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Andrew Worboys - The interview, in September 2008

Andrew, can you tell us something about your childhood, how you were raised? Your life in Australia, how can we picture the journey for "Andrew Worboys" the musician, producer and songwriter?
I was brought up on a farm. I had to help round up sheep on my motor bike. I really didn’t like all the responsibilities that came with farm life. All I wanted to do was play the piano and write songs. I was an outcast at school, was friends with all the freaks and geeks. I put together vocal groups and taught them my music. Every lunch time I’d be in the music room singing and playing the piano. I was also very inspired by the theatre and participated in all the shows, sometimes doing backstage work and eventually working my way up to musical director.

Andrew, you're so versatile, you’ve worked as a Musical Director, you’re a singer, shot music videos, wrote film music (for example, as a composer for the film - The Suspect (1998)), and produce and arrange commercial jingles for radio and Japanese and Chinese Pop artists. This is a wide scope, how do you see your role in society, how well known are you and what do you still hope to achieve?
I love working creatively with other people. Teaching groups of people, in the theatre for example, is one of my favourite things. I like to share my creative knowledge and as my interests are wide and varied I enjoy sitting with others who are interested in learning something new. One of the things I want to achieve is to write a stage musical. I love the immediacy of the theatre. As far as being well known, I guess I am well known in the Australian Theatre circles.

A part of your life is dedicated to painting, how did this come about and where do you get your inspiration from? Does music inspire you paint or does painting inspire you to make music or is it meditative balance in these fast moving times?
 The meditative balance is everything in painting. That’s what drew me to painting with oils. My partner’s family live in Bali and that’s where I took up painting. We stay there every year for about a month, every year we try something a little different. Last year it was painting. And I loved it.
In 2006 you accompanied Marty Hayley with  Jimmy Somerville on his "Evolve Tour" in Australia.

How did this collaboration come about? Did you know Jimmy already? Or did Jimmy find you? Can you tell us something about Marty Hayley?
The producer of Jimmy’s “Evolve Tour” was after a local piano player. He happened to ask a friend of mine if she knew of anyone and she suggested me. I of course knew of Jimmy and had been a fan for years, so the chance of working with him was something incredibly special.

Have you spent a lot of time with each other, or is it limited to a professional
relationship only ?

Marty Hailey is a close friend of mine whom I have worked with on many occasions. We’ve been on tour together and his energy and creative vibe are amazing. He’s one of the best people to work with because he loves trying new things and at the same time his playing is sensitive and original.

How would you describe Jimmy Somerville, why did you enter this musical relationship? Did this collaboration enrich you , have you learned anything, or was it just a job, as with any musical partner?
 Jimmy was immediately charming and made us all feel very relaxed. From the moment we started rehearsing together it was all about the music, not about any one person. The whole process was very enriching; there was definitely a feeling that we clicked which made it a very exciting and special time.

You told me how great Jimmy’s new album "SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER" has turned out, how would you describe it? How much of a role did you play in the album?
The new album is very stripped back; we used only a few instruments. Jimmy was very keen to record some of his favourite songs but wanted to give them a twist and present them in a new way. Jimmy came to my house in the forest for a week where he searched the internet for the songs he loved. Then we work shopped them around the piano, with Marty and his guitar. I then charted a collection of the songs and we went into a studio in the mountains surrounded by bush.
Jimmy had the album mixed in London but wasn’t happy with it. He asked me and my mate Rob Taylor to mix the album here on the Central Coast of NSW. That’s the album he’s releasing next year.

As a highlight of your work you have donated a remix of "Motherless Child" as a bonus track for the new album, which I believe will please all of Jimmy Somerville’s friends and fans. It is an old reminder of Jimmy’s earlier “live concert times". Had you heard Jimmy sing the song in a capella previously? How will the song be interpreted? What can we expect? And why is it a remix, has it been produced by another artist?
Jimmy sang Motherless child, a capella, as his third encore in Sydney, the first night of the Evolve Tour. With Jimmy’s permission I recorded the sound off the sound desk. That’s the version I remixed. The ac apella might appear on the album with the remix. My remix is quite underground, a bit tribal with a splash of electro.

Can you tell us why the album has been postponed until 2009? Are you still working on it? Are there more songs to come? Or what are the reasons for this?
There are so many things to consider when a new album is to be released. The album has been mastered for some time now it is true, but rest assured I think it is surely some of Jimmy’s finest work. Fans will not be disappointed.

You also like to stir up a controversy, I only have to mention "The Glam Reaper", but most important is that everyone is talking about safer sex. This is also Jimmy’s goal and a part of his responsibility as a gay star! Do you see similarities between you and Jimmy, do you have the same opinions or are your views fundamentally different?
 Yes, I do like a bit of a controversy but only because it gets people talking. The safe sex issue is probably more important now than ever before. The gay community can get incredibly complacent, even to the point of arrogance. We like to party hard and indulge in copious amounts of drug taking. Well there’s a responsibility that comes with that. We have worked so hard over the years to gain acceptance, and then to increase awareness, we must not allow complacency to creep in and return to the dark ages where unsafe sex was the normal thing. So perhaps Jimmy and I do share many of the same opinions.

Is there anything else you experienced with Jimmy you would like to tell us or that need to be told?
 Jimmy was a delight to work with and maybe that’s the most wonderful thing; there was a sense that we were all working together not just working for Jimmy. He really loves music and loves singing and above all he loves the process of creating music with others. He’s incredibly giving.

Thank you very much, Torsten from Berlin, Germany

 


   

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