SM: It's Radio One, it's Tuesday so it's live music time and we have Neil and Tim Finn. Morning guys.
DH: Hello.
TF: Hello Simon.
SM: Have we got you left and right? [stereo] Let's just try it. Say "Hello" Tim.
TF: Hello.
SM: Say "Hello" Neil.
DH: Neil is right.
TF: Always.
SM: Always, cos that's what brothers are all about. It's nice to have you in the studio again and it's been a long time since, when was it, a couple of years ago you were last around doing this kind of thing?
DH: I think so, yeah, there's been a lot of international travel since then so the brain cells have been depleted somewhat.
SM: Now what's really interesting you see is, I'll try and get my history absolutely right. So, Tim, Split Enz was your band and Neil joined you.
TF: Right.
SM: OK. And then Crowded house was Neil's band and you joined it.
TF: Yes.
SM: And then you left it.
TF: Then I left it. Neil... had already previously left Split Enz at some point as well so it... becomes quite a complex dark history.
SM: So who's walking out on who at the moment? And what's going on here? It's very confusing.
DH: We're having a trial togetherness again.
TF: It's a kind of Siamese situation at the moment joined at the neck.
SM: Joined at the vocal chord.
DH: We're used to coming and going because we spent half our life together and half our lives apart so at the moment we're enjoying the fact that it is just Tim and I and, um, we've never been in that situation quite before so that's a unique and different thing.
SM: You're both leaders are you not, you both like being up front so does that mean that it's difficult? Are you the Don and Phil Everly of 1995?
TF: Digging for dirt are we Simon?!
DH: Without all the sibling trauma.
TF: Yeah, we don't have those kind of tormented moments really.
SM: So when you split up it's amicable?
TF: Yeah.
SM: If you walk out on him or he walks out on you...
DH: Not entirely, we have a very open...
SM: Excuse me he just said it is and you're saying it's not!
DH: Well, we're brothers what do you expect?
TF: That's fairly typical isn't it.
DH: No, but our family has huge emotional outbursts so if you see us all together it's quite harrowing actually because...
SM: How many Finns are there?
DH: There's two other sisters and of course our mother and father. When we're all together it's very, um, there's a sort of emotional anticipation and if certain things spill over there's suddenly a big outpouring of emotion and everyone's completely traumatised by it but within an hour we're all desperate to be back in the fold again. It's similar with Tim and I we have our extreme moments but we're always keen to get that door open again, back in, you know, we don't bear grudges.
TF: No it is indeed true that we never bear a grudge towards each other but musically it works if there is a bit of tension anyway because basically it's a fine line. You just walk that fine line.
DH: No you don't.
SM: I think you do.
TF: I think you do Neil.
DH: Let's not..we're exhibiting our point here, demonstrating our point.
TF: There's nothing much to say about it, there's not a lot of dirt, unfortunately. It would be a much more interesting story I guess if we were beating each other up.
SM: Is it a very creative partnership when you're together? Do you find that the songs come easier together than if you're on your own?
TF: Not necessarily, not easier, but different kinds of songs, different lyrical ideas pop up and things we talk about and...
DH: We also have a strong...
TF: ...it's a special sort of thing, 'cos like the album is a one off it has its own atmosphere and mood quite different from Crowded house or me solo so something else happens when we're together.
DH: We have strong force of will if there's going to be two of us in the room. Normally I fall asleep when I'm by myself trying to write a song. I'll have little nap and when Tim's there I'll actually keep working.
TF: ...keep you rigidly awake.
SM: So tell us about this single then.
TF: Well, "Suffer Never" was written on a daydream kind of afternoon when I was playing an Indian harmonium and Neil was playing guitar and we came up with this line, "suffer never". It's a song about, I suppose, tenderness and protectiveness really without being too specific. It could be between a son and his grandmother it could be between a father and his cow.
SM: Right. But is of course very unlikely to be.
DH: Probably not. But nevertheless, you know...
TF: Just tenderness between things and between people.
SM: We have Neil and Tim Finn playing live on the show today. Here's "Suffer Never".

SUFFER NEVER (live)

SM: Okay, that's a song obviously about a father and his cow.
DH: A father and his cow, yeah.
SM: Or probably a farmer.
TF: Moo!
SM: That's "Suffer Never" the new single from Neil and Tim Finn and if I asked you ever so nicely would you do a big hit next?
TF: Oh yes, for you Simon I think that's entirely possible and for the great, good people of Britain.
SM: So Crowded House is still a continuing project is it Neil?
DH: Yes, yes it is, this is a scheduled stop in the middle of Crowded House projects. We had a gap really after we finished touring and Tim and I had been discussing the pure idea of recording a brothers record for years and years really. We thought this is our moment let's grab it and the band have been quite happy to go and forge their own paths for a year or so and I think we'll come back stronger for it, really, for the break.
SM: This project will take how long... you're going to do a tour?
TF: We'll be touring in January with a band, a couple of acoustic shows in November, but the band tour is in January and I guess after that we'll just let it gather its own momentum.
SM: Then Crowded House will start again now, will you want to join at any stage...
TF: No...
SM: ...and then walk out.
TF: No, that was a one off for "Woodface". But no further plans in that regard.
DH: We'll try and confuse people in other ways! Some way different.
SM: Let's talk about "Woodface". Can we do a track from that then? I think the nation requests "Weather With You".
TF: This is the first song we wrote on that session so here it is.
SM: Let's just do a little guitar lesson 'cos I am musically illiterate so Tim what are you going to do? What do you do on this song?
TF: On this track... when I was in the band I would usually start the rhythm off like this...

Tim plays the rhythm

DH: That is, ladies and gentlemen, the Maori strum. That is a particular rhythm that is omnipresent in New Zealand.
TF: Omnipresent in New Zealand that's with the backslap, strong backbeat.
SM: What do you do Neil?
DH: I do... the summery guitar line that goes...

Neil plays the intro

DH: Flash that!
SM: The reason for that is you're the only one with a guitar pick. All the others have gone missing...
DH: We're a little low on guitar picks today I'm afraid...

WEATHER WITH YOU (live)