OUR NEXT GUEST IS AN UNBELIEVABLY TALENTED ACTOR,
MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, AND WRITER WHO IS JOINING US FROM SOMEWHERE
IN THE MIDDLE OF AUSTRALIA, THE AMAZING TIM MINCHIN!
HE'S HERE ON THE SHOW.
HOW ARE YOU, TIM?
>> HI, JAMES.
I'M PRETTY GOOD, REALLY.
YEAH, I'M ALL RIGHT.
I'M HERE IN THE HOUSE -- >> James: WHERE ARE YOU IN THE
WORLD RIGHT NOW?
WHERE ARE YOU?
>> I'M IN A LITTLE VALLEY A COUPLE OF HOURS SOUTH OF S SYDNE
BELOW THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS AND I'M HERE, BASICALLY, I'M IN THE
MIDDLE OF 12 ACRES OF RAIN FOREST AND KIND OF IN A HOUSE
BUILT IN, CLEARLY, 1981, AND, YEAH, IT'S NICE.
CAN YOU HEAR THE CECADAS?
>> James: I CANNOT.
WE ARE SURROUNDED BY SCREAMING CECADAS.
>> James: I DON'T.
YOU SHOULD, JAMES.
THEIR LIFE CYCLE -- >> James: IS SHORT, I KNOW
>> THEY SPEND SEVEN YEARS UNDERGROUND AS NYMPHS AND FEED
ON ROOT MATTER FOR SEVEN YEARS.
THEY COME OUT OF THE GROUND.
THEY HAVE BEAUTIFUL WINGS, LITTLE PLATES ON THEIR ABDOMEN
WHICH VIBRATE AND THEY SCREAM AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS
SCREAMING AT THE SAME TIME AND IF YOU SPEAK CECADA, WHICH I DO,
IS THEY'RE SAYING SOMEONE COME AND SHAG ME, I HAVE BEEN
UNDERGROUND SEVEN YEARS, I'M DESPERATE FOR A SHAG!
I'M UP HERE ON A TREE!
AND IT'S BASICALLY TINDER, AND SOMEBODY SHAGS THEM AND THEN
THEY DIE.
SO IT'S TOUGHER THAN BEING IN LOCKDOWN.
>> James: ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT'S HOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL
LEAVE LOCKDOWN WHEN IT COMES.
>> I THINK 2022 IS, LIKE, I WANT SOMEBODY SHAG ME!
DEFINITELY.
>> James: THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON THE SHOW, YOU JUST
RELEASED YOUR AL ALBUM, "APART TOGETHER," AND IT'S BEEN THE
MOST PHENOMENAL SUCCESS.
IT WENT STRAIGHT TO NUMBER THREE IN THE AUSTRALIAN ALBUM CHARTS.
DID YOU EXPECT THE ALBUM WOULD DO SO WELL COMMERCIALLY?
>> YEAH, I DID.
I THOUGHT, WHEN THIS COMES OUT, IT'S GOING TO BE AC/DC, BTS AND
ME DOING THIS.
I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS THAT SORT OF ARTIST.
I HAVE BEEN WRITING SONGS FOR 30 YEARS AND I'VE ALWAYS BEEN
DOWNIT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT MY LIVE SHOWS, YOU KNOW HOW IT
WENT, AND I WASN'T SOMEBODY THAT GOT RADIO PLAY IN THE SOUTH
BECAUSE TO HAVE THE CONTENT IN MY SONGS AND BECAUSE THEY'RE
STUPID AND, YES, ALTHOUGH I REALLY WANTED THIS RECORD TO BE
OUT OF REACH OF A NEW AUDIENCE, CHARTS.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CHARTS MEAN THESE DAYS, BUT THE RESPONSE HAS
BEEN SO GORGEOUS.
AND PEOPLE ARE BUYING THE VINYL AND STUFF.
HOW GREAT'S THAT, THERE'S VINYL BACK IN THE WORLD?
>> James: IT'S RICHLY DESERVED BECAUSE I THINK THE ALBUM IS
COMPLETELY BRILLIANT.
THE SONG YOU WILL PERFORM IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONG TITLES MAYBE
EVER BUT CERTAINLY THAT YOU'VE COME UP WITH, AND YOU KNOW WHAT
A FAN I AM, BUT THE SONG IS CALLED "TALKED TOO MUCH, STAYED
TOO LONG."
>> YEAH.
DOES THAT RING A BELL.
>> James: TELL US WHAT THE SONG IS ABOUT AND WHERE IT CAME
FROM.
>> QUITE OFTEN, I FIND MYSELF WAKING UP IN THE MORNING HAVING
BEEN OUT WITH FRIENDS OR AT A DINNER PARTY.
I LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN DRINKING WINE WITH FRIENDS
AROUND A DINNER PARTY AND HAVING A GOOD CHAT.
AS YOU KNOW, I DON'T MIND A WRESTLE OVER IDEAS AND I LOVE A
GENTLE ARGUMENT, BUT I QUITE OFTEN WAKE UP IN THE MORNING AND
SAY TO SARAH, DID I -- DO WE -- I THINK I MIGHT HAVE -- DID WE
TALK TOO MUCH AND STAY TOO LONG?
AND IT'S THE REFRAIN THAT MY REMORSE IN THE MORNING IS I
SHOULD HAVE LEFT EARLIER AND JUST SHUT UP.
AND I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD EPITAPH, I SHOULD HAVE IT
ON MY TOMBSTONE, "TALKED TOO MUCH, STAYED TOO LONG."
AND IF I'M GOING TO HAVE IT ON MY TOMBSTONE I SHOULD TRACK ALL
THE TIMES I'VE NOT SHUT UP.
>> James: COMPLETELY BRILLIANT AND WE'RE SO THRILLED ANYTIME
YOU'RE ON THE SHOW.