ABC and Daniel Johns clash over why Australian Story doco part one was taken down from iView

The ABC has issued a statement after Daniel Johns hit out at the broadcaster over “rights issues” for its new Silverchair documentary.

The makers of the Australian Story two-part documentary A Silver Lining, interviewing Silverchair bandmates Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou ahead of the release of their memoir this week, released a statement explaining the “rights issues” and said they are “reviewing their position” on whether the first half of the documentary will return to ABC iView.

“Australian Story approached Daniel Johns for an interview during filming of ‘A Silver Lining’ and he declined to take part. The door is always open to him to appear on Australian Story,” the statement read.

“We negotiated with Sony Music to license the use of Silverchair’s music video clips in the program for broadcast and for ABC iview. Each band members’ approval was required. While Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou approved the use, Daniel Johns said he would only approve if he had access to an advance copy of their book, which was not a decision for the ABC or Australian Story.

“We made two versions of the program, one for broadcast TV with video clips and one for ABC iview which contained no clips but only music. Because Sony has queried this the ABC has since taken down part one from ABC iview and is reviewing its position.

“Part two of ‘A Silver Lining’ will be available to watch on ABC iview following the broadcast at 8pm tonight.”

Silverchair were just 14 when their band became an overnight success. Picture: Supplied.

It comes after Daniel Johns on Monday responded to the take down of the first episode of the A Silver Lining documentary, saying he did not give approval to songs being used because he was not given an advance copy of the book by bandmates Gillies and Joannou.

A Silver Lining Pt 1 last week featured the musicians telling their side of Silverchair’s wild rise and the boyhood friendship with Johns which forged the band.

An industry insider said Johns and his music industry veteran brother Heath, who oversees his business affairs, had given clearance on Silverchair tracks to be used on the “terrestrial” broadcast on ABC on Monday.

However, in a lengthy Instagram post, Johns said he had particular concerns about the use of the 1999 song Ana’s Song “being featured as they discussed my battle with anorexia.”

There were seven songs which needed to be cleared for the iView broadcast.

“I said to Sony and ABC that I would be open to approving all songs provided I received a copy of the book to ensure I wasn't having my songs used to promote something I had no visibility on,” he posted.

The more than 1400 comments on Johns’ post were mostly supportive. One fan wrote, “Throughout all this, it feels like you are being publicly gaslighted. It’s not OK.”

Another read, “100% fair. It’s bs they won’t let you see the book.”

Meanwhile, another wrote: “Geniuely (sic) feel those guys have been very reasonable in the first episode and seem to still admire and love you as a person and your talent.”

Johns said in the post had also had rights issues with using Silverchair music for his 2021 podcast Who Is Daniel Johns? and re-recorded compositions for use during that series.

Johns stated correspondence sent to the publisher of his bandmates‘ memoir Love & Pain, released this week, was not attempt to block its publishing but to “fact check” it.”

“As always, I wish Ben and Chris nothing but success and happiness.I have never sought to block their book, I merely asked to receive a copy in advance to fact check it.”

It is not known if Johns offered Gillies and Joannou pre-broadcast copies of his 2021 podcast episodes or 2022 web series before their aired.

The first episode drew 505,000 metro viewers with as many expected to watch via iView.

The second half of A Silver Lining airs on ABC at 8pm on Monday.

On their social media pages, Australian Story assured viewers Pt 2 of the Silverchair story would air as scheduled on September 25.

ABC has pulled part one of the Silverchair doco from streaming. Picture: Facebook.

The doco coincided with Gillies and Joannou sharing the private health battles they endured during the band’s career and after its break-up in their memoir Love and Pain.

Gillies shares the terrifying “acute psychotic break” he kept secret as one of the biggest rock bands Australia has produced prepared to record their fourth record Diorama in 2001.

The two musicians revisit the legendary band’s history, the price of fame and the sadness at the end of the band and friendship with frontman Daniel Johns in a two-part Australian Story on ABC ahead of the book’s release on September 27.

“What nobody knew is that when we started to record that record, I was having mental health problems,” Gillies said.

“The pressure of another Silverchair record coming out just pushed me over the edge. I was smoking a lot of pot and I felt like the drug had a hold of me and I couldn’t stop it.

“Sometime around that time I was offered an ecstasy pill and I had what I now know was an acute psychotic break.

“I didn’t tell a soul because I was scared that admitting it was admitting something was wrong and that I was crazy.”

The three teens wanted to be the biggest band in the world but paid a heavy price for their success. Picture: Supplied.

Joannou shares he had no inkling of his childhood mate’s health crisis as Gillies battled on in the studio, fearful he would let his bandmates down as he desperately tried to avoid “Falling into an anxiety spiral.”

Joannou shares in the book and in the Australian Story part 2 to air next on September 25 his own life and death struggles after the band broke up.

He was diagnosed with a rare cancer, a soft tissue sarcoma, in 2019 as he and his wife Karissa were expecting their second child.

Gillies and his wife Jackie would visit with the bassist during every one of his chemotherapy treatments in Sydney after rekindling their friendship.

After recovering from that illness, he suffered a heart attack last year and required surgery to put stents into the affected arteries.

Johns bore the brunt of the fame monster during the band’s success. Picture: NCA.

Joannou and Gillies maintained their silence when Johns shared his side of the Silverchair story in the wildly successful podcast Who Is Daniel Johns? in 2021 and the Inside The Mind Of Daniel Johns web series last year.

They combined to write Love & Pain – whose subtitle is “The epic times and crooked lines of life inside and outside Silverchair” – for their children. Gillies and his wife Jackie have two-year-old twins Bonham and Rocco while Joannou and his wife Karissa have a daughter Odette and a son Spence.

The book and documentary share how cracks in the band grew wider when Johns demanded complete creative control over the songwriting and musical direction of their third record Neon Ballroom.

This proved to be an ongoing source of frustration for Gillies who had co-written many of the songs on Silverchair’s first two records Frogstomp and Freak Show.

Gillies and Joannou have strengthened their friendship in recent years. Picture: ABC.

“Ben probably struggled with it the most. He might have felt that his friend (Johns) didn’t trust his musical judgement anymore and that creative relationship that they had was pretty much all but gone,” Joannou said in the doco.

Both men wished they had been able to help support Johns through his battles with the pressures of fame and resulting illnesses, first with anorexia and then with reactive arthritis which sidelined him the band at peak times during their career.

“I wished he came to me and Chris and spoke to us but … we just didn’t have those tools,” Gillies said.

“Three young men who grew up in the 80s and 90s, working class Newcastle … you didn’t talk about how you are feeling. It’s not what you do.”

Originally published as ABC and Daniel Johns clash over why Australian Story doco part one was taken down from iView