We sit down with touring troubadour Skyscraper Stan for a quick chat!
Congrats on the release of your second single ‘On Your Corner’. Tell us about the track?
‘On Your Corner’ comes from the more introspective side of the new album. I was in Darwin, cooped up alone in a hotel room after a couple of dismal solo shows, feeling sorry for myself. I was thinking about my girlfriend back in Victoria, wishing she was there to make me feel better and I had the realisation that I do this all the time – come over all despondent and lean on my partner, expecting her to fix it when she has her own thing going on and could probably do with some support herself. Self interest and ego are something we all wrestle with, especially in this digital age. So I wrote this song to explore that weakness in myself.
You’re heading on an East Coast tour this March, with stops in Kyneton, Ballarat, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. What’s a tour look like for you?
We’ll be loading all the gear into a station wagon and driving from gig to gig. I’ve poured so much money into this album I can’t afford to fly anyone anywhere. Luckily we’re all very patient people so I shouldn’t have a mutiny on my hands.
The release of your second album Golden Boy is fast approaching. Can you tell us about the album?
The record comes in two halves, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. The first side is louder and sits more in the minor keys – the songs are character and narrative driven. The second side is more autobiographical. I named the album Golden Boy as that’s what my sisters call me. I had a longer leash growing up being the only son and that has extended into my adult life. There’s been a lot of much needed reflection over the last few years on innate privilege and I wanted to take part in that conversation honestly.
Are you more at home with your music in the studio, or live on stage?
I’ve always been more comfortable performing live. I think the songs lend themselves well to attentive audiences, being so lyrically driven. Having said that I feel like I’ve started to hit my stride in the studio with this album. I was a lot less nervous during tracking and I think you can hear that. I played some takes for a friend the other day and they remarked on the maturity of the record compared to my previous releases which I took as a compliment.
You’ve developed a strong reputation for your songwriting abilities. Explain your songwriting process? Do you ever struggle with creativity blocks?
There is no process for me. It’s luck and timing more than anything. I used to struggle with that concept, but a few years ago I had a conversation with my mother who is a wonderful novelist, poet and play write. She said she’d never written a novel the same way twice, and considering how prolific the woman is, that put my mind at ease. I like the chaotic means by which I put songs together. I think it leads to a disparate body of work that keeps people, and myself, interested. As for creativity blocks, yup, they’re the devil. I try to remind myself that writer’s block is a creation of my own mind, that it doesn’t really exist and that I can overcome it. Even so I can go weeks without writing anything at all. My internal editor is a loudmouth prick and I do my best to ignore him when I’m putting things down on paper.
Thanks for chatting. Any last words?
I’ll be on the road solo and with the band a lot this year. If you see us billed for a show come down and have a boogie and a chat. I’ve never been a JJJ darling and I doubt I ever will be, I’m a lanky, beak-nosed singer who appreciates all the support I’ve received over the last few years. Punters are the only people who have kept fuel in the band wagon and strings on the guitars. Let’s just have a beer and talk about tunes.
When & Where: Major Tom’s, Kyneton – March 15 & The Eastern, Ballarat – March 16.
