Mark Lizotte is a big fan of the Mid-North Coast. “I try to get there at least once a year,” the Australian rock royal says. “The people are pretty laid back, and they are good audiences.”
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His appearance at Laurieton celebrates 30 years since he and his band – Johnny Diesel and the Injectors –arrived on the east coast from Perth.
Asked what advice he might give his younger self if he could have, he says: “Maybe not to worry about things that happen in the industry, like with record company deals and that sort of thing”.
These days he uses his legend to help young musicians. “I’d like to bridge the gap between male and female, I’m mentoring an artist from Perth. Trying to instill in them the live thing is more than ever the most tangible thing for an artist – get out there and play. Everyone is out there touring, it’s the only way to survive.”
Diesel says where you could tour and play around the world back in the day, that doesn’t exist any more. “Back in the late ‘80s – the record company would put ‘em on tour with us [new bands], and a lot of bands got a start that way”.
“Today, there’s a hell of a lot of solo artists. People’s minds have changed – they don’t give a rats about how many people are on stage. I started getting my head around doing solo shows when I was living in New York in the late ‘90s. Neil Finn was working there in ‘98 or ‘99 – it was an eye opener, I saw a whole other way of doing things.
“I want to be the catalyst and conduit in the room to bring people together. Dynamic is my best friend when I’m on stage on my own.”
One of the things that made him determined to succeed was his first tour with Jimmy Barnes. “Watching someone give 175 per cent every night – I already had that mentality, but seeing him like that solidified what I needed to do.
He says there are still some people who haven’t seen him play live at all. “So this is a speed education – from where I started to where I ended up.”
His show will be part familiar and parts that are completely changed. “You don’t wheel out the same figurine every time. Materials have to be remolded. I’ve got 30 singles to dip into, and I keep doing things to them.”
He will release a greatest hits collection in the not too distant future. It will be a 30 single package with one new song – Give me Saturday Night. He will tour again once it’s released.
One of his own favourites is Darling of the Universe, written about a friend who passed away from AIDS. He says it’s a cathartic experience whenever he performs it.
He hopes the venue feels “as congenial as possible”. “When I’m solo, there’s only so much volume you can use to get over the noise of the crowd.” Let’s hope he gets the respect he has earned.