"You've got to learn fast," Johns said with a smile. "Otherwise you just stay in place. We've enjoyed where we've been and what we've done, but we want to move on. A lot of songs on our first album were written when we were 15. Now we're 17, and that makes a big difference. We've grown up a lot. We've experienced a lot. We've seen the world. It makes a difference."
Indeed the varied experiences enjoyed by the boys in silverchair have had a radical effect upon the musical sophistication of their new tunes. Rather than depending on the somewhat mundane lyrics that characterized such radio and MTV faves as Isreal's Son and Pure Massacre (hey, the guys were only 16!), this time around silverchair has set out to present a more mature and adventurous effort. And according to everyone who has been fortunate enough to have been invited into the group's Australian studio to hear their new material, the band has succeeded on all counts. Perhaps one of the key reasons for this subtle move away from the Nirvana-inspired angst anthems that characterized Frogstomp is that these boys grew sick and tired of the near-constant comparisons with a variety of "Seattle Sound" music merchants. They heard the cries of "Pearl Chair" and "Silver Garden" nearly everywhere they went on their previous world tour, and they admit that it began to weight heavily on their nerves.
"Maybe we made a mistake in the beginning last time by admitting that we loved Nirvana," Johns said. "Maybe we just should have stayed quiet or said that every idea we had was ours. Of course, that wouldn't have been totally true. I sill admit that I love Nirvana, but it's time for our music to grow and see where it goes. We're looking forward to that."
Another thing that the silverchair boys are undoubtedly looking forward to is hitting the tour trail without the careful eye of parental watchers looking over their shoulders. The guys admit that they were kind of happy to have their mothers tag along at the beginning of their last tour - after all, they were three kids away from home for the first time. But now, a year and a half later, these aren't boys anymore - they're men.. at least in their own minds. And these men seem intent on going on tour this time and enjoying all the perks that have been time-honored rights-of-passage for every young rock and roll musician. Of course, their moms still have other plans for them.
"Yeah, they still think we're too young to just go on the road by ourselves," Johns said. "But I think that the real reason they want to go on tour with us again is that they enjoyed shopping in all those new places we played. They want to do it again. But I think they also know that we're all pretty levelheaded. We don't drink and we don't smoke, and we have some very good people working with us on the road. We have a whole crew of people who we're grown to know almost as well as our family, and they take very good care of us."
Certainly silverchair can now well afford to have a veritable slew of "roadies" take care of them while they're on the tour trail. Even the National Basketball Association doesn't have younger millionaires than these guys! But as Daniel indicated, thankfully the members of silverchair have managed to keep fairly level heads, and maintain their Australian-bred, down-to-earth perspectives. Now that they're old enough to drive, there may be a fancy car or two in their futures, but that's about as far as their new-found fame and fortune is going to effect the perspectives of these Chairmen. They want to maintain a steadfast focus on their music, and even the lure of freedom, fast cars and groupies galore won't deter them from their task. Well, maybe they will.. Occasionally.
"It's funny when we hear people discuss us, or read about ourselves in the press," Johns said. "Sometimes we're made out to be these choir boys, and at other times we're made out to be devils. I imagine the reality is somewhere in the middle. We did behave ourselves last time, but we're young and we like to have fun. Last time we were content with having a fast-food hamburger and a shaving cream fight after a show. Well just have to see what will keep us occupied the next time."
Yes, the "next time" promises to be filled with all sorts of action and excitement both for the band and their fast-growing legion of supporters. It should be fascinating to see if the initial success enjoyed by silverchair can be magnified upon the next time around, or whether the band will suffer through the customary growing pains that so many second-time-around groups seem to incur. It seems safe to say, however, that whether or not their next album sells two million copies, the three young Newcastle natives who comprise silverchair are out to enjoy every second of the experience.
"If you can't have fun doing this, what can you have fun doing?" Johns asked. "We're a little more aware of what to expect now, and we're also more aware of what's expected from us. Everything was so new that last time. Now we want to really focus on the music, make a great album and then make sure we have a great time when we go back on tour."