For One Guitar podcast, Australian songwriting greats strum together
What happens when you hand a guitar to some of the greatest living Australian singer-songwriters, and give them each a month to create something new?
What happens when you hand a guitar to some of the greatest living Australian singer-songwriters, and give them each a month to create something new?
That’s the unique premise driving One Guitar, a podcast series by Melbourne singer-songwriter Alex Gow which is centred upon a single instrument that he shipped to the likes of Paul Kelly, Sarah Blasko and Bernard Fanning to see what they came up with.
The instrument in question is a Gibson J-45 Vintage Sunburst, one of the world’s most popular acoustic guitars.
“In the spirit of controlling the experiment, I wanted to use a guitar that was ubiquitous; that was part of the fabric of songwriting history,” Gow told The Australian.
“I wanted the instrument to be considered a tool, to be somewhat transparent, in order to be able to focus in on the creative individualism of the artist, rather than the instrument itself,” said Gow, who writes and performs under the monikers Oh Mercy and Perfect Moment.
The result is an absorbing listen about creativity, but importantly, the podcast does not seek to romanticise the act of songwriting; quite the opposite, in fact.
As former Powderfinger frontman Fanning told Gow during their interview, “Part of the idea of this podcast – which I completely endorse – is demystifying the songwriting process, and trying to ‘de-magic’ the reputation of songwriters as these kind of shaman. I don’t subscribe to that at all.”
Gow’s format with One Guitar begins with a full airing of the new creation, followed by an in-depth discussion about the writing process – including some surprising detours and guest appearances – before concluding with a final play-through of the song.
Four episodes have been released to date, including contributions by Johnny Took from Sydney indie rock band DMA’S and Alice Skye; Sarah Blasko’s episode will arrive soon, while Gow plans to publish a special Christmas episode featuring another highly regarded Melbourne rock musician.
The podcast host has recently taken the guitar back into his care, after Missy Higgins returned it once a planned Melbourne Writers Festival live appearance was cancelled due to the Covid lockdown.
“Every now and then, after a couple of glasses of wine on the weekend, I’ll pull it out. But here’s the thing: I can’t play it, because I’m left-handed,” he said with a laugh. “It’s kind of cruel, but it seems appropriate anyway.”
There’s a deeper motivation at play for Gow, however, and it’s one that may sustain for years to come, like an open chord strummed with infinite reverb.
“My motivation is to empower and inspire people to dust off the guitar that’s been staring at them for the last decade in the corner of the room,” he said. “I’d like for people to ingest some of these practical lessons taught by some of the best, to begin the process of being creative, and making something that didn’t exist at the start of the day.
“We’re living in a time right now where there’s limited supply of satisfaction, purpose and joy. If I can play a very small role in encouraging people to be active in carving out some of that, then I’ll be very pleased.”
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