Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Mark Lizotte been up to lately? OR Why was Diesel jealous of The Living End?
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
Australian rock icon Diesel takes center stage as he shares the journey of his musical career and the creation of his poignant album, "Alone with the Blues," crafted during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join us as Diesel reflects on the unexpected challenges and silver linings of the past few years, expressing a deep gratitude for the return to live music and the exhilaration of touring once again. With captivating stories from the Mundi Mundi Music Festival and a heartfelt appreciation for the breathtaking landscapes of Broken Hill, Diesel's narrative is one of resilience and renewed connection with audiences in the post-pandemic world.
In this engaging episode, Diesel opens up about the inspirations that drive his prolific songwriting and the joy of collaboration, offering a glimpse into his creative process and the legacy he hopes to pass on to budding musicians.
From the influences of his musical family to his first electric guitar, gifted by his siblings, Diesel's passion for music is both palpable and infectious. We explore his strategic approach to crafting diverse and dynamic live performances, including the "Solo Forever Tour" and "Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour" shows with his three-piece band, where he masterfully blends fan-favorite hits with fresh material to create an unforgettable experience.
Whether you're a devoted fan or discovering Diesel for the first time, you're in for a treat as he shares the essence of a career that continues to evolve with each performance.
What has Mark Lizotte been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That radio chick, cheryl Lee, here. Welcome to the Still Rocking it podcast, where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. One of Australia's greatest success stories, diesel, has spent three decades weaving his one-of-a-kind musical magic into his rock and blues-fuelled sounds, both as part of the band Johnny Diesel and the Injectors and, more recently, as a solo artist. We managed to catch up with Mark Lozosh, aka Diesel, as he has a new album and embarks on a new tour. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to that radiochipcomau. You're with Cheryl Lincoln. I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today, with some exciting new music news coming up, mark Lazotte or Diesel. Thank you for joining us today, mark, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:Always a pleasure. Last time we spoke was 2021.
Speaker 2:Wow, I can only imagine what was going on then, but wow, that was a pretty crazy time.
Speaker 1:I think you'd just done Alone with the Blues during that whole wacky COVID period.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I probably had, because I think I did that in 2020, going into 21, so yeah, it seems like like another world, like it didn't happen now doesn't it, it's, it does and it doesn't. You know what I mean it. There's a few things that just kind of pop up that you go yeah, that happened. You know I mean the records, I guess for me are a very big reminder that that's what I did, you know.
Speaker 1:But that's kind of nice, at least I have those mementos touring wise, is everything pretty much back to normal now, three years later yeah, I mean you can at least go from um state to state.
Speaker 2:Yeah, at least you don't have to kind of worry about quarantining and crossing borders and all that sort of thing. So I guess the freedom of being able to move around has been restored and I'm yeah, I'm forever grateful for that you don't sort of realise what you've lost till it's gone.
Speaker 2:You don't so many things that you just take for granted, and I think only in wartime and extreme sort of conditions and things that happen on this planet do people experience that. So it just was, yeah, a really telling time, and I realised what a charmed life I'd had. You know, that's all I can say.
Speaker 1:Exactly right. Last time I saw you perform was actually just recently at the Mundi Mundi Music Festival. Every time we as punters go out, we are just so thankful, and I think you guys on the stage performing are as well.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, absolutely. I definitely felt a kind of sense of awe and, just so you know, glad that I was there that day. The weather was amazing, the crowd looked and sounded and were amazing. It was just one of those like pinch myself kind of moments. It's like I just love, love my job on those days.
Speaker 2:So had you done Monday, monday before no, that that was the first time I'd done the other big desert bash, which is the big red bash. I've done that now twice, but that was my first time outside of Broken Hill and I love that area. I have to say, a lot of other people I know, my family included, have been to Broken Hill for doing what they do, which is my wife is a photographer producer and my son's a photographer, so it's a place that gets used a lot for shooting film, tv and and for stills. But I'd never I'm sure I'd done a gig in brogan hill before, but I'd never really seen what's outside in, in the 50 kilometer, say, radius. It's amazing. It's no wonder that they shoot so many things there.
Speaker 1:it's just stunning they did mad max there by him and his partner.
Speaker 2:They brought their car and I think he owns quite a few sort of vintage muscle cars and he brought his version of the Mad Max car to the gig and I got to get a photo with it. I think the living end actually got to do some burnouts in it. So I was a bit jealous when I heard that, but it really kind of added to the whole atmosphere. When the car was backstage it was like yeah, here we go.
Speaker 3:We're in Mad Max country and there's the car very cool you are listening to still rocking it.
Speaker 1:The podcast with cheryl lee. We're not from the original mad max movie soundtrack that's all quite dark really but from mad max beyond thunderdome. Here is tina turner we don't need another hero. And then back to speak with our own Australian music hero, Diesel. We don't need another hero. We don't need to know the way home. I was a Mundy Mundy virgin as well and I loved it too. We went like this backstage I was interviewing Richard Clapton when he came off and you scooted on and I could hear you in the background.
Speaker 2:That was a great gig I thought. I've seen Richard a few times and that one sounded amazing. His band were incredible. He has a lot of different people join him on stage. I don't think anyone would turn back a gig playing with Richard. His songs are just so great to play that particular day. I just thought it was a really, really stellar gig.
Speaker 1:How blessed were we. It rained once overnight, and the rest of the time it was just heaven. Did you actually? Stay there Diesel, or did you fly in and fly out?
Speaker 2:We stayed in town, but we didn't camp out. We stayed in a very nice, comfortable hotel in town, a really nice breakfast at this cafe, which was quite surprising. Broken Hill is a very civilised town for the size that it is. I'd ask anybody to go there for what it has to offer, for tourism and stuff. It's a great spot.
Speaker 1:Well, you were in luxury. We camped for five days with one shower.
Speaker 2:I've done it, so I know what that's like. It makes coming home feel even better. That's all I can say.
Speaker 1:One more thing before we get on to the exciting news coming up Coincidentally. The thing I love most about Facebook is the memories that come up. Yeah, and do you know what we were doing, you and I, seven years ago today?
Speaker 2:Seven, seven, so that's always a good number. Seven, no, I can only make a guess at that.
Speaker 1:You performed at the Gov seven years ago, your 30-year thang tour.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:And I was there up the front.
Speaker 2:Wow, your 37-year thang now yes.
Speaker 1:You've just announced the bootleg Melancholy album tour. I think it starts this month, goes through to next year. You're going everywhere, man, yeah.
Speaker 2:We get to go to Darwin and Hob hobart, so that's pretty good, and new zealand too in march, so I'm happy about that you saved the best till last, actually, and you're in adelaide in may.
Speaker 1:Yeah, two dates adelaideans norwood concert hall on the friday the second, and the shagley theater added elizabeth, saturday the third. So this is your 17th studio album, bootleg Melancholy from late last year. Who have you got playing with you on this record and this tour?
Speaker 2:Well, this record is primarily myself and that's about it, besides my drummer, lee, who came in when we were allowed to have people in our house, because I started the record in the second lockdown, which thankfully didn't kind of last, yeah. So Lee came in and did some drums and the rest is pretty much an album like other albums that I've made in the past where I just play everything on it. It's one of those. Alone With Blues was completely that I didn't get anyone in on that record A process that I actually quite enjoy.
Speaker 2:I enjoy the indul of the indulgent sort of side of like being able to just really dig in and get into the kind of nitty gritties of production. And yeah, I mean, I imagine other heroes of mine are like well, stevie Wonder for one Prince. You know, these are how they've done their records. So that's kind of like a benchmark for me and it might sound like a weird lonely experience, but it's actually quite really, you know, quite rewarding and even fun, and you don't have to argue with anybody, I'll just I do. I have internal dialogue. I have to be quite tough on myself. It's part of the process. Sometimes I have to actually be the opposite too and just and say like enough is enough, let's stop and let go. Thankfully, not too many times, but occasionally, yeah, yeah, I will just get obsessed with something and just think you know what it's. That's what it's going to be, and it's not a case of accepting imperfect, but I am a perfectionist and sometimes you know, imperfections are what maybe it needs to be about.
Speaker 1:So still rocking the podcast with that radio chick, cheryl lee. Mark mentioned his alone with blues album from 2021. This is one of my favourite songs from it. Six Steel Strings and we'll be back to speak some more to Diesel soon. Is Richie joining you on bass for the tour?
Speaker 2:Yes, richie and Lee have been with me now for 20-something years, so it's my long stalwart band, which people around the country and around the world for that matter have gotten to know. So, yeah, I'm really happy to say that that's who's going to be joining me.
Speaker 1:Fantastic and it's a 17-date national run starting in Brizzy in the nice warm weather again.
Speaker 2:I hope so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 17 albums, studio albums. Where do you keep finding the inspiration, mark?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's like how do you keep getting up in the morning and going over to the kettle? I guess it's like you know, as long as I'm upright and moving and mobile and living and breathing on this planet, I feel like I will want to make things. I guess I like making the process of playing with words and melodies and chords and songwriting I guess you'd call it, that's what it is it's like the building blocks of songwriting is a fascinating thing for me and I'm still kind of beguiled like a child with a rattle that looks up and sees that kind of floating um mobile above their cot and just keeps like wanting to grab it. I'm like that with with songwriting. You know, I still haven't kind of gotten to the point where I'm finished playing with it. So I don't know if that'll ever happen, to be honest, because it's just there's something really mysterious about the process. I don't quite understand the whole thing and if I did, I'd probably just like maybe I wouldn't write at all, maybe I would just write like an album every day or something, because once I figured out the secret to it, I do have to kind of wait. I don't know if waiting is the word, but I tend to just write when I feel.
Speaker 2:Having said that, I do a lot of collaborating with a lot of young artists especially who come and want to write for their projects and stuff. On those days I have to just actually turn it on. You know, and that's where my experience of how many things that I've done and my kind of basically hindsight and just pulling stuff out and wanting to like give them something and wanting to them to leave this studio with something that they feel really connected to, I think if you're going to collaborate with someone, especially if the song is ultimately going to be for them, you need to kind of like tap into their psyche and kind of you know, to have some empathy for what their experience might be, but at the same time, you want to sort of kind of want it to be as strong and potent and everything as possible. So if there's things that you need to sort of go how, you know what about this? You know you have to question things and be kind of the judge and jury, adjudicator or whatever. That's all part of the process.
Speaker 2:But you also have to understand that, especially when these people have only just started writing themselves, that collaborating with someone else can be either a really good experience or a very scarring kind of experience. And I've already talked to a few people that have just said, oh yeah, I work with you, know someone, and they kind of like left me kind of feeling me feeling really like I wasn't very good or whatever, or it made me really question them. So your job is to kind of build up the confidence too, and this is all stuff that I feel like I've got kind of experience now after safety, comfortable, kind of little womb that I was in. Yeah, it's not for everyone. Some people just don't want to ever collaborate with anybody and that's fine.
Speaker 1:I love that you know you're giving back in that way and helping the younger generation make their mark as well.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Music is not. I don't own it exclusively, and I feel like I have to pass on whatever I have had. Just keep passing the baton, you know. Keep passing it back. Maybe it's kind of a mortality thing. I just feel like I've got all this information and wealth of knowledge and if I don't pass it on it's just useless, you know. So I feel like I need to do a download before I leave this planet.
Speaker 3:You are listening to Still Rocking it the podcast with Cheryl Lee I think we'll have one of Diesel's early collaborations.
Speaker 1:Back in 1994, he wrote this song with Guy Davies All Come Together. It was released as the first single from the third studio album, Solid State Rhyme, picking at number 17 in Australia, and part sales of the single were donated to World Vision. Back to chat again to Diesel shortly. And it clearly is something that is definitely in your DNA. You're from a very musical family, dad musical. You're the youngest of seven children. Yeah, I take my hat off to your mum. I've got five.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's pretty big.
Speaker 1:Did they get together and buy you your first guitar?
Speaker 2:My brother and sister, next closest in order of the family. They did exactly that they bought my first electric guitar. That would do me pretty well until I got something, you know, a little bit more professional.
Speaker 2:I guess, it was a. It was kind of a entry model, you know, and the tuning wasn't so great after I sort of started wearing it out, but it certainly was the best thing in the world when I got it. That's all I can say. I love the smell of it, the look of it, the feel of it. You know, I can still smell the way the paint smelled on it when I got it. That's all I can say. I love the smell of it, the look of it, the feel of it. I can still smell the way the paint smelled on it when I took it out of the box. It's like it'll never leave my memory.
Speaker 1:It's definitely something that you're so passionate about and, as I say, in your DNA, the retirement word would not be in your vocabulary.
Speaker 2:I feel like I have had so many parts of my life where I get to experience like pure relaxation or or having time off to the point where it's like, you know, I just can forget about everything for a bit and that that's enough for me. I can't imagine doing that all the time. To be honest, it's like it's not really it's very attractive to me, but hey, who knows, Maybe that'll come later. But no, I mean, I'm just well, I do what makes me happy, and making music for people, with people, is what makes me happy, so why would I want to stop?
Speaker 1:Exactly. It sounds like I know the answer to this question already. Was there ever, ever a plan B if, like this music thing hadn't worked out for you?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't know about a plan B, but I probably would have moved into some kind of arts type thing graphic, something to do with design and arts probably. But thankfully I wasn't left alone. There was always something tapping me on the shoulder to do in music. It took traction.
Speaker 1:Luckily you were pretty good at it.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, I think I've gotten better. Definitely that might be like a pretty kind of broad sweeping statement, but yeah, it's something that I've been working on. I didn't just instantly get really good I I think I showed a lot of promise at an early age. Yes, there was like it was. Definitely you could see that there was raw talent. But raw talent needs to be kind of refined and and hon into something that takes time, the old 10,000 hours thing that they say. So I feel like, as far as my craft goes, it's I don't know.
Speaker 1:You've honed it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's something that I just keep working on, where I don't feel like there's any kind of like achievement factor, where it's like, right, I've reached that level now, like now, I want to get to that level. It's just, you know, keep exploring, keep exploring and keep expanding. I think like the universe expands outwards.
Speaker 1:That's my goal is just to keep expanding showcasing your enigmatic live show as part of your solo forever tour. Your 2025 performances feature a three-piece band and you're going to have the back catalogue and the new songs yeah, I'm going to be doing some things off the bootleg melancholy.
Speaker 2:I've actually, with the some of the solo shows that I've got sprinkled amongst these band shows, I've been doing some things off the blues album as well, alone with blues I've actually been starting my set with a double bass and ending my set almost with a double bass as well. So I just try to make it as diverse as I can. Diversity over like especially quite a long theatre show, I feel is really really important. I don't want to just have the same kind of foghorn sound going the whole time. I want to make lots of different soundscapes for people and having different instruments really helps that. So I've been doing that.
Speaker 2:The band is like a real luxury kind of machine, but I feel my solo shows are just as wide and dynamic as the band. Because, you know, solo is something I've been doing for quite a long time now and for all different types of environments too. But the theater show, that which is what we're bringing to Adelaide, is really I'd almost say it's kind of my favourite environment, besides playing outdoors, which you saw at Mundy Mundy. But I really love playing in these theatres because they're just made for performance, they're made for sound and as a musician like I've played enough places I feel that are maybe not designed for sound, that sound absolutely terrible. But you just do your best and you hope for the best. But I want to give people the ultimate experience. I really do, and these type of rooms are designed for that.
Speaker 1:Still Rocking it podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee, from the debut solo album, hip Fidelity Tip of my Tongue, diesel's highest charting single. The album Recorded in LA and Memphis. The album peaked at number one on the ARIA charts, went on to sell more than 20,000 copies. Not only did the album win best album, but Diesel won best male artist in 1993 as well. Back to speak some more to the ARIA award-winning Mark Blazot. After this, with multiple number one ARIA chart albums and six ARIA awards, there is a massive body of work to choose from over the last 30-plus years. Obviously you want to play the new songs, but then how do you pick from the back catalogue?
Speaker 2:oh well, I stick to the signpost. You know the singles. There's a lot of singles, yeah, thankfully I've got a lot of singles that I still love to really play. That is that I don't kind of have to cringe and go, oh god, I really don't like that song anymore, but I have to play it because people want it you know, I've heard other people that do so.
Speaker 2:I'm really lucky about that. But yeah, I just I try to do kind of like something from from this last experience. Always it's like this is current, something kind of maybe that I haven't played for a while, that a little bit of it I guess you call it a rarity throw something like that in and, of course, like just lots of like big old hits. You know.
Speaker 2:So you know, that's what we want yeah, I mean that's apparently I mean everyone's different, but I guess, yeah, people want songs. I get that. I'm not going to deny them. I also feel like if you come to one of my shows, you know you have to kind of know, and you and you probably do know that I've made 17 albums and you haven't come along this way with the journey with me, with with not wanting to hear something that you haven't maybe heard before, at least in a live sense, and walk away with some new experience as well, like because change is the only constant, after all, in this world that's right.
Speaker 2:Leave having seen some nice surprises and some nice memories and I feel my crowd is so generous in that department. As far as, like being music lovers, I can play something it's like hey, you may never heard this before, but I'm gonna lay it on you, and the way they react is like I can tell it's like they love it.
Speaker 1:So I'm thankfully, I don't feel like I'm putting them through pain when they have to listen to a song they haven't heard before to get on to both of those sets of dates the solo shows and the bootleg melancholy album, tour dates best place to go to?
Speaker 2:dieselmusiccomau I think that's a good sort of all-round kind of place to go and from there you can link on to the venues and the ticketing and everything. And you can find my merch, you can find my youtube channel. You can find everything that pretty much is about me from that website, dieselmusiccomau get onto there, get the tickets, adelaide.
Speaker 1:Don't leave it to the last minute, like you usually do. We're known for that because they're reasonably small venues. They will sell out, won't they?
Speaker 2:but I hope so.
Speaker 1:Put a reminder in your calendar and just forget about it I was at the norwood town hall the other day to see the fabulous caprettos. That's a great venue and you're going to barnsley's old stomping ground. The shedley added elizabeth, have you been there before?
Speaker 2:I've been somewhere near elizabeth, like I guess gawler is out that way. I did play at a pub out there, god, many years ago, so I have been out there and I know what it looks like with the red dirt and it reminds me of wa, actually reminds me a lot of outside of perth. I like that part of Adelaide. It's different and interesting to me and I feel like I've seen the city enough times. So I don't like it or anything, but I'm looking forward to something different. And this theatre I've had a look at it. I've not set foot in it, but I've had a look online. It looks like a really, really nice theatre.
Speaker 3:The people that run it have really been great and looking forward to that experience. You are listening to Still Rocking it the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Well, we were talking about collaborations earlier, and here he is collaborating with his brother-in-law Jimmy Barnes and Mark Lazotte are married to sisters and he's heading to Barnsley's country from Barnsley's Double Happiness album Still Got A Long Way To Go. And then we're back to say farewell to Diesel, and I've still got a long way to go. I don't know how we're going for time, mark, have you got time for one more question? Absolutely. I'm just reading what the girls gave me about an upcoming tv series. Now. Is that days like these days?
Speaker 2:like these was for the abc, that did its thing, so we did 13 or I think, eps of that. This is on sbs, it's called great australian concepts but it's done by the same production, people. So very similar concept. We talk about a concept. We interview people that were there on stage. We basically put a point of view onto that night and that period and that whole experience and I find out what it was like for the people that were on stage and give it ultimate insight. Instead of just watching a concert from an audience point of view, you get to be kind of like fly on the wall, a sneak peek behind the curtain totally.
Speaker 2:You get the whole sort of shebang about what was happening that night. It makes for great watching. Of course you get to hear and watch that see the music happen as well can you give us the scoop?
Speaker 1:can you tell us any of the artists that you'll be featuring?
Speaker 2:I don't want to give anything away, but there's some amazing ones this season. I'm really, really excited, really excited. There's still so many artists that we haven't gotten to, and this country, so I don't think that that's the definitive list or anything, but I don't think anyone's going to be that disappointed. What the ones that we have.
Speaker 1:Put it that way, do you know an eta, when we can expect that on our screens?
Speaker 2:it should be rolling out between now and christmas, and then it'll be on for quite a lot. I can't't tell you how long, but it'll be on running on free to view, of course, as well. Awesome.
Speaker 1:I love that concept. One last quick one what's on your playlist when you can listen to whatever you want?
Speaker 2:It's a tough one. I listen to kind of new music and I find myself listening to you know things like Charlie Parker. I kind of oscillate between super new artists and jazz and blues Lightning Hopkins, I was listening to this week. Booker White I'm still discovering blues artists, to be honest, that I know, but I haven't really dug into their catalogue. It's a deep well, such a deep well. I should at least name one new artist. It's an Australian artist by the name of Thelma Plum. I'm really, really, really enjoying her album and her songwriting is just. It's always been like stellar. Yeah, whatever she's released, I've always been like it's just.
Speaker 1:she nails it every time with every everything she makes have you got a favorite Thelma Plum track and we might go out with that?
Speaker 2:it was one that I listened to a lot on a car trip across California. Oh the, the Backseat of my Mind. Yeah, I know it's not the latest, but I do love that song. I love just the title. Yeah, backseat of my Mind just makes you want to listen straight away.
Speaker 1:It does so good. You want to introduce that for us.
Speaker 2:Hey, this is Diesel and you're listening to Thelma Clum's Backseat of my Mind.
Speaker 1:Still rocking that podcast with that radio chick, cheryl Lee. Well, I don't think that song needs any more introduction than that. I leave it behind in the backseat of my mind. Well, we shall see you down the front, either at Norwood or Elizabeth, or both. Sounds good. Editor's note our Zoom vision just dropped out. I can't see you, but I'll say see you. Thanks for your time, thank you for yours. Bye.
Speaker 3:You are listening to Still Rocking it. The podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Speaker 1:Well, we could not finish this chat without playing a song from the new album. How about the title track Bootleg Melancholy from Diesel's brand new album? Please enjoy Bootleg Melancholy.
Speaker 2:Is it right or is?
Speaker 1:it wrong. You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.