The Real McCoy - (from 'Go!' December 1998) by Lisa Zanardo


They're not interested in record deals and couldn't care less if you don't like their songs. Go! journalist LISA ZANARDO spoke to 30 Odd Foot of Grunts front man Russell Crowe about their music. It didn't take me long to realize Russell Crowe is passionate about music, especially his songwriting.

As an actor, he spends so much time being someone else, writing and playing music is one way Crowe can be himself. This philosophy extends to the rest of his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, whose latest album, Gaslight, I can only describe as a series of emotive stories based on real life and put to raw rock melodies.

In its six-year existence, the band -- made up of Crowe on guitar and vocals, Garth Adam on bass, Dean Cochran on guitar and Dave Kelly on drums -- has shunned commercial pursuits in favour of freedom -- freedom to play their kind of music the way they like it.

"The product is what it is," Crowe said. "It's like, I'm in a band, this is our album, this is its cover art, that's us and that's life," he said. "The point of being in a band is not about singing other people's songs or taking a past hit and redoing it, but when you're in a commercial environment that's what it becomes. When I'm playing with these three guys it's a powerful thing. We're the real McCoy, and I don't care if people don't like a song, because I didn't write it for them ... I wrote it for me."

Gaslight is an extended playlist that Crowe said was an example of the band's work during the past five years. It jumps between live and studio-recorded tracks, which demands listeners 'bend an ear' to each and every song.

"I wanted it to be an uncomfortable listening experience because it's not the sort of album you can get into at arm's length. "You really have to listen to it to understand and appreciate what it's about."

Despite his acting pursuits and ability to play guitar, Crowe hasn always considered himself a Iyricist and admits his songs chronicle a certain emotional passage of his life.

"Music is about story-telling, distilling moments, and I couldn't ever possibly lose that."

Asked if he had put his acting career on hold for 30 Odd Foot of Grunts' national tour, which takes in the Ballina Club RSL Club on Tuesday, Crowe just laughed, saying: "My acting is never put on hold; even though I'm thousands of miles away, the finger can still reach out and touch me