Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (https://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
Talkradio: It’s a little hard to do, because even when I think of myself as a “one man band”, I get images of someone holding a guitar while having a bass drum strapped to his back and cymbals strapped to his knees. I guess I’m just someone who grew up being exposed to a lot of different music (from disco all the way to heavy metal) and has ended up writing and recording songs by himself. Performing live is a big part of it but I obviously can’t do that with this original project, so I’ve been performing live in other musical acts for over 25 years. The 90’s rock groups were the most influential on the kind of music I ended up writing, so these days you would probably call me alternative rock. Someone recently labelled me as “post grunge”, which was a term I hadn’t heard before, but I can understand why.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc.
Talkradio: I’m from Melbourne, Australia. Although I was learning drumming as a teenager, music was not originally my first choice. I started as an actor at the age of 12. I did quite a bit of theatre, TV and even a film over a period of 5 years. When I finished high school and it was time to go to uni, my parents stopped supporting my acting ambitions. They actively blocked my attempts, which was simple for them really. All they had to do was stop driving me around to where I needed to go. By the time I got my licence and was able to get around myself, my acting agency had been sold, I was no longer on their books and my actors equity membership had expired. At this stage, I had no drum kit at home either and was relegated to practicing on various pieces of furniture in front of the stereo. At some point my cousin, who happened to be a great drummer, invited me to watch his band at a rehearsal studio. It turned out they had no singer and insisted I get on the microphone to give them a guide. It took a lot of convincing. They kept asking me back every weekend. That’s how the singing began. Not long after that, I joined a band and signed up for singing lessons.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
Talkradio: Creating and performing is like a positive drug for me. I don’t get that kind of rewarding feeling from anything else I do, including my day job. I get musical ideas in my head at random, and turning those ideas into a complete song and performing live are what make me feel alive the most. I have Tourette’s Syndrome, and it’s also one of the only things I do that stops the symptoms. As far as inspirational people go, it’s a bit of a mix. To begin with, it was drummers. My uncle was a great drummer (mum’s cousin really) and he was a huge fan of people like Billy Cobham and Ginger Baker. Through my own musical explorations, I added people like Neil Peart, Virgil Donati and Danny Carey to that list (unbelievably I ended up becoming friends with a singer who worked with Virgil and took my uncle to a gig). Once I started singing, I was being inspired by people like Bruce Dickinson, John Farnham and, my ultimate hero, Chris Cornell. From a song writing perspective, some of the artists I most admire include The Beatles, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Radiohead, and Foo Fighters.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
Talkradio: My aspirations aren’t huge to be honest. I’ve always just wanted to make a living from music and feel as though I am making a positive impact on people’s lives. Given the current state of the industry, and the fact that streaming services pay the artist virtually nothing, I know the monetary side will never happen. Now I just do it to maintain my sanity and hope that somewhere out there, someone is enjoying what I am doing.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
Talkradio: Interestingly, my proudest musical moment is also my most painful. I was contacted by a Sony exec around 20 years ago after I’d recorded 2 EP’s as Talkradio. I received a letter saying he wanted to come to Melbourne and meet with me (and the guitarist I was working with at the time). Two weeks later, while I was trying to arrange a gig for the exec to come and see, my guitarist quit. When I updated the exec on what had happened, he moved on. I still have the letter in my filing drawer.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new
artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
Talkradio: It’s actually a big problem. Firstly, you now need to sink more of your own money into promotion than ever before, and most of us can’t afford to keep throwing money into a bottomless pit. Secondly, I remember seeing an interview not long ago with a music industry professional who summed it up quite effectively. Before streaming services, recording label A&R staff were like a filter. They would pick acts they thought had potential and sign them up. Now, there is no longer a filter. Anyone with money can get themselves published on streaming services, whether good or bad. It’s now an infinite sea of content, and it can be very easy to become fatigued going through what’s out there. Especially if, like my stepson says, most of it is “crap”. This also makes it impossible to know if your own work is any good.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
Talkradio: Yes, I’ve always got performances coming but no, they are not for Talkradio. Let’s not go back to the “one man band” image again because it just doesn’t work.
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
Talkradio: Streaming services are worse for artists than labels were. Artists are honestly getting completely ripped off. I know that artists weren’t getting a huge percentage from album sales 20 years ago, but streaming services pay a fraction of even that amount. The fact that there are no laws regulating this actually makes my head spin.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
Talkradio: My favourite song ever, which is “Spoonman” by Soundgarden. I don’t know how much money it made but I don’t care. Nothing makes me want to jump onto a stage or pickup my guitar more than that song. From a vibe perspective to the extremely “hook-y” riffs, nothing else makes me feel the way that song does.
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
Talkradio: I’d completely revamp how music content is consumed. Streaming services, as they are now, would be wiped out and replaced with services that are fairer to the 
people who actually do the work. The artists.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
Talkradio: I’ve started work on an EP. I’m not going to be taking whole albums into the studio anymore. Once I have 5 songs, I will be recording.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
Talkradio: Everything I have can be found on www.talkradioaus.com.au, including where you can find my music. You can also follow on www.facebook.com/talkradio.aus. The act I currently perform live with can be found on www.facebook.com/2amacousticduomelb.
Talkradio links:
Band/Artist location – Australia
Website – Facebook – Soundcloud –
Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – LastFm –
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