Looking in from the outside, I don't think I've ever been able to quite see this world the way most people do, although I had a good try at it. But you can only be someone else for so long. Sooner or later something has to give and now I have to be myself.
I don't know who I am (can anybody ever know that?) but I'm starting to realise who I'm not. The music that comes out of that place is no more than a reflection. Maybe you can relate to that music, maybe not. Only you will know so there is little point in me trying to convince you of anything.
It's hard for me to really say anything about myself here because I don't believe in history. Now is all that matters. I'm supposed to write this in a way that impresses you with a long list of my achievements so far in the music industry and shows what a creative, entertaining character I am and why you should buy my music. This is usually done in the third person.
I have a problem with all of that because I no longer believe in the music business either. Not that I ever really did but now I'm not even remotely interested in playing the game. I spent 10 years trying to "make it" and get where I thought I should be to be deemed a "success" in this world. Everybody needs to do something we are told, and since my passion was music, I wanted to be a success at that. After a lot of struggle and desperation I realised in 2007 that there is nowhere to go. This is it. Success - be it status or money - is an illusion and making it in the music business is certainly an illusion.
Music is also an illusion but at least it's a rather nice one. To me, it's also the closest thing to silence, which is the only thing that is real. Words tends to take us away from that space but music has the power to draw us closer to it. So music itself means as much to me as it ever did, perhaps even more.
I don't think of myself in terms of being a "singer/songwriter" or "musician" anymore. I just happen to write songs some of the time and if people respond to that then I'm delighted but I have no real agenda. I'll let the music go where it goes.
If you still want to know more please visit my website where you can get more background on my journey to this point...
Not at the moment.
Neil Finn, Crowded House, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Travis, Dave Dobbyn, Split Enz, Neil Young, U2, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Manu Chao, Ian Brown, James, George Harrison, Michael Jackson
