If the bloke skulking around in a blond wig and Acker-dacker T-shirt in this band photo looks familiar, that might be a surprise.
Years have passed since guitarist Lindsay McDougall helped Frenzal Rhomb blaze a trail across Australia's pop-punk landscape, and his profile these days lies mainly in the land of radio.
Lindsay McDougall strides the stage these days as alter ego Corey in Cell Block 69, a whole 80s covers band of Coreys (it is very much an 80s thing) booked to give live music fans a reason to walk like an Egyptian on Burelli St on a Sunday arvo in June.
I caught Lindsay in Corey mode, complete with flagrantly blatant plug …
Which Frenzal Rhomb song titles would describe a Cell Block 69 gig? You can't pick obvious ones like Never Had So Much Fun because I just did, sorry...
I’m reticent to lower the genius of Cell Block 69 to such pedestrian punk rock. Duane Le Corey Michaels has written some of the biggest songs in the centuries-long history of 1980s music. That they’ve been stolen by artists such as Billy Idol, Annie Lennox, Iva Davies and Daryl Braithwaite is testament to that. But if I had to, maybe Richer Than You because of the 80s decadence and When My Baby Smiles At Me I Go To Rehab, for the brazen theft. And all of the songs of The Cup Of Pestilence, because it’s Frenzal’s new album and I should probably mention it.
Is the appeal of being in a covers band the chance to be lazy or just have fun?
Lazy, Brian, lazy? This is the hardest I’ve worked in a band ever! Duane Le Corey Michaels’ songs, whether stolen by Duran Duran, Tears For Fears, George Michael, Madonna or Kenny Loggins, are all really hard to play, and DLCM docks our pay for every wrong note. Then there’s costume changes, makeup, wig fittings and keytar choreography!
What's in it for Spiegeltent audiences? I've checked the YouTube clips and it looks a pretty fine time.
We offer a little bit of sophistication; a truly international band, with members from Europe to Hollywood, superior songwriting, glamour, poise and stadium-level Corey-ography such that the Spiegeldome has never seen.
What's with all the 'Coreys'? I get that it's a sort of 80s name ...
I know. It’s made the constant line-up changes difficult, but who wants someone named Greg in their band?
You went to school in Engadine. Is that how you ended up in the sunny Illawarra?
It’s weird how many people from generic Sutherland ended up in the Illawarra. Unless you’ve been to the Shire, I guess. I moved out of Engadine to Newtown in 1997, when my high-flying Frenzal life and living with Dad stopped meshing so well, and then after 20 years decided to make my way to Wollongong, which is where my wife grew up and lived until I’d wrongly convinced her that Newtown was fun.
You've been doing the Drive session on ABC Illawarra for four or more years – how did that come about and how's it going?
Four or more is right – into my sixth year now. After leaving Triple J, I’d stayed on the George Soros/WEF WhatsApp group, and in late 2017 I started seeing messages about an impending pandemic. They needed trusted mouthpieces to spread Bill Gates’ plans, some dude named Fauci had a bunch of misinformation to get out, and I thought back at the ABC was the best place to be. We also got the real vaccine, the one without the microchip, and you should see how fast our internet is.
You've been vegan for a substantial slice of your life. Do you feel the perception of veganism is changing?
I have very little interest in the perception of veganism, EXCEPT in relation to one of the most important outcomes: delicious snacks. And in the past 25 years, it’s pretty inspiring seeing the cornucopia of delicious snacks now available in supermarkets; cheese, chocolate, burgers, ice-cream, more cheese, as they realise there’s heaps of cash to be made providing tasty cruelty-free alternatives. Also fewer animals having a horrible life is a fun bonus.
CellBlock69 will appear at Spiegeltent on Sunday, June 11, at the un-rock ‘n’ roll hour of 3pm. Tickets: spiegeltentwollongong.com
