JW: But he's here, and I want to say hello to him and welcome him: Neil Finn.
NF: Hi Johnnie.
JW: Neil Finn, formerly of Crowded House, on tour at the moment.
NF: Yes.
JW: Doing his own thing.
NF: Yes I am.
JW: Yeah, and a superb concert at the Albert Hall, and I'm not just schmoozing you up. I had a thoroughly good evening - it was great.
NF: Yeah, it was a great night actually. It was a loose occasion for a formal venue...
JW: Yeah.
NF: ...but amazing place. I'd not set foot in it before. It was the first time ever.
JW: So you deliver a few really good songs and everything - you get everybody happy, in the mood - and then, then you got loose really, didn't you...
NF: Yeah...
JW: ...and sort of...
NF: ...well there was a bit of shenanigans. You know, one thing we did was put some paper on the seats, erm, beforehand, because we envisaged that towards the end of the show a mass launch of about a thousand or so aeroplanes. But in fact nobody was patient enough to wait 'til that point - they all started throwing them in interval.
JW: But that's... I thought this... Was this planned, or was it spontaneous?
NF: It wasn't planned for them to throw them in interval, but apparently - and I wasn't watching obviously because I was back-stage - but erm, there was a bit... it sort of provoked quite a good sort of serge and vibe beforehand, and people were doing Mexican waves and aeroplanes going, people were applauding good flights - I hear that your flight wasn't quite so successful!
JW: I just about made two rows in front of me, and I couldn't concentrate on the songs really, because I was spending the whole time - you know - doing the origami there, trying to remember... it was a long time since I was good at folding darts, you know!
NF: No, well obviously it wasn't of much interest to you - you had other things, other fish to fry!
JW: But, also the other spontaneous part was the gentleman on your right - left to us in the audience...
NF: Yeah.
JW: ...was wearing this kind of Dwight Yokum, ten-gallon Nashville job.
NF: Oh Robert, yeah...
JW: Robert.
NF: Robert Moore.
JW: And then er, he came out with the idea, well whoever can get a dart actually in the hat or nearest the hat would get a... magnum, is it?
NF: Oh, it was a magnum of champagne, yeah.
JW: A magnum of champagne...
NF: A magnum of champagne we'd been given back-stage, yeah. And I was actually, at that point, I wondered whether perhaps we were taking the whole paper aeroplane thing too far, and er, in fact what happened is nobody got the hat - nobody quite made the hat - so we had a slight sort of disappointment there, and which was followed by the people that came up that were closest to the hat, to receive the magnum, happened to be Australians.
JW: Yeah.
NF: ...which was, I shouldn't say it was disappointing...
JW: So you knew... So you knew the whole thing was rigged anyway!
NF: Well, it was all rigged, yeah! Life is rigged. And erm, but the thing is that the audience booed. When I said they were Australian, the whole audience went, "Boooo!" which was quite shocking in a way.
JW: But it made you feel good to be New Zealander, though?
NF: Well, I was glad to be New Zealander, but Robert, poor Robert, had a sensitive moment, and he went off stage and wept.
JW: Yeah.
NF: But er, I'm not sure, yeah. I didn't realise Australians were so unpopular in this town.
JW: No, it's only because of the beers. You know, you only get three-quarters of a pint off them in the pub.
NF: Really?
JW: It's very hard to get served a pint of beer in a London pub that's not poured by somebody who's kipping on someone's floor in Earls Court.
NF: Well the plot thickens, you see - I don't know, I didn't know that!
JW: Well, you didn't know about that, did you?!
NF: No.
JW: Sorry, my earphones just blew up there.
NF: Sort of a sudden spasm!
JW: Okay. Anyway, you okay? You're comfortable and...
NF: I'm very happy, thank-you.
JW: Alright, I'm going to play a really nice Jackson Browne song which is about four-and-a-half minutes, and we're going to do a bit of sound-checking here.
NF: Alright.

(...)

JW: Make him feel welcome. Hello, here's Mr Neil Finn.
NF: Hi.
JW: So, when you were in New Zealand, erm, I mean were you in a town or in the outback, or were you miles away from anywhere, or what was the radio like, what records did you buy?
NF: When I was growing up, you mean?
JW: Yeah, set the scene.
NF: Er, small town - 7,000 people; Te Awamutu, farming community, my father was an accountant...
JW: Hold on, Te A-mutu...?
NF: Te Awamutu. It means "meeting of the streams", erm supposedly. It could actually mean "pile of maggots", because they did that a little bit when people asked them for a lovely name...
JW: The north or the south?
NF: North island. Erm, a hundred miles south of Auckland, and yeah, just a real kind of country up-bringing, erm, bikes and go-karts, and you know - all that kind of stuff.
JW: And what was on the radio?
NF: Er, there was only one radio station in Hamilton, 1ZH, and they used to play a mix of things. Everything from country to kind of motown, to er, you know pop, British pop music, erm... wasn't like a... we didn't get a really... any obscure things - you had to actually discover those by going to visit people with you know, weird record collections, but it was okay - you know - it was a soundtrack.
JW: Yeah, what was grabbing you though?
NF: Erm, well the first songs I remember on the radio that caught my attention were things like, "Eleanor" by you know, The Turtles, and er, you know, Beatles songs and Stones songs. We had a single of "Get Off My Cloud" which got high rotation in the house for a while, alongside some...
JW: High rotation in the house!!
NF: Yeah.
JW: Cos I used to have... Do you... you're maybe not old enough, but the days when you'd have erm, a record player or even radiograms...
NF: Yeah...
JW: ...a huge big lump of wood, er you can buy them now for a couple of dollars in the States, with the auto-changer - you'd put six singles on...
NF: Oh yeah, we used to stack them up like that, yeah...
JW: Yeah, well what I used to do was put one on. The high rotation song would go on there...
NF: Yeah...
JW: ...and leave the arm off, and then it would come to the end, the old arm would lift up, back on the rest, and come straight back on and play it again!
NF: Yeah, they were brilliant really...
JW: Yeah - automatic repeat function.
NF: They were great. We had a little erm, record player we used to take to the beach too, and in fact we've still got it at home and it still works, so erm yeah, they were built to last in those days.
JW: Yeah. "Get Off My Cloud", that was a great song.
NF: It was - a brilliant song, yeah, and we had some pretty bad ones though, too. We had that song, erm, Pat Boone song - "Love Letters In The Sand". Actually, if I listen to it now I'd probably like it, but erm, and "Green..."

* Neil sings: "Green, green, the grass is green, on the far side of the hill..." *

NF: Er, Clancy Brothers was it?
JW: Was it? Er, okay.
NF: I don't know! So long ago - I'm amazed I remember anything...!
JW: Were you a sensitive, spotty teenager, hiding in your room, writing poetry, and stuff?
NF: Fairly spotty. Erm, not too sensitive though - I had my moments you know - a few betrayals, early, you know, when you're 13 and 14 you feel, sort of things very deeply. I had a few meloncholy moments...
JW: Heart-broken...
NF: I used to listen... Before I went to bed I put my stereo on in my bedroom and listened to "Revolution Number Nine" and "Goodnight" every night for a few months. That was my ritual.
JW: Yeah, and probably like every other guitar player, thought, "One day, I'll get that sound - that distorted guitar..."
NF: Er yeah. Actually I must admit when I was about 12, I sort of listened to the radio and thought, "Oh I could do that; that doesn't that complex," and it was only later that I discovered that actually simplicity is hard to do.
JW: Exactly. Neil Finn. He'll be playing live for us a little bit later on...

(...)

JW: Johnnie Walker here for a Saturday afternoon on Radio 2, our special guest is Mr Neil Finn, who's kind of on tour at the moment - played the Albert Hall, and also went to Bradford, and er, Cardiff was it you went to?
NF: Cardiff afterwards, yeah, after the Albert Hall.
JW: And the Festival Hall on Monday, and er, there's a thing in one of the papers today - the difference between Tony Blair and William Hague, is Tony can get a table at any restaurant in London, and poor old Mr Hague can't, and I don't know whether William Hague's tried to get tickets for Festival Hall, Monday night, but erm, Tony has, and he's got some!
NF: Really? Yeah, I'm trying to think of some appropriate songs for him, but er...
JW: Must be kind of tricky to judge that, because you don't... obviously not up to speed with politics in the UK...
NF: Not really, no. I'm not sure if I'll be venturing into politics, erm, but I don't know, I probably shouldn't do a thing really - just play a show and let Tony like it or not.
JW: Yeah.
NF: But it's nice to see him along, yeah. It completely reminds me where we're at in terms of the generational thing - it seems inconceivable ten years ago the Prime Minister of any country would come to a show...
JW: Yeah, I don't think John Major would have beaten a path to your door, and Maggie Thatcher certainly wouldn't.
NF: No, you never know, now she's loosening up a bit now!
JW: Don't know about loosening up, she's falling asleep! But, be careful about the Bill Clinton stuff, is just my warning to you.
NF: Yeah?
JW: Cos well, you know Tony and Bill are as close as that?
NF: Oh yeah, I know they are, yeah.
JW: And Claire Short, who's another member of the Labour government...
NF: Yeah.
JW: ...rather put her foot in hit criticising Bill, so...
NF: Really?
JW: Yeah, just be a bit careful, cos Bill's a friend of Tone...
NF: Oh God, it's complex though isn't it?! I think I should just forget about it!
JW: Just forget about it! Or otherwise, or we could arrange for him not to be let in, is another way of doing it...
NF: Oh, I'll leave you in charge of the security posse then, Johnny!
JW: Okay, yeah. "Where's your pass? Sorry, can't come in. It's more than my job's worth...!" Alright, let's go way back to the first ever hit you had with your brother Tim.
NF: Yeah.
JW: Er, which you played at the Albert Hall, long time since you probably played this one, so just kind of set this up for us, so... did Tim start the band, and then you kind of were the nagging brother who said, "Oh come on! I want to be part of this," or...
NF: No, no. I was not expecting the call when it came. He erm, the original guitar player from Split Enz, Phil Judd, left, and they um-ed and ah-ed for a while and tried a few musicians out in England - they were there at the time - and then put a call through to me. I was 18 at the time, and said, "Do you want to join?" and I was shocked, because I didn't know how to play electric guitar at all in those days. So, I went over and had a baptism of fire for six months, and you know er, but learnt, learnt a lot very fast through necessity. And yeah, then "I Got You" came along, and I'd just started to write a few songs for the band, and Tim and I were having sessions where he'd throw me a title and I'd throw him a title and we'd go off to our respective rooms and write a song, and he gave me the title "I Got You", and I went in and wrote it, and I thought the verse was pretty good but I thought the chorus was only a bit average and I should change it at some point, but in fact it er, it was never changed, and it became... it just goes to show that I don't know a hit when I hear one really!
JW: And here it is...

I GOT YOU (album version)

JW: From a great album called "The Best Of Split Enz", and er, "I Got You". And why did you revive that one, Neil Finn?
NF: I hadn't played it for years and years because in Crowded House it didn't seem appropriate really, but erm, and yeah, I'd sort of got a yearn for it again, and the band were all keen to play it. It's probably because they grew up with that song as a bit of a staple, so they were all... and they cajoled me into it really. But I'm enjoying it; it's good.
JW: So then Split Enz split.
NF: Yeah.
JW: ...and then there was Crowded House, and then Tim was in that - your brother - and then he wasn't in that, and then he was in that, and then... so I mean, brothers - it's tough, isn't it?
NF: Families are complex, yeah..
JW: Of course they are...
NF: ...but erm...
JW: ...there's a big learning dynamic going on. We've had Ray and Dave Davies over here, always bashing each other up...
NF: We don't bash each other up! We've had one scrap in all the years. We actually get on really well but there's a popular conception that we must be like, you know...
JW: Like the Gallagher brothers?
NF: Yeah - at each others' throats all the time, but you know I think that's just the Cane and Abel - it's the oldest story in the bible. People assume it's all like that, you know?
JW: Yeah.
NF: But er, no - we get on really well, and we keep playing music together sort of periodically, erm, and I'm sure we'll do it again.
JW: Alright. Well, a song, a live song from yourself on guitar would be nice now.
NF: Well, I'll do a song which is a cover actually erm, but I've played quite a bit on stage, and people yell out for quite a lot so erm, it's called "Throw Your Arms Around Me" and it's written by Mark Seymour, Nick Seymour's brother, in Australia.

THROW YOUR ARMS AROUND ME (live)

JW: Neil Finn playing live on Radio 2 this afternoon with a Hunters And Collectors song, another Australian band, that's "Throw Your Arms Around Me". You alright for time? Just hang on?
NF: Oh yeah, I'm not going anywhere!

(...)

JW: I mean the big thing... you know... I thought when the concert started at the Albert Hall, I thought, "Yes! The sound is great." You know, and it sounds a terribly old-fashioned thing to say, but you can hear what you're singing about. I mean the thing with Crowded House always, it was great melodies, great songs, and really good vocals, and was that something you said, "Right. This is what we want this group to be."?
NF: Er well, I don't know if it was conscious, really. We just kind of... we learnt how to sing together with Crowded House because we did a whole lot of acoustic shows before anybody was really interested in the band. We went round America initially erm, playing in restaurants basically, for invited guests, and stripped ourselves down to a snare drum, erm, you know, bass and acoustic guitar, which is... we've actually probably done your show in that same format.
JW: I remember, yeah. Just playing a BBC er, program box for the drums.
NF: Yeah, Paul used to... Paul really liked the BBC rubbish bins actually; he found they had a really good tone, but erm, that's how we learned how to sing because we didn't have much else going, so we, and I didn't even know that Paul and Nick could sing really, erm, but we got better and better at it because of that and it became a feature, yeah. Good vocals, but I think always, the sound guys that I've had, it's always been really impressed on them, and that the vocals should be able to be heard, you know, I like to go and see people sing and be able to hear what they're singing.
JW: I mean I think it's a great idea to quit at the top, quit while you're ahead, but why? Because you know, thousands, millions of people disappointed... oh no - Crowded House - they were *so* good. Why on earth have they split up you know, that's part of my life that's now going?
NF: Well, there's many different reasons. I wasn't being perverse if it's of any comfort to anybody erm, but Paul Hester had left the band and the chemistry was altered, and not necessarily better. For me, I felt erm... and we rehearsed to do another record and I didn't get inspired or excited by it, and a lot of the songs I had sitting around didn't seem to suit, erm, but also I guess I was at a point in my life where I wanted to be responsible only for myself and not to this great sort of machine that Crowded House became, so er, you know every ten years or so I think I'm in the mood for a change. I don't know what I'm going to do next - I'll have to split myself in half!
JW: No, your son will take over! It was a joy to see 15 year-old Liam on stage, doing a very respectable job with guitar, and er, did you persuade him to get up there, or did he say, "Oh come on Dad, how about me being in the band?"
NF: He just fell into it, really. I've neither discouraged nor encouraged, but he's found his own way into music. He's kind of writing his own songs and getting better all the time. He played drums on the album on a couple of songs, and when we were rehearsing for the tour there were just things that needed to be done and I didn't have somebody there for, and he stepped into the breach and before I knew it, he was doing the whole set really, so it was quite natural. He's not over-awed by it. He had a bit of a horror moment at the Albert Hall where his guitar stopped in the middle of a solo, so er, it was good for him to go through that though.
JW: Yeah, I mean it's part of learning it, isn't it?
NF: It is.
JW: What to do when it goes wrong.
NF: Yeah, although most 15 year-olds would probably not have to deal with those kind of moments at the Albert Hall!
JW: Well, baptism of fire is the phrase that comes to mind. But what about 8 year-old Elroy there, because, there's quite a gap between them...
NF: Yeah.
JW: ...so I guess there's not that competetive jealousy that might have been if they were born - you know - if there was less years between them really?
NF: Not hugely, no. I mean, they're still competetive... they get on each others' nerves because they're together all the time, but no, Elroy's not all that interested in being a musician at this point I don't think. Er, which will be quite nice, because I think another lot of brothers coming through would be just - you know - too much! Doing the same job, erm so you know, I think he's more interested in hanging out, so he'll have a sports car and a sort of, dilettante lifestyle when he gets older, I think.
JW: Yeah. Alright, well er, Neil Finn will be playing at the er... is it the Royal? I guess it's the Royal Festival Hall. Is it?
NF: Er, I'm not sure actually.
JW: I don't know actually, I can't remember.
NF: Festival Hall, south of the river.
JW: South of the river. Monday night, and then for the record buyers who want their CDs signed, then get in the queue at HMV, Oxford Street, Wednesday. What's that - lunchtime, afternoon?
NF: Yeah, I'm going to play some songs down at the HMV store at lunchtime on Wednesday and get amongst the punters, the buyers, erm, squashed in between the classical racks and the jazz rack.
JW: Alright, well let's have a rehearsal now for what you might play.
NF: Okay, I'll play a song now called "Last One Standing", which is the opening track of the record.

LAST ONE STANDING (live)

JW: Neil Finn playing live on Radio 2. Well thanks ever so much for coming in, it's great to see you.
NF: Thank-you, Johnnie.
JW: And er, well done for mixing your new songs, and er, the sort of Crowded House favourites in the show - it works beautifully.
NF: Thanks, yeah. I've got to fill that set out.
JW: Yeah, and you've got a couple of free bevvies - you know - cocktail party at number 10, I was just thinking - maybe just a little chorus of the "Four Seasons, Cherie" - that could go down quite well.
NF: The "Four Seasons"?
JW: Cherie, yeah. "Cherie, Cherie baby..." I think so.
NF: Yeah, alright!
JW: Honourary knighthood would be on the way!
NF: I'll chuck it on the list!
JW: Yeah, well, it's maybe worth thinking about!
NF: Yeah.
JW: Song of the night at the Albert Hall was an oldie, but everybody loves it - erm, "Don't Dream It's Over". Where did you write this? On a bus somewhere? Somewhere romantic?
NF: I wrote it in my brother's music room actually - Tim's music room on his piano and er, it was actually... I was being quite unsociable because there was a whole bunch of people turned up to have afternoon tea there, and I sort of shut myself away and wrote that one, and it er, all came out in one go.
JW: It's an inspiration. Great song.
NF: Thank-you.
JW: Thanks a lot, Neil.
NF: See you soon.

DON'T DREAM IT'S OVER (album version)

JW: Written and sung by Neil Finn during the days of Crowded House, certainly a high spot in their career, and that's "Don't Dream It's Over".