Feature
Something so strong
by Nick Bollinger
Neil Finn talks about the “bit of a stoush” that erupted when he criticized the Prime Minister and tells how the death of drummer Paul Hester spurred the re-forming of Crowed House.
When your remarks on the PM – “it’s like New Zealand music is taking over the world and it’s all because of Helen” – caused a stir with the likes of Ray Columbus and Sir Howard Morrison, you said you were “quite enjoying the feeling of being unpopular”. Yet looking at the discussion boards in the weeks that followed, far from being unpopular you appear to have been adopted as a mascot by anyone with a grudge against Clark. Have you been misconstrued? First, there were a lot of people having a crack at me, and it was quite novel and entertaining to have a bit of a stoush going on. When I explained myself properly, a lot of people jumped on board and said “good on ya”, for some reason.
You’ve got to recognise that it’s not important, anyway, compared to people dying in Iraq or being beaten up by their husbands in New Zealand. But, on the other hand, Labour have had a pretty easy run. I don’t think there’s a lot of serious criticism going on out there, certainly with their arts policy. Everyone’s so grateful to have a government that has acknowledged the arts in whatever form, that the critical faculties are not there in terms of whether the strategy’s right, whether it’s actually working, what the money might better be spent on and what the broader issues are of how to help youth culture.
Did you feel that the government had let you down in not picking up the idea you promoted of a national youth radio network? The government have let down young people. It doesn’t really matter about me, although it’s a very powerful idea and I’d be fascinated to listen to what young people in New Zealand would make of a public radio service. I think the whole country would be richer for it.
The government did put together an advisory group who unanimously recommended it would be a great thing, put together a budget and a very pragmatic outline of how it would work, and it was just completely sidelined. What noises they made about it in the first place were not sincere, that’s what I was left feeling.
Crowded House have come back in the year that seemingly every band that ever existed is having a reunion. The Police, Genesis, Rage Against the Machine, the Jesus and Mary Chain … We’re finally part of a movement. We were never quite sure where we fitted in and I think a lot of people weren’t, either. But now we’re part of the reunion movement.
At what point did you know you were going to make a Crowded House record [the first in 14 years] and not just the next Neil Finn solo album? Only near the end. [Original Crowded House bass player] Nick Seymour was involved and just became more deeply ingrained, more opinionated, more collaborative. By the end of the recording there was just something about it that felt like a band again, even though there were only two of us. We discussed for a moment that maybe we should make up a new name and then thought what madness that would be.
Does the fact that the band exists again have anything to do with the death of [original Crowded House drummer] Paul Hester? It’s been a spur, there’s no doubt. Initially, it was good for Nick and me to spend time together and reconnect. That was helpful to both of us. But also, not to leave it with such a sad ending.
Many of the songs on Time on Earth [which is released on July 2] could be about Paul’s death. Even a title like “Silent House”, the song you wrote with the Dixie Chicks, has a certain symbolism. It was about [Dixie Chick] Natalie Maines’s grandmother having Alzheimer’s, actually. Having to pack up her grandmother’s house after she’d gone into a home. But even songs that are not about Paul had moments when suddenly a couple of lines would pop out and I’d go, “I know why I’m thinking that.” It was a profound event. It knocked me off my feet and I had to stop touring for a while to process it, and even now it’s deeply mysterious. It still gives me the shits, really.
How does it feel to be part of a band again? Awesome. Being in a band you feel less insecurity. Because there are a lot of things as a solo artist that conspire to make you insecure. Just the level of criticism out there. You can have moments of feeling crushed by something ridiculous, like you didn’t make some list you wished you were on or weren’t invited to play some festival. When you’re with a band, it’s “Who gives a shit?” You just feel strong and I’m appreciative of it.
So, is it Crowded House from here on out? There will be other things, but there’s a really good solid feeling about it, so I think it will go on. And now both my boys are shaping up to be such bloody good musicians, I’m really looking forward to getting amongst it with them at some point.
