DIESEL

Rip It Up, Issue 178, 1 May 1992, Page 8

DIESEL

Zealand sawof "Diesel" was as a Jimmy Barnes tour andworkingwith his band, the"directfromPerth,"the Injectors. Since then the band split and Johnny took himself on a musical journey into R&B.

Now he's back as "Diesel" withan album Hepfidelity. To some he still

walksintheshadowof Jimmy Barnes, yet Diesel is happy to tourorwork with Barnes when appropriate. He sings 'Bring ItOn Home to Me' on Jimmy's Soul Deep video and will open for Barnes at Auckland's Supertop in June.

Coincidentally both artists have had massive "soul" hits in Australia in the lastyear, Jimmy from his album of 60scoversand Diesel with his soulful retro original 'Come to Me'. "It worked outto be a good thing. I released my single at the same time as the Soul Deeptour. For once in our lifetime we synched up stylistically. It was good, because we were both touring doing the Sou/Deepthing, him with a collection of covers that

he'dalways wanted to sing,finally got

off his chest, and me with the song I'd written, being on the charts, so it was like a celebration of soul music."

"People say Tou sound like Jimmy', it's like chalkand cheese really. The fact that we've listened to a lot of the same kind of singers, like Wilson

Pickett and Otis Redding, we've goto lotofthesamesortof inflections, but that's where the pa rrallelsfinish. For one, I sing with 'my vocal chords'! He's like a freakof nature, he sings with the part of the throat behind the vocal chords. He doesn't use them. I said, 'Jimmy can I borrowyourvocal

chords, you know, 'cosyou're not using them.' While Barnes took his soul trip through his brother's record collection, Diesel headed forthe USA (a country he's lived in half his life) and came across a few R&B legends to

help him along the way. Working in Memphis with Terry Manning (ZZTop,Thunderbirds), Diesel was introduced to Jerry

Williams, better known as "Swamp Dog", a black dude who puts out

records regularlyand hasco-written classic R&Bforseveral decades.

In the past, Williams had co-written aThunderbirds album with Jimmy Vaughan. Writing R&B hits nowadays is hi-tech, it doesn't involve sitting on a porch inthe small-town South, strumming a guitar. 'We wrote the lyrics together, sat there with his computerand typed it in, line by line,'what doyouwantto say here'. He'd write something, I'd write something, kinda like writing a letter. I'd come in with some kind of guitar riff everyday and we'd turn it into a song by the end of the day." With roots musicyouwouldn'tthink of computers being involved in the writing process? 'Well, the computer is a sketch pad, a modem day pen and paper. It's goodforholding ideas, a drawing board."

Computers are musical drawing boards too?

"Yeah, it's great having good soundingdrumsatyourbeckandcall withouthaving a drumkit setup." Diesel, freed from the band line-up,

once again worked with Terry

Manning butfounda newfreedom in the recording process. "We didn't havefixed sounds,fixed players, it's likewide open.Terr/s good atsequencing and getting a framework of a song up, so you can work with a song and gradually replaceguidedrums with realdrums —map the song out bit by bit and replace them with real thing." Diesel likes recording in the USA.

"I find iteasierto record there because I don'thave the familiarity around, the ordinary, everyday at home stuff. I like being in a different environment— it's inspiring, it's stimulating." If you like rock & roll, it's American music, so you're gonna like America.

"I don't like much American music these days, exceptfor maybe Fishbone, Soundgarden, Chili Peppers. Alotofwhatthey call rock& roll, I don'twantto know about. It's that real mass produced hair-band shit." Whafsthe roots foryourrapping on 'Love Junk'? Modem stuff orold soul rappin'? "I like old and new. Rap is something that's a spontaneous thing that happens in certain songs because, it's like, 'I don'twantto sing this verse, I wanttotalkit.' Itwould

have more potency if I rapped it. It can be more rhythmicthan singing

sometimes." On the road, Diesel also uses technologyso his keyboard player, Roger Mason (ex Models) can deliver strings or instant Memphis Homs. Masonfound playing in an R&B based unitwas nota cruisy gig. "He'sfilledupfourdiscsalready," says Diesel, "He's only ever used one disc in any other band he's worked with." One of the other R&B legends, Diesel encountered in the USA was Bernie Wsrrell, former Funkadelic and Parliamentkeyboard playerfand Talking Heads'sideman) who : appears on Hepfidelity. "Itwas fantastic, "Diesel says, "He's cutting edge kinda dude, still really young at heart, looks great, the fittest guyl'veevermetforthatage." With HepfideliiyD\ese\ has been inspired by his encounters with R&B roots to create a fine album of his own.

Diesel is bringing his band (with a funky black African bass player) over hereto play the Jimmy Barnes

Supertop gig, June 6. (Meanwhile,to avoid comparison with Jimmy, Diesel has married Jimmy's wife's sisterand Diesel is now also managed by the Mushroom Records boss, Michael Gudinski.)

MURRAY CAMMICK