Photography: Ian Laidlaw
In 2003, Pete Murray released his critically acclaimed album, Feeler and the huge hit single, So Beautiful. Twenty-two years later, he’s still just as affable, handsome, and with a voice like honey!
DNA: Your latest single I Am Fire is great. What inspired it?
Pete Murray: It’s hard to avoid seeing what’s happening overseas right now. On the news, I kept seeing people putting themselves into the danger zone to save others. I’ve seen how people stand up against regimes and make a stance for humanity. They’re the real heroes. I decided to write a song about those people and the feeling in those moments where they’re challenging someone for the sake of the human race. They don’t have guns. They’re just brave. It can also relate to parents and people who look after their families. It’s a special song lyrically.
You’re on a 55-date Solo Acoustic Tour. What draws you to touring?
I like performing, and this one is different because I’m playing solo acoustics. I’ve always played with a band, but when I play solo, there’s more freedom. I get to talk to the crowd and play what I want. With a band, there’s a specific time to perform in and a set list to stick to, which can be difficult. On a solo tour I can do what I want. There’s been a good vibe about this tour.
Gay clubs are known for electropop, house and disco. Does that music grab you?
I like listening to singer-songwriter stuff because that’s what I do, but I like all types of music. Dance music is great. I guess it depends on where I am and the time of day. A good song is a good song, no matter what genre. Everyone likes different flavours.
Have you been out to gay bars?
I can’t remember any specifically, but I must’ve been to some in Sydney. My gay mates are great and so hilarious.
If you were somewhere with a dancefloor, what would get you up and moving?
Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. Back in my twenties, I had some mates over for a drink, and when Superstition came on, I was like, “We can’t just sit down, we gotta dance to this!” Stevie Wonder is amazing!
Maybe you could include Superstition in your set list?
I’ve never played it live. I could try. He’s got a killer voice, but he sings quite high. I’d have to change key.
The last time we spoke, you said your diva was Madonna. Is that still the case?
As a kid, I listened to Madonna. She was massive in the late ’80s. But Aretha Franklin has a killer voice, and so does Whitney Houston! I recently watched the Whitney documentary and was surprised at the flak she got from the black music community. She wasn’t appreciated for what she was doing.
Like Whitney, the singer Nick Drake also had a tragic life, and you sound like him! Were you influenced by him?
In 2002, Noel Mengel, a journalist who wrote for the Brisbane Courier Mail, got an acoustic version of one of my demos and called me for an interview. I didn’t know who he was, but he loved my music. We did the interview, and he mentioned I was similar to Nick Drake and Richie Havens. I’d never heard of either and had to check them out. Back then, you couldn’t simply stream music, so I had to go out and buy it. But that’s how I got into listening to Nick Drake, and I’ve found him quite special.
Speaking of discovering music, Kate Bush had an amazing revival through Stranger Things. Are you a fan?
When I was a kid and Kate Bush was big on the radio, my dad once said, “She’s my old girlfriend.” For years, I believed my dad went out with Kate Bush! I don’t know where he could possibly have met her, but I believed it. It’s funny what a parent can say as a joke that sticks in your head as a kid. I thought, well, she could have been my mum! It’s incredible what can happen to an artist’s career when they’re put in front of a whole new crowd, like what happened with Kate. Running Up That Hill is a great song. Music can travel through the years and still find its place.
Vinyl has made a huge comeback, and CDs are reemerging. How do you feel about that?
I’ve recorded an acoustic album for this tour on both vinyl and CD. It’s called Acoustic Roots Volume One, and there’ll be more to follow. It’s the physical product done the old-school way, available at my shows. It was great to strip everything out and go back to that. I sometimes leave in some keys and a baseline, but it’s quite tastefully done.
What’s been a memorable pinch-yourself moment in your career?
At the beginning of my career, I played at Bar Broadway in Sydney. It was just after Feeler had been released. There was a massive lineup right around the block. I thought there must’ve been another gig on somewhere, but they were trying to get into my gig. We had to turn away thousands. I started with Ten Ft Tall, the last song from the album, and the crowd sang it back, word for word. That moment was the first time I heard people singing my lyrics back. At the end of that show, I thought, “Wow! This could work!”
You’ve competed on SAS Australia and been on the cover of Men’s Health. What’s your workout regime?
My original background is sport, so I’ve always been fit and healthy. To get on the cover of Men’s Health, I trained with transformation coaches Chief and Emile Brabon. They got me onto a diet which I still stick to. I just take a lot of carbs and sugars out of my diet. I didn’t realise how much I’d been eating. When you work hard, you still don’t necessarily lose fat, so it’s about eating lean and keeping lean. I train for 40 minutes maximum a day without much of a break between sets. I do resistance work, reasonably heavy but not too heavy, at around 12 reps, and my minimum break is 30 seconds. Moving fast keeps the heart rate up. It’s about building muscle while burning calories at the same time.
You have fantastic hair. Do you have a grooming tip?
I wake up in the morning, wet it a bit, and it sits where it is. I’m lucky it’s quite thick. I think seawater must be good for hair. I get in the ocean as much as I can. It resets you!
Have you had any memorable on-stage wardrobe malfunctions?
Once, when I realised my fly was down for a few songs. Ever since it’s the first thing I check before I go on stage. In fact, I’ll double-check it and then triple-check it to make sure it’s up!
You used to have underwear merch with So Beautiful for the ladies, and were thinking of doing Bigger Than Mighty Joe [a lyric from So Beautiful] for the men. What happened to that?
Yeah, I had suggested that, but some people thought it was too much. I thought it was cool. Maybe I should just go ahead and do it.
Please do! There’s a market in the gay community. Speaking of… briefs, boxers or free balling?
Briefs. They keep things tucked away and packaged up. At nighttime, I sleep in boxers because I like to give it some freedom to breathe down there.
Find Pete online at www.petemurray.com and on Instagram @petemurraymusic
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