True Blue (and Red)
Newcastle Herald
Saturday August 2, 2003
LOVE him or hate him, John Williamson is impossible to ignore.
The dinkum balladeer has done his best to define Australia and its people through song since releasing his first single, Old Man Emu, went to No.1 in 1970.
Williamson has been unapologetic in bringing the bush to city folk (Mallee Boy, Cootamundra Wattle), stirring up environmental issues (Goodbye Blinky Bill, Rip Rip Woodchip), wearing his patriotism on his sleeve (A Flag Of Our Own got him banned from some country RSLs), paying respect to indigenous races (This Ancient Land) and supporting his favourite sports (A Number On My Back, Sir Don).
Now 57, the Sydney-based Victorian has recorded 29 albums, eight videos and three television series.
He has collected 18 Golden Guitars, second only to the legendary Slim Dusty, whom he recently succeeded as president of the Country Music Association of Australia.
He's strung together nearly as many nicknames, with The Emu, Johnno and Willo just a few.
And this year is shaping as Williamson's biggest yet as he marks the 21st anniversary of his most famous tune, True Blue.
To celebrate, he has re-recorded the inspirational song with a 25-piece orchestra and chorus, repackaged the 1982 album with a bunch of new tracks (calling it True Blue II), filmed a documentary on DVD, written a book and embarked on a nation-wide reunion tour with two old stage mates, singer-guitarist Warren Williams and violin player Pixie Jenkins.
They performed together last night at Central Coast Leagues Club and are expected to pack out Taree's Manning Entertainment Centre tonight.
Tomorrow night they're certain to fill up ClubNova Panthers Newcastle.
Williamsoon found time to answer some questions for Weekender.
I'm 33 and I can't believe that your song True Blue is turning 21.
You can't believe it?
Well, how old do you think I feel.
You're 33 are you? Well, that's how long I've been in the business.
Some readers from the Hunter and Central Coast claim you as their own because of the TV work you did in the region during the early 1970s with that show Travlin' Out West (the first of which was spelt like Westlakes locals pronounce Toronto).
Hey, you've done your homework. But you're right. That's why the Knights are my favourite team. I've always been a huge fan of Joey (Andrew Johns). I'm not an over-the-top league supporter but, certainly, if anyone asked me what team I follow I would say Newcastle. That's for a couple of reasons: my long-time association with the area and the fact that there's quite a few country boys in the team.
So you're actually true blue and red?
You're spot on there. I met Joey once at a training session up in Newcastle. It was real nice to meet him ... he probably doesn't remember it but I certainly do.
Joey's quite a knockabout character, isn't he?
Sure is. Joey's true blue, you know, and I don't think true blue people change with fame or whatever. That's what Aussies are all about really. Just look at how he handled the crowd after that last State of Origin game. They were booing him but he just smiled because he was the one holding up the shield. The Queenslanders won that game but NSW took the series.
Speaking of winning, you're beloved Wallabies haven't done much lately?
It comes down to how much they want to win. The Wallabies really need a victory at the moment. That game against South Africa could have quite easily gone the other way and we would have been heroes. I think there's a lot of promise left in the Wallabies. I haven't lost faith in them by a long shot.
England are pretty formidable and they had a lot to prove because they had never beaten us over here. And, of course, we've never beaten the South Africans over there. Now we just have to make sure we bounce back against the Kiwis.
Another country singer, Kasey Chambers, has done a cover version of True Colours as the theme for the Rugby World Cup. Are you tied up with the tournament at all?
I'll be encouraging the crowds to sing Waltzing Matilda quite a bit. It's been my job for a few years now to lead the crowd in that song at Bledisloe Cup games. I really believe that Waltzing Matilda is our perfect answer to the New Zealand haka.
I just watched your new video for True Blue . I was trying to count the Australian icons featured but I stopped after about a dozen ...
I'm lucky because there's not that many songs where you can do that. True Blue really gives you that leeway, so why not? I suppose you could do it with Waltzing Matilda but you certainly couldn't do it with a love song or anything like that. True Blue lends itself to that sort of approach ... I think I'm really lucky to have that song you know.
Kasey Chambers's partner, Cori Hopper, directed the video. He's done well to showcase a lot of rough heads in a polished format.
It was the type of film they used. I wanted Cori to do it because I wanted a younger person's angle on the song. I'd seen what he'd done on the past so I thought I'd give him a chance. I was really impressed with his enthusiasm and the pride that he took in his work.
I don't know that much about him, but he's an up-and-coming director who will probably direct big-budget films one day. But I know what you mean about rough heads. I tried to tell Cori that I wanted it to look prosperous as well being down to earth and I think he got that balance. I'm glad you feel that way because I never know how people are going to react.
The new version of True Blue has you singing and playing guitar with an orchestra and chorus. I like the way your arranger, Mike Harvey, did not attempt to overpower the lyrics with all that added accompaniment. The words are still king.
I really have to take my hat off to Mike. Once again it came down to having pride in his work. He didn't want to overpower the song with the orchestra but he wanted to make more of the song. I didn't really change my presentation. My guitar was tuned down a whole tone like I did for the original, so my part didn't change much at all yet the song's got a new lease of life.
I noticed that you took out the reference to Vegemite. Why so?
I took out that line because I never thought it was a good idea to have a commercial product in the song. It shouldn't be an ad for something the song means a lot more than that.
So it wasn't some sort of statement about Kraft, which makes Vegemite, being American owned?
No. Kraft may not be 100 per cent Australian owned but Vegemite certainly comes under the Australian-made banner because it's manufactured here. Even had it been (the Australian-owned) Mighty Mite in the song, I would have taken it out.
I think the song has quite a bit of prestige and having a commercial product in there only cheapens it. But the new line, ``Or will she be right?", asks the question ``do you really care?" which works quite well.
Is it true that ad man John Singleton asked you to write the song for a little-known TV show in the early 1980s called True Blue Aussies?
Yeah, that's right. The program didn't last long but the song certainly did. I started performing it live and it killed them. Then, when I was recording Mallee Boy, Singo was back in advertising and had the account for the Buy Australia campaign it was obvious to him that it would be ideal for the campaign.
The song seems ripe for advertising. Have you received many commercial offers over the years?
I've been knocking back offers for years from people who want the song connected to their products. As I said, I don't want to cheapen it by doing that. I would be happy if it was only ever used for Buy Australia campaigns.
After all, it's my song and the advantage of that is that I can use it for my own purposes. Because it hasn't been used willy-nilly in advertising other products, I can use it to help promote my shows and my records, especially the new compilation.
I have always thought that ``true blue" epitomised what it means to be Australian, but I understand that we actually inherited the term from the Poms! Please tell me that's not true!
Well, a bloke in Coventry claims that and it's a good story. I didn't realise it either but it apparently came from the colour they put in dyeing the soldiers' coats. They made the dye from mulberries from this particular orchard in Coventry. It makes sense. In America, it tends to be associated with the military and an overt sort of patriotism rather than the average bloke.
I hear that they've made you president of the Country Music Association. Congratulations.
Well, it's a responsibility but it doesn't take a lot of my time. I took over where Slim (Dusty) left off as a figurehead for the association and I don't mind that. I intend keeping an eye on things and add my passion to it when I think it's necessary. I certainly intend to encourage people within the (Tamworth) college they hold each January. I want to spend more time with younger performers who are after advice.
Country association president hey? With that title, you would want to be a republican ...
Bloody oath. No question. And I want the Union Jack off our flag too. There's a design on my website of a gold kangaroo with a fine green line around it on a red ochre background next to the Southern Cross. I've got no problems using the kangaroo on our flag. The Air Force uses it and it's obviously been a huge advantage to Qantas. People carry on with ``you can't have a roo on our flag because we shoot them and eat them". That's just bulls***. I'm sure the Canadians cut down maple trees. The kangaroo is a unique Australian symbol they look like two boomerangs joined together. They were on our penny for crying out loud. I mean we've got the Kangaroos in league, the Wallabies in rugby and the Socceroos in soccer so I think the writing's on the wall.
One younger performer you've actively encouraged is Sara Storer, who's based on the Central Coast. What impressed you most about her?
I can't do enough for her. I just think she's doing the female side of what I've been doing for years. Sara's a great example to young singers. She's a got a pure voice and she doesn't have to change her accent to sound beautiful, which I really admire.
Yeah, if you listen to Sara's material (including the Golden Guitar-winning album Chasing Buffalo and her latest LP, Beautiful Circle), it's not hard to work out that she has a feel for the land and its people.
You won't believe this but Sara's a Mallee girl. She was born only two railway stations north of where I was born, so it's a bit of a coincidence. She was a farmer's daughter, so that probably makes a difference. She started writing when she was a school-teacher up in the (Northern) Territory so she's had a wide country influence. I think she's marvellous. We do a duet (Raining on The Plains) on her new album and we're going to put that on True Blue II as well.
Sara even mentions you indirectly in one of her songs (she laments that a potential city suitor would probably think ``Willo's a tree" in Back Outback).
I don't know how may people get that reference. (Singers and radio personalities) Greg Champion and Colin Buchanan started calling me ``Willo", but I don't know how many people are aware of that nickname. I mean John Laws calls me The Emu, and a lot of my friends call me Johnno. Funnily enough, I was called Willo at school so it's come back to me.
John Laws also calls you ``Little Brother".
That started because I sent him a fax one day and signed it ``your little bro". He latched on to that. I had four younger brothers and now he's my big brother. We get along like brothers. I can disagree with him and get away with it. He respects a decent argument.
Any trouble keeping Warren and Pixie in line?
They're in top form. We're doing a couple of new songs together. I have even written a song to follow True Blue, which is a good sign.
It's called Glory to Australia, which is what I say at the end of my shows but I shouldn't be telling you that because I'd hate for someone else to come up with a song called that now.
Your secret's safe with us, Willo.
I want the Union Jack off our flag too. There's a design on my website of a gold kangaroo with a fine green line around it on a red ochre background next to the Southern Cross.
© 2003 Newcastle Herald