Daryl Braithwaite: The former Sherbet frontman on what he really thinks of The Horses
DARYL Braithwaite reveals why he thinks The Horses remains a cult hit nearly 30 years on, reflects on his time with Sherbet and shares an upcoming milestone.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Former MasterChef contestant Callan Smith dishes up drama in Bondi
- Why NCIS star Wilmer Valderrama wants to encourage more diversity on TV
DARYL Braithwaite reveals why he thinks The Horses remains a cult hit nearly 30 years on, reflects on his time with Sherbet and shares an upcoming milestone.
Q How did you first get into music?
I did fitting and turning as a trade back in 1964 and I went straight from that into singing with Sherbet and I’ve been doing that ever since. I was in bands before Sherbet, weekend bands growing up but it was just a hobby, more of a novelty thing. It started to get serious with Sherbet.
Q How has the music industry in Australia changed since you joined Sherbet, was it easier for bands to get a start then?
It’s become more synchronised and more professional. I don’t think it’s as good as what it was when we started, when I was around in the 70s we had more flexibility. It’s become more business orientated.
Back then we had a lot more fun because we didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s probably a little bit harder now for groups.
But to their credit, a lot of their managers are finding ways to get their music to the world more so than when I was in Sherbet. It was harder to get world coverage then. The internet has made that more accessible.
Q Sherbet were such a huge band and always mobbed by girls, what were those days like?
It was pretty crazy. I sometimes look back on them and think ‘how good was that?!’ It was a lot of fun. We had no idea when we started the band would be so big.
Just being able to play music was terrific, I purely joined for the enjoyment factor. Playing music was so appealing, especially having grown up listening to The Beatles etc, it was just all encompassing.
It was more about joining a band to play and if you were successful, that was a bonus but I didn’t really set out wanting to achieve any degree of success.
Q What’s kept you in the industry?
The love of it. I don’t like recording that much but I love the live aspect, of looking out at the crowd at gigs, the lights, the stage.
I haven’t lost the passion yet, but there may come a day where I may be too old or I lose interest or something goes wrong physically, then maybe it will be time to hang up the microphone.
Q Has there been a favourite moment so far, a particular performance or a recording?
There have been many moments, it’s hard to pick one out. But a recent one was playing Falls Festival. It was just so exciting.
Speaking on behalf of the band, we didn’t know what we were getting into when we arrived at Lorne.
We looked around and said ‘gee, there are a lot of young people here … even the bands are young!’. But it was just so uplifting and amazing. I’ll always reflect on that as being a pivotal moment.
Q You’ve got a big birthday, your 70th, coming up in January. How will you celebrate?
My twin brother Glen and I may get together and do something but I guess it's a significant time so it would be nice to have a party with friends and family and celebrate.
Q You’re more popular than ever, did you think you would still be performing at 70?
You do question it within yourself sometimes, you go ‘wow, you’re nearly 70?!’. I can remember back to when I was growing up and anyone you heard who was 50 or 60 was really old. I think there’s a tendency for people to hang onto their youth and not give up.
I’ve experienced that over the years, you just have to keep enjoying life as best you can, because if you give in you most definitely will start to feel old and deteriorate a little bit.
Q Are new albums in the pipeline?
I’m just about to start organising an album for next year with Sony and I’m looking forward to that a lot. It’s a different project for me, I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s a slightly different approach.
All going well it should be out in June next year. It’s exciting, but there’s always the worry it could fail. That’s always the challenge, you never know what will happen, but I think you have to do it for yourself.
Q Your version of The Horses came out in 1990 and it’s since proved a huge hit among a younger audience today — what do you put its enduring success down to?
I think the song itself, how people interpret it lyrically and melodically. But then I’m trying to read into their minds.
Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker wrote it and I’ve asked RLJ and she can’t fathom what is either. It’s one of those songs that happen occasionally that people gravitate towards.
Q Does it frustrate you that despite 15 singles in the top 40, including two number-one hits, The Horses is what crowds want to hear you sing?
You can feel a crowd and all they really want to it. In a joking way I go ‘OK, we better play the only song that I’ve got’ and then we play it and the place erupts. You wouldn’t have been able to script a story like the one I’ve been able to follow over the last decade or so, it’s just been incredible.
Q How do you feel now watching the film clip?
I look at that and think ‘God, I had brown hair!’. And I also had my jumper tucked into my pants. My son Oscar, who is 32, takes the piss out of me sometimes, saying ‘dad, that was a really good look, really good look.’
The part he and his friends like is where I jump in the air through the water. They love that I’m a memo (meme) or whatever and they play it and I jump continuously. He’s sort of proud about what his dad has done, I guess.
Q Tell me about the upcoming Anthems festival?
I love Canberra, I think I’m one of the only people, at least that I know, who does. But I’ve played there many times over the years and it really is such a beautiful place.
And I’ve played with most of the other artists before (John Farnham, Kate Ceberano and The Black Sorrows with Vika and Linda) and it’s always good fun. These festivals seem to bring out the best in people.
Anthems Festival is at Canberra on November 17, tickets at anthemslive.com.au