Q&A - SILVERCHAIR

Have you been happy with the response to Neon Ballroom around the world?
Yes. We've had a lot of feedback from people who've said they weren't really into our first two albums but they like this one which is good. It seems to have been taken a bit more seriously as an album rather than just a teenage novelty think like it was around 'frogstomp' for most people.

Has it done as well as you expected and moved silverchair up a level in terms of recognition?

I don't really follow the charts and all that stuff but from what I can tell it's done really well. We're getting more people to our gigs now than we ever had so that's a good sign. It's going back up the charts in America now too which is good but it means we've got to do more touring over there which is a drag because we thought we'd just about done most of the travelling we had to do for a while. Still, it's a good problem to have I guess.

Were you pleased with the response from the british audiences when you last played here?
Yes. The show at Brixton Academy was good although the one we did at the Astoria totally sucked because I had problems with my amp. The crowds in the UK are usually really hardcore because the only way people hear about us over there is through rock magazines rather than the radio or whatever. So we end up with a crowd of people who are really into heavy stuff rather than a broader audience like you'd get if it was made up of people who listen to the radio.

After Reading when can your fans expect to see you in the UK again?
I've got absolutely no idea. We don't really have any plans beyond this tour and one more trip to America in October. We've been touring all year so right now we don't want to plan anything past that point. I don't want to get tot the point where the shows start getting stale - we've just done an Australian tour which went great and I think that's partly because we know there's a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of travelling. It’s not the touring that sucks by the way - It's just all the travel and being away from home that gets you down after a while. Still, it goes with the territory I guess.

Have you played Reading Festival before? Do you enjoy playing UK festivals?
Absolutely, we played it once before - in the small tent though. It was the year Soundgarden and Neil Young headlined the main stage and we got to see them both which was really cool.

What's the story behind your next single, "Miss You Love"? Is it written about anybody in particular?
The idea was to have a song which seems to be a normal love song but when you pay attention to it's actually an anti-love song. I don't mean that it's against love, it's just about not being able to connect with another person in that way, even if part of you wants to. It is kind of based on a personal experience but I'd rather not get any more specific than that.

How did you cope with the recent assault allegations made against you?
It wasn't a lot of fun. I'm just glad that it's all behind me now and that people know that everything she said was a crock of shit from the beginning. But it's not behind me in a way because people keep asking about it. I understand why they're interested but that's the problem with this sort of stuff - even when there's nothing to it it still hangs around for a long time afterwards.

Are you going to be in Australia for New Years? What special plans do you have?
We'll definitely be at home for New Year's Eve. I don't have anything particularly special planned - probably just hang out with some friends or something.

We have a huge readership of silverchair fans. On their behalf: 'Are you available at the moment?'
For what? If you mean romantically the answer is I'm married to my dog.

Does the attention of fans still freak you our or are you coping with it better now?
It depends on the person. Some are really cool but people camping outside your house and stuff can be annoying. I'm just not really good with people generally - It's not just fans, it's everyone.

Do you have a special message for your fans and rock sound readers?
Yes. Find your own special message.

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