They call themselves the odd couple of, with feeling of understatement, the music scene. But in the meantime Australian pop band Savage Garden surprise the world over and over again with beautiful pop songs. Back Up talked to the band from down under in the big apple.

If we didn't know them better we could have thought Savage Garden was a one-man band. But that's a misconception. It's just that Daniel Jones, the shy multi-instrumentalist, prefers leaving the talking to Darren. It's very hot in New York but Darren sits comfortably in his chair.

"A while ago it was very different." He talks without breathing it seems. "Life is a party. Not so long ago I wasn't very pleased with myself. I felt lonely, unhappy and I had to get used to the thought that we are a mega band. I sometimes wasn't very nice to people around me. We never suspected that all of what happened could happen so fast. I mean Daniel and I are an odd couple who started a band and before we knew it millions of records were sold and we saw ourselves all the time on MTV. Fame can do lots of strange things with a person. If I look back I can say that I was very depressed but I didn't realize it at that time. I didn't have my own life in my hands. Till one day you wake up and decided to do all the things your own way again."

The big change happened in the states. Darren decided to leave his town Logan and moved to the buzzy city New York. He left his wife Colby (he wrote Truly madly deeply for her) and that was a big sacrifice for him. "But I was so messed up that I had to do that. I had to leave the people that I love. It sounds selfish but I feel much better here all alone. But God knows that I felt lonely in the beginning. There where days that I wanted to crawl back to Australia. But I couldn't do that."

Lots of the lyrics on Affirmation point to Darren's self-chosen isolation in the big apple. In Australia he couldn't write a word. But ever since he lives in New York, he works on the lyrics till very late at night. "These are the most intimate lyrics I ever wrote. They come right out of my heart. You know in this world you can only count on yourself. You can have lots of friends but sometimes you have to kick yourself to go forward. There is no one else who does that for you and it seems that I needed that."

His wife Colby didn't want to be an extension of her husband and ended the relationship Darren is now in peace with her decision. "We are still friends. She's my soul mate. But I know that I'm not only an Australian guy but also a world citizen. I feel at home everywhere. Home is where my heart is you know? Did you know that I almost bought a house here? But the sale felt true coz the neighbors didn't want a musician in the apartment complex. As if I was a party animal and a big coke user. I'm not!! But the worst part of the contract was that I wasn't allowed to have people sleeping in my house. So I was forced to let family and friends to staying a hotel. No way I didn't sign that!! My next town will probably be LA. Nice weather and lots of space. I stay an Aussie."