Chords for Suze DeMarchi (Baby Animals) Today Extra interview Sep 2016

[Ab] _ _ _ There you go, [Db] one word, the baby animals there [Gb] are massive.
Yeah, [Db] that song, I wish we'd just keep [Ab] playing it because it's going to be on the set list
I'm sure when they hit the road in 2017.
Runt woman Susie DeMarchi joins us now.
Good morning Susie.
Hi guys.
Hey darling, how are you?
I'm very well, how are you?
That song, I'd love to just turn that up really loud and play the whole thing.
But is it true that it was your least favourite when it was released?
[Db] Yes, [Ab] it is true.
I kind of begged the [Gb] producer and the label to [Bb] not put it on the record.
Why?
I think it was, this record, the song started off [Ab] as a real country sort of ballady kind
of song [Db] when I wrote it and then it turned into something else, it kind of morphed while
we were recording it.
But I had that in my head that it was my least favourite song.
[Ab] But once we did it, we spent a lot of time working on it in the studio, [Db] Dave, Leslie,
doing that intro guitar part that is kind of synonymous with [Eb] that song, everyone knows that intro.
[G] It took him a really long time to do that and we were like, we were hardcore, play it
again, play it again.
Mike Chapman was very, like the commander, making him play it again and again.
So he played it until his fingers bled, literally.
Wow, amazing.
You know, when you first started this band, people would, you were compared to a lot of
people because of your performance style and the hair and you just looked fantastic.
You're people compared to Michael Hutchens, was that?
I've never heard that one but I'll take it.
Is that a compliment?
Of course.
I mean, [E] Michael was, there's no replacing Michael.
He was pretty unbelievable and you know, in fact, in my very first band when I was 17,
we did a show with NXS when they [Cm] first started out up in Geraldton.
We did a little mini tour with them and they just had that [G] beautiful record that Shabu
Shabar that was out, I think at that point.
You didn't go to Gosford Leagues Club, did you?
Because I saw them there.
[C] Probably, probably.
Wow.
I don't think we played with them there, we played [N] with them on the West Coast.
But Michael, yeah.
Well, you tend to go to Gosford, can't you?
I lived in Gosford for a while.
You probably saw everyone in [G] Gosford.
Yeah, I lived in Gosford Leagues Club.
I saw some great entertainment there.
We all make it to Gosford at some point.
Oh, we all do.
Now, as a band, you have been able to tour with some incredible acts, including Van Halen
[D] in the 90s.
I can't remember that one but yeah, _ we were on tour with them.
Really?
Was that a, it would have been a big thing to go for, I mean, because you guys were pretty
massive [G] here when you left to go do all that [D] stuff.
Was that, to then do like massive rock stadiums with Van Halen would be pretty massive.
It was massive.
It was [G] massive.
It took me [A] six months to recover [G] from that tour.
We were on the road with them for six months.
We did every state in America except for Alaska.
[A] But we'd done [D] a big tour with Bryan Adams before that through Europe for a couple of
months and so we were sort of, we liked the big rooms.
We loved it.
We would just like bring it on, you know.
We were up for anything at that point and we did it all.
So [G] yeah, but it did take me a while to recover.
That was a big tour.
That was the rock and roll lifestyle.
It was eye opening.
_ All the stories that you hear are actually true and more one of those tours.
Like, what is going on?
Yeah.
I almost had to like, I had to do a bit of this.
But as a female front, because you know, in the 80s at that time, coming out of the 80s
into the 90s, it was that hair rock that was very sort of like, very male driven.
There was a real [C] sort of culture going on there.
So as a female front person, were you sort of going like, hang on a sec [G] fellas, we need
to pull our heads in or [Ab] were you just like, pass the tequila and let's go?
Well, it's a bit of both.
Because I'm a good Catholic girl, but [B] I'm a really bad, naughty Catholic girl [Eb] as well.
That's the best kind.
It's the best kind.
It's the best [B] kind.
Yeah, but we [Ab] still have our issues.
You can't ever get rid of the Catholic issues.
It's the guilt.
But I, [Abm] yeah, but [Eb] I am, I'm really quite one of the [Abm] boys on the road and I [Dbm] love their company
and I love being in a group and [Abm] I've never felt that I couldn't do [Eb] anything that anyone
[Ab] else was doing except maybe lift some heavy stuff.
But that's about it.
But I was [Gm] always like, I'm not carrying my gear, [G] you carry it.
[D] [Abm] So speaking of rock royalty, [G] we hear that you had a funny situation with Brian May backstage
at the upstream concert.
So tell us about that.
Well, when I first met my ex-husband, he was playing at Wembley and I'd flown to London
and I was backstage and Baby Animals record had just come [D] out [G] and I was just milling around
thinking I didn't really know Nuno at that point, but I knew who Brian May was.
[Gbm] And I was kind of [G] going, oh my God, it's Brian May.
And he [A] walked up to me and I thought he's [E] going to come and say hello because he knows
the band and he's heard the [C] record and he knows who I [F] am.
Amazing.
And he walks up and says, could [G] you iron my shirt for me?
Oh no!
And I said, I'm not the wardrobe girl, but I will iron your shirt.
Did you iron the shirt?
No, I didn't.
He got really embarrassed and was like, oh.
I know.
He actually did say that was the only record I bought that year.
So I was happy with that.
Oh, that's fantastic.
But I would happily have ironed his shirt.
But you know, you got the [F] band back together.
You're a single mum raising, you know, as well.
You raise your kids.
I mean, are they rockers as well?
I mean, it's really in their genes.
It is in their [G] genes.
With you and Uno, I mean, that's some good genes.
How old are the kids, Susie?
Well, my son just turned 14 and they're both really musical.
My daughter's 20.
20?
Yeah, she's 20.
I know, I can't believe I've got a 20 year old.
How do you look so good?
How do you have a 20 year old?
How is it that you haven't aged and neither have I?
We must go to the same doctor. _ _ _
But they are both really into the arts.
We'll swap numbers later.
You're on.
Okay.
My daughter wants to act.
My son's just learning piano and, you know, he's into computers, video games.
But is it hard to juggle the band life and kids?
Yes, it's really hard.
It's absolutely, you know, the most difficult thing about it.
But I love working and they know I love working.
I'm happier when I work.
And they're, you know, my daughter's 20 now, so she really helps out a lot.
But I don't like leaving them.
But speaking of kids, then you have to juggle the band on the road.
And they're like children.
I mean, Dave Leslie's never grown up.
No, they are kids.
They are kids, but so am I.
It's terrible.
You should hear the gags.
I mean, you've heard them.
You would have heard all the gags in the back of the bus.
It's just awful.
And it's the same gags over and over again.
But we love it.
And it gets funnier and funnier.
It's funnier every time.
Yeah.
Oh, look, it's so great to see you.
So good to catch up with you, Susie.
You can get tickets to see the band on their One Word Tour next year.
Babyanimals.com.au.
They'll be everywhere and they are still amazing live.