What has Boom Crash Opera's Peter Farnan been up to lately? OR Keep it in, Cut it out, Kick it out!!

Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.

Discover the rich tapestry of Australian rock as Peter Farnan of Boom Crash Opera joins me, Cheryl Lee, for a candid conversation about the highs and lows of a 40-year musical odyssey. With guitar in hand and a treasure trove of stories, Peter recounts the band's past, his own musical lineage, and the unexpected paths that led to a dual life as a teacher and rock legend. It's not every day you get to peek behind the curtain of a band that's weathered the storm of the music industry with such grace and tenacity.

Strap in for a ride down memory lane where anthems like "Onion Skin" still reverberate with electric energy, and learn why touring with 1927 isn't just a concert—it's a cultural event for the fans and the bands themselves. We'll celebrate the camaraderie that keeps Boom Crash Opera's heart beating, reflect on the art of growing together as musicians, and even get a glimpse of their refreshingly humble backstage requests. This episode isn't just a chat; it's an homage to the soundtrack of our lives, featuring one of the true stalwarts of the Aussie music scene. Join us and feel the beat that's still rocking it!

What have Boom Crash Opera been up to lately ... lets's find out!

Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!

Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au

Transcript

Cheryl Lee: 0:04

That Radio Chick Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rockin' It P odcast where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. 80s legends, Boom Crash Opera join forces with 1927 for the Ultimate Retro Tour - T he Best Things On Tour. We're lucky to catch up with guitarist founding member Peter Farnan, who has the patience of Jobe I think I've been able to edit out all of our technical problems, but what a very patient and gracious man. I hope you enjoy the chat with Peter Farnan as much as I did. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to That Radio Chick. com. au. You're with Cheryl Lee. I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today Peter Farnan, founding member of Boom Crash Opera, who started in 84-85. So we're talking 40 years. Congratulations for starters for that, Peter.

Peter Farnan: 1:06

I'm pulling faces that you can't see on the radio, but thank you.

Cheryl Lee: 1:11

That lasted a lot longer than a lot of marriages. Good on you for pulling that one off. The composer, sound engineer, musical director and guitarist, born in Melbourne, was music always in your destiny? Did you pick up a guitar age two and know it was your thing? How did music start for you?

Peter Farnan: 1:33

I think it was. It's in the family. My sister's a singer. Grandfather I never met was a singer because he died before I was born. But we do have his piano in the house and my sister has his other piano. And my father was thumping on the piano. When I was in bed I could hear him thumping out all the old 19 20s pop tunes. All of the rules of Western harmony are built into those songs written by jazz tunes, often by Jewish composers, Jewish immigrants. So I started the ukulele when I was five and the guitar a few years after that, and so it was always going to go that way, yeah.

Cheryl Lee: 2:18

It sounds like it is in your family DNA. Did you ever, though, have a plan B, just in case, or no? This was it. This was it.

Peter Farnan: 2:27

This is what I wanted to do? Yes, because I came from a sensible middle class family and there was pressure put on me to have a plan B. I went to uni but I studied music. So I studied music and I did a double degree so I could be a music teacher or an English teacher. So many years passed, you know. Just as soon as I left I didn't want, wasn't going to teach, so forget that. You know I interrupted the degree to tour in a band.

Peter Farnan: 2:57

I was in called Serious Young Insects and reluctantly went back to uni to finish the degree and then we started to take off. We went. But a few years ago, nearly 20 years ago, 19 years ago, I was the musical director on a show called the Sapphires in Melbourne, the first iteration of that stage play, and I was riding home from rehearsals and I fell off my bike, I got stuck in tram tracks, bad dislocation of my shoulder and the show opened and I was playing in the band and I was having a lot of trouble and a lot of pain and I freaked out and thought my God, maybe I can't play anymore. So I freaked out and immediately contacted the tertiary institution to see if they needed someone to teach songwriting, and it just so happened they did, and so I started teaching in higher ed. I fell back on my degree.

Cheryl Lee: 3:49

It must have been meant to be, and good old mum and dad had good advice.

Peter Farnan: 3:54

Yes, yes, yes, and eventually I did a masters, a research masters, and I'm still teaching. I teach at Melbourne University now. It's just casual, though, so it doesn't take up too much time.

Cheryl Lee: 4:06

And you can probably coordinate it around all of your band activities.

Peter Farnan: 4:12

Yes, yes, it's a shambles, but yeah, that's what I do.

Cheryl Lee: 4:16

Tell us then how did you get together with this bunch of likely lads called Boom Crash Opera Peter?

Peter Farnan: 4:23

Richard Pleasance was at the same institution doing the same degree that I was doing, and he actually came up to me at a gig and went oh right, you're the guy I see in the hallways, you know, at music school. So we made a connection. Then we started playing music together. Actually, the dying days of Serious Young Insects, Rich came and had a play, but that band didn't keep going and we just we eventually started writing songs together. We went okay, we've all been in these inner city bands. They show great promise, they fizzle out, they break up. What if we built a band that reflects that sort of inner city aesthetic? But it stayed together and it ran the course. So that was the plan.

Peter Farnan: 5:07

And Rich happened to have played in a sort of experimental band with Peter Maslin the drummer. Peter Maslin played in a cover band with a singer, Dale Ryder. So there's four of us. And then we just searched high and low for a keyboard player and eventually we found Greg O'Connor. Finding Greg O'Connor, the keyboard player. He was the real missing link in making that original lineup of the band zing. He was a visual artist and he was kind of a sound designer. Really, he was literally sitting in the studio two days ago because I'm helping him record his songs for a project that he's got working on at the moment.

Speaker 3: 5:45

You are listening to Still Rockin' It. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.

Cheryl Lee: 5:51

Time, I think, now to listen to their 1986 debut single, Great Wall, and we'll be back to speak to founding member and guitarist of Boom Crash Opera, Peter Farnan. Well, we're all familiar with all the great hits from Boom Crash Opera over the years Great Wall 86, number five, hands Up in the Air, also in 86, number 16, Onion Skin, Get Out of the House, Dancing in the Storm. The list goes on. Songs that created the fabric of our youth that you know we still love and hold really dear today. But I was just going to ask you a little bit about Peter, if I may, because you also, apart from Boom Crash Opera duties, produce music as Pesky Bones. Lots of people have been lucky to collaborate with you Paul Kelly, Megan Washington, Rebecca Barnard, Charles Jenkins, our friend Tim Rogers. Tell us a little bit about Pesky Bones.

Peter Farnan: 6:57

Yes, I've made three solo albums over the years. That's the second one that came out, 2017 I think. Prior to that, I'd worked on a feature film with Megan Washington and Tim Rogers and Paul Capsis. It had songs in it and we did a big concert for Melbourne Festival at the forum here in Melbourne, and I really like this idea of working with other singers. You know, and I went oh, I know a lot of people now because I work in the rock and roll world and I've worked in the theatre world and I've worked with Tim. Tim's, the rock and roller, but my work with him has been in theatre and film. And there are other people, like Sarah Ward, who I've worked with in theatre. She's a fantastic performer and Paul Capsis is a theatre performer, and so I thought, well, what if I just pull these people in?

Peter Farnan: 7:49

They're better than me, I thought I could hide behind this name Pesky Bones ridiculous, because the first thing I had to do when it was time to promote the record was come out from behind the mask. So it's me now. I just go look, it's a Peter Farnan record and it's called Pesky Bones, volume one. So that's how I run it. I threw the net wider and asked friends like Charles Jenkins and Paul Kelly to do it. I was very lucky that Paul agreed to do it and the song that Paul and Rebecca sing is, I think, one of the best songs I've ever written. You know, I'm proud of that song, I'm proud of all the work, but you know that one's particularly uh good, I think, or I like it and um yeah. So that was the project and I call the volume one because I thought it will make me do volume two and I just haven't got a round of that yet

Cheryl Lee: 8:38

watch this space. You heard it first here

Peter Farnan: 8:43

It's not on my horizon at the moment because I'm now distracted. You know, since that record I made an album called Home essentially was a lockdown record, I suppose and now I've got a band called the Homebodies. So I've got a band that plays those songs and we're starting to work on songs for another, for my next record essentially. So I think the whole idea of getting the guest vocalist has been pushed down the road great idea, though.

Cheryl Lee: 9:09

As punters, we love to hear our favorite people playing together.

Peter Farnan: 9:14

The more eclectic the pair up, I think, the more we love it yeah, look, it was a thrill, you know, having having Paul Capsis in this room here. Um, you know, took him about 20 minutes and then suddenly off he went and it was sort of hairs on the back of the neck hearing that guy sing

Cheryl Lee: 9:36

I'd like to play for you now that song that Peter is very, very proud of. It's a beautiful song featuring Paul Kelly and Rebecca Barnard.

Cheryl Lee: 9:59

Because a lot of people might not be aware of that with the melbourne theater company, lots of stuff rockabye, moonlight and magnolia's, all my sons and hitchcock along. The list goes on and on. And congratulations to nominations for green room awards, for those mullt house theater, a nomination for a helpman award and of course the Sapphires is that which is a great Australian story, that one you were the musical director and occasional performer I played on it until I I fell off my bike during the rehearsal, so the show opened with me in the band, but I pulled myself out and put someone else in oh yes, that's right to get my shoulder seen to.

Peter Farnan: 10:37

That was the original iteration of that show, which obviously lead to the movie, although that was way later, so the show was 2004. 2005 went to belville street in sydney and the original cast with. They had a lot of soul. That original production be it had, um, it had uh. Lisa Flanagan and Adelaide performer, I think, Lisa's a fantastic actor, Deborah Mailman, Rachel Mazza and Ursula Yovitch what a singer. Yes, they were just a really they were a great cast and they brought a lot of soul to that original production. There was a Sapphire's remount in 2010, 2011, and I'm not going to remember all of the performers, only some of them casey donovan did it. Rachel mazza's sister, lisa mazza, performed in it. We took it to london it is.

Cheryl Lee: 11:28

It's a fabulous australian story. It's great that it's had success in the theater and in london, and as for movie as well, it's one of my favorite australian movies actually yeah, look, by the time the movie came along I was out of there.

Peter Farnan: 11:40

It was time for a white guy like me to not have anything to do with it. You know it was unusual that I was involved originally. I work with Weasley on that original version. Weasley's an artist who I've got a lot of respect for Weasley. He was quite careful not to. He didn't just say, yeah, you can do it, I had to be scoped and checked out. He said vetted. Yeah, I had to be vetted, you know. He said look, you're where provisionally letting you in, but you know we need to check you out.

Cheryl Lee: 12:12

That's a bit of an honour. Actually it was.

Peter Farnan: 12:15

And now, of course it wouldn't happen. I wouldn't seek to have that job. Of course I'm not needed.

Cheryl Lee: 12:22

No, yes, you're superfluous to their requirements.

Peter Farnan: 12:25

There are folks from that community who could do the job better than me.

Speaker 3: 12:31

You are listening to Still Rockin' it. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.

Cheryl Lee: 12:36

So many great songs on the Sapphire's original motion picture soundtrack, I'm just going to go with the first one because I can't pick one the amazing Jessica Mowboy. I can't help myself. Sugar Pie, honey Bunch. We'll be back to speak to Peter Farnan from Boom Crash Opera straight after this Right, boom Crash Opera. The producer of your debut album once said the most important thing a group can do is stay together, keep it together and you can do anything you want. As I said at the beginning, congratulations for nearly 40 decades. That's an achievement in itself. What's the secret? Because many, many, many successful bands have come by the wayside. What's the secret of keeping the Boom boys together?

Peter Farnan: 13:29

I'd qualify that keep it together because Richard Pleasance and I started the band and Richard left in 91 or 92. So that original lineup didn't last, and so a lot of people have a lot of sentiment for the original lineup. I think that we've done equally as good work since then, but it hasn't been as popular or successful. Hmm, the secret. Well, we kind of we did keep stopping. We never officially broke up, but there were long periods where we went, where we didn't do anything together.

Cheryl Lee: 14:04

Or you did your own things.

Peter Farnan: 14:06

We did our own things, or people actually said I don't want to do it anymore and we just didn't tell the world. But there's something about coming back to it much later, when all of that sort of ambition and youthfuls are.

Cheryl Lee: 14:21

Would you say you were older and wiser, older and wiser.

Peter Farnan: 14:26

Yeah, you know hotheadedness is gone. I mean ambition does. It does drive a group and gets you places, but it also can create resentments and can muddy the waters. So and I'm not saying that's why Richard left, but I know, I know that I was a pain in the ass in the 80s, but I also know that my pushing and shoving was one of the things that helped get us along the road. Yes, I'm far less like that now.

Cheryl Lee: 15:00

And it's a balancing act. Isn't it to be pushing, ambitious enough to succeed without imploding?

Peter Farnan: 15:07

Yeah, and you know it's a big yeah, it's a big thing having this history and it weighs in a good way. We carry or wear that history proudly and well now and we know that that's something that we all share and there's a lot of joy in us celebrating that. We're kind of like a family and I include Richard, people who have been with us and no longer in the band, and I include Richard and Ian Tilly in that, and Dorian West and Mick Valance and of course, Greg O'Connor doesn't play with us anymore but, like I said, I was recording him two days ago in this room. So we are all part of a family and some of those folks have come and gone. You know, Richard's come back over the years. Dorian played with us a few years ago. He's an amazing musician. I still keep up with Mick Valance. Mick was the original replacement for Richard, but it was. We started having sort of temporary replacement folk until Ian Tilly. He then he became known as the new boy and he was in the band for 20 years, for 25 years.

Cheryl Lee: 16:11

The new kid on the block. I don't think there's a band around that hasn't had a lineup change at some stage, and some a lot more than others, but I think it's part of the journey and every member that comes and goes and comes back or whatever, they all contribute to the success and they'll contribute to what we love about Boom Crash Opera. And you guys, you should be very, very proud. You're one of Australia's most loved bands, with 13 top 50 singles and five top 50 albums, so that's, that's no mean feat. Congratulations again.

Peter Farnan: 16:48

Thank you. I've never heard those figures put like that before. I've got a bunch of gold records and platinum records behind me.

Cheryl Lee: 16:56

They're all sealed up, ready to go into storage for the renovation of my studio 1987 was a big year, nominated for three Aria Awards, highest selling single for Great Wall, best new talent, best new video for Hands Up in the Air, g reat video. And in 1986, Great Wall won Best Single. So no wonder we love, you know we've got that nostalgia and we love listening to these songs still now, today, 40 years later.

Peter Farnan: 17:26

I've got no response. That's not a question no you don't need to respond.

Cheryl Lee: 17:31

I thought I'd lost you again. No, I'm here. Yourself titled album in 87, Boom Crash Opera, 19 on the Kent Albums chart, certified gold. I think we should have that song now from the debut album Boom Crash Opera, Hands Up in the Air, the single that won Best Video that year, written by Peter Farnan, Dale Ryder and Richard Pleasance then back to speak to the co-writer of that song, Peter Farnan. Again, straight after this, what we need to talk about is what's happening now. We've looked back, let's look forward. In March you guys are embarking on a pretty extensive tour with another nostalgic band, 1927. How did that come about?

Peter Farnan: 18:30

Well, just lately we've been looking for other bands to tour with. There's something about putting on a night with two bands. You know the value for money thing for punters in having two bands. They've had bigger hits than us really, so it looks to me like a really good night have you toured with them previously.

Peter Farnan: 18:54

I don't know whether we toured with them. Someone in our band said, yeah, we toured with them, but it was years ago. It was back in the early 90s. Yeah, we did a string of shows with them, but I haven't seen them since then. Crikey, we're just starting to communicate now because we're putting together the logistics of how we're going to do this. So no, I just think it's so much better value for punters to come on and go oh, I know all of those songs. And then this band comes on and I know all of those songs.

Cheryl Lee: 19:28

Oh, I won't argue with you. That's right. Two for the price of one, yeah that's the idea. To get the tickets and I'll let you know when Boom Crash are coming to your town. But go to www. boomcrashopera. com to grab your tickets. I've got two more quick questions for you, if I've got time. Or have I overkept you? No, fire away. So back to Peter Farnan now. Have you got a non-negotiable on your rider, Like is there something that you just have to have? No, no.

Peter Farnan: 19:59

No, I mean we need a PA to play through.

Cheryl Lee: 20:03

Um, but I mean white

Peter Farnan: 20:09

these days we've tended to we ask for less things, and the agent often has sent them the wrong rider, you know.

Cheryl Lee: 20:18

And so we, oh gosh as you went out with bottles of vodka and it's embarrassing getting all these food platters and things you know.

Peter Farnan: 20:26

You know don't worry about, we're quite happy, you know we don't need that. I do know we toured a few years ago it's about 10 years ago with Sean Kelly from the Models and he was just playing by himself so he was going on before us. Somebody from the agency must have sent out the rider from when they had a number one single in the 80s, so we had our little rider on one table and then on another table. It was sort of decadent. You know, collapse of the Roman Empire's. You know he's gonna speak.

Peter Farnan: 20:55

Yeah, and he was terribly embarrassed. Can somebody help me with this? So it does happen.

Cheryl Lee: 21:02

Yeah.

Cheryl Lee: 21:09

Should we have a quick one from 1927, from 1988? That's confusing. If I could, by 1927. And then we're coming back to say goodbye to Peter and to hear what Peter Farnin from Boom Crash opera has on his playlist at the moment. When you're alone in your car or wherever it is that you get to listen to what you want to listen to what is on your playlist at the moment.

Peter Farnan: 21:46

Oh gosh, I'm going to sound like an old fart. At the moment. My listening taste is a little bit mellow and I really like a singer-songwriter and composer out of America named Gabrielle Cahane, and he's got an album called Book of Travelers that I just think is a masterpiece, and I've been listening a bit. I wrote an opera last year and it's acoustic instruments so it's not classical sounding. I got a lot of inspiration from the Punch Brothers so I like the Punch Brothers. It's kind of like prog folk.

Cheryl Lee: 22:21

Nice. So no secret, you know things. You like to listen to K or Marley. Cyrus or anything.

Peter Farnan: 22:28

No, no, no, no, real guilty pleasures no.

Cheryl Lee: 22:32

I really appreciate you spending some time with us today. Peter, thank you for being so patient with our technical difficulties. We wish you all the best for the tour starting in March. For the Adelaide listeners. We will see you down the front at the Gov on the 2nd of March.

Peter Farnan: 22:50

We love playing in Adelaide and we love playing at the Gov. It's always good at the Gov.

Cheryl Lee: 22:54

It's always a good night at the Gov. You are so right. We look forward to seeing you then. Thank you, Peter. Thanks again for your generous time today. Thanks, cheryl Ta-da, see you later. Bye, Ro Still the podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. I think you all know what song we're going to go out with, written by Peter Farnan, released in 89, the lead single from their second studio album, these here are crazy times, rating number 11 on the Aria charts Onion Skin. You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking at podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.