We are with Wally today or aka Gotie here at TurnedFTV and it's quite exciting because
I was reading about Gotie, I know that's your you know your moniker but where it comes from
is it's a nickname that your mum used to give you?
Yeah, so but it's not Gotie, you just chose to spell it that way.
But it's actually like, go ahead please, I'm sorry, maybe not but I'm quite curious.
Yeah, my mum used to call me that often when I was a kid, she was a French speaker, she's
back a lot of languages and our main language was Flemish, she was my first language when
I was growing up and so yeah, I have a Flemish name, Walter, which is kind of close to Walter
which is like the Walter on the hands of Wally English but mum would sometimes use the French
version of Walter, which is Gotie.
Do you speak a new French name?
No, I speak Flemish and English, a bit of Japanese but not French.
And then how, oh yeah Japanese, that's also another story, you're a man of stories, I
know this feels like you'd have to write a book or something at some point.
Everybody does an undergraduate degree once in a while then?
Exactly.
Yeah, I did Japanese at my school and uni and I was really good and then I, I stopped
short of going really serious with it, with a major and yeah, I kind of just dropped it,
kind of, to do music.
But then that would help, I mean if you were in Japan, I mean.
Yeah, it's been some nice moments, it's been actually, I have a fond memory of being a
3D rock festival in Japan and just using really simple Japanese but just to kind of say thanks
and say, this next song is about such and such, thanks so much for listening but I guess
doing it with a pretty decent accent and you know, a decent grammar and just a whole crowd
of like 10,000 people going, oh, this is the kind of collective breath and I was like,
that's kind of cool.
Impressed, they were really impressed.
It doesn't take a lot, I mean you just have to make an effort really but I guess because
I had a half decent, very simple Japanese couple of sentences I could stream together.
Well I mean, it's one language I think a lot of people don't have half decent anything
and really so, I mean a bunch of Japanese but coming then and you know, being from here
and also we were talking about earlier, your heritage with the family and stuff, it seems
like you're quite an international person and yet they've really embraced you in this
country and your country really in Australia.
What are your kind of ambitions then later as you see yourself, you know, like you said
on the cusp of kind of, I guess, world domination?
Oh no, I didn't mean that so much, I just want to, well no, I'm fine, I really, I just
feel a bit like in the last couple of weeks where I put a new single out and where it
seems to have developed a life of its own even in such a short period of time and just feel
maybe just on the cusp of extreme busyness for a long time.
But in terms of ambition, like how that relates, I'm not sure, I don't think I have, I don't
have that spark in me that's what makes me, you know, dream day to day about taking over
the world, you know, becoming a megastar or anything like that, I'm really excited about
seeing more of the world through music because that's a real blessing to be able to travel
and see countries you've never been to before and meet people from different cultures because
of the creative things you've done.
But there's another part of me that kind of just wants to kind of finish the creative,
you know, projects I do, finish an album and just put it out there and then move on to
something else, making another record or doing another project rather than, you know, touring
and promoting it.
You can be a musician, that sounds so perfect.
I do sometimes feel like I only spend 5% of my time being a musician.
It's hard isn't it?
I mean, and really if we look at the industry, I mean, there was news of Amy Winehouse yesterday
who passed and you just kind of, and then the whole idea of being young at this age
of 27 and that the industry kills fact, you know what I mean, it kills kind of the musicianship
in the artistry that you'd find or you would have before, you know what I mean, when you're
moving house to house, like your story, apparently the title, it's funny knowing things but not
really knowing them and having to check with an artist but I'm not sure if this is hearsay
or not but the title of your album, I'm like drawing blood, that the inspiration behind
that was that you were moving constantly, true or false?
Oh yeah, well just that I felt like I am, I kind of put every last scary bit of effort
I could find and that it just sort of took a lot out of me to finish that record.
It's not a title I really like, very much to tell the truth.
It was, as with all three of my records, it was related to trying to find a title that
I've commented on the album artwork and also commented on the music and the process of
that interview.
Because you're a dancing artist?
Yeah, I used to be an artist when I was six years old.
See what I mean, there's another story?
Oh yeah, I don't know, I feel like I'm lucky I've been drawing this little treasured
treasured art for people when I was a kid, yeah, I'd like to get back to trying to paint
again but that's getting back to all the same bad times, creative time versus maybe career
time.
And how do you think you could strike a balance really, like is it about kind of, you know,
keeping, like, putting out records, putting out, just keeping banging ten piece orchestra?
Yeah.
So is it about, is it really, do you feel like you're kind of trying to stay ahead or is
it just in a natural consequence of where your music has taken you?
Oh, we talk about striking a balance, I think that's the thing I most try to do and so I
could possibly feel at times I could make a conscious decision to try and just do more
creative things but that would be at the cost of them being across, you know, the business
of the label, you know, of my own label, puts out my music, yeah, being across those things
like finances and tax and, I mean, I've got so many amazing people helping out and, you
know, cover all these things for me now but I still really like to be aware of all those
things so striking that balance is I suppose the thing that keeps me from making music
every day.
Which I could do sometimes, I feel like I could go, you know what, I'm kind of over
this thing of not feeling like I sometimes have a chance to explore a thing that I want
to do musically.
I'm just going to try and be an artist, I'm not even going to answer the thing I'm
waiting for, I'm not going to bother about 300 emails, I can't answer them all, I'll
let my managers deal with this, I'll let somebody else.
So I've thought about that kind of going, you know, maybe I should just decide to not
spend time trying to do designs, update Facebook page, you know, tweet as much, you know, I
don't even tweet very much but little things like that, they all add up.
The text I'm tweeting alone takes up half of your day if you really were to use it to
do it like Amanda Armand does it, it's doing 343 today.
Oh really?
I'm not a follower, but wow.
Yeah, so I'm not anything like that but I think when you add those little things up,
like, you know, managing an inbox, doing promotion, looking at Facebook, tweeting, you know, things
like that, yeah, then that can draw you away a lot.
So I feel I need to, you know, when I do have a chance to sort of, when I'm working on
finishing a track or doing a remix or something like that, you just have to put the phone
away, I don't need to be here because it's just too distracting.
It's weird that you have to kind of cut off life to create, you know what I mean, but
then that's what I was trying to bring up earlier is this idea that like, you get lost
in the chaos and you have to, you know, you have to kind of isolate yourself through drugs
or through, you know, vanity or, it's a weird kind of, it seems like people go and young,
especially young people in the business, go, they face, strike it very successful, go to
this place where it's just not quite healthy, you know what I mean, it's almost like the
industry encourages it really, it's the self-destructive kind of, you know, emotional, and through
your music, I get a sense of that, but at the same time that you're here, you're quite,
you know, intelligent and great voice and, you know, you just, you seem like you really
have it together.
Is that a matter of how you came up in the business?
Is it something maybe you think parenting has to do with, you know, or is it the industry
here?
Yeah, yeah, I think there's probably three things, yeah, I've got a great relationship
with my parents, we've always been really supportive, I've had a great, you know, great
group of friends who've always, you know, yeah, always been there, and I suppose that
keeps me grounded in some way, I don't feel like I've never felt this part of wanting
to leave where I come from or leave my friends or family to somehow establish myself elsewhere.
I just like going into my own space to work through, you know, musical fascinations and
thoughts being around my head and turning them into records, you know, that's the main
thing, I suppose, that drives me to make music, so it's not all those byproducts like, you
know, gossip rags or being on the front cover of something or, you know, that side, you
know, I get it sometimes.
Have you found it though?
Like, is it, I mean, I'd assume that people are wanting to know those things personally
a little bit.
There's little things like that.
Just to have it put up, you've seen what has been the last two weeks, there's been more
people asking, you know, personal things and chatting to people in more mainstream realms
of sort of radio and media, I just have a little sense of, like, how much I think you
need to be aware of that and manage it and go to, you know, not go beyond where you're
comfortable going in terms of your brother life.
Yeah.
That's great.
So then I wanted to ask you, who are some of the musical influences now?
I mean, as an artist you're creating, but who inspires you to create, is there anybody
that you'd like to do some work with, maybe in the future or who are you listening to?
I'm listening, I'm a bit obsessed with the new Bonnevue record.
Yeah, everybody is.
It's great.
Yeah, it's amazing.
I don't know, I hear a record like that and I don't necessarily, I don't necessarily
listen to a filming client just sort of say that he's been someone I want to collaborate
with.
I almost do, you know, like, I listen to a record like his and go, wow, this just seems like
it comes from a completely other place, this magical place that I don't have access to.
So yeah, yeah, I'm really loving that record and still listening to all the bits and pieces.
I've always listened to a lot of older stuff.
Like who inspired you?
You know, I've been collecting records like, you know, I've been liking jazz messengers,
listening to drum records like that, Exotica records by guys like Martin Bedi and Les Baxter
because they've got such huge catalogs of music.
So yeah, so it's always pretty mixed.
But I'm lucky recently people have been giving me suggestions for new music to listen to.
So I've been checking out the subtract record and listening to the antlers and the new battles
record has got really interesting stuff on it.
Oh yeah, a fan of those.
Anybody at Splendor you want to see?
Yeah, I really want to see Kimbralei other than when she gets to be on stage.
She's beautiful, yeah.
It's everything I like before.
I mean you guys work together, yeah?
Yeah, exactly.
We're not live yet so, you know, you get to sort of perform with her first and then see
what her band's got cooking.
And also I suppose some of the bigger headlines because I've never been there.
I've seen many big shows, like stadium shows in recent years.
So, you know, I'm intrigued to see what it's like to see Coldplay headline, you know,
a massive stage and to see Kaniyia do a show.
It's pretty exciting, yeah.
And just to be a part of that as well.
Do you reckon you'd want to try to top 10 anybody, you know?
I'll be intrigued to see whether they've called it off the whole backstage area.
10 years on in three hours, everybody's getting out.
So well, yeah, I don't know.
No, honestly, I want to hang out with my mates, really.
My girlfriend, we're just going to hang out for the weekend and try to see as much music as we can.
Have a good time.
Yeah, that must be nice.
Yeah.
And what about in the future, I mean, going to Europe, would you ever go back, you know,
have you been back to...
Belgium.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Been a few times.
Which is really great.
I'm using things to offend a bit of an audience there.
So I'm hoping that could continue.
I can play a bit more widely there.
I'll be going back in October.
Okay.
Yeah.
And then what about to the States?
What are you thinking?
Like America?
Yeah, first LA show in October.
Yeah, this is great.
Yeah, LA and New York are first as the kind of small showcase.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
I don't know.
You know, Fingers crossed, I guess the opportunity is there.
It's a tour more widely.
And I don't feel, you know, that I get to the stage where I don't want to tour anymore.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, it feels like, and especially in a place like Australia, you have to tour.
You know what I mean?
It's not...
And even, I mean, within your own country, it's like, you know, Sydney and Melbourne.
And then to get to Perth is where we're there.
Yeah.
So it feels like it would be exhausting starting out.
You know what I mean?
Like, was it kind of...
Did you, I mean, we talked about how, you know, being in your bedrooms, different houses,
changing studios, you know, and releasing this yourself.
That's the stress in and of itself.
But to start as a young Aussie musician, like, it seems like that would be very hard too
to pick up a large audience.
What role did Triple J play in really getting you, getting you to where you are today?
A pretty integral role, I would say.
They just played your album, the whole album.
Yeah.
That was great.
It's been a gradual process.
I sent demos and home recordings to people at Triple J Ruffins.
So that's just kind of, you know, that was eight years ago that I started sending demos
and things like that.
And, you know, I've done a lot of touring with the basics, you know, just jumping in a bus
and driving around and going to regional cities and town by town, doing gigs in the outback
and things like that.
So that's a pretty varied experience in terms of that.
And that all was kind of contributed to me just very slowly getting a sense of, you know,
how it all fits together.
So when I was twenty twenty one, I kind of, you know, I was very driven and ambitious
but I had no real idea of, you know, the significance of certain radio stations or how they relate
to each other or how media fits together in Australia.
You know, how gigs in different places relate to, you know, what is happening with record
labels or releases of your album.
It's very, you just kind of learn that stuff as you go.
So I feel really privileged that I'm just lucky that I guess I decided to sort of stick with it
and be underage and made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of things along the way
but I think it means...
What was the mistake you made that you said?
Just timing of releases went to send songs out and things like that.
Sometimes I felt what might be mistakes in terms of traditional release plans for an album.
All, you know, I was lucky enough that they worked in my favour that I'd send a song
probably at a time when, like a demo to Triple J was something at a time
and probably they worked, you know, being flooded with all sorts of commercial releases
but I was lucky enough that they did it out in the CDs
and I kind of followed them up and that they gave it a shot on radio
and people responded to it.
So, you know, maybe, you know, if I've been doing something with a label
and I said, I can't put it out around Christmas time, Christmas time's no go.
So I don't know, things like that, you just kind of learn that stuff, you know,
as you go and then sometimes you look back at it and go, oh, that was kind of,
no one would have kind of done something that kind of naive or that silly or that timing
but, you know, it hasn't seemed to have worked out too badly.
You've just done it, you know, that's the thing.
Putting out a record without having any live show prepared at all, like my second album, you know.
I kind of decided I wasn't going to play live at all, so it's kind of too hard.
Well, it seems like you have this kind of in-studio vibe
and then, yeah, your live performances with the basics with your band that you still tour with
and then as a drummer and then, you know, seeing footage of you in-studio,
triple day singing and playing, you know, to a live track as well as drumming.
It seems kind of like you could do so many other projects, you know what I mean?
Like this, Goatier is you, but you really paint a drummer, singer,
like you're really a jack-of-all-trades and maybe that really has worked out in your favor, yeah?
Yeah, I think maybe, you know, yeah, same as I was saying before about finding a balance
between the creative side of things and a bit to the business
and just managing finding balance in your life.
So, a new album, tell us about the concept and also the artwork,
because that's your dad's artwork, yeah?
It is, yeah. Second time I've used some of my dad's work. It's exciting.
The album, as with my others, has been sort of a couple of years in the making
and I suppose this time I tried to go a bit broader in terms of where I found sounds.
I wasn't sort of just collecting records and sampling lots of things.
I've found some sort of, found some odd sounds in the outback.
I think all the music or fence, I've got an odd organ that my parents bought for me
which provided a lot of interesting sounds and an avenue towards one of the songs in the record.
So, yeah, and I spent longer and was more interested in playing acoustic instruments
and also sampling bits of acoustic instruments I had going on,
just working with turntables and music software.
So, yeah, I went a bit broader with the sounds and just, I suppose, tried to just aim higher
in terms of the production aesthetic of what I was doing.
And what's it been like working with the ten piece orchestra?
It's been a lot of rehearsals. A lot of auditioning and rehearsals.
Are you kind of a dictator? You clean up cello?
There's an aspect to that. There's no strings in it.
I mean, yeah, orchestra.
Wow.
Yeah, yeah, I've actually gone for more of a horn section.
Frequently it's a horn section, hall of sync, and it kind of extended within the section.
Keyboards and guitars and percussion.
But yeah, it's been exciting to hear songs come together.
Kind of live for the first time because I've done a large band before.
But even then I still had to run backing tracks for things that couldn't be performed live,
like backing vocals and extra guitar parts.
So this is actually the first time I'm going to be playing everything live.
I think we're all really excited to see it.
Okay, thank you so much for chatting.
Cheers.
You're returned it.
Bye.
