Yes, we know we only just chatted to Bob Evans (aka Kevin Mitchell) at the end of last year, but that was for the fabulous gig he played at Escape To The Park. Now he’s all set to launch his second album and we simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to chat with the former Perth boy who has rocked our music scene in a number of guises, originally as part of Jebidiah and now as Bob Evans. And the new album? It’s his kiss off to his home suburb and is called Goodnight, Bull Creek!
Evans has just moved to Melbourne with his partner but he took some time to ring home and chat with OUTinPerth about Fame, Bullcreek and the frustrations we face at dealing with social injustices.
So before blowing off Bullcreek completely did you sneak in any one-on-one time with your old home suburb?
Funny you should ask. In between leaving my house and moving to Melbourne, there were three months there where I was homeless. So I spent the last three months of my life in Perth living with my mum… in Bullcreek. So the last three months of life in Perth were literally spent sleeping in my old bedroom in sunny Bullcreek. It was weird.
What was it like growing up in Bullcreek?
Very ordinary. Bullcreek is a very ordinary little suburb. And I’m not saying that in a negative way. But yeah, it’s a little brown brick 1970s kind of southern suburb, working to middle class. There was nothing incredibly unusual about my existence there.
So you never snuck out of home or anything?
I had quite a strict upbringing. There wasn’t a lot of sneaking out going on. On the few occasions when I was allowed to do something though obviously I was making up for lost time. You know how there’s all this hype in the media at the moment about alcopops and teenagers binge drinking? Well I was definitely one of those. I was a terrible binge drinker. Four Strongbow Whites and I was fricking vomiting up. I’d get a six pack of Strongbow white and I could never get through them. I could make it to four before I was absolutely smashed. I’d be drunk at like 10 o’clock at night. The next day I’d find out about my friends who’d kissed girls and I’d just passed out.
How did you get into music?
It all started when I was five. I was a really huge fan of that show on TV called Fame. So I decided I wanted to dance. I was enrolled in dance classes which I did from the age of five until about 12 and so twice a week every week for those seven years I was spending an hour dancing to music. Mostly kind of ’70s and ’80s kind of music. There was a bit of Bee Gees and Michael Jackson. I think I was just kind of experiencing music in a really kind of positive way and I think it kind of just seeped into my consciousness. And over the years I think I learnt the rudimentary lessons about rhythm and time and melody and all those kind of things. It wasn’t until I was 12 that I started actually writing songs in my head and at about 13 started to learn guitar and piano and then became more and more obsessed with song writing. So by the time I was 17 I was writing stuff that was any good.
Critics have described this album as being somewhat restless. Would you say it is a restless album?
I wanted to do something different and perhaps there was a bit of frustration there and a small amount of depression too in between records. I think it was like a general kind of comedown from what were two of the best years of my life, 2005 and 2006. I think I might’ve gotten myself into a bit of a funk. So there are a bunch of songs on the album that reflect that kind of feeling of sadness and frustration and perhaps confusion of not really knowing what I was going to do next.
What are you proud of the most in regards to this new album?
There was nothing particularly fashionable about my last record and I can proudly say that there’s nothing particularly fashionable about this record either. Hopefully that’s a good sign. I’ve definitely come around to the fact that trying to be fashionable is death. What I’m really proud of this record for is that I’ve tried my hardest to do something different and do something interesting and challenge myself with songs that are completely different to anything I’ve done before. And I think it’s different to what anybody else is doing as well. If it’s popular that’s great, that’s a big bonus. But if it’s not… well, it won’t be the first time I’ve made a record that hasn’t been popular. It’s not a lazy record.
What can you tell us about the song Brother O Brother?
It’s a song about humanity in a broad sense. It deals with injustice and that frustration I feel as a middle class white male with the way the world is because it doesn’t reflect the way that I feel. And I’m pretty sure it doesn’t reflect the way most people feel. We live in a world that doesn’t reflect who we are as people. I think the vast majority of the population would love to see equality and justice. And the amount of poverty, not just on our doorstep in Australia with Indigenous communities but globally as well, it’s a disgusting and shameful thing.
Goodnight, Bull Creek! is out now through EMI Records. Go to our Giveaways section now to win yourself Bob Evans’ new album.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
