In The Desert With The Church

May 28, 2015

Somethingyousaid.com pulls the Australian music icons far from the Milky Way, as Chloe Mayne picks the imagination of The Church guitarist, Ian Haug:

Hey Ian! Thanks for taking this window of time to hang out with us here at Something You Said. How’s it going?
Alright, thanks!

Where are you as you sit down to write this? What were you doing before you sat down to write this?
I am at home sitting on my back deck, trying to get organised before this next little trip to Europe on Wednesday. Before I sat down I was cleaning the gutters of my house. That’s pretty rock’n’roll, isn’t it? Every time I’ve been away recently it seems to flood like Noah’s ark times… so it’s worth cleaning the gutters.

You’re in a unique position as the newest member of The Church, having watched the band morph over decades previous. What’s your favourite Church track/record from before you joined?
My favourite track was probably ‘Unguarded Moment’. I think that lots of people would say that, and its pretty predictable. I know that the other fellows in the group may roll their eyes at that, but it is. ‘Reptile’ is right up there too.

I’d like to mix things up a bit and present you with three imaginary situations; your answers can be drawn from real life or be entirely fictional or both, I’ll leave that up to you.

Situation one: Your favourite record store

Where is this place? What does it look like? Is it large or small? Busy or empty?
Presently I would say Rough Trade in Brooklyn, New York. It is medium sized. When I was there it was medium busy. It’s definitely been curated by people to the extent that most of the stock is appealing (to me anyway). This is much more appealing that the megastores with “everything” in them.

What’s the first section you start rifling through? Are there any sections that you avoid?
That depends on how long I have in the store, but I tend to look for Cramps rarities, 60’s punk and psychedelic stuff, and then just have a random flick. It’s fun to judge stuff by the cover.

There’s an old guitar sitting in the corner, plugged in and ready to go. You sit down and pick it up; what’s the first riff that comes to mind?
Is there a delay pedal plugged in too? That would change everything. I try to play something I’ve never played before when I pick up a guitar for the first time… and see where the guitar takes me.

Situation two: In the Australian desert

How did you get out here? Are you going somewhere or is this your destination?
Presumably I would be on my way somewhere, as I tend to gravitate towards water always. Perhaps I am following my camel? Perhaps I am looking for some special cactus?

It’s stinking hot and the air is dry. Are you comfortable in the heat? Is there somewhere else you wish you were?
NOPE. I would rather be anywhere else.

You find a pub in the middle of the dust and go in for a beer. There isn’t anybody inside except a few barflies in flannelette shirts. There’s a jukebox at the end of the bar; which song do you put on?
That sounds appealing. I guess I would put on some Tex Mex sounding stuff. If the patrons have flannos on it means its nice and cool in there.

Situation three: A music festival in a small and distant country

Which country is this festival taking place in? Is it in the jungle, by the beach, in a city?
I have always liked the idea of a festival on the beach, but I guess it’s been done before. Would this small and distant country have high-rise buildings? I’ve always thought it would be cool to have a festival where there was a different act on each level of a high-rise… Jump in the lift, pop out at different levels and be surprised by what is on.

Are you on the bill or are you just there to hang out and enjoy? If you’re on the bill, who are you playing with?
I always enjoy watching bands at a festival more if I am not playing at all, or if I have played already. I’ve been lucky enough to see most living bands now, but If I could just hang and enjoy a bill from the past that would be awesome. It would have to include The Velvet Underground, The Doors, The Beatles, and Cream.

There’s one band that you’ve been most excited to see at this festival. Who are they, and which track do you want to hear?
The Stooges – circa 1969/70 ‘Wanna Be Your Dog’.