I had the idea to do a podcast, though I don't know much about that world. I only ever listen to one regularly and that is Tony Martin's SIZZLETOWN. I do like some of them when I hear them but mostly I have just never gotten into the habit. Its the nature of time for me. I never feel I have enough and podcasts seem to be for people who have extra time up their sleeves to catch up on stuff. I must be doing it wrong.
I don't really want to take over the world with my version of the form. I am not bothered if its on itunes or spotify so for the moment I am just putting it onto Mixcloud. Its just for those in the know. Players. Its called PLAYERS PLEASE and the first talk I had was with old friend and long time inspiration Peter Milton Walsh aka THE APARTMENTS.
This is how I wrote about Milton Walsh in WORKSHY.
"Someone who helped us negotiate this period of disintegration and regeneration – well, helped me, as much as anything – was Peter Milton Walsh, the gold-toothed enigma from Brisbane whom we had first met in Sydney in his band Out of Nowhere and then in Melbourne, when he’d been playing in the Laughing Clowns. He had revived a late-70s band name he had operated under called the Apartments and had released an album on Rough Trade.
Peter was a great signal or anchor point for me. I learned poise and attitude from him. He encouraged me in areas where he’d seen I’d said or suggested something in a casual way that stayed with him. It can be powerful when somebody you respect and admire cheers you on or points out a quality in your work or general shape in the world that you weren’t aware of. They give you the direction to accentuate some sort of limp or speech impediment if it’s working for you. You take heed of advice from players you rate.
Peter had this rare pop sensibility amongst a bunch of people obsessed with post-punk self-righteousness and striving for authenticity. He had his own brew he’d cooked up himself. Like Kim Salmon and James Baker, an original gangster. The French tuned into his work from the get-go and have continued to sustain him. He was always reaching for notes and epic feels that were hard to get. He got it more often than not.
Peter’s lyrics were hard-boiled and his choruses were epic. He found it hard to hold a band together but kept operating under a band name. He would disappear for years and then come back into view with his story darker and deeper. He’d left the Brisbane scene for New York and then left that for Sydney and then London. Paris took him in and eventually he headed back to Sydney. He took risks by just walking away.
He taught me a major seventh chord one day that I ran with perhaps way too much and wrote a hundred songs around. It had an open voicing that made it hypnotic to return my hands to and easy to sing against. E was my note – I made it so. The open strings. You could whomp it. He was either showing me one of his songs or a Walker Brothers tune. He played guitar with us at a couple of Moodists gigs. No bass, just Peter, me, Clare Moore and Steve Miller."
The Apartments have a new album out at the moment called IN AND OUT OF THE LIGHT and you can access that and all their (his) other work via their homepage.
Clare Moore contributed some vibes to this song from the new Apartments album.
We have some Stage It shows coming up. Melbourne is easing restrictions but I am still shy of shows out in the world and who knowswhen they will be up and running. We will continue our Thursday night 8pm AEST shows each week and our Saturday night (Northern Hemisphere) - Sunday morning shows every forrtnight.
Our next show is Thursday November 26th.
Then its Thursday December 3rd. (Our 50th Stage It gig)
And Saturday night Dec 5th/Sunday morning Dec 6th.
Stay well and safe everybody!
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