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Mike Chunn: The Seven Voices of Split Enz - Page 3

© Anne-Marie de Bruin

"It was true, I think you're right. Because the pace of change we just things took for granted so we were always kept on our toes, especially with music. The Beatles would always do something different... So I think it will be remembered in centuries to come as a very intense couple of decades, the sixties and seventies."

I saw an interview with Graham Brazier of Hello Sailor, and part of what he talked about were casualties in the music biz from the "excesses"...he referred to both Kiwis and overseas musicians "who had never left the party", but Split Enz were never into that to such a great extent were you?

"I was with the Judd era- it was a very kind of intense pursuit that we were after. We alienated ourselves and wanted to from the entire music industry anywhere we went. Women were never around, we never tripped or injected anything, never sniffed anything- might have smoked a bit but that was about it. Whereas there are those that focussed on what happened off the stage than what happened on. Still Graham Brazier looks about thirty years old these days, an incredible guy, hats off to him."

What do you think of phenomena like the Internet Crowded House/Split Enz mailing list, which tends to discuss everything and anything?

"Yeah I've been made aware of that a bit lately. Someone sent me a whole conversation about the lost Enz album called Sundowner. Eddie and I have been looking at it. I'm not quite sure why internationally they'd focus on it, maybe its just interesting I don't know, maybe it's just a multi-faceted thing, and it's hard for me to know. But in a minor kind of way it's flattering to see an e-mail from Sweden about the lost Enz album and that Chunn probably knew about it but he didn't put it his book because he didn't want people to know about it!"

Does it exist?

"No it doesn't! There are demo tapes from Mandrill studios recorded just before Enz went to Australia and they've just been refound. A beautiful version of Under The Wheel with Tim and Phil singing in unison, singing in harmony through it, so one day they might leak out from somewhere. And there's the Rootin' Tootin' Luton tapes still to come out, but they've been taking their time. I suppose its their 20th Anniversary next year, so maybe Eddie will arrange for them to be released because he's got them all on DAT."

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