This originally appeared in the Event Guide.
The Good Son
By Aoife Barry
When he’s not tinkling the ivories in The Bad Seeds, Conway Savage is creating his own music: Solo, he trades in blues-infected , down-tempo psycho-billy dirty rock, or haunting, emotional duets with the likes of Suzie Higgie. He’s released six albums over the past 15 years; his latest, ‘Quickie For Ducky’, was recorded with Amanda Fox and Robert Tickner. Melbourne-based Savage is an intriguing character – dry, sarcastic and yet well able to laugh at himself (and others).
“Oh I’m so angry at the Bad Seeds, I’m so angry at the publicity machine -I could just kill it, what am I gonna do about it!” Conway Savage is laughing at a question about his level of ‘fame’ as a solo artist versus that of his work in the Bad Seeds – but if it seems as though I’ve struck a raw nerve, the sarcasm has dissipated within seconds. “What you got to do with music is continue on with what you got to do,” he drawls softly. “I was doing this stuff before I did the Bad Seeds, you know; as Guy Clark said – sing like you don’t need the money.” As part of the hugely successful group Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, he may no longer need to play for the money all the time, but these days it’s all about getting out there and plugging away with his solo career.
