Singing Pretty

The Age
February 2, 1996

Before his second Australian Tour, Chris Isaak talks about his latest album, his film roles and singing pretty. He's also between romances. Terry Reilly reports.

The male voice with a southern accent, speaking from somewhere between San Francisco and Melbourne, issues an officiously polite warning. "Mr Isaak, you have just 15 minutes for this interview. I will remind you two minutes before its conclusion. Thank you."

Chris Isaak laughs. "Are you used to interviews like this where they have the mystery interlocutor? It's bizarre. I feel like I'm ringing from a prison cell. You have 15 minutes, Mr Isaak. Don't try to pass any packages."

In fact, a tour package is virtually what this telephone conversation is all about. Soon after his tour Downunder last year, Chris Isaak, the suave, vocal prince of cool, is back to promote his latest CD, 'Forever Blue.' "I'm really happy about Forever Blue. It is about a girl I broke up with and I never have made an album that was so locked in."

Devoting an entire album to this personal crisis is a measure of his deep feelings, imprinted on haunting ballads like - There She Goes, Don't Leave Me On My Own and Somebody's Crying, which he wrote at a party "in a room where all the coats are kept". It was much easier for him to express his feelings on 'Forever Blue' rather than tell his former lover directly. However, rather than completely wallow in a sea of heartbreak, Isaak is ever ready to make light of his anguish. "I will carry that around for a long time," he confesses with a calm chuckle. "I've been doing more surfing than I have been dating. You don't get hurt as much."

The singing heartthrob shot to fame with Wicked Game from his third album, Heart Shaped World, recorded in 1989. The song featured in David Lynch's movie 'Wild at Heart.' Added to his two previous releases, ' Silvertone' and 'Chris Isaak', it could have completed a hat-trick of near misses. "Wicked Game was a real pleasant surprise," he drawls. "The album had been out for over a year before the song was played on the radio. Just when you think things are going bad, something good happens."

Isaak's superlative good looks and renowned, neat, stage attire have landed him some acting roles. He performed cameos in Jonathan Demme's ' Married to the Mob' and' Silence Of The Lambs,' as well as co-starring in David Lynch's ' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me' and Bernardo Bertolucci's ' Little Buddha'. "To be honest," he confesses, "I haven't done a movie where I could say, 'Come along and watch me.'"

Personal anguish aside, Chris Isaak, 40, is the relaxed sort. Slow speaking, he actually talks a lot about his personal feelings and interests, with the odd aside thrown in. The former native of the small, out-of-the-way town of Stockton, California, becomes spirited when talking about singers like himself who are noted for placing their vocals high in the mix. By his own admission, Isaak is a rock'n'roll romantic, constantly seeking the styles of the past for his inspiration. However, while Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison are high on his list, the Mavericks' crooning lead singer, Raul Malo is one recent exception. "Raul Malo is a great singer. He's got a very pretty voice. It's nice to hear someone sing pretty. Not many people these days have been graded on how pretty they sing. There hasn't been a Dean Martin or an Elvis in a long time."

Isaak believes there is something about the big wide open spaces that encourages people to sing pretty. "The music I make, I've heard in other people like Buddy Holly, (Lubbock,Texas) and Roy Orbison(Wink,Texas) who lived in flat terrain in the middle of nowhere where it was hot like Stockton."

Thirteen minutes into the interview when Isaak is eulogising Elvis and Scotty Moore, the voivce intervenes. "You have just two minutes, Mr Isaak." He ignores the reminder and talks on for another 15 minutes.

"On 'The Sun Sessions' (RCA) Scotty Moore and Elvis took risks with that music. People forget that. Scotty Moore originated a powerful sound with his guitar. He was just 21, so hip and so cool. Elvis and Scotty played songs of love and energy. It was the first music I could relate to. You know, I liked the old country and blues music I heard on the radio, but it was about drinking at the bar and 'my mule's gone lame'. I didn't relate to a mule.

Chris Isaak and his band Silvertone play at Flinders Park on 9 February.
Forever Blue is on Warner Music.

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