.
00:18:10.626 --> 00:18:14.686
Yeah, exactly. And it's an interesting attitude to like what you want to take
00:18:14.686 --> 00:18:17.466
from that rehearsal room and what you want to learn.
00:18:17.526 --> 00:18:23.046
Like my very first job at the Met was covering on Ernani, which I've spoken
00:18:23.046 --> 00:18:25.706
about a couple of times in this podcast, Domingo Pagliari.
00:18:25.922 --> 00:18:31.662
Francesco Merle, Angela Mead. And I remember the first day I said to the office,
00:18:31.882 --> 00:18:34.462
oh, so am I allowed to attend every rehearsal?
00:18:34.722 --> 00:18:38.962
And they turned around to me and they said, oh, if you want to. And I'm just like, what?
00:18:39.122 --> 00:18:43.282
So as a cover, you know, and as a cover at the Metropolitan Opera,
00:18:43.562 --> 00:18:46.742
it was at the beginning it was optional for us if we wanted.
00:18:46.782 --> 00:18:52.242
I was the only cover for the first three, four days that sat in and watched the rehearsal process.
00:18:52.722 --> 00:18:55.422
And I just, I thought, and they weren't even that young,
00:18:55.422 --> 00:18:59.042
the covers you know and it struck me as quite arrogant
00:18:59.042 --> 00:19:01.922
and foolish to be thinking that
00:19:01.922 --> 00:19:05.262
you maybe you thought you were so great that you didn't need to sit there but
00:19:05.262 --> 00:19:09.142
quite frankly I don't care who you're watching colleagues at that level you're
00:19:09.142 --> 00:19:13.822
going to learn great good fantastic things bad things wonderful things like
00:19:13.822 --> 00:19:17.942
just being present in those kinds of rehearsal rooms and watching and you know
00:19:17.942 --> 00:19:21.162
I'm taking like you were talking about with the hierarchy thing You know,
00:19:21.322 --> 00:19:23.662
I wasn't like, oh, I know my place. I'll sit in the corner.
00:19:23.922 --> 00:19:29.962
I was like, no, popcorn, popcorn, popcorn city watching Domingo like weave his
00:19:29.962 --> 00:19:32.602
magic and cause chaos because he didn't know his words.
00:19:32.702 --> 00:19:37.142
And some, I found that really fascinating and it changed over the time.
00:19:37.282 --> 00:19:41.802
Eventually we had to be in there. And then occasionally, after a few seasons
00:19:41.802 --> 00:19:45.642
of me coming back and some of the Sobranos that I was working under,
00:19:46.042 --> 00:19:47.562
one of them in particular, who
00:19:47.562 --> 00:19:52.002
shall remain nameless, said that she didn't want me in the room watching.
00:19:52.642 --> 00:19:57.322
And I was like, all right. And then literally the next day I was called in to run.
00:19:57.664 --> 00:20:01.304
Three acts of the show having never seen it because she refused to let me into
00:20:01.304 --> 00:20:02.464
the rehearsal room. Wow.
00:20:02.784 --> 00:20:08.384
You know, but the things I learned from watching some of these masters was phenomenal.
00:20:08.524 --> 00:20:12.544
James Levine in their conducting, you know, I did a rehearsal with him.
00:20:12.624 --> 00:20:17.784
You know, it's just awesome. So that time that you're talking about is so invaluable.
00:20:17.964 --> 00:20:21.424
Invaluable. Invaluable to, you know, for all of us. And you just hope that the
00:20:21.424 --> 00:20:25.584
kids get that these days, but it doesn't feel like they have in Australia. Yeah.
00:20:25.964 --> 00:20:30.624
The opportunity as much. Yeah, it probably leads me to a question that I wanted
00:20:30.624 --> 00:20:35.104
to ask around Boojum, which you're working on at the moment with Victorian Opera.
00:20:35.364 --> 00:20:39.284
And a lot of that cast are young artists, is that correct? Oh,
00:20:39.284 --> 00:20:41.884
they're all young. Yeah, which is phenomenal. It's fantastic.
00:20:42.144 --> 00:20:48.684
Do you feel a role or a responsibility in that relationship with them when you're working with them?
00:20:48.684 --> 00:20:56.204
I think, yes, I do, yeah, and I, yeah, you want to lead by example and you want
00:20:56.204 --> 00:21:01.464
to, yeah, try to engender good habits and it's interesting because –
00:21:01.688 --> 00:21:08.888
You know, the CEO at the VO kind of said to me, you know, they're kind of how hard I work.
00:21:09.068 --> 00:21:12.788
That was kind of what was interesting, how I'm not saying I work harder than
00:21:12.788 --> 00:21:16.568
anyone else, but I do like to work hard. Yeah, of course.
00:21:17.028 --> 00:21:20.248
To get it right, you know. Yes. Just because it's 5.30, it doesn't mean it's,
00:21:20.308 --> 00:21:21.828
for me, it never means it's 5.30.
00:21:22.028 --> 00:21:24.488
It means if I got it right yet, can we keep going? No, okay,
00:21:24.528 --> 00:21:25.888
the music staff can't wait.
00:21:26.188 --> 00:21:28.828
They're on time, but I'm going to stay and get it right. Exactly.
00:21:28.828 --> 00:21:34.248
So I think those kind of things, I do feel a responsibility of trying to lead by example.
00:21:34.408 --> 00:21:39.968
I remember also, I mean, my very first leading man of any, well,
00:21:40.048 --> 00:21:43.208
in a professional sense, was John English. John wasn't an opera singer.
00:21:43.928 --> 00:21:48.128
Obviously a rock and roll singer. But I just remember learning from him how
00:21:48.128 --> 00:21:50.648
to behave as a leading man. That's fantastic.
00:21:51.248 --> 00:21:56.268
You just treat everyone with respect. Every night is 100%. It doesn't matter
00:21:56.268 --> 00:21:58.108
whether you're sweeping the floors or you're the producer.
00:21:58.268 --> 00:22:00.388
Absolutely. You get the same treatment.
00:22:00.668 --> 00:22:03.908
Yeah. You know, as a pirate every night, you know, on stage,
00:22:03.928 --> 00:22:07.248
he would include every pirate every night in some way, give them a,
00:22:07.408 --> 00:22:09.728
you know, and you'd lift, he'd lift, the whole show would lift.
00:22:09.728 --> 00:22:12.748
Of course, everyone lifts to him. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
00:22:13.248 --> 00:22:17.548
So you kind of learned that, oh, that's how a star should behave.
00:22:17.668 --> 00:22:22.848
That's so cool. So that was, for me, that was a great introduction into the
00:22:22.848 --> 00:22:27.468
professional world to have someone like that who's, for me, his behavior was
00:22:27.468 --> 00:22:31.748
just, you know, He was a gentleman and he was a hard worker and he had energy to burn for days.
00:22:32.008 --> 00:22:35.188
Given that you are on this production and now with a lot of young artists,
00:22:35.308 --> 00:22:38.068
I know quite a lot of the young people that are in the production with you actually,
00:22:38.228 --> 00:22:39.788
and some of them are really wonderful.
00:22:40.088 --> 00:22:44.688
What do you think is the biggest difference about being in a rehearsal room
00:22:44.688 --> 00:22:46.788
now as opposed to back in those days?
00:22:47.088 --> 00:22:50.548
Well, look, you know, back in the day, you would watch. You wouldn't say much.
00:22:50.668 --> 00:22:53.328
I think, you know, younger artists now have more confidence, which is true.
00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:57.720
Uh i don't know you know the differences that's
00:22:57.720 --> 00:23:01.280
that's a really hard question because i because
00:23:01.280 --> 00:23:04.260
i was a different person back then as well sure and or
00:23:04.260 --> 00:23:07.640
you know you were just learning by example and just oozing it up and you would
00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:11.500
go in there with a bucket of insecurity as you know thinking why am i here which
00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:14.760
is what i always felt when i was at the opera company being was like i don't
00:23:14.760 --> 00:23:19.380
belong here i have no right to be here these people are amazing and you know
00:23:19.380 --> 00:23:21.920
i always had that kind of sense about.
00:23:22.080 --> 00:23:28.560
See, that's amazing to me that you have that, given that you are iconic.
00:23:28.840 --> 00:23:32.540
And as long as I've known of you on the stage, you have been iconic.
00:23:32.800 --> 00:23:37.180
And it's just so interesting. And I remember we spoke to Adrian Tamburini recently,
00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:43.440
who said similar things, that going into Hadestown, that he's like,
00:23:43.520 --> 00:23:47.460
I felt like I had to dose up on anti-anxiety meds just to get through that first rehearsal.
00:23:48.100 --> 00:23:54.620
And, you know, Adrian is so experienced and so talented and everyone looks to him as an icon.
00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:58.960
And just that idea that, that you and people like Adrian as well,
00:23:59.280 --> 00:24:03.100
you have, have these insecurities running in the back of their head. Being human. Yeah.
00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:08.300
Well, I guess being human. Yeah. And I think. And caring about what you do,
00:24:08.580 --> 00:24:10.580
right? That's, that's. Caring about what you do. Yeah.
00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:14.100
You do care and you want to make sure you do a good job and you just.
00:24:14.679 --> 00:24:18.059
You know, you want to be a good colleague, you want to serve the music properly,
00:24:18.519 --> 00:24:20.499
you want to get better, you want to improve.
00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:22.999
And ultimately, yeah, you want to have a good time as well.
00:24:24.159 --> 00:24:29.059
So I am, I am, I do have a bucket of anxiety every now and then.
00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.099
Yep. Wow. Yeah. Every now and then you get better.
00:24:32.819 --> 00:24:39.699
Um, but, but yes, I did feel as though a bit of an imposter there from, for many years.
00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:42.899
And I'm, I'm kind of, you still feel that a little bit, but,
00:24:43.139 --> 00:24:46.399
uh, I just think, for me, I just never stop learning as well.
00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:49.519
Like, I still don't know what I'm doing. I'm still trying to work it out.
00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:54.399
I do want to come back to Boojum, though, because I'm fascinated by this piece,
00:24:54.499 --> 00:24:56.119
because it is... It's a wacky piece.
00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:59.819
It's part musical theatre, it's part opera. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
00:24:59.859 --> 00:25:05.439
Because I know when this episode goes to air, you'll still have your final kind of week to go in that.
00:25:05.599 --> 00:25:07.939
So, if anyone's coming along, what are they going to expect?
00:25:07.939 --> 00:25:12.619
Well, it was a product of the early 80s, 1980s, of a couple of guys,
00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:16.379
the Wesley Smith twins, Peter and Martin.
00:25:16.779 --> 00:25:21.599
And I think Martin was head of composition at the Sydney Con,
00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:26.679
and then he was also big experimental in computer music, electronic music.
00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:35.079
And his brother Peter was like an English poet type guy, obviously did the lyrics.
00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:37.759
And they had a fascination with Lewis Carroll.
00:25:37.879 --> 00:25:41.359
So it's literally about Lewis Carroll and his poem, The Hunting of the Snark,
00:25:41.459 --> 00:25:43.459
which is this wacky nonsense poem.
00:25:43.899 --> 00:25:48.779
And Lewis Carroll, of course, is the author of Alice in Wonderland, a.k.a.
00:25:49.579 --> 00:25:53.979
The Reverend Charles Dodgson. So Charles Dodgson...
00:25:54.487 --> 00:26:00.167
Was his real name, and he was a mathematician and a deacon at Christchurch Oxford
00:26:00.167 --> 00:26:04.427
in the 1850s, 1860s, obviously in London.
00:26:04.807 --> 00:26:10.267
So the piece is based on the poem The Hunting of the Snark, and is it an oratorio,
00:26:10.487 --> 00:26:13.007
is it an opera, is it a music theatre piece?
00:26:13.207 --> 00:26:19.527
In a way, like Candide sits uncomfortably amongst all those idioms.
00:26:19.867 --> 00:26:22.547
In a way, Bull Jim does as well, but it's terrific music. So,
00:26:22.727 --> 00:26:28.327
in the same way that Bernstein's Candide's got some of his best music that he's ever written.
00:26:28.827 --> 00:26:32.687
The same with the Boojams. It's got absolutely fantastic music in it.
00:26:32.787 --> 00:26:36.527
It's driven a lot by fantastic ensemble choir singing.
00:26:36.547 --> 00:26:45.767
And it also delves into Dodgson's obsession with the camera and taking photos of young girls.
00:26:45.927 --> 00:26:48.207
Oh. So, Alice was.
00:26:48.507 --> 00:26:53.387
Yeah. So, Alice Little, there was these three sisters who were the three daughters
00:26:53.387 --> 00:26:54.927
of the Dean of Christchurch.
00:26:55.167 --> 00:27:00.487
So, when they were about 8, 10 or 12, that was their ages, he became very friendly
00:27:00.487 --> 00:27:03.927
with them and he used to take them on picnics and read them books.
00:27:04.067 --> 00:27:07.307
I think there was always a company, but then they'd also go to his rooms.
00:27:07.767 --> 00:27:13.147
And as was the want in the 19th century, children undraped was a thing.
00:27:13.747 --> 00:27:16.187
You know, photographically. Wow. Right. And, yeah.
00:27:16.489 --> 00:27:19.529
It wasn't looked on as a problem back then in the Victorian era.
00:27:20.029 --> 00:27:24.749
I mean, the extent that, you know, the age of Vincent back in the Victorian era was 12. Wow, yeah.
00:27:25.369 --> 00:27:31.249
So there's no, you know, there's been aspersions but no allegations about his
00:27:31.249 --> 00:27:33.909
proclivity to, you know, younger girls.
00:27:34.029 --> 00:27:37.569
But that's kind of touched on as well. So for me, that's a kind of,
00:27:37.729 --> 00:27:40.349
oh, a bit of a... Yeah, that's so interesting.
00:27:40.489 --> 00:27:44.449
And again, gives you so many layers to play with as well. Yes, it does.
00:27:45.429 --> 00:27:49.669
So, look, it's a pretty interesting piece and I think Stuart Morn has done a
00:27:49.669 --> 00:27:53.549
really terrific job of giving it a fresh approach.
00:27:53.829 --> 00:27:57.169
It's had a few iterations. I know Simone Young championed it as well.
00:27:57.369 --> 00:28:00.929
I mean, Simone did some scenes from it. I think it would have been back in the...
00:28:01.221 --> 00:28:05.721
Early, mid-2000s. All right. And it had a production of it done a couple of
00:28:05.721 --> 00:28:10.301
years ago in Adelaide and also back, I think it might have even been commissioned,
00:28:10.821 --> 00:28:14.321
for the Adelaide Festival back in the early 80s, the mid-80s.
00:28:14.421 --> 00:28:15.461
Oh, okay. So it's got a long history.
00:28:15.581 --> 00:28:21.341
And, yes, but this version has all these fantastic young singers who,
00:28:21.501 --> 00:28:22.881
well, you alluded to, who do you know, Helena?
00:28:23.021 --> 00:28:25.581
Who are the youngest singers? Well, Rachel Joyce.
00:28:26.321 --> 00:28:29.341
Yeah, Rachel got a lovely voice and a lovely stage presence.
00:28:29.461 --> 00:28:32.661
So she plays Alice. And you've got Darcy Carroll in that cast as well, I believe.
00:28:32.921 --> 00:28:35.401
Darcy Carroll's got a lovely bass voice. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:28:36.481 --> 00:28:40.501
It's almost like I feel like I'm listening to a baby Colleen every time he opens his mouth.
00:28:40.581 --> 00:28:43.161
I feel like I'm just about to launch into Bohem. He's going to do the Kotar
00:28:43.161 --> 00:28:44.681
here any minute. You know what I mean?
00:28:44.941 --> 00:28:48.121
He just sounds like Colleen. I did Bohem with him last year.
00:28:48.841 --> 00:28:51.501
Oh, did you? Oh, okay. I didn't realize that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:28:51.661 --> 00:28:55.901
He just sounds, I just feel like he's going to go into the Kotar here any minute. Exactly.
00:28:56.241 --> 00:29:01.401
He just sounds, his voice is right in that sweet spot. He's a lovely, lovely young man.
00:29:02.081 --> 00:29:05.841
He is. And I saw Bailey in there as well. Oh, Bailey, beautiful baritone.
00:29:05.921 --> 00:29:07.601
He plays the bellman. That's right.
00:29:08.481 --> 00:29:11.901
And Michaela. When you do a show like this, do you feel, I mean,
00:29:11.941 --> 00:29:14.461
I know you said it's been done a couple of times, but given that it's,
00:29:14.561 --> 00:29:17.001
you know, not people won't have seen it, you know, as much here,
00:29:17.201 --> 00:29:20.061
do you find a sense of freedom in creating something like that?
00:29:20.181 --> 00:29:21.421
Do you enjoy doing something like that?
00:29:21.581 --> 00:29:25.841
Well, whenever you do anything that's pretty, well, it was very new to me and
00:29:25.841 --> 00:29:29.641
it's relatively difficult in some respects. I mean, he, metrically,
00:29:29.761 --> 00:29:31.701
it's quite challenging. Oh. Yes.
00:29:32.221 --> 00:29:35.621
7, 8 or 5, 8. Yeah, well, just, that's the thing.
00:29:35.741 --> 00:29:38.681
The minute that you say that, my brain just goes into lockdown going,
00:29:38.821 --> 00:29:41.521
counting, 5, 8. No, what? Yes.
00:29:41.921 --> 00:29:44.541
So, but yes, there is a degree of freedom about that.
00:29:44.720 --> 00:29:48.880
For me, it was a relatively short rehearsal period. Okay. It was like two weeks
00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:50.480
in the studio, then we're into piano dresses.
00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:52.960
So another week would have been great, I reckon.
00:29:55.320 --> 00:29:59.560
But it's been great working with Stuart, who I've got a long association with Stuart.
00:29:59.900 --> 00:30:03.180
He was at the opera company, you know, when I first went there as well.
00:30:03.300 --> 00:30:04.860
He was a resident director.
00:30:05.120 --> 00:30:10.260
So it's lovely to discover these new things, but also reacquaint our – we haven't
00:30:10.260 --> 00:30:11.960
done anything for a few years. So that's been lovely.
00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:14.900
So, yeah, there is a degree of freedom, and it's quite interesting working on
00:30:14.900 --> 00:30:18.880
it. And also working on a character that exists too, right?
00:30:19.820 --> 00:30:24.940
Yes, yes. And I find that too. I actually really enjoy studying,
00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:27.620
you know, someone like real.
00:30:27.760 --> 00:30:30.820
Have you done anything like that? Yeah, I've done. Have you done any modern-y?
00:30:31.000 --> 00:30:35.780
Not so much modern stuff, but my favourite character ever that I've done is
00:30:35.780 --> 00:30:36.860
Queen Elizabeth. Annabelle Anna or someone.
00:30:37.020 --> 00:30:42.260
Queen Elizabeth in her final stages in Roberto de Verer because I found her
00:30:42.260 --> 00:30:51.180
just like such a formidable woman and full of so much humour and strength in her determination.
00:30:51.680 --> 00:30:53.220
Oh, strength. At the end of her life.
00:30:53.880 --> 00:30:57.880
And I just, so doing Deborah, I mean, I love the music anyway because I'm a Bel Canto whore.
00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:03.620
But just, yeah, studying someone that's there, present, and has so many facts
00:31:03.620 --> 00:31:07.000
and so many different kind of ideas, I find that really cool. I really enjoy that.
00:31:07.340 --> 00:31:11.060
And she's, actually, I'm just listening to a podcast at the moment And,
00:31:11.060 --> 00:31:13.980
you know, the rest is history. You must have heard those guys. The rest is history.
00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:18.620
And they're doing a thing on Elizabeth at the moment. So I've just listened to the first step.
00:31:18.920 --> 00:31:23.280
Yeah, she's fascinating. I mean, and her mother is, I mean, for goodness sake, Anna Boleyn.
00:31:23.934 --> 00:31:29.994
You know, Anne Boleyn, who was, my God, she was just so feisty and ahead of
00:31:29.994 --> 00:31:32.294
her time in many respects, but also a bit foolish.
00:31:32.474 --> 00:31:37.274
And I also did Queen Christina, which is Christina di Svezia, which was in Waxford.
00:31:37.534 --> 00:31:41.254
And again, like this woman who ruled the country from age 15.
00:31:41.594 --> 00:31:47.534
And, you know, just these women who were just like towers of strength and,
00:31:47.534 --> 00:31:51.914
you know, and all the different layers of what that means and stuff.
00:31:51.914 --> 00:31:55.454
I just find really cool. So it must be really cool to have that, you know.
00:31:55.734 --> 00:32:00.114
It is. But isn't it interesting that, you know, a lot of the female heroines
00:32:00.114 --> 00:32:01.754
are written by men. Yeah.
00:32:03.247 --> 00:32:07.827
Now, is that fascinating? And in many respects, when you think about it,
00:32:07.887 --> 00:32:13.147
it's almost the women who are more iconic in opera than the men,
00:32:13.587 --> 00:32:15.147
you know, the major roles, don't you think?
00:32:15.187 --> 00:32:18.027
I mean, yes, you've got Rigolettos and what have you, but the women seem to
00:32:18.027 --> 00:32:20.447
always stand out, whether they be Puccini heroines or, as you say,
00:32:20.527 --> 00:32:21.827
Donizetti or Bellini heroines.
00:32:22.347 --> 00:32:26.147
They're always more kind of… There's more layers often.
00:32:26.627 --> 00:32:30.067
More layers and they're more lauded as well. Although sometimes when you get
00:32:30.067 --> 00:32:35.347
to stuff like Wagner, Like the way that Wagner depicted women in his early stages
00:32:35.347 --> 00:32:37.067
especially really shits me.
00:32:38.147 --> 00:32:41.227
Well, yeah, okay. They got better as he got older.
00:32:41.447 --> 00:32:43.727
But, yes, it is. Look, it is good to do those kind of – I mean,
00:32:43.747 --> 00:32:46.767
I've done quite a lot of modern opera, particularly in my early times.
00:32:46.767 --> 00:32:48.127
I mean, guys that were living.
00:32:48.247 --> 00:32:52.047
I remember doing, you know, Michael Chamberlain in Linde.
00:32:52.407 --> 00:32:54.007
Oh, wow. Yes.
00:32:54.507 --> 00:32:57.947
Things like that. Yeah, really wacky. And having the Chamberlains come to the
00:32:57.947 --> 00:33:01.087
opera, that was always – Oh, my God. That was kind of fascinating as well. Oh, my God.
00:33:01.727 --> 00:33:05.027
Was that confronting to have them in the audience to do that?
00:33:05.067 --> 00:33:07.467
Yeah, it was. Yeah, it was. It was.
00:33:08.127 --> 00:33:12.007
Lindy was, what a great, she was fantastic. Really interesting woman.
00:33:12.647 --> 00:33:15.847
Yeah, it was great to do that. But look, back to Boojum, yeah,
00:33:15.907 --> 00:33:18.867
I think it's fantastic and I've really enjoyed working with the younger singers
00:33:18.867 --> 00:33:21.427
and, you know, they're all like 30 years younger.
00:33:21.527 --> 00:33:25.107
I mean, my God, I'm old enough to be their uncle, their father, their whatever.
00:33:26.023 --> 00:33:30.083
But having said that, you know, I still feel like I've got the same energy and
00:33:30.083 --> 00:33:31.683
the same kind of – And how cool for them.
00:33:32.263 --> 00:33:35.383
What a great experience for them to be able to have someone like yourself in
00:33:35.383 --> 00:33:37.223
the room. Well, I don't know about that, but they – No, I think so.
00:33:37.363 --> 00:33:38.963
I think so, yeah. They're lovely.
00:33:39.283 --> 00:33:43.183
They've been great. Some really, you know, really terrific performances and
00:33:43.183 --> 00:33:50.023
they're kind of so savvy, a lot more knowing than we were, a lot more skill set. Yeah.
00:33:50.223 --> 00:33:53.963
I reckon. Yeah. Well, they're a smart bunch, like everyone you've named.
00:33:54.203 --> 00:33:57.963
Yeah, very smart. Helena and I have come across in different capacities.
00:33:58.463 --> 00:34:02.083
And they are smart. They are really well put together. They know what they're
00:34:02.083 --> 00:34:04.963
doing. They know what they want to do. And they know how they want to do it.
00:34:05.103 --> 00:34:07.603
They kind of have to be, though. You just hope there's the opportunities.
00:34:07.863 --> 00:34:08.923
They do have to be. They kind of have to be.
00:34:09.523 --> 00:34:12.883
Nowadays, yeah. You hope they have the opportunity. You hope they get the opportunities.
00:34:13.203 --> 00:34:16.383
Yeah. Well, that is something I think Victorian Opera is doing really well.
00:34:16.443 --> 00:34:19.223
Yeah, they are. I think they're trying to find these opportunities.
00:34:19.243 --> 00:34:23.543
And I really appreciate that. Because there was a hot minute there where there
00:34:23.543 --> 00:34:27.943
wasn't a whole lot around for young up-and-coming singers trying to break through
00:34:27.943 --> 00:34:31.163
the ranks and trying to feed that pipeline of how you build a career.
00:34:31.303 --> 00:34:33.443
Like you talked about that steady progression.
00:34:33.643 --> 00:34:38.083
And I didn't see that in Australia until I went to the UK. And then I saw these
00:34:38.083 --> 00:34:41.563
feeder companies and I saw that, you know, these smaller companies feeding into
00:34:41.563 --> 00:34:45.203
slightly bigger companies feeding into bigger companies again until you hit
00:34:45.203 --> 00:34:46.143
the national companies.
00:34:46.363 --> 00:34:50.363
Yeah. And I remember talking to the team at Scottish Opera about that,
00:34:50.443 --> 00:34:56.423
and they saw a real responsibility themselves to be part of an environment,
00:34:56.603 --> 00:35:04.123
an ecosystem that fed and propagated the industry for musicians as much as for the audience.
00:35:04.123 --> 00:35:08.623
And I love that. I really, really love that attitude. And I think we're starting
00:35:08.623 --> 00:35:12.663
to see that now coming through more with the Young Artists Program coming back
00:35:12.663 --> 00:35:18.243
at Opera Australia and the work that they're really doing at Melbourne Opera and Victorian Opera.
00:35:18.423 --> 00:35:20.903
I really appreciate that. It's fantastic.
00:35:21.263 --> 00:35:24.763
Well, yeah, I mean, I do remember, you know, we were lucky enough as I was talking about
00:35:25.033 --> 00:35:31.313
back in the day, but at Australian Opera, I remember that the creative administration
00:35:31.313 --> 00:35:35.633
were very much cognizant of being pastoral carers as well for the singers.
00:35:35.773 --> 00:35:39.753
That's so good. In the sense that, okay, you know, we don't have these roles
00:35:39.753 --> 00:35:42.373
for you next year. We're going to do what is known as a bridging year.
00:35:42.473 --> 00:35:46.433
You'll get this, this, like they always tried to care for the ensemble singers
00:35:46.433 --> 00:35:52.233
or local singers and try to keep them on the, you know, on the ladder of learning,
00:35:52.393 --> 00:35:54.493
you know, going from doing, you know.
00:35:55.533 --> 00:35:59.113
A barberina in Figueroa to, you know, getting the Susanna.
00:35:59.193 --> 00:36:02.853
Maybe you can't get it next year, but you'll do this. You know what I mean? Which...
00:36:03.347 --> 00:36:07.167
I don't think that over the last 20 years, the young singers have had those
00:36:07.167 --> 00:36:10.707
kind of opportunities. So hopefully that kind of thing is coming back. Absolutely.
00:36:11.067 --> 00:36:14.787
I wonder why it faded out. It's interesting, isn't it? I don't know.
00:36:15.067 --> 00:36:18.727
I think it's short-term thinking. It's a lack of strategic thinking.
00:36:18.887 --> 00:36:23.127
Whereas I think these days, there's a little bit of enlightened self-interest.
00:36:23.327 --> 00:36:28.207
Companies are realizing that if they want to feed their own engine and keep
00:36:28.207 --> 00:36:31.667
their artists coming through, they've got to do some of that work in the bottom end.
00:36:31.767 --> 00:36:35.107
Because we see it in sports. We're really, really good at it in sports of,
00:36:35.147 --> 00:36:38.587
you know, looking after the young kids and feeding that pipeline.
00:36:38.787 --> 00:36:43.387
The young academies. That's exactly right. And I think now that the artistic
00:36:43.387 --> 00:36:47.727
institutions are starting to see that and understand strategically they need
00:36:47.727 --> 00:36:49.047
to do better in these areas.
00:36:49.127 --> 00:36:52.707
And I think they're doing it. I think they're moving in the right direction. But it's got to be.
00:36:52.927 --> 00:36:55.487
But as you said, you know, Adam, it can't be just the singers.
00:36:55.607 --> 00:36:56.627
It's got to be musicians as well.
00:36:56.727 --> 00:37:00.927
Like the repetitors and the coaches and like people like Cheryl and Gamalee,
00:37:00.967 --> 00:37:03.347
they've got to, we have to get people to her,
00:37:03.707 --> 00:37:08.007
you know, the younger coaches and the, which I think Mel was trying to do with
00:37:08.007 --> 00:37:12.367
the, I think they have repetitors and what have you, but it's across the board,
00:37:12.487 --> 00:37:15.907
you know, language coaches, it's not just the singing.
00:37:16.047 --> 00:37:19.107
And obviously the, the, the standard of singing, coaching and,
00:37:19.107 --> 00:37:23.267
and teaching is also very important as subjective as it is, as you guys know,
00:37:23.487 --> 00:37:26.207
but you know, how do we, how do we keep that alive?
00:37:26.367 --> 00:37:29.767
How do we, you know, you've got to keep the, the thread with all the overseas.
00:37:30.267 --> 00:37:35.587
Yeah. I mean, we're also lucky today we are a global village, so you're just a Zoom...
00:37:35.710 --> 00:37:38.570
Click away from working with great people all over the world, I know.
00:37:38.710 --> 00:37:42.450
But, you know, I think it's still important to have that cross-pollination between
00:37:42.450 --> 00:37:45.330
great singing coaches and teachers. Yeah.
00:37:45.710 --> 00:37:50.030
No, I've just been asked, literally like just today, been asked to go up to
00:37:50.030 --> 00:37:55.030
Sydney and do a masterclass for a big competition. And they said to me,
00:37:55.090 --> 00:37:58.070
we don't want you to just work with the singers. We'd like you to work with
00:37:58.070 --> 00:37:59.470
young repetitors as well.
00:37:59.610 --> 00:38:02.870
So what we want to do is pair the singer with their repetitors and for you to
00:38:02.870 --> 00:38:06.450
provide feedback because you're so experienced, blah, blah, blah,
00:38:06.550 --> 00:38:08.950
blah, to both, would you feel comfortable? And I said, yeah,
00:38:08.990 --> 00:38:10.270
I think it's a fantastic idea.
00:38:10.710 --> 00:38:13.050
That's a great idea. It's a wonderful idea. That's what it should be.
00:38:13.110 --> 00:38:16.430
It should be if, you know, if the singer's at that kind of, you know,
00:38:16.570 --> 00:38:18.730
up and coming standard, then the repetitur should be too.
00:38:18.870 --> 00:38:22.690
They should be all experiencing what it's like being on that platform and working
00:38:22.690 --> 00:38:26.790
under that pressure and getting advice and getting feedback on how to make it
00:38:26.790 --> 00:38:32.730
better all the time. Well, when I was at the Royal Academy, I taught briefly- Oh, did you? Right.
00:38:32.970 --> 00:38:37.530
Yeah, some of their second instrument students and Mark Wildman, the head of voice there,
00:38:37.890 --> 00:38:42.650
had me working with a lot of pianists because it was that opportunity to get
00:38:42.650 --> 00:38:47.790
pianists understanding what it was like to sing and then understanding what
00:38:47.790 --> 00:38:54.450
that relationship would be and that really vital relationship between the piano and the singer.
00:38:54.650 --> 00:38:57.850
And it was so gratifying. It's something that I really loved,
00:38:57.890 --> 00:39:02.190
and I really thought that Mark had a great vision for that, saying he wanted
00:39:02.190 --> 00:39:07.170
to breed this next generation of repetiteurs by pairing them with singers and
00:39:07.170 --> 00:39:08.770
singing teachers. It was fantastic.
00:39:09.090 --> 00:39:12.810
That's really important. Who was your teacher back then at the academy?
00:39:13.010 --> 00:39:17.910
Mark Wildman was my teacher. I was really, really lucky to have him there.
00:39:18.290 --> 00:39:22.190
And, of course, I was there with Helena, so we were both there under Tony Legg
00:39:22.190 --> 00:39:26.170
at the time, so we were incredibly fortunate. And it was a bit of a golden era
00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:27.730
at the Academy back then.
00:39:27.930 --> 00:39:30.570
I mean, Tony's fantastic. Actually, I was just talking with Brad Daly.
00:39:30.903 --> 00:39:34.103
We saw Brad, you know, Brad recently. Of course. Yeah, actually,
00:39:34.143 --> 00:39:39.563
he was staying with Tony recently. He just said he's his go-to guy for all his coaching still. Me too.
00:39:39.863 --> 00:39:44.203
Yeah, I've been coaching with Tony for years. Yeah, he's a legend. Yeah. He is.
00:39:44.483 --> 00:39:48.623
And it doesn't matter what style. I mean, he just seems to, whether it be Wagner
00:39:48.623 --> 00:39:51.163
or Mozart, he knows, doesn't he?
00:39:51.383 --> 00:39:56.723
He knows the lot. And he's got an Australianism about him, Tony.
00:39:57.243 --> 00:39:59.783
He's quite blunt. He does, doesn't he? He's quite blunt. You know,
00:39:59.983 --> 00:40:03.483
a lot of people, he's upset over the other side of the pond and they say to
00:40:03.483 --> 00:40:05.863
me, oh, he's a bit, and I'm going, no, he's just a bit Australian.
00:40:06.043 --> 00:40:08.583
Like, we're just like that. We just get on with it, you know?
00:40:08.763 --> 00:40:10.143
Yeah. Just tells it how it is.
00:40:10.723 --> 00:40:13.723
That's why we got on so well with him. He's fantastic. He was brilliant.
00:40:13.923 --> 00:40:16.403
Well, he is brilliant. Oh, yeah. Oh, God. Absolutely.
00:40:16.883 --> 00:40:19.223
And so, I was going to ask you a tool and you'd say, do you teach...
00:40:19.362 --> 00:40:22.582
Like, do you still, or do you teach at all? I do, yeah.
00:40:22.762 --> 00:40:28.202
So one of the things, when COVID kind of hit, I set up stuff,
00:40:28.402 --> 00:40:32.142
you know, via Zoom, which was great and good for me to learn all those things.
00:40:32.282 --> 00:40:34.962
But there's nothing like being, you know, in front of someone.
00:40:35.062 --> 00:40:38.402
So since I've come back to Melbourne, I've set up a little studio here and I've
00:40:38.402 --> 00:40:42.702
had some fantastic, I had a couple of the Herald Sun Area finalists come out before the finals.
00:40:42.782 --> 00:40:46.982
And I've got now, you know, just a nice little group of people coming out.
00:40:46.982 --> 00:40:51.262
And obviously, you know, they all know that I've still got quite an active performing
00:40:51.262 --> 00:40:53.982
career as well. But I love mentoring.
00:40:54.202 --> 00:40:58.542
It's something that I've always done and always cared very deeply about from a young age.
00:41:00.522 --> 00:41:04.862
And I've, yeah, it's just something I love. You've got that kind of personality.
00:41:05.142 --> 00:41:08.302
I mean, you've got an effervescence and a kind of, you know,
00:41:08.382 --> 00:41:10.962
you're open and gregarious. Yeah.
00:41:11.222 --> 00:41:13.602
Yeah, I imagine I would like to learn from you.
00:41:15.922 --> 00:41:19.142
I care no I do care deeply about it and and also just just
00:41:19.142 --> 00:41:21.782
not bullshitting as well like just being you know
00:41:21.782 --> 00:41:24.662
being real with the kids and and in a nice way but saying
00:41:24.662 --> 00:41:27.662
to them you know because sometimes you know that as you said there's
00:41:27.662 --> 00:41:30.442
there's that level of confidence that now comes and
00:41:30.442 --> 00:41:33.462
they feel free you know they feel more confident and then sometimes you
00:41:33.462 --> 00:41:36.302
you actually have to stop them and say can you please just
00:41:36.302 --> 00:41:39.502
take your finger out of your ass just for one little moment and realize
00:41:39.502 --> 00:41:42.742
that the world is much bigger than what you're making it and you are awesome yes
00:41:42.742 --> 00:41:45.422
but you need to keep your you need to keep your
00:41:45.422 --> 00:41:49.482
glasses on you need to keep your yeah you know you are fantastic but you are
00:41:49.482 --> 00:41:53.482
fantastic in in a number of the big global world of opera and if you want to
00:41:53.482 --> 00:41:58.242
go off and do this you just have to you have to be so true to yourself and also
00:41:58.242 --> 00:42:03.842
not be not be you know sorry go ahead authentic what I was about to say we just said.
00:42:06.165 --> 00:42:09.265
Was stressing to the kids who I've been talking to at Bootham.
00:42:09.385 --> 00:42:13.165
It's like authenticity is possibly the most important.
00:42:14.745 --> 00:42:20.465
150%. It's hard to do it sometimes, you know, because you're kind of worried.
00:42:20.465 --> 00:42:22.925
You think I've got to sound this way or I've got to be that person.
00:42:23.025 --> 00:42:24.525
It's like we want to see you.
00:42:24.685 --> 00:42:27.665
We want to hear you. Yes, 100%. We don't want to hear anyone else.
00:42:27.765 --> 00:42:29.965
And I say this to them all the time. I said, you're going to go in front of
00:42:29.965 --> 00:42:33.845
an audition panel who have heard so many singers and, you know,
00:42:33.965 --> 00:42:36.985
whether it's a competition or an audition, and you want to be memorable.
00:42:37.305 --> 00:42:41.365
You know, you don't want to be another soprano who's, you know,
00:42:41.485 --> 00:42:43.485
they've heard it before, they'll hear it again,
00:42:43.665 --> 00:42:47.745
you know, and that's to do with everything about you, not just your voice and
00:42:47.745 --> 00:42:52.105
your sound and everything, but you and the way you present and it all needs
00:42:52.105 --> 00:42:54.945
to be, you know, and I think that's what makes,
00:42:55.525 --> 00:42:59.485
great artists so great because they are distinguishably themselves.
00:42:59.705 --> 00:43:02.565
Like yourself, David, like, you know, people know who you are,
00:43:02.765 --> 00:43:05.365
you know, they know who you are, they know what you sound like,
00:43:05.365 --> 00:43:09.305
your, you know, your personality, your, your stage presence, your everything.
00:43:09.385 --> 00:43:11.985
It's like, oh yeah, I know David because that's who he is.
00:43:12.085 --> 00:43:15.445
Or, you know, someone like Jane Sutherland, she was known because she was so
00:43:15.445 --> 00:43:17.965
unique for, for, for what she did and everything.
00:43:18.125 --> 00:43:21.965
And I think we need more of that. I think people need to just step up and own
00:43:21.965 --> 00:43:25.445
their package because we live in a society where the next, you know,
00:43:25.765 --> 00:43:30.265
blonde pretty thing is fine and it's all the same and it's all this kind of that, but actually.
00:43:30.565 --> 00:43:33.505
It's what's worked for me over these years. You mean pretty and blonde.
00:43:33.865 --> 00:43:36.445
Let's not talk about where you're blonde and pretty, Adam.
00:43:39.325 --> 00:43:43.365
But it is true. But I think there is acceptance when people,
00:43:43.365 --> 00:43:45.925
you know, break through and are just themselves and authentic.
00:43:46.765 --> 00:43:49.725
That's what we want to hear. And I must admit with opera opera.
00:43:49.970 --> 00:43:54.590
You know, there was that obsession of the look there for a while and productions,
00:43:55.110 --> 00:43:56.530
oh, God, don't talk to me.
00:43:56.690 --> 00:44:00.350
Well, yeah. Okay. Next.
00:44:02.850 --> 00:44:06.150
I think we all agree, though, with your, yeah.
00:44:06.690 --> 00:44:10.010
What's the wildest thing that's ever happened to you in a performance?
00:44:10.010 --> 00:44:14.910
Because when I was doing my little podcast research, I read that you had this
00:44:14.910 --> 00:44:21.330
performance of Orfeo and Yuridici where the crucifix platform broke under your feet.
00:44:21.550 --> 00:44:26.230
Oh, God, yeah. I mean, was that sounds, I mean, that actually made my heart
00:44:26.230 --> 00:44:28.930
like drop out of my chest when I read that.
00:44:29.130 --> 00:44:32.510
Yeah, that wasn't good. Well, actually, what happened was, so it was a production
00:44:32.510 --> 00:44:37.030
of Orphée, and yeah, they had me in a Christlike position where I was hanging
00:44:37.030 --> 00:44:39.590
onto these ropes, but there was a little platform.
00:44:40.250 --> 00:44:42.870
And one of the dancers or the chorus members, I can't remember,
00:44:42.990 --> 00:44:47.490
was meant to lock the platform in, but one night he hadn't. So I was literally
00:44:47.490 --> 00:44:50.670
hanging on with my arms above my head.
00:44:51.050 --> 00:44:55.310
And it's one of those, I don't know if you know the gluck. What's the French
00:44:55.310 --> 00:44:58.250
version, you know, for the au contra, for a high tenor.
00:44:58.490 --> 00:45:03.590
So like 20 million top Ds. Right. So I'm literally hanging on.
00:45:04.110 --> 00:45:08.790
Look, I think I did okay because I was probably had to get my support.
00:45:08.970 --> 00:45:13.330
So in that house in order because I was hanging on. Wow.
00:45:13.490 --> 00:45:17.550
But it was, I was up there for like 12 minutes. That is terrifying. Oh, my God.
00:45:17.750 --> 00:45:22.010
It was terrifying. It was terrifying. And that production was pretty wild,
00:45:22.030 --> 00:45:24.870
actually, that production. Yeah, but that wasn't a good moment.
00:45:25.490 --> 00:45:28.890
What's your favourite moment on stage? You have a favourite moment that you
00:45:28.890 --> 00:45:31.870
just, in your mind? It's probably been heaps, right? Oh, yeah.
00:45:33.055 --> 00:45:35.995
Favourite moment on stage? Oh, God.
00:45:36.675 --> 00:45:41.155
Gee, I don't know. That is really, really hard. I mean, do you have a favourite moment?
00:45:41.275 --> 00:45:45.295
Like, you know, I don't think if you ever had a production or a performance
00:45:45.295 --> 00:45:47.675
where it's ever been 100%, I've never.
00:45:48.475 --> 00:45:54.935
But if you had one. No, but I wouldn't. But I've had one performance of,
00:45:54.935 --> 00:45:58.795
it was L'Italiani in Algeria, you know, the Rossini. Yeah, yeah.
00:45:59.795 --> 00:46:03.655
Which I just had one night where it was like the hand was in the glove.
00:46:03.795 --> 00:46:07.675
It was like, oh, this is what I'm meant to be doing. And it's just working.
00:46:07.955 --> 00:46:12.675
Yeah. Oh, that's so good. Like it was, most of it was like, oh,
00:46:13.515 --> 00:46:15.135
this is what my voice is meant to do.
00:46:15.235 --> 00:46:19.435
This is, as opposed to worrying about it or thinking I'm not worthy or I'm not
00:46:19.435 --> 00:46:22.375
good enough or I'm meant to sound like this, I sound like that.
00:46:22.695 --> 00:46:25.475
You know what I mean? And you can relax in your performance when you're like
00:46:25.475 --> 00:46:28.855
that, aren't you? Like if you're having a night like that, you can just transfix
00:46:28.855 --> 00:46:32.215
yourself right in there. Well, the only other way I can do it.
00:46:32.866 --> 00:46:36.266
Is to literally, you know, surrender yourself.
00:46:36.486 --> 00:46:40.286
Yeah. Do you know what I mean? So you surrender yourself to the music,
00:46:40.426 --> 00:46:42.906
to the production, to the character, to the other people on stage,
00:46:42.926 --> 00:46:46.246
and you only sing to one person in the audience or to no one at all.
00:46:46.366 --> 00:46:49.446
Whereas that night it felt like, oh, the voice is like it was on.
00:46:50.586 --> 00:46:53.186
Like I was roller skating or surfing on a wave and it's like,
00:46:53.306 --> 00:46:54.266
oh, God, that's how good.
00:46:54.446 --> 00:46:57.366
Oh, wow. That's, I wonder if I could get that again.
00:46:57.586 --> 00:47:02.126
Yeah. But I must have just been, you know, no reflux, rested just the right
00:47:02.126 --> 00:47:03.926
amount. warmed up just the right amount.
00:47:04.306 --> 00:47:08.706
Like everything, you know, and the acoustic of the room was just right.
00:47:08.786 --> 00:47:11.586
Everything was, the orchestra were right. Everything was just bang on.
00:47:11.746 --> 00:47:14.846
Was nearly right, but most of the time it's not like that.
00:47:15.246 --> 00:47:20.386
Have you ever had anything like that? No. Um, I think. Couple.
00:47:20.606 --> 00:47:25.726
I think, for me, I class my favourite things or the best performances as the
00:47:25.726 --> 00:47:29.386
ones that when I get off I can't actually remember what happened because I'm
00:47:29.386 --> 00:47:30.886
so involved. Oh, that's good too. Yeah.
00:47:31.206 --> 00:47:34.086
Oh, yeah. I'm so engrossed. Yeah.
00:47:34.466 --> 00:47:40.826
And I get off, like my Met debut was in Falstaff and it's one of the best productions
00:47:40.826 --> 00:47:42.006
I've ever been involved in.
00:47:42.086 --> 00:47:44.826
It is genius, the Carson production of Falstaff.
00:47:44.966 --> 00:47:48.586
It's just from top to tail, like whether I'm in it or watching it,
00:47:48.666 --> 00:47:50.286
it just makes me so happy.
00:47:50.706 --> 00:47:55.046
And when they offered me my debut, they said, you can do your debut as Alice
00:47:55.046 --> 00:47:58.266
in Falstaff or you can do your debut as Aida. Oh, excuse me.
00:47:58.746 --> 00:48:03.146
As Aida. And I went, how often am I going to go do Aida? Because that's so much pressure.
00:48:03.326 --> 00:48:08.106
Like if I do, you know, a lice, I'm just going to have a ball, which is what happened.
00:48:08.146 --> 00:48:11.246
And I just remember before it, I was like, I'm going to vomit.
00:48:11.526 --> 00:48:13.206
Like this is like I'm going to pass out.
00:48:14.126 --> 00:48:17.386
And I got on stage and I kid you not, I just –,
00:48:17.878 --> 00:48:22.798
got to the end and I'm like, that was so much fun, but I don't remember anything that I did.
00:48:22.918 --> 00:48:28.198
Like, I, like, and I know that I was just so involved and, and loving it.
00:48:28.338 --> 00:48:31.598
And, and I think for me, that's the marker of a good, a good show when I get
00:48:31.598 --> 00:48:35.218
to the end and I'm like, I'm not sure what just happened because I wasn't overthinking
00:48:35.218 --> 00:48:36.958
anything. It just, it just, it just doesn't.
00:48:37.718 --> 00:48:41.718
So if you had one of those, Adam, as well, like if you had a moment where you've
00:48:41.718 --> 00:48:42.858
gone, oh God, that was good.
00:48:43.118 --> 00:48:48.918
I remember doing a, a magic flute. I was playing Papageno and I had an entire
00:48:48.918 --> 00:48:51.958
rehearsal period where I was playing for laughs. I was having a ball.
00:48:52.198 --> 00:48:54.658
Audience was loving it. Cast was loving it. I was having a great time.
00:48:54.778 --> 00:48:56.238
And the director took me aside.
00:48:56.798 --> 00:49:01.618
I don't know, a couple of rehearsals before the opening night and said,
00:49:01.678 --> 00:49:04.938
look, I just want you to try to be sincere.
00:49:05.218 --> 00:49:08.378
I know you're playing for laughs. I know you're trying a lot of gags.
00:49:08.618 --> 00:49:13.158
I just want you to find a moment when you can make that audience hold their
00:49:13.158 --> 00:49:14.798
breath. Just give me that.
00:49:15.118 --> 00:49:19.218
And on opening night, I gave it a go and I still remember it.
00:49:19.298 --> 00:49:23.418
And that was, oh God, probably 25, 30 years ago.
00:49:23.918 --> 00:49:29.958
No, not 30, 25 years ago. And it still stuck with me, that feeling of pausing
00:49:29.958 --> 00:49:35.598
before I sang my next note and the entire audience just paused with me and it was magical.
00:49:35.678 --> 00:49:38.278
And it's something I've chased ever since.
00:49:38.618 --> 00:49:41.078
I've wanted that moment again. Just having the courage to do that.
00:49:41.098 --> 00:49:43.578
Yeah. Yeah. Having the courage to do that and the audience. Yeah.
00:49:44.618 --> 00:49:47.578
I love doing that too. Yeah. Yeah, it's magical. I'm trying to think,
00:49:47.838 --> 00:49:52.278
oh, I remember a bit, you think, when things go wrong in opera.
00:49:53.618 --> 00:49:55.378
Because we were doing a production of Bohème.
00:49:55.538 --> 00:49:57.778
Oh, yeah. And it was...
00:49:58.163 --> 00:50:03.943
It was a 1950s-style thing, and there was a bathtub. This is in Act 4.
00:50:04.323 --> 00:50:06.643
So, you know, Rodolfo's got to go to Mimi with the bonnet. Oh, yeah.
00:50:07.203 --> 00:50:11.023
La mia corfietta, la mia corfietta, where Mimi remembers the bonnet he bought
00:50:11.023 --> 00:50:13.983
for her in Act 2, and he brings it out when she's dying.
00:50:14.283 --> 00:50:19.003
So there was a bathtub where the bonnet usually was, and there's a pause in
00:50:19.003 --> 00:50:22.203
the orchestra before Mimi says la mia corfietta.
00:50:23.263 --> 00:50:27.223
So nothing happens. Yeah. So I am rummaging around the bathtub.
00:50:27.883 --> 00:50:32.443
The orchestra has paused. I'm rummaging around the bathtub, cannot find a bonnet.
00:50:33.723 --> 00:50:37.243
I'm kind of mouthing to the stage management side stage going,
00:50:37.483 --> 00:50:41.023
bonnet? You know, and they're going, oh, no. Yeah.
00:50:41.968 --> 00:50:45.088
It was Cheryl Barker. Do you know Cheryl? Of course.
00:50:45.468 --> 00:50:48.908
I saw that production. Cheryl was from me. And she's, so she's sitting in the
00:50:48.908 --> 00:50:53.508
chair and all I could find, so it would have been maybe 30 seconds.
00:50:53.768 --> 00:50:58.008
So you can imagine Sydney Opera House holding the, I can't go with nothing.
00:50:58.388 --> 00:51:02.548
I cannot go with nothing. All I could find was a hubcap.
00:51:03.908 --> 00:51:08.308
A hubcap in the bathroom. Like a 1950s hubcap. I think in the bathroom because
00:51:08.308 --> 00:51:10.868
it was, we just had crap everywhere. That kind of production.
00:51:11.548 --> 00:51:15.748
So I went, I thought, oh, I'm just going to go with the hubcap and pretend it's a boner.
00:51:16.908 --> 00:51:19.708
And Cheryl is a shocking giggler. I mean, we both are.
00:51:19.948 --> 00:51:25.928
I mean, in Act 2, we used to see how far we could go with a lolly in our mouth
00:51:25.928 --> 00:51:29.928
without spitting it out or swallowing it before we sang.
00:51:30.628 --> 00:51:36.208
So I look at her, she sees the hubcap, and I thought, she's going to go,
00:51:36.328 --> 00:51:38.148
she's going to go, she's going to go.
00:51:38.308 --> 00:51:41.588
La mio cofieta, la mio. It'd become known as Lummi, a hubcap.
00:51:43.228 --> 00:51:46.588
It would have been, now you can imagine how long, about 30 seconds.
00:51:46.748 --> 00:51:47.708
Oh, God, that's interminable.
00:51:48.008 --> 00:51:51.948
In an opera. Yeah. And I'd do this little thing, a little dance,
00:51:52.148 --> 00:51:55.048
where I'd present the hubcap as opposed to the bonnet.
00:51:55.508 --> 00:52:00.548
And I thought she nearly went, but the audience were totally on edge. Oh, wow.
00:52:00.948 --> 00:52:03.908
You know, you could feel the audience leaning forward going,
00:52:03.968 --> 00:52:05.328
what's going on? What's going on, yeah.
00:52:06.448 --> 00:52:11.588
So good. But it was pretty, it was funny. It was very, very funny. Oh, that's great.
00:52:12.428 --> 00:52:15.568
And, of course, it affects everything because it's. Yeah.
00:52:15.828 --> 00:52:19.928
No, but curiously, it was one of her best deaths. Oh, wow.
00:52:20.108 --> 00:52:25.228
It was one of our best, you know, because the audience was so kind of engaged in the moment.
00:52:25.764 --> 00:52:29.004
And it felt, because it was so real and Cheryl and I had, you know,
00:52:29.144 --> 00:52:33.164
a pretty good relationship so we could, yeah. Yeah, really lean into it.
00:52:33.184 --> 00:52:36.884
You know, are you going to laugh or are you not? Oh, that's great. Wow.
00:52:37.264 --> 00:52:40.924
Yeah, that's good. Hey, I want to hear about what's next now,
00:52:41.044 --> 00:52:45.664
the touring you do with Marina Pryor, but you've got Ovation coming up as well.
00:52:45.764 --> 00:52:51.544
You've just done a tour with Colin Lane, is that right? Which looked phenomenal.
00:52:51.884 --> 00:52:55.624
Yeah. Well, Colin, for those of you who don't know, Colin Lane is a comedian
00:52:55.624 --> 00:53:01.764
and he's part of Lane O'M Woodley, which is a comedic duo, probably Australia's most loved comedic duo.
00:53:02.124 --> 00:53:08.904
And Colin and I have been buddies for a million years and we just came up with this idea once.
00:53:08.964 --> 00:53:13.644
I had to do this weird thing on a cruise ship called Bravo, which is where we
00:53:13.644 --> 00:53:16.724
– it's like an opera music theatre thing. Awesome.
00:53:16.984 --> 00:53:19.464
Do you know Guy Noble? Yeah, yeah. Of course. Yeah, yeah.
00:53:20.344 --> 00:53:23.864
Like we have a full orchestra on board and, you know, we actually,
00:53:23.904 --> 00:53:26.944
we've had people like, I've done the last nine or ten.
00:53:27.284 --> 00:53:31.404
We've had people like Kiri Di Cana and Jose Carreras with us and it's been fantastic.
00:53:31.524 --> 00:53:35.824
Elaine Page and all Australian people from, you know, Ted, as you're talking
00:53:35.824 --> 00:53:37.264
about, Teddy was on there, Teddy Tahiris.
00:53:37.304 --> 00:53:40.684
I'm not bitter, but they almost had me last year and then they didn't.
00:53:40.784 --> 00:53:43.844
Oh, what happened? Let's carry on, shall we? Be bitter.
00:53:44.684 --> 00:53:48.484
I'm very bitter. Do you know what's great about it? It's because we're all,
00:53:48.484 --> 00:53:50.704
you know, we're all like-minded artists on this.
00:53:51.224 --> 00:53:55.544
We're stuck together on a ship, but we all get on so well. It's great. It was a lot of fun.
00:53:55.704 --> 00:53:59.844
Anyway, they needed, they were going to have a comedian do something on the
00:53:59.844 --> 00:54:05.244
very first Bravo cruise, and the comedian pulled out,
00:54:05.464 --> 00:54:09.964
someone from America, and then Colin and I were loosely talking about doing
00:54:09.964 --> 00:54:14.104
something because we, you know, I like comedy and he likes music. He's got a good voice.
00:54:14.144 --> 00:54:17.264
So we just came up with this concept of opera singer wants to be comedian,
00:54:17.264 --> 00:54:20.604
comedian wants to be opera singer the worlds collide and we wrote a few skits
00:54:20.604 --> 00:54:25.544
and we did it on board this um the cruise where we did about 25 minutes with
00:54:25.544 --> 00:54:27.904
an orchestra so i mean colin was just,
00:54:28.384 --> 00:54:31.444
awestruck because he was singing with an orchestra as well and and
00:54:31.444 --> 00:54:34.264
the conceit was and i don't without giving too
00:54:34.264 --> 00:54:36.964
much away teddy tahoe rose was on there who's obviously i've sang a
00:54:36.964 --> 00:54:42.044
lot with as well and you know we did we did a pearlfish's duet which the recording
00:54:42.044 --> 00:54:46.904
kind of went very very well so we all the conceit was that colin wanted to sing
00:54:46.904 --> 00:54:50.864
the pearlfish's duet and i said no there's no way you're gonna do it anyway
00:54:50.864 --> 00:54:56.684
so colin i do this song it's called entails and it's such a joy because we sing.
00:54:57.364 --> 00:55:02.904
You know, we do all these routines and we sing songs and it's a mixture of opera
00:55:02.904 --> 00:55:06.744
and kind of music theatre and popular stuff but a lot of fun.
00:55:06.924 --> 00:55:08.484
And it's kind of old school.
00:55:08.684 --> 00:55:15.224
It's hopefully charming in a way. It's like, you know, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby
00:55:15.224 --> 00:55:17.564
or Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.
00:55:17.704 --> 00:55:20.064
I mean, those kind of old pairs.
00:55:20.424 --> 00:55:24.004
It had that kind of vibe. So I absolutely loved it. Look, I've been very lucky
00:55:24.004 --> 00:55:27.264
with the duos that I've had, like Marina Prioress said, I've known Marina for,
00:55:27.424 --> 00:55:31.404
well, all of our professional crew because we both did our first show together.
00:55:31.704 --> 00:55:36.764
So you can't buy that kind of chemistry on stage. No. And if you're lucky,
00:55:36.924 --> 00:55:39.284
no one cares who gets the laughs.
00:55:39.464 --> 00:55:43.404
You know, it's just absolute freedom and generosity of spirit on stage.
00:55:43.844 --> 00:55:47.604
Amazing. And that's my favourite thing. And the audience pick it too.
00:55:47.844 --> 00:55:55.164
Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that. And I love it when I go to see artists and it's unfettered.
00:55:55.688 --> 00:55:58.628
And we're seeing them, I really love that.
00:55:58.928 --> 00:56:02.748
And for these things I do with Marina, I mean, you know, there's no makeup, there's no artifice.
00:56:03.008 --> 00:56:06.908
We still hopefully put on, you know, serious music and serious performance,
00:56:06.908 --> 00:56:11.068
but we get to be ourselves. So I think that at a certain stage in your career,
00:56:11.208 --> 00:56:12.888
you can do that. You can't really do it when you're younger.
00:56:13.088 --> 00:56:17.048
Yeah, true. But I think there's a certain, at a certain stage of your career,
00:56:17.188 --> 00:56:20.948
it's great to be able to go, you know what, we're just going to go out and we're
00:56:20.948 --> 00:56:23.868
going to do this and you're going to be in our living room almost.
00:56:23.868 --> 00:56:25.708
Yeah, and this is who we are.
00:56:26.268 --> 00:56:28.348
And I love that as an audience member. I mean, I love going,
00:56:28.468 --> 00:56:31.748
I remember seeing Mandy Patinkin do that, Billy Crystal.
00:56:32.408 --> 00:56:35.068
Yeah, I've seen these guys. That was so cool. I mean, yes, they,
00:56:35.228 --> 00:56:39.888
even, I mean, I know this sounds weird, but I never liked, not that I never
00:56:39.888 --> 00:56:42.648
liked him, but Leonard Cohen, for instance, who I never really got,
00:56:42.728 --> 00:56:43.908
but I went and saw him live. Oh, yeah.
00:56:44.048 --> 00:56:50.008
And all of a sudden, I got it. Oh, wow. I kind of got this, you can't, is he a singer?
00:56:50.208 --> 00:56:53.848
Is he a songwriter? No, no, but the poet and the man and the humility and the
00:56:53.848 --> 00:56:56.888
humanity came out, I thought, oh, my God, when I saw that live.
00:56:57.608 --> 00:57:02.608
And when you get to see singers, God, I remember seeing Nikolai Getter,
00:57:02.648 --> 00:57:05.348
for instance, in his mid-60s when he came out.
00:57:05.748 --> 00:57:11.628
And a similar thing, he was at that stage, he still had that amazing technique
00:57:11.628 --> 00:57:15.128
and that height and the sound, but he was also himself.
00:57:15.328 --> 00:57:17.328
Like, he could feel that he… Yes, yes.
00:57:17.572 --> 00:57:22.312
Yeah, he just relaxed on stage. Yeah, no, I love that. I saw Jessie Norman right
00:57:22.312 --> 00:57:25.412
at the end of her career and she came on stage. Oh, my God, did you?
00:57:25.632 --> 00:57:29.592
Yeah, and she came on stage in fluffy slippers and a gown and it was just her
00:57:29.592 --> 00:57:31.032
and actually at one point. She did not.
00:57:31.212 --> 00:57:34.312
She did and it was for the Jazz Festival in London and I'll never forget it
00:57:34.312 --> 00:57:37.652
because it was the only time I ever saw her live and she's a hero of mine.
00:57:37.672 --> 00:57:41.652
But what I loved exactly what you're saying was that it was a piece of her and
00:57:41.652 --> 00:57:45.152
actually at one point her voice brought, like it just cracked a little bit
00:57:45.572 --> 00:57:49.432
And she just went, she just kind of went like this to her pianist and she looked
00:57:49.432 --> 00:57:53.692
at the audience, she smiled and she said, some days it's amazing that it even comes out.
00:57:53.872 --> 00:57:57.952
And she said, she said, you got enough of that, didn't you?
00:57:58.072 --> 00:58:00.752
And then she just moved on to the next song. And I just thought,
00:58:00.832 --> 00:58:04.092
that's like, I want to be that cool when I grow up, you know?
00:58:04.372 --> 00:58:07.092
Oh, that's amazing. And how, how good was it live?
00:58:07.512 --> 00:58:10.492
Oh, incredible. What was it like live? But the thing was.
00:58:10.632 --> 00:58:15.912
It's beautiful. The voice was nothing like it was, but the artist and the artistry
00:58:15.912 --> 00:58:22.432
and just being, you know, being in front of that voice in the last part of her
00:58:22.432 --> 00:58:25.072
life with everything she's gone through.
00:58:25.192 --> 00:58:30.352
And even, you know, even hearing the voice imperfectly was in itself just such
00:58:30.352 --> 00:58:34.392
a masterclass, you know, like she knew what she could do. She knew what she couldn't do.
00:58:34.812 --> 00:58:39.492
She's told the story through her sound, through her body. But at this age and
00:58:39.492 --> 00:58:42.492
this stage, it was remarkable. But wouldn't you say that.
00:58:43.031 --> 00:58:46.831
We, today, particularly with, you know, digital recording and what have you,
00:58:46.951 --> 00:58:51.451
the kind of, we should always strive for the perfection, I know,
00:58:51.551 --> 00:58:55.151
but sometimes it's kind of where you go and hear the old recordings of people
00:58:55.151 --> 00:58:56.731
we covet and lord and love.
00:58:57.111 --> 00:59:00.471
The imperfection is almost something we revel in.
00:59:00.691 --> 00:59:04.251
Yeah, yeah, definitely agree. And I say this to people all the time,
00:59:04.731 --> 00:59:06.411
perfect is boring, you know.
00:59:06.751 --> 00:59:10.651
Part of the joy of being at the theatre and hearing a live voice and hearing
00:59:10.651 --> 00:59:13.091
the dangers of anything could happen.
00:59:13.311 --> 00:59:16.791
And all of us have been in a theatre show, music theatre, opera,
00:59:16.991 --> 00:59:20.051
it doesn't matter, where something goes wrong and you watch the performers recover
00:59:20.051 --> 00:59:23.611
from it in a comedy way or a dramatic way or whatever and you just think,
00:59:23.651 --> 00:59:27.271
shit, that was a night to remember, you know. No one, I don't want perfect.
00:59:27.451 --> 00:59:30.611
But do you think, but as a teacher and someone who's,
00:59:30.951 --> 00:59:34.571
you know, on the world stage at the moment, and you did talk about it,
00:59:34.611 --> 00:59:39.211
the fact that you're trying to get that authenticity, is there a kind of blandness
00:59:39.211 --> 00:59:43.571
a little bit or am I wrong just a little bit more than there used to be?
00:59:43.711 --> 00:59:46.331
Yes. Am I right? Yeah. I think definitely.
00:59:46.751 --> 00:59:51.211
And also the kind of sometimes, you know, people are going for loud instead
00:59:51.211 --> 00:59:53.871
of soft and it's not loud enough sometimes or it's too soft or,
00:59:54.011 --> 00:59:55.031
you know, the orchestra is too loud.
00:59:55.691 --> 01:00:02.191
Just sometimes there's no symbiotic kind of cohesion between what should and
01:00:02.191 --> 01:00:04.471
shouldn't be. You know what I'm saying? Oh, yeah.
01:00:04.671 --> 01:00:08.011
Sometimes you think the conductor's playing for himself. Sometimes it doesn't
01:00:08.011 --> 01:00:10.071
be like a singer a lot. Oh, my God. Yeah.
01:00:10.471 --> 01:00:14.151
No. I'm sick of going to the opera and having the orchestra around the singers. Oh.
01:00:14.331 --> 01:00:17.991
And then sometimes you think, okay, voices aren't quite big enough or well-produced
01:00:17.991 --> 01:00:21.471
enough, but then you've got to think, are they sacrificing music for the voice sometimes?
01:00:22.931 --> 01:00:27.891
But, you know, the best opera conductors never did. No, that's right. That's exactly right.
01:00:28.240 --> 01:00:31.020
Am I right? You tell me. But, I mean, you've got a particularly,
01:00:31.020 --> 01:00:34.480
you know, lyric, dramatic voice.
01:00:34.500 --> 01:00:39.040
So, you're in a, you know, you're one of the rare ones who can feel.
01:00:39.760 --> 01:00:42.180
But we spend so much time trying.
01:00:43.020 --> 01:00:47.060
A lot of the new generation, I said this to them when I was working with them
01:00:47.060 --> 01:00:49.780
for the Sanaria, I said, stop trying to be loud.
01:00:51.060 --> 01:00:55.160
But Maestro told me I couldn't be heard. I'm like, it has nothing to do with
01:00:55.160 --> 01:00:56.200
your volume. Placement.
01:00:56.440 --> 01:01:00.060
It has nothing. okay, you can't control the sensitivity of the orchestra.
01:01:00.060 --> 01:01:05.300
That's something you can't control and we need more of that and more maestros
01:01:05.300 --> 01:01:07.800
who are listening and understand the voice.
01:01:08.140 --> 01:01:12.080
And someone in the house listening. Yes, please.
01:01:12.820 --> 01:01:16.860
Someone in the house, go out and have a listen. But the minute you say to a
01:01:16.860 --> 01:01:20.720
young and experienced singer, I can't hear you, what are they going to do?
01:01:20.780 --> 01:01:24.100
They're going to push and it's not even going to be of any help to anyone.
01:01:24.100 --> 01:01:27.440
It's all about their placement, where it sits, to be beautiful.
01:01:27.740 --> 01:01:30.620
I mean, Adam and I were talking about this and I think, Adam,
01:01:30.680 --> 01:01:33.540
it was you or someone said to me the other day, you know, your voice isn't the
01:01:33.540 --> 01:01:36.640
biggest in the world, but I can always hear you even in your pianissimo in the
01:01:36.640 --> 01:01:40.600
theatre because, you know, you know how to do it. Yeah, you've got a singer's formance.
01:01:40.780 --> 01:01:43.260
You know that placement for sure. Yeah, no, no.
01:01:43.520 --> 01:01:46.640
No, I'm very passionate about that. And you're right about conductors and things
01:01:46.640 --> 01:01:51.540
as well and people not just trying so hard to prove themselves individually
01:01:51.540 --> 01:01:52.980
because it's a team sport.
01:01:53.520 --> 01:01:58.460
And the minute it becomes, you know, a beautiful collaboration between all of
01:01:58.460 --> 01:02:02.900
you, that's when it's going to be at its best, not when you individually are being at your best.
01:02:02.980 --> 01:02:08.180
And you feel supported, like you're not feeling as though you've got an enemy in the pit. Yes.
01:02:08.340 --> 01:02:13.240
Or, you know, a nemesis that, you know, oh, so you're not what I want.
01:02:13.400 --> 01:02:16.560
You know, you're not what I want. Well, I've got what I am.
01:02:16.943 --> 01:02:20.283
I'm here, you know, let's work together and make it work. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
01:02:20.883 --> 01:02:25.963
100%. Look, David, we could definitely chat all night. I really am loving this
01:02:25.963 --> 01:02:28.283
conversation. Oh my gosh, sorry, we haven't really. No, this has been amazing.
01:02:28.443 --> 01:02:32.663
I've loved everything about this, but I reckon we're kind of coming to the end of our time.
01:02:32.743 --> 01:02:37.143
But before we let you go, we love to ask our guests five rapid fire questions.
01:02:37.323 --> 01:02:39.063
Are you up for our five rapid fire questions?
01:02:39.363 --> 01:02:41.583
Well, it depends how rapid I can come back. Yep, okay.
01:02:42.783 --> 01:02:46.403
We'll see. You know, Adam, I am renowned to being indecisive.
01:02:47.263 --> 01:02:49.803
Well, this is going to test you. This is really going to test you.
01:02:49.823 --> 01:02:53.823
Okay. So I'll kick off with, can you juggle?
01:02:54.783 --> 01:02:58.703
Yeah, I can do three. That'll do. We'll count that for sure. Absolutely.
01:02:59.523 --> 01:03:02.963
One hand or two. No, Jackie. Have you ever busked?
01:03:03.143 --> 01:03:09.203
Have I ever busked? I haven't busked, but I've definitely, you know, done gigs for nothing.
01:03:12.103 --> 01:03:17.923
Similar. And still do. Similar. Yeah. Okay. Okay, if you weren't a performer,
01:03:17.943 --> 01:03:22.743
a composer, what would you do with your life? Oh, easy. Oh, yeah, let's hear this one.
01:03:23.363 --> 01:03:27.343
Sportsman. Oh, of course. Of course. Yeah, so tell us about that.
01:03:27.343 --> 01:03:29.323
Definitely. I love sport. Oh, I just have a real passion for sport.
01:03:29.323 --> 01:03:31.243
What's your sport of choice?
01:03:32.663 --> 01:03:35.063
Well, probably AFL. Okay. Australian Rules Football. Yep.
01:03:36.145 --> 01:03:38.625
But I love everything. I still play footy. I still play cricket.
01:03:38.645 --> 01:03:40.165
I still play tennis. I surf.
01:03:40.845 --> 01:03:44.805
Amazing. I'm a jock. I'm a jock. And there's a group of us that still,
01:03:45.005 --> 01:03:47.805
they're mainly comedians and musos and rock musos.
01:03:47.965 --> 01:03:50.305
We still keep the footy twice a week. Oh, that's awesome.
01:03:50.745 --> 01:03:53.765
Who's your AFL team? Melbourne. Go Ds. Yeah, go the Ds.
01:03:54.305 --> 01:03:57.885
Actually, talking about, like, I think you said you had Ben Northey. We did, yep.
01:03:58.025 --> 01:04:02.065
I know very well. Ben, well, he's a Ballarat boy as well, where I was from.
01:04:02.165 --> 01:04:04.005
He used to live across the road from me. Oh, really?
01:04:04.325 --> 01:04:05.565
Wow. Actually, I bought – and
01:04:05.565 --> 01:04:09.125
his dad, he's – sorry, his uncle was a great coach. He coached Melbourne.
01:04:10.325 --> 01:04:15.665
And his dad – beautiful family in the North. Anyway, I brought Ben down to play footy once.
01:04:15.985 --> 01:04:18.445
Did his quad. He hasn't come back down.
01:04:18.965 --> 01:04:21.725
Was it his hammy or his quad? So I've got to get him back down.
01:04:21.765 --> 01:04:23.745
Don't break Ben. Yeah. No.
01:04:24.185 --> 01:04:29.405
He's a big Tiger fan, big Tiger boy. What about you? Do you follow any team?
01:04:29.625 --> 01:04:30.685
Do you follow a team? Adam?
01:04:31.405 --> 01:04:34.445
Well, for me, I follow the Ds for my sins.
01:04:34.885 --> 01:04:37.605
Adam, I didn't know that. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Wow, fantastic. Well,
01:04:37.705 --> 01:04:43.805
it's like my son who I gave, well, he's inherited, and I passed it down to him,
01:04:43.905 --> 01:04:46.765
the love of the Ds. And there was a story I remember.
01:04:47.625 --> 01:04:51.985
He came home from school one day. His sister, Maddie, was five at the time.
01:04:52.065 --> 01:04:52.845
He would have been about three.
01:04:53.345 --> 01:04:56.445
And she went over to the window and started praying. And she said,
01:04:57.345 --> 01:05:00.885
Dear Lord, please come into my heart, and I will be your helper.
01:05:01.365 --> 01:05:05.125
And my wife, Amber, was at the kitchen bench going, Oh, darling,
01:05:05.225 --> 01:05:09.085
that's a lovely thing to think. What a lovely prayer and thinking about everyone, big-hearted.
01:05:09.345 --> 01:05:13.085
And here, I've just made a couple of cupcakes. Have a cupcake or two.
01:05:13.225 --> 01:05:17.565
And so Sam's over the other side of the room and he was listening to what's
01:05:17.565 --> 01:05:19.605
going on, thinking, geez, I wouldn't mind a piece of this action.
01:05:21.185 --> 01:05:25.265
He went over to the same spot in the window with the sun streaming down,
01:05:25.405 --> 01:05:29.345
put his hands together, made sure mum was watching and went, Go, Dee! Peace.
01:05:33.808 --> 01:05:37.208
That was his prayer. It didn't work. I was going to say it probably didn't work
01:05:37.208 --> 01:05:40.028
for about two-thirds of the season, but we appreciate the sentiment.
01:05:41.188 --> 01:05:46.368
No cupcakes, eh? Anyway, sorry, go on. If you could perform a duet with anyone
01:05:46.368 --> 01:05:48.748
in the world, living or dead, who would it be?
01:05:49.468 --> 01:05:54.288
Oh, God. That's a hard one, eh? That is so hard.
01:05:55.008 --> 01:05:57.808
Gee, that's tough. Who did you say? Oh, no, you can't borrow them.
01:05:57.908 --> 01:06:00.288
No, you can't borrow them. I'm not going to borrow them. I'm just curious.
01:06:02.108 --> 01:06:05.668
There's so many. How do you choose one? So it's got to be a singer, obviously.
01:06:05.888 --> 01:06:09.748
Well, not necessarily. Not necessarily. I feel like we've had,
01:06:09.888 --> 01:06:12.868
I feel like somebody's picked a clarinetist.
01:06:13.008 --> 01:06:16.008
Yeah, you're right. Someone did pick an instrumentalist. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:06:16.568 --> 01:06:20.668
All right, I'll go really left field. Linda Ronstadt. Oh, great choice.
01:06:21.668 --> 01:06:27.048
Linda Ronstadt. That'd be great. What would you say? Yeah, Linda Ronstadt. Long, long time.
01:06:28.168 --> 01:06:32.708
Oh, that's great. Nice. Oh, yeah, I'd pay to hear that. That's really good, actually.
01:06:32.968 --> 01:06:37.308
Yeah, I like that a lot. Well, if I went classical, I would have offended everyone.
01:06:38.868 --> 01:06:41.168
Yeah. Actually, I was going to say Groucho Marx for a minute.
01:06:41.548 --> 01:06:43.128
Oh, that would have been good. I thought of Groucho Marx.
01:06:44.828 --> 01:06:52.828
Or who have you enjoyed singing the most with? Like who vocally have both of you had the most kind of
01:06:53.250 --> 01:06:57.830
Wow, factor when you've sung with them. Probably I got to sing with Jamie Barton
01:06:57.830 --> 01:07:01.790
in Roberto Devereux over in San Francisco.
01:07:02.210 --> 01:07:05.870
Oh, nice. She's also a good friend, a dear friend of mine, but just like vocally,
01:07:06.010 --> 01:07:09.070
like that was extraordinary to, yeah, to do that.
01:07:09.610 --> 01:07:15.250
Fantastic. What about you, Adam? Oh, see, I'd go back very early in my singing career.
01:07:15.690 --> 01:07:20.530
One of the first oratorios I did was with Felicity Bulldog.
01:07:21.070 --> 01:07:24.770
Oh. And funnily, we spoke about this on another episode. We did, yeah.
01:07:24.890 --> 01:07:30.210
She was just so fantastic to sing with. And I still think about that to this day. It's nice.
01:07:30.450 --> 01:07:33.750
So I remember, I mean, not similarly, I'm just thinking of people,
01:07:33.830 --> 01:07:36.790
you know, connecting with all good moments.
01:07:36.990 --> 01:07:40.490
I was doing, like we're doing a new opera in San Francisco, talking of,
01:07:40.710 --> 01:07:43.910
this is another mentor-y type thing. And I was a young singer.
01:07:44.670 --> 01:07:49.030
It was people like Tom Hampson. Oh, wow. It was Von Stader and Renee Fleming.
01:07:49.030 --> 01:07:51.730
And all these due to force, all these people.
01:07:51.970 --> 01:07:56.550
And I had to do a bed scene with Frederica Bonstadter. Oh, wow.
01:07:56.890 --> 01:08:01.070
So imagine how nervous I was. And I loved her voice and she's such a great singer.
01:08:01.270 --> 01:08:04.970
We go to the bed and she takes my hand. She said, oh, David,
01:08:04.990 --> 01:08:06.450
I'm so nervous about doing this.
01:08:06.590 --> 01:08:09.390
So she was saying to me, I know you're nervous. Bless her.
01:08:10.630 --> 01:08:18.090
Like how cool is that? That's amazing. And you just melt. Yeah. Oh, God, I love that.
01:08:18.470 --> 01:08:21.430
Okay. Fifth and final question. Here we go. Fifth question.
01:08:22.270 --> 01:08:28.370
If you had to enter every room for the rest of your life with a theme song,
01:08:28.490 --> 01:08:32.890
and it would be your own personal theme song, what would it be? That I sang?
01:08:33.150 --> 01:08:38.590
No, you didn't have to sing, but every single time you walk into a room, your theme song plays.
01:08:38.770 --> 01:08:41.270
What is that theme song? It's got to be a song, doesn't it?
01:08:41.550 --> 01:08:44.350
Yeah, I reckon. Not a rap. Wow. Wow.
01:08:44.733 --> 01:08:48.093
Gee, that's hard. Yeah, it's a tricky one.
01:08:49.553 --> 01:08:53.353
This definitely throws a lot of people. I mean, you kind of think,
01:08:53.453 --> 01:08:57.273
what's my favourite song? I don't have one. I mean, is it a Beatles song?
01:08:58.533 --> 01:09:01.673
What says Hobbo as soon as you walk in the room? That's the question.
01:09:02.053 --> 01:09:04.673
Yeah, good question. Or what says me?
01:09:05.093 --> 01:09:08.373
Gee, how long do people take to answer this one? Isn't that interesting?
01:09:08.633 --> 01:09:13.273
What would define me? Have we given David Hobson an existential crisis? You really have.
01:09:16.773 --> 01:09:19.833
No, that's a really, really good question. I mean, things like,
01:09:19.933 --> 01:09:23.373
you know, the soprano, Aria from Zyeda, why does that come into my head?
01:09:27.616 --> 01:09:30.616
It doesn't say me. I'm just saying what stuff's coming through my head.
01:09:30.716 --> 01:09:34.376
Yeah, yeah. You know, Till There Was You comes into my head. Oh, that's good.
01:09:34.836 --> 01:09:37.496
That's quite good. That's a good one. I like that. Till There Was You.
01:09:37.656 --> 01:09:40.876
That's one of my favorite songs. I was just saying Till There Was You. There we go.
01:09:42.096 --> 01:09:47.656
Because it's from music theater. Beautiful. But it's the Beatles who I just
01:09:47.656 --> 01:09:50.216
absolutely worship and adore. Oh, could it be?
01:09:50.516 --> 01:09:53.636
No. I think Till There Was You is good. It's a good answer. It's a good choice.
01:09:53.636 --> 01:09:57.056
We'll give it to you. That can be your theme song. We like that a lot.
01:09:58.576 --> 01:10:02.556
Is that it? I'm sad. I'd like to see you guys again. That was so lovely.
01:10:02.816 --> 01:10:05.676
Well, then, A, let's do this again another time because we've clearly got so
01:10:05.676 --> 01:10:08.096
much more we'd love to chat about. This has been so much fun.
01:10:08.296 --> 01:10:12.556
I'm going to throw to Helena for one final question with the really burning
01:10:12.556 --> 01:10:14.996
bonus sixth rapid fire question.
01:10:15.136 --> 01:10:17.356
Let's hear an answer to this. Here we go. This is very important.
01:10:17.616 --> 01:10:20.716
Do you eat pizza with a knife and fork?
01:10:22.276 --> 01:10:26.856
Oh, definitely a knife and fork. Oh, no. Oh, no. Yes.
01:10:27.776 --> 01:10:31.836
And people think I'm mad. Oh, good. I'm glad people are judging you.
01:10:31.856 --> 01:10:34.536
My wife goes, what are you doing? Why are you even, you know.
01:10:36.076 --> 01:10:40.076
That's a point to Team Helena. Oh, God. We've had such a good run.
01:10:40.076 --> 01:10:43.036
Is that what you do? Oh, yeah. Helena does. Do you use a knife and fork? Yeah.
01:10:43.616 --> 01:10:47.356
Yeah, I'm with you. And Adam gave me so much about it that last time I tried
01:10:47.356 --> 01:10:49.836
to eat a cookie at his place, he put a knife and fork on the table to try and
01:10:49.836 --> 01:10:51.456
be a smart person. And I was like, sorry.
01:10:53.916 --> 01:10:58.716
No, I love it. I love it. Oh, gosh. Well, look, on that just devastating note
01:10:58.716 --> 01:11:00.676
for me, I think we're going to wrap it up.
01:11:00.856 --> 01:11:04.156
But, David, thank you so much for coming on the episode. This has been great.
01:11:04.356 --> 01:11:08.836
No, thank you. It's been an honour to flatter me having me on,
01:11:08.916 --> 01:11:09.936
so thank you for having me on.
01:11:10.076 --> 01:11:12.816
Oh, it's been lovely. Thanks so much. To such luminaries.
01:11:13.136 --> 01:11:17.336
Thank you, Helena, Adam. Thanks so much for having me. Great to see you. Bye. Bye.