“We just like it spelled like that,” Johns said with a schoolboy giggle. “There’s really not much more to it. We don’t really care if somebody spells it with a big “S” or a small “s”; it’s not that big a deal. It’s not something we thought about a great deal – it just sort of happened. We just thought that it looked kind of neat written with a small “s”, but we’ve noticed that most people write it with a big “S” anyway.”
No matter how one chooses to write Silverchair (and for the sake of convention we will continue to use the big “S”) it seems as if their name has been permanently tattooed to the lips of everyone even remotely associated with the rock and roll world. Everywhere you go, every magazine you read, every radio you turn on – it seems impossible to get away from – all-encompassing presence of these still – wet behind the ears Aussie sensations. By now everyone reading this knows the tale of how these barely pubescent rockers won a local radio contest Down Under back in 1994, had their first single Tomorrow virtually take control of the MTV airwaves, and then had their debut album, Frogstomp (or is it frogstomp?), become an international sensation. But these young lads insist that their recent success has all been just a warm up for what is next on Silverchair’s musical agenda. They want to take all the experiences and excitement they encountered during the last 18 months and chronicle it on their next album, one which they’re currently working on in a studio near their home in Newcastle.
“Working on this album is different than it was on the first one,” Johns said. “We’re a little more sure of ourselves, and I think the songs will be a little better. We still like the things on the last album, but we’ve gotten a little sick of them playing them every night for the last year. We’ve been writing new stuff while we’ve been on the road, and they’re really good. I think the people will like them. We actually had about half a dozen mostly completed by the end of our last tour and we wrote the rest in the weeks before we went in to make the album.”
Already silverchair has spent more time in the recording studio working on their still-untitled second disc than they did for Frogstomp - which was recorded in a astounding nine days! Last time the boys just went in and laid down their songs in a furious rush of youthful exuberance, trading off a degree of studio polish for the advantage of first-take freshness. But this time with a little extra money in their pocket, and the realization that the world’s expectations will be extremely high for their upcoming collection, this power trio is understandably taking a bit more time. They want to make sure that they’re not going to be remembered by some future generation of rock historians as nothing more than a footnote in the rock history books – the youngest hard rock band ever to achieve multi-platinum status. They want to know that their initial success will serve as a rock-solid foundation for their future career exploits.
“We know that you just can’t take all of this for granted,” Johns said showing off his new-found maturity. “The first time we had no idea what any of this was about. It was all just a laugh. We went in and did the record when we had a chance to get away from school for a few days. Our parents didn’t want us to miss any classes. This time – while our moms are still concerned about our school time – I think everyone realizes that we have a great opportunity here. They all want us to make the most of it.”
As one might imagine, the Silverchair boys have done some serious growing up since the release of their debut disc. Yet despite the world-wide acclaim, the globe-trotting tours and the million dollar paychecks, they’ve managed to maintain virtually all of their youthful, care-free exuberance. These guys still argue and fight like the teenagers they are, battling one minute then laughing the next. They still can’t drive, chase women or hang out in bars – but they seem to be having the time of their lives none-the-less, even if most of their off-stage entertainment centers on downing fast-food burgers and pulling harmless pranks on their road crew. By next tour, however Silverchair just might be hell on wheels. By then these boys will be fast approaching the “legal” age of 18. While they insist they’re not about to go totally crazy once they do hit that magical age, they do admit that they’re looking forward to having a little more freedom in the upcoming years.
“I don’t think our moms will go on the road next time,” Johns says with a smile. “I think they’d like to because I know they had a lot of fun shopping in all the big cities that we played. They might have enjoyed the last tour more than we did. But by next tour we’ll all be 17, and by the time we finish that tour we’ll be 18 – that’s old enough for us to be on our own. But we learned that you don’t have to get drunk or act crazy to be a successful musician. I think if we were to drink before we went on stage we’d probably end up puking on everyone in the first row.”
Hopefully, those who plan on hanging close to the stage on Silverchair’s next world road outing won’t be hit by any regurgitated debris while they’re cheering on their heros. Already these guys have learned the “ins” and “outs” of tour trail behavior while playing with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – guys who really know how to have a interesting time while on the road. But next time Silverchair wouldn’t mind headlining their own show, giving them the chance to perform all the material from what by then will most likely be both of their platinum albums.
“When we have two records out, we could play our own shows much easier,” Johns said. “We did play our own shows in clubs last time, but if you want to play bigger places, you need at least two records. Now we’ll have ‘em – they’ll both be damn good!”