We Blew Up The Garden Gnome
One is a bit of a wag. The other is a nerdy swot. They are the complete opposites- the Ying and
Yang of pop, so to speak! Diane Godley finds out what make Savage Garden roar.
Have you ever been savaged by a garden?
Daniel: I've been stung by bees before,haha
Darren:We blew up the garden gnome to destroy any future references to gardens.Savage
Garden is actually inspired by Anne Rice novels about vampires (the author of the book
Interview with the Vampire) I love those books. Its got a deeper meaning. its not about garden
gnomes.
What were you like at school?
Daniel: I dunno. I didn't go very much. My nickname was "waggin" haha! I was in control at
school. I had older brothers who went through the school before me. They didn't have a bad
reputation, but they didn't have a good one either. So my reputation was a spin-off of theirs-
instant credibility.
Darren: I was normal. a complety normal kid: the school nerd. In grade eight and nine I got
picked on. I was a freak - no one understood me. I was the kid who wanted to be abducted by
ET. Then all the losers left in Year 10. Daniel: I was one of those
losers!
Diane: So was I!
Darren: I was quite good at school and very artistic. In Year 11 it was a turn-around. I was one
of the coolest kids in school. I was in school musicals: the kid who could sing. It was bizarre. I
loved school. It's an amazing little world. The rules inside school are totally different from the
outside world.
Spell"reservoir"
Daniel: Reservoir Dogs - R-E- I'm not a good speller. That comes from wagging school,
haha! I can spell dogs. D-O-G-S.
Darren: R-E-S-E-R-V-O-I-R. Is that right?
Diane: Yep What's the square root of 625?
Darren: Wouldn't have a clue. I got limited achievement in maths. I loved science- biology -but
I hated maths.
Daniel: 12? dont ask me questions like that!
Diane: Erm... 25 actually.
When was the first time you heard yourself on the radio?
Daniel: I was sitting in my car. I knew the song had gone to radio - friends in Melbourne rung
and told me they had heard the song on the radio - but I hadn't heard it and I was getting really
frustrated. Then, one day I was sitting in my car and it just came on. It was a beautiful feeling.
Darren: I was actually working in a video shop and I was having a really bad day. Then the
song just came on the radio and it just made my day. The first time I saw myself on tv I
remember I hated it. I think you go through that period where you first hear yourvoice but Im
over that now. i can hear my voice now - I know what I sound like. So its not that big of a shock
to me. But to see myself on TV! i've delt with that now too. It was like, okay, thats what I look
like, all right, I'll deal with that. Everyone else has for 23 years. It was the first time I realisd
what I looked like in 3D.
Would you ever consider doing a remake of "Smoke on the Water"?
Darren: N-E-V-E-R. never. I'm not influenced by classical rock at all. I dont know if we'd ever
do a cover version of anything. live we would, but we'd never release anything. I thing we have
too much to say - we can't shut up as it
is.
When was the last time you went moshing?
Darren:I missed the entire mosh pit experience. I think im going to mature and be buried
without ever having experienced to joys of guitar rock
moshing.
Daniel: Although they're not really a mosh band, there was a mosh pit at a Hoodoo Gurus
concert I went to once. That was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed being a yobbo for once in my life,
haha!
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