"Love And Lose, And Lose And Love Again" - Russell Crowe Talks About His Team, His Music, His Band, The New GBS CD, and Alan Doyle - His Principal Songwriting Partner

ETA: I saw Alan on the NTV news tonight, at the event celebrating the raising of the first $1 million toward the $6 million goal for Daffodil Place. Alan and the rest of the fundraising committee are doing a great job working to turn the dream of this much-needed cancer-treatment residence facility into a reality for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

**************************************************************************************************************************

I've always thought it comes down to the words that are being sung - Russell Crowe, on his musical influences

He's always a man who's been looking for a calling - Russell Crowe, on Alan Doyle, his "principal songwriting partner"

Russell Crowe & Alan Doyle, The Ordinary Fear Of God performance at Grand Central, Melbourne, Nov. 2005

Take a bit of an internet break and, sure enough, you miss Something Delightful. You belatedly stumble across talk on related fan sites about what you have missed, and then you find that the Something Delightful has been kindly and conveniently archived for clueless laggards such as yourself. Lucky me, no penalty whatsoever for break-taking, except perhaps in not hearing some great news quite as soon as I might have otherwise. So now I am taking a subsequent break from wrapping up the Loch Ness show, all to spend a few moments taking keen pleasure in the delightful.

This past Monday, Russell Crowe took his own break away from the busy promotion schedule for his brand new film, American Gangster, and made a quick trip down to Jacksonville, Florida, to attend to several pending matters there, including those related to the scheduled January 26th exhibition game at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium between his co-owned Australian National Rugby League South Sydney Rabbitohs and the English Super League Champion Leeds Rhinos - the first such matchup ever held on American soil. I think that auspicious fact alone makes this game quite the occasion; for anyone else who feels the same way, tickets ($10, $15 & $35 options) for this ground-breaking (and potentially bone-breaking) event can be obtained on the Jacksonville Axemen site.

On a mission to raise awareness of his team's upcoming game, Russell made a visit to the Monday Night Football booth during the third quarter of the Colts/Jaguars game (caught that appearance quite by chance, since I rarely miss watching the games when I'm home), and earlier that same day he stopped by the NPR studios of WJCT in Jacksonville to record a treasure of an interview for that station's weekly Electro Lounge segment. This interview - one which ranges with casual charm and subtle wit across such widely varied topics as sports, music, acting, community responsibility, living the Big Life, religion, songwriting, and fatherhood - is my Something Delightful, so much so that I'm including the link to WJCT's Electro Lounge Page, where this interview can be accessed via WJCT's own link.

Russell Crowe Podcast On WJCT Electro Lounge Page

And just in case the WJCT link should wind up having a short shelf life or anyone has trouble getting that file to work, here's a second link for downloading this 9 MB version of the interview. Because I think so highly of this interview, it's also going up permanently in the appropriate category of my Download Links over in the righhand column here.

Russell Crowe WJCT Interview (rugby, music & Alan Doyle/GBS) audio download link    mp3, 9 MB

There is so much here that's good in this near-40-minute forthright chat between WJCT's Electro Lounge host David Luckin and one of the most interesting men in the entertainment industry - including enough enthusiastic description of how exciting Rugby League is to tempt most any sports-loving soul into checking it out -  but at the end of the day, it's an interview that's all about the music...talking about music and listening to music. Russell says during the course of the conversation that his purpose in being at the radio station this day is to "talk to a music guy in town" as part of a low-key and non-wankerish testing of the potential local response to there being a gig performed by Russell's band, The Ordinary Fear Of God, in conjunction with the exhibition game, an outcome for which I and my own little coming-to-Jacksonville-from-all-corners-of-North-America group are fervently hoping, along with quite a few others, I am sure (though, speaking only for myself, the hope is much less fervent to ever again find myself inside Jack Rabbit's). One way for others who feel the same way about the possible gig/game combination to help bring that about would be to email WJCT at the electrolounge@wjct.org address and express their desire to see such a show; comments saying the same posted on the above-linked TOFOG MySpace page could also be of some benefit.

But most of all, I'd recommend listening to this interview, especially to those who have not yet heard Russell Crowe's most recent music. Several songs from Russell's last CD, My Hand My Heart, are played and discussed, with much to be said, some of it impressively perceptive, about one Alan Doyle - producer of Russell's MHMH CD, TOFOG sometimes-band member, and, the one I liked the best, Russell's "principal songwriting partner".

Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle have done some exceptional songwriting together - two of those collaborative efforts, Testify and Raewyn, are played during this segment - and so the absolute highlight of this piece for me was when Russell confirmed that this collaboration is still ongoing, mentioning that songs he and Alan have written together are likely to wind up on the currently-in-the-works new Great Big Sea CD, as well as in a solo project Alan has going on the side. I really should go over and apologise to the neighbours for how much that sudden whoop of joy coming from this house when I heard those words surely must have startled the shit out of them.

Of course my first thought about there being any Crowe/Doyle collaborations on the new GBS CD was Please, please, please let it be Where I Belong. I've heard Alan sing this wrenchingly honest song only one time, one completely unforgettable time, back last spring at the Kalamazoo GBS show. It's the first Newfoundland song I have heard that I believe worthy of being the rightful heir to Sonny's Dream, a song which has the power to be a poignant anthem for the subsequent generation. If ever there were a list of reasons for not wanting to skip GBS shows, Where I Belong would be at the top that list, right next to Walk On The Moon. Both songs have had a similar impact on me, though each provokes a totally different response. Each song is to be counted among the best I've heard, among the best a prodigiously gifted songwriter has written, or co-written. Where I Belong needs to be heard, and perhaps even more, it needs to be sung by those whose story it tells, the ones now far from home and the ones who wait and hope for their return.

But as much as I want this song to be the collaborative effort on the new GBS CD to which Russell is referrring, the truth is that I have loved each of the Doyle/Crowe (or Crowe/Doyle, if one is so inclined) collaborations. These two songsmiths have given me every reason to trust the results of all of their creative efforts, so if there is indeed one of their songs on the new GBS CD, I believe that song will be more of the same good that has gone before. And that would leave the possibility open for Where I Belong to wind up as part of this tantalising "solo project" Alan has going on the side. I hope Russell has spilled no beans before their time - if he has and if any (unnamed) principal songwriting partner should happen to be pissed off because of it, Russell could always pull out the "Performing Weight Of A Man At The Winnipeg Junos Songwriters' Circle" trump card to take that trick - and I hope just as much that I am not in trouble for picking up those spilled beans and declaring them to be pure and absolute magic. Especially since I lack even a lone deuce of trump.

What odds. Damn the torpedoes, once more unto the breach, and so on:  What Russell says here about Alan having even a "little" solo project going on has thrilled me to the point of making me want to dance a jig, despite having two left feet. This was what caused the neighbour-perturbing shout of joy. It makes me want to applaud, or maybe better to say it makes me want to persuade the world to get busy about the business of applauding Alan. It makes me want to celebrate, in the true and genuine sense of that word.

As much as I have appreciated and admired and respected what Great Big Sea has accomplished - and I'd have to feel a whole hell of a lot of all three of those things to want to see as many of their shows as I have - and as much as I believe GBS has every capability to keep right on writing and playing music that deserves as much if not even more of that same appreciation, admiration, and respect...I still believe with every bit of my heart that Alan has some creative potentials and artistic capabilities that could find their best expression away from GBS. I think the same is probably true of many, if not most, extremely talented individuals within larger establshed groups, and may all so inclined be afforded the same opportunities. But most of all, I'd love to see Alan have every one of those opportunities he wants. He could do amazing things with such opportunities.

The potential for many amazing things to come seems great. The thought that this deeply impressive wealth of creative prowess - Russell Crowe, TOFOG, Alan Doyle, Great Big Sea - could find a way to all possible variations, combinations, and permutations of collective and individual expression is beyond thrilling; it's positively dizzying. This just might be the best interview I very nearly missed.

One last point before a reprise of some photos I took at a TOFOG show in Melbourne in 2005. When Alan first began collaborating with Russell in the summer of 2004 and word got out about the nascent songwriting partnership, I was wary, to say the least. I knew nothing at all about Russell Crowe other than that he was an unparallelled actor who had a penchant for attracting negative press. Being no particular fan of journalists myself, the latter seemed a plus, but the former was far less so. That's a Big-Time Movie Star with Alan, I thought, and if Mr. Big Shot winds up hurting Alan, he's for sure going to have my lasting enmity. Not that I thought anyone else would give a shit if I did wind up thinking Russell Crowe was an asshole, but it was all I had to offer.

I did not doubt that the songwriting would be good - I trust Alan when it comes to writing, collaborative or solo effort...I am "here" in the first place because of Alan's writing, after all - but I did not expect to wind up liking Russell Crowe, not at all. I grew up in LA; movie stars were not, in my own experience, particularly likeable people. But after going to a series of TOFOG shows in Australia - and this band puts on a spectacular show, a sketchy glimpse of which can be seen in the photos below, but you have to see them live to know how good they really are - and after spending a few years poking around in what is known as "Croweland," I discovered, somewhat to my own surprise, that I really do like Russell Crowe. Much of that affection is based on little things that Russell does, small and unrehearsed moments of generosity and consideration that go much further to reveal the Man Who Is than do an exponentially larger number of loud and scripted moments.

One of those all-too-easy-to-miss moments takes place in this interview. It's clear from what the host says that Russell was given a certain number of songs to choose for playing during the segement - a segment whose purpose is to gauge and inspire support for a gig by his own band. Three of the songs Russell picked for play are the expected tunes by his own band, but the fourth song picked is not Russell's. The fourth song Russell Crowe picked for play on this Jacksonville, Florida, radio station segment about himself and his own band is Consequence Free by Great Big Sea.

I really do like Russell Crowe. I like Russell Crowe even more when he's workiing with Alan Doyle.

***************************************************************************************************************************

These are a few more of the pictures from the Grand Central show in Melbourne, November 2005. Although I'd seen The Ordinary Fear Of God for the first time in Le Thor, France, a few months earlier, I still think of this as the first real TOFOG show I saw, the first of an unforgettable series of Australian TOFOG shows over the next few months.

This show was also rather memorable for being the only show in my entire life where not just one but two topnotch bass players - one of them them customarily and deservedly described as "legendary" - each dutifully paddled over during the course of the evening to ask me how it was I could afford to be in Australia. Yet another scene sure to be rejected by any pragmatic editor reluctant to willingly suspend disbelief.

Keyboards king Stuart Hunter can be seen in the background, behind the songwriting partners.

Russell and Alan takes turns bedevilling TOFOG Brass Man Stewart Kirwan; Bones Hillman can be seen on bass in the background of the second shot.

Playing fast and hard (Folsom, most likely), with Russell on that gorgeous Gretsch and a peek of a view of drummer Dave Kelly behind the rockers.

Alan does his inimitable Rock Star Sneer, which is so frigging adorable that I couldn't decide which edit version to use; I love them both, so they're both included. "Adorable" might not be the effect Alan's seeking with that curled lip of his, but if you're going to be that cute when you do your Rock Star Sneer, you just have to deal.

Sometimes, one look speaks volumes, even between wordsmiths.

Alan's the one who says he believes in hope, not expectations. I'm pretty determined when it comes to hope too. Here's hoping for magic in Florida come January. And magic in music to come soon thereafter. Come to think of it, I am going to throw in the hope that just maybe Alan was there with Russell in Jacksonville on Monday, checking out venues with him and getting to go to the NFL game. No expectations of that being true, but it sure makes for a sweet hope. Sweet hope is one of the very best parts of this beautiful life.

Comments

[Laura]

It's still weird to see Alan Doyle standing next to The Gladiator. The music sounds good though. Maybe if I see it with my own two eyes in the flesh it won't seem weird. They need to head around 1,000 miles north of Jax. I wanna hear that song and I wanna know what the solo project is.

L.

[Virginie]

Tbanks for the report of Russell interview! My computer plays slow to hear so I do not know what is said. Thank you!!! Why does no one talk about RC and Alan Doyle on the GBS site? It's big news!! :D

[Christina]

There are magical words in that interview. He interviews well, or at least what I've seen has always been good- he speaks naturally and says what he thinks and generally gives a good accounting of himself.

He does a good job of making rugby league sound intriguing, too. I think what I've seen on TV must be rugby union. Must see if there is a rules primer to be had in town anywhere, before January. Hmm, maybe online, too.

And if there were to be a show in January too, well that would be a big fat bonus, indeed. Here's hoping.

[lynda]

I hope you get your chances to see Russell and Alan and TOFOG with your own two eyes someday, Laura. They really are something special together. I can't say I see it as Alan next to the Gladiator, though. When he's not up on the big screen, he's just Russell to me, the guy who writes those really great songs with Alan and who puts on such a good show alongside Alan. He's a good performer who has the excellent sense to recognise Alan's talents and abilities, and that makes my opinion of him high all on its own.

Oh, yes, I want to know about that solo project too. Even if that was a bean spilled ahead of its time, I'd like to see that bean planted in fertile ground as soon as possible. Then we can see what marvellous thing might grow.

Virginie, I am so glad the write-up helped you. I know how frustrating a slow connection can be because when I'm at home, I'm on dialup too. It took me hours to download and then re-upload that interview file. I hope you get a chance to actually hear it for yourself eventually, but until then, I am very happy to help you have some idea what was being said.

It's a good question you ask about who does and doesn't talk about Alan and Russell (and GBS) working together. I think maybe it would be better to ask that question of GBS fans on the GBS site than for me to give much of an answer here. All I can do is give an opinion or speculation, while they could tell you how they really feel. So that's what I'd recommend you do if you want the best answer you can get to your question.

If you're reluctant to do that, maybe just think about it being a little like how some Russell fans who love his acting so much that they worry his music will occupy his time and then he won't do as much acting as they'd rather he be doing. That might not be the right answer, but it's at least an attempt. And I still think it's best to ask the people directly involved.

Thank you for commenting here, Virginie. I hope you always feel free to do so whenever you want.

Christina, there aren't many times I ever feel the urge to go back to journalistic pursuits, but I have to admit I'd love to interview Russell Crowe.

I hear so many fools doing it the absolute wrong way, and even then Russell manages to make a good interview out of it anyway, in spite of the interviewer's foolishess, more times than not. This one is so good because the interviewer did not try to control the flow of the conversation to get to whatever predetermined point of view that interviewer might be seeking. He lets Russell talk, and when Russell talks, it's always interesting.

Yes, that is Rugby Union we've been watching at the Duke, not Rugby League. Russell is right - I'm a big American and Canadian football fan and I still find Union a bit frenetic. I've only seen League a few times, and never live. I am really looking forward to this game. Well, and to getting out of Seattle and going to Florida in January too. There is that.

I hope there winds up being a show. Everything I can see and hear indicates that the desire is there, though there could be logistical conflicts nobody outside of the matter knows anything about. There's just something in Russell's tone of voice when he talks about the music that makes me hope even more that he gets the chance to do this.

As for magic, yes. How bad can anything be when you believe in magic and you have hope?

[Christina]

Ah, now there's a magical sentence if ever I heard one, right off Leno: "there's gonna be a game, and probably a concert, and it'll be lots of fun." Whoo hoo. Thank you for the reinforcement of hope, Russell.

Whoops of delight all around. Granted he said probably, not definitely, but I'll take probably. We can live on probably for a bit.

God Russell Crowe is cute. He has such a sweet smile, and a beautiful laugh. That was a lovely interview on Leno tonight, particularly the footage of him at 21. (He claimed 16, but if he's 43 and the video is 22 years old, the math doesn't work. He was awfully young, though, that much is certain.)

Probably. Probably a concert. You can live on lesser hope than probably.

[C.J.]

Come on Lyynda. Russell Fucking Crowe announces he and Alan Doyle cowrote a song that's going on the new Great Big Sea CD and not a single solitary peep is heard about it on the GBS site or the little subsites! Is that normal?

Carole

[lynda]

Hello, Carole. I guess you won't be surprised to find some of your comment got edited out. As for the part that is here, I suppose I could get into a dissertation about the various ways to define "normal" - customary and expected versus healthy and sensible - but, honestly, I'm not feeling up to pulling that one off right now. I'd really rather feel glad about the potential great news instead.

So I'll just answer the question and let it go at that. In my own opinion, based on my own definitions - no, I don't think it's normal. I do think it is unfortunate, particularly for Russell, Alan, and the rest of Great Big Sea. But who knows? Maybe it will get better - more normal - as time goes by. I hope that suffices as an answer, because that's all the answer I have.

Christina, yes, I agree. Russell Crowe is cute. That old footage of him Leno put up showed a Tiger-Beat-cute Russell, but I like him how he is now. When he laughs, it sounds real. "Real" can be quite endearing.

Yes, he did say "probably". You can do more than merely survive on "probably"; "probably" is a royal feast to those who have been just barely getting by on the subsistence diet of of "possibly".

Yes to the whoop of delight too. Again. The next-door neighbours are going to be happy when I am gone.

As much as I want to see them play again, as much as I know you and others want to see the same thing...I want it for the players just as much, maybe even more. It will be lots of fun, and that's good for them too.

A lot of fun and enough hope to qualify for "probably": That's getting back into the neighbour-perturbing whoop zone. I'd better hush and log off for now. With a smile on my face.

[Maddie]

Woot! Concert! Russell!! Yessss!!!! God I hope its not the same day as the footy!?

[lynda]

Hey Maddie - Remember, Russell said "Probably," which is good, but not definite. And it might not be the whole band, either. Remember a ways back when Russell and Alan went to Ireland and kind of put together an impromptu chorus? Who knows, we might get Mr. Harris sung by the team.

If there is a concert, I agree with hoping it's not the same day as the game, not unless the concert is reserved seating. If it is on the same day and GA, then that means some people won't see the game for waiting in line to get a good spot at the show and that the people who stay to see the game won't be seeing the show very well. Sounds like a shame on both ends of that one.

Better for sure if it were two different days, but time will tell. Right now, I'm glad to be seeing the game and glad to have as much as "probably" to go on for the show. It sure sounds like Russell wants it, and he seems like the kind of man who finds a way to make what he wants happen, more often than not.

Thanks for the comment, Maddie, and I hope I see you at both the game and a concert.

[David Luckin]

What a pleasure it was to talk with Mr Crowe for the better part of an hour... I selected the songs to play after listening to them on his Myspace page... assuming these were his picks. I was asked to play GBS and chose Consequence Free.

Russell was such a down to earth honest gentleman he managed to put me at ease in just the first few minutes. I hope he'll come back to play more music on the Electro Lounge in Jan.

Keep those emails coming I am passing them on to Mr Crowe. Just received another one today...

Best Regards:
david

P.S. Thanks for posting the link.

[Lynda]

Hello, David, and thanks for taking the time to comment here. You did an excellent job with your Electro Lounge interview - you and Russell both did an excellent job - and I too hope to hear him once again on your program come January.

Thanks for providing the information about song selection, particularly the confirmation that the GBS selection was intentional. You chose very well with both artists; Consequence Free was one of the very first GBS songs I ever heard, and it certainly made a lasting impression on me.

If it turns out that Russell and Alan and the rest of the band do put on a Jacksonville show, I hope you'll be able to attend. I promise you that you will have a great time.

You're very welcome about the link; thank you in turn for getting the podcast link up on your station's site - that allowed so many more people to hear both the interview and the music. I kept my own link for streaming WJCT's broadcast; it sounds like you've got a very good show on the go there and I plan to keep an ear tuned to it.

Oh, yes - I edited your name into the body of the entry as the conductor of this excellent interview of Russell Crowe. Shameful oversight on my part to leave it out in the first place and you've got my apologies.

Lynda

[JoAnn]

Hey there..Thanks for the interview link..always great to hear from Mr Crowe. Hope I can get myself to the concert once I hit Florida...any details yet?

JoAnn