The original Star Wars movies, the Holy Trinity and Neapolitan ice cream: proof that good things can come in threes. More evidence to support this theory is the comedy trio I was lucky enough to interview recently – Tripod. Yon, aka Simon Hall, answered my questions on behalf of the band, about their career and their upcoming Christmas show tour, ‘Smaller than Jesus’.
First of all, smart move not claiming to be ‘Bigger than Jesus’ – that could have caused some serious controversy. Being ‘Smaller than Jesus’ however doesn’t really narrow it down for me. Please shed some light on what people can expect from your upcoming Christmas show?
We are deliberately non-specific because we don’t know what the show is yet. Except Christmassy – hence the reference to Jesus. And the John and Yoko reference is supposed to give a clue that our show will involve music.
Any chance of releasing a Christmas album?
We have big plans. One includes a Christmas album. Another is a TV Christmas special with us all in smoking jackets and pipes.
What was the experience like of performing on The Sideshow this year?
It was very fun. Particularly once we started doing stuff with the other performers. A massive highlight was playing with the fellas from the Cat Empire. They had the comedy chops, for sure. Although, Harry kept asking me during the rehearsals why we don’t write serious songs. I ended up trying to justify the importance of novelty songs to him. I can’t remember what my argument was; I don’t think he was convinced. Also we got to do our prog-rock anthem ‘Astronaut’ with a ten piece string section which was a childhood dream come true for me. There was a song the Umbies [Umbilical Brothers] joined us for about air guitar. They pretty much blew us off of the stage. I mean, we let them. We definitely let them.
What was your reaction to the news that the ABC has recently axed the show?
Mixed feelings. It was really starting to take off. I don’t mean the ratings, I just mean the show. I thought it was getting more and more interesting, what with mucking around with the other performers. On the other hand I wasn’t looking forward to coming up with another twenty or so TV-worthy songs next year. Our relationship has its limits.
One of my favourite aspects of watching a Tripod show is the interaction and conflict between the three of you. Spending over 10 years performing and travelling together, must mean you get on each other’s nerves after a while. How much of what we see played out on stage is based on real life?
Definitely some. We’ve tried to write scripts based on the passive aggression that goes on between us, but it’s hard to write, especially when you don’t agree on what each other would say in given situations. It was like, “My character wouldn’t say that!”, “But you did!” Sometimes one of us will say something on stage and the other will look at them as if to say, “That was too hard.”
... and have you come up with any creative conflict resolution tactics over time?
Be honest. But we’re still working on that. We were all brought up to be very polite, which sounds nice but can be not very constructive.
Given the choice, which award would you rather receive – Barry or Aria, and why?
Probably a Barry would be more significant in a way because when we’ve been nominated for an Aria it’s been in the comedy category obviously and to get nominated in the comedy category you pretty much need to release something. But we do get to feel more rock and roll at the Arias.
Many people recognise Tripod as the ‘funny songs guys’ although recently you’ve branched out into other forms of entertainment such as structured story-based shows, film and even pictograms. Is the motivation to explore other forms of entertainment, to keep your audiences from becoming bored, or yourselves?
Both. Although I reckon we’ve been focusing on the music more than ever. It’s certainly quicker to write non-songs, as Scod always says, so that helped us have a show finished in not as much time with our “Attack Dogs” show. Although I must say all that audio visual stuff we did was a fucking pain in the arse. In the two months leading into the show, Gatesy would meet us each day with a new tale of technical woe (he and his mate Cameron edited and compiled all the video stuff).
I think it would be safe to say that in terms of Australian musical comedy acts, Tripod are a benchmark. Who do you measure yourselves against, if anyone?
Obviously the Conchords [Flight of the Conchords]. I’m a massive fan of the Bedroom Philosopher, too. Very inspiring.
What do you believe is the secret to your longevity in the industry?
Laziness. I’d like to think this has resulted in us not being overexposed. It has also meant that we’ve limited the amount of time we spend together.
I read that your original band name was ‘The Folkwits’ during your time starting out doing pub gigs around Melbourne. In what ways have you matured as a band and what advice would you give to others starting out?
Well for a start we’re better at writing songs. The Triple J thing helped that heaps. We’re slightly more likely to do something with a point now, as well. The advice is: do lots of gigs. Of course try telling those freaks like Hamish Blake that. Maybe he just did lots of gigs in Iceland and then arrived here fully formed. I don’t know.
Many thanks to Yon from Tripod for his time.
Smaller Than Jesus will be touring Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. For dates and booking details check out their official website