Interview with Steve Thompson

Steve Thompson is a guitarist/drummer/vocalist based in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

He has been playing and recording music for over 15 years both in bands and as a solo artist.

Steve's music is a blend of wide ranging styles including rock, jazz, folk, pop, alternative, metal and house.

Where were you born?
I was born in England many moons ago. My parents brought me to Australia when I was about 8 months old. I’m naturalised. Australia is my home and I’m Aussie through and through. Although I do root for underdogs, so occasionally I support the Poms in cricket. You gotta feel sorry for them!
I love Australia and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We have the greatest country in the world but as a nation we are so insecure. Every time some new star arrives at the airport reporters always ask “So what do you think of Australia?” I mean, what crap is that? We don’t need reassurance from overseas that we’re a great country – we’re the best!

What star sign are you?
I’m an Aries, which makes me passionate and a bit of a smart arse (um…that bit probably isn’t from being an Aries).
I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to music, which is why I like to do everything myself, from the writing to the recording, production and design.
I’m multi-skilled, I guess.
I’m pretty spontaneous and chaotic in my private life, but I need to plan and have order in my working life. It’s probably some bizarre yin/yang thing. Or something. I don’t really understand the zodiac anyway.
Next question?

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Music!!
Well, aside from that - I LOVE movies. I’m a bit of a DVD collector – movies and especially series box sets. I love HEROES on TV at the moment. That series is all arc!! It’s like Buffy on steroids. I’m a bit of a movie hoon. One of my favourite movies lately is Children of Men, and I thought Talladega Nights was the funniest thing ever. Aside from Borat, that is.
I also like to spend time with my young son. I have him with me every weekend and a couple of days during the week. He’s the sun and the moon. Nothing else is as important as him.
I like to get to the pool or the beach whenever I can.
And I love my dog. She’s a pure bred German Shepherd I got from the RSPCA about ten years ago. It’s going to rip me apart when she dies...

What is your favourite meal?
I’ll eat anything that’s free!! No, seriously I don’t have a favourite meal, but I will try anything once. Hell, if it’s good I’ll try it twice. And if it’s free, I’ll eat it until the cows come home.
I guess I like Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Italian, Vietnamese.
My tastes are eclectic, in food and music.

What would be your ultimate holiday?
Have to be New York, LA, Tokyo, London – preferably in the space of seven days so I can be jet lagged to shit and do the club scene until I drop dead. No drugs, of course. Don’t need ‘em to have a good time, once the endorphins get going!
But the quieter side of me would like to tour ancient ruins in South America and the European countryside. I like old stuff – churches, monuments. Put on a rave in Stone Henge and I’m there!!
I’d also like to get to Africa, for the wildlife.
Antarctica, because it’s like nowhere else and it’s the closest thing we have to an Alien world on our own planet.
Told you I was a bit random...

Where would you like to live when you retire?
Probably Newcastle. This town has everything.
If I’m still young enough to dance without looking like a space oddity, then Brisbane. I
f I’m rich and famous then it would have to be New York.
Hell, even if I was rich I’d probably want to live in Newcastle. Like I said, it’s the best!

What would you like to accomplish before you die?
I’d like to sell a million albums (never say never!).
I’d also like to see my son grow up and experience all the cool stuff life has to offer.
And have grand kids and shit like that. I’d love to be a freaky cool old Grandad with a guitar in one hand, walking frame and viagra in the other, screaming “F*&# youse all!!” as they drag me off to the retirement home.
And have superpowers and save the world. A few times for good measure.

Describe your new album Standing in Corners…
Hmmm… It’s an eclectic gathering of musical renderings. A post-punk pop rock menagerie that hearkens back to the alternative rock stuff I used to do years ago. It’s like the middle of the road that hides to the left of the centre line, that creeps up and overcomes you when you least expect it. Like a microsleep and your head hitting the side window as you scrape the guardrail, sparks flaring.
I’m pretty proud of it, actually. Even though there are times I listen to my music and say, “oh, I should have done some more work on that”, I’m happy with the results. I’ve gotten lots of good feedback. Even my Mum likes it, so it must be all right!

Which song on the album is your favourite and why?

I have a few favourites –
Home, just because it’s a really good pop song.
Be with You, because I wanted to combine some Spanish gypsy guitars with a straight ahead rocking punk song.
I like Fell because it’s a really personal and heart felt song.
I like Ghost a lot for the harmonies.
I love them all – they’re like my children! I can’t like one more than another without the others getting jealous.

Do you sit down and just start writing songs or do they come to you when you least expect it, and if so where is the weirdest place that you have had a song come to you?

I had a song come to me on the train once. I had to keep humming it over and over until I got home because I was worried I was going to forget it!
I thought up the bass line for Free in the shower.
I once made up a stupid kiddie song when I was sitting on the loo (it was very inspiring!). Every once in a while I’ll sing it to my son – he gets a kick out of it.
I write songs lots of different ways. Sometimes the music comes first, sometimes the words. Often I come up with a melody line or a beat and then put something to it. Often the best stuff comes out when I’m upset or depressed. It’s one way of getting things off your chest – very cathartic.

Is your music a representation of your life, or do you use it to distance yourself from what’s actually happening around you?
Most of my songs are written from a personal perspective. I admire musicians that can open up and reveal themselves to everyone. It’s like baring your soul, saying, “look in here, this is what I’m really all about.” I think you have to be pretty brave to do it, as it exposes all your foibles. Of course if no one listens then I suppose it doesn’t matter!
Some of my songs are stories and some are about people I know.
I like songs that have a place to go and I like albums that are thematic and rock operas.
Operation Mind Crime, is an album by Queensryche, a progressive metal band from the early 90’s. It’s one of my favourite albums and tells a cool story about a guy who joins an anti-government movement, falls in love with a drug-peddling nun and ends up killing her. Now that’s a story! And the songs are very cool. My album Destiny is Just a Name for Another Point of View tells a story, both in the liner notes and in the songs, but it’s a bit tamer.

What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Making music and making big money from it. And doing a world tour, with all the accoutrements! It’s gotta be the big tour buses or nothing. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, but if I’m gonna tour the world I want a bit of comfort.

Are there any bands/artists that have inspired your musical stylings?
I wouldn’t say I have any favourite bands that have inspired my music, however I love artists that write about their lives and loves. Lennon is one of those. I like storytellers, like Springsteen and Neil Young. I also love the new wave of punk/nu metal – My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars, Fall Out Boy. I love The Police, and the new romantics from the Eighties, like Duran Duran.Basically I’ll listen to anything – I have a massive CD collection. I buy at least a new CD every week, sometimes more. I suppose it’s all gotta have an effect somewhere in the recesses of my tiny brain. I don’t consciously try to write music that sounds like other artists though.

If you could do a duet with a musician who would it be?
Sting is one of my all time favourite musicians. He’s a fantastic singer. I’d love to do a duet with him.
Some of my favourite songs are by The Police. I did an acapella version of Roxanne on one of my previous albums.
Natalie Imbruglia – she has an amazing voice. And she’s hot! I think we sing in roughly the same key so it would probably sound okay…

What advice do you have for others trying to make it into the music industry?
Don’t follow my advice?
Just keep working on whatever you are doing, and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s wrong. Do what you want to do. And get a good manager – an understanding one.
Get over your stage nerves quickly. I still have mine!
Oh, and don’t listen to people who give you advice. Unless it’s an understanding manager. And even then don’t listen to them.
What was the question again?

Now, this is the last question and it’s a bit of a random one...
You know the lolly snakes, which colour do you eat first?
Always the red ones!!! It’s my favourite colour.

Listen to Steve’s music and find out how to get a copy of Standing in Corners on his myspace at http://www.myspace.com/standingincorners

~By Simone Saunders with thanks to Steve Thompson~

~Featured in Carve Monthly, Edition 2, April 2007