Too Much of Not Enough: A Silverchair Podcast

In this episode, we’re going all the way back to 1995 to talk about Silverchair’s first true single from their debut album Frogstomp (if you’re Australian, anyway). I wanted to take a deeper look at Pure Massacre from a songwriting perspective, from a performance and production perspective and also see if we could find hints of the later Silverchair in this early track. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com  I’m now on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/silverchairpodcast Donate to the show directly: https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card: https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show

Don’t get too excited but I’ve just uploaded a mini-episode that’s essentially a repost of the Tuna in the Brine section from the first Diorama episode. Those episodes were really long and I noticed fewer people listened to the second one so I figure maybe some people didn’t finish the first one either — but it just so happens that’s where the Tuna in the Brine stuff was. Anyway, if you happened to not make it to the end of that episode and you missed the Tuna in the Brine talk, here is in a nice 20-minute package. And if you did hear it, well, it’s here to listen to again in a more convenient way if you care to. Hopefully the next update is a bit more substantial than this one! Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com  I’m now on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/silverchairpodcast Donate to the show directly:https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMOSupport the show

In this episode, I speak to someone without whom you probably would never have heard of the band Silverchair. Not only did he essentially discover them and, in his role as a Sony A&R sign the band to Murmur, he also not long after became their manager and mentor and navigated their career basically from start to finish.His John Watson Management company currently manages some of the biggest names in Australian music, such as Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, Missy Higgins and Birds of Tokyo. He is also the founder and head of Eleven, the record label that released Diorama and Young Modern in Australia and put out albums by The Dissociatives, Goyte, Paul Mac and the Presets.  I have wanted to talk to John Watson ever since I started this podcast, so this was a real bucket list guest. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed talking to John ‘Watto’ Watson. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com  I’m now on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/silverchairpodcast Donate to the show directly: https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO  Support the show

Wait, what is this episode? I’m glad you asked. I’ve decided to go back and delve a bit deeper into some of the older songs and give them the treatment I would have given them had they appeared on one of the later albums. This episode I’ll be covering Abuse Me, the second single released from Silverchair’s second album Freak Show (unless you were in North America, where it was the first single). It entered the ARIA chart April 6, 1997, peaking at number 9. What’s interesting about this song’s structure? What’s its legacy? What does ‘throw the sailors overboard’ even mean? Let’s find out. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcast Facebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com I’m now on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/silverchairpodcast Donate to the show directly: https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card: https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show

Young Modern got great reviews at home in Australia but, by now, even the good reviews overseas failed to set the world on fire. An early promotional tour of the US in mid-2007, where they gritted their teeth on commercial radio and TV Morning Shows, as well as perform for the late-night programs proved not to be the silver bullet the band might have hoped. Stylistically, Young Modern might have pointed the way forward for Silverchair but, alas, it wasn’t to be. What happened?Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com I’m now on Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/silverchairpodcast Donate to the show directly:https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show

Released March 31, 2007, Young Modern debuted at number one on the ARIA chart, eventually going three-times platinum in Australia. The album also won six ARIAs and its lead single, Straight Lines, placed second on the Triple J’s Hottest 100. For all the acclaim though, it was another departure in sound for the band and, for some fans, it remains controversial to this day. Let’s explore.  Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com Support the show directly:https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show

The long-fabled mailbag and FAQ episode has arrived. In this episode, I answer your questions and share my thoughts on a lot of different things, including but not limited to: what happens when I run out of Silverchair albums, why I think Silverchair need a legacy web presence, my favourite music for each year Silverchair released an album, whether I think Silverchair ever made a musical misstep and even some non-Silverchair related things. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card: https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show directly: https://bit.ly/3iWpDza I used a lot of other, non-Silverchair music in this episode, so if anything interested you, here are the artists in order of appearance:Steve Vai – AnswersDream Theater – Strange Déjà vuDevin Townsend Project – KingdomRufus Wainwright – I Don’t Know What It IsKate Bush – CloudbustingCoheed & Cambria – Apollo I: The Writing WriterThe Thrills – The Irish Keep GatecrashingBrian Wilson – Surf’s UpThe Dissociatives – Somewhere Down the BarrelThe Divinyls – Boys in TownDaniel Johns – My Mind’s Own Melody MedleySmashing Pumpkins – Here Is No WhyStrapping Young Lad – All Hail the New FleshFiona Apple – The Way Things AreBright Eyes – Nothing Gets Crossed OutMaximo Park – Russian LiteraturePhoebe Bridgers – I Know the EndTegan and Sara – SomedayHelmet – SpeechlessMad Season – I Don’t Know AnythingBlack Sabbath – Sweat LeafStarky – Me Michelle Support the show

In this episode, I welcome another very special guest. He’s the guitarist from multi-platinum selling band Good Charlotte and, as it happens, he’s also a MASSIVE fan of Silverchair. It’s the one and only Billy Martin! I had a really fun chat with Billy, talking about how Silverchair influenced him musically, the multiple times he met them and hung out, and also about the state of rock music in 2020. If you want to hear two grown men geek out about Silverchair, you don’t want to miss this one.Billy’s website is: http://www.thebillymartin.com/Twitter.com/TheBillyMartin Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com Support the show directly:https://bit.ly/3iWpDza My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show

Daniel Johns and Paul Mac’s The Dissociatives was largely recorded in a two-week period over the English summer, where Daniel was living with his fiancée Natalie Imbruglia. The idea behind the songs that would become the Dissociatives project was to create a new band with a different set of rules, one that sounded nothing like what either of them had done before. The Dissociatives album came out April 5, 2004 in Australia, debuted at 12 on the ARIA chart, eventually selling 60,000 in Australia. Does it hold up today or is it a forgotten curio of the early 2000s? (Also included: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Rock!)Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://bit.ly/2RPtVMO Support the show directly:https://bit.ly/3iWpDza Support the show

In this episode, I welcome a very, very, very VERY special guest. And I know I say that a lot and it’s always true. But this time, I’ll be talking to Ben Gillies. That’s right, the drummer from the band we’re all here to celebrate! The co-writer of Tomorrow! The guy who rammed his head into a bass drum at the 1995 ARIA awards! Bloody Ben Gillies!Among other things, we talked about Ben’s songwriting process, some favourite memories of Silverchair and what actually goes into putting a setlist together. If you’re a fan, you don’t want to miss this one. Ben’s website is bengillies.com and is on Instagram @bengillies888.Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

In this episode, I welcome a very, very special guest. David Bottrill is a legendary producer, mixer and engineer who has worked with everyone from Peter Gabriel and Rush to Tool, Dream Theater and Coheed and Cambria. He’s won three Grammys and an ARIA. He is also the producer of the one and only Diorama by Silverchair, as well as the mixer of Young Modern.  David Bottrill’s website is www.davidbottrill.com and is on Instagram @davidbottrillofficial Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

This episode is the conclusion to our two-parter on Silverchair’s fourth album Diorama. Diorama was released March 31, 2002 in Australia and debuted at number one on the ARIA chart, the band’s fourth straight album to do so. It eventually went triple platinum in Australia and won five ARIA awards. Diorama is a work of genius but it came at a cost to the band, especially Daniel Johns. But time has been kind to Diorama. Almost two decades on, it more than holds its own as an ambitious masterpiece.Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.com http://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

Designed to capture a positive new energy and explore a broad spectrum of emotion, 2002’s Diorama was an album that featured some of the most ambitious songs of the band’s career. Although it went triple platinum in Australia and won five ARIA awards, the album was never as successful as it should have been. The band was unable to tour the album due to Daniel developing reactive arthritis, stagnating their momentum overseas. Despite that, it remains a milestone in not just Silverchair’s career but in Australian music overall, a true masterwork.  Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984Support the show

This episode is a VERY special guest episode, where I speak to the one and only Nick Launay, the producer behind Silverchair’s Freak Show, Neon Ballroom and Young Modern. Not only that, Nick has worked with some of the greatest artists in history, working with everyone from Nick Cave and Kate Bush to Arcade Fire and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. We had a free-flowing talk about his time with Silverchair and shared some classic stories. Nick Launay’s details:Instagram: @nicklaunaywww.launay.com Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

Silverchair’s 1999 album Neon Ballroom is the album that drew a line in the sand. With Neon Ballroom, the band had made a definitive statement: This is who we are now and we’re going to continue on this path. You can come along for the ride or you can get off here. But make no mistake, we’re won’t be going back. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com   My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

That’s right, I’m breaking format! This episode is a bonus episode, where I speak to Richard S. He, an award-winning music writer and one half of the pop duo Elle. He’s always got a really interesting take on things and we had a great, wide-ranging talk about Silverchair that touched on their writing process, their perception overseas, their place in the culture and keeping their music alive into the 2020s. I really hope you enjoyRichard’s details:Instagram and Twitter: @rsh.ellehttps://www.ellesongs.com/ https://richaod.contently.com/ Richard’s Lady Gaga piece:https://www.vulture.com/article/best-lady-gaga-songs-ranked.htmlContact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.com https://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

The difficult second album. Released February 3 1997, Freak Show hit number 1 on the ARIA charts and the first three singles were all in the top 10. It went double platinum in Australia and gold in the US, where it peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 (before slipping quickly). Was it the sophomore slump or an underrated work by a quickly maturing band?Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcast silverchairpodcast@gmail.com https://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

Recorded over nine days in late 94-early 95, Frogstomp saw a band raring to go and prove themselves as more than a one-EP wonder. Released March 27, 1995, Frogstomp hit number one on the ARIA and NZ charts, it was a top 10 hit on the US Billboard 200, the first Australian band to hit the top 10 in the US since INXS. Off the back of Frogstomp, Silverchair did a 46-date world tour, opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and then the Ramones. They were a legit phenomenon. But were they becoming overexposed already? Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttps://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

It’s a tale as old a time: a band of 15-year-olds enter a battle of bands competition run by a TV show and a radio station. They win the competition and their prize is to record a four-song EP. That EP spends six weeks at the top of the charts, the band gets signed to Sony Records and becomes one of the biggest bands Australia has ever seen. Well, that’s the story if you’re Silverchair. Contact me:Instagram: @silverchairpodcastFacebook.com/silverchairpodcastsilverchairpodcast@gmail.comhttps://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com/My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show

This is a podcast about the band Silverchair. Can you believe there aren't any already? I couldn't, so I made my own. Here's the trailer! If you like what you hear, make sure to subscribe. Instagram: @silverchairpodcastfacebook.com/silverchairpodcasthttp://silverchairpodcast.buzzsprout.com/My affiliate link for Buzzsprout. Sign up and get a $20 Amazon gift card:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=991984 Support the show