Your EP Feeding the Wolves turns 20 this year. Have you ever fed a wolf?
I’ve never fed a wolf. But I have fed a fox once. When I used to tour the UK, I’d always try and go for runs to stay fit on the road. We’d usually end up staying in these industrial areas just outside of town. You’d be running through these semi-rural areas. Once there was a fox eating from a garbage bin and I kicked an apple towards it because I wanted to see it eat.
And you’re going on tour to celebrate the EP’s anniversary. What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened to you on stage in the past two decades?
I was playing in regional Victoria and this guy got up and I just felt somehow threatened by him. He was in my space. He had his arm around me and he was singing into the microphone with me, and I was telling him to just back off a bit. Then he stepped on my mute pedal, so my guitar was muted. This was during Middle of the Hill and I’d invited people up to sing the end of the song with me many times, and usually everyone’s super chill.
I was looking at the security – like, this guy’s going too far – and they just didn’t do anything. I turned around and I sort of throat-punched him and he fell over. Finally, the security got up. The whole gig stopped. And then I just went straight back on into the song. It was gross, just chaotic, yucky.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
To be honest, being a musician. But prior to that I had a short-lived job as a door-to-door T-shirt salesman. They’d drop you off and you’d just go around from business to business. They were shirts with silly phrases on them and you’d have to go in and be charming, like, “Hey, this one would look great on you!”
I just hated it. So I lasted, like, two days. I sold a bunch, and part of what made me want to quit was that I was actually quite good at being a schmoozy salesman.
What’s the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it?
I have a treasure box with all these things I’ve collected over the years. I’ve got a little magic trick that my grandfather gave me. A relative from Michigan – where I visited when I was a little kid – gave me a badge from 1934. I’ve got a pair of ceramic booties from my christening, so I’ve got that from when I was born. And there’s this microphone which is a 1962 Neumann U67 which is my prized possession; I bought that in LA in 2008 when I was mixing my record Chimney’s Afire. I’d always wanted one, and there were two on sale from the Warner movie lot. I’ve used it on every album I’ve ever done after that.
Would you rather die at the bottom of the ocean or out in space?
Am I in a submarine and then I step outside? Because the thing about dying in either of those situations is the pressure, right? So if I was underwater at the bottom of the ocean, the pressure would crush me, and that would be very painful. And if I was taken down from the top to the bottom outside of a submarine, then that would be incredibly painful. Whereas in space, if you stepped outside, you would just [phwwwk] – it’s a vacuum. So I think space.
What do you do when you can’t get to sleep?
I have a very busy mind, so to stop myself I make myself think about what shelter I would construct in the TV show Alone. It’s meticulous: I’d get these logs, and I’d strip them of bark and I’d set up an A-frame. I’d get my tarp, and I’d put it down here, and I’d create two little depressions which would collect condensation for fresh water without having to boil it. I think I could last a fair while [in the wild], except I’d miss my family.
If you could change the size of any animal to keep as a pet, what would it be?
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How cool it would be to have a mini kangaroo? They’re cool animals. In terms of feeding them, they just eat grass. They just do these little pellet poos, which is no problem.
And I’m not talking like a pademelon or a wallaby. I’m talking a kangaroo – like a big eastern grey, but 15cm.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My mum used to say, always leave the party while you’re still having fun. For me, I have real Fomo, and I occasionally have some impulse control issues. I remind myself of that: sometimes it’s time to go home. But it’s also about relationships and jobs and stuff like that. It’s part of the overall concept of “don’t beat a dead horse”.
What is your least favourite word?
It’s not the word but how it’s used: indeed. So when you’re like, “Oh, that’s a good idea.” And then someone replies, “Indeed.” Indeed. Fuck, man. I just hate that. It really became a thing that everybody did about 15 years ago. It makes people seem eloquent or intelligent or something, but it just sounds wanky.
What is your most controversial pop culture opinion?
I don’t actually think that Charli xcx is very good. I know it’s because I’m a middle-aged, straight white male. It’s just not my jam. Even from a songwriting point of view, it’s not very out there, or inventive. It’s just kind of bland mainstream pop. I’m gonna get smashed for that!