Transcript: Taking flight with Airbourne

SFX: Airbourne – No way but the Hard way

NB Beacon: I’m happy to be joined on the line with Joel O’Keefe, the lead singer and axe man in Airbourne. How are you doing today Joel?

Joel O’Keefe: Good, thanks.

NB Beacon: Do you ever find when you are over here in North America a lot of people try and impersonate your accent?

Joel O’Keefe: (laughing) You know they do the same thing back home, mate. Usually, they’re trying to do a North American accent back home in Australia. Yeah, you do mate, you’re right.

NB Beacon: Do people say mate and cheers a lot to make you feel comfortable?

Joel O’Keefe: (laughing) Yeah.

NB Beacon: On the new album, No Guts, No Glory, I read you guys to a page from Bruce Springsteen and slept at the recording studio. How was that?

Joel O’Keefe: It was great man. Basically, Ryan slept behind his drum kit. I was behind my guitar amps, and Rhodesey was behind his guitar amps. Justin was out by the pool table. You can just track whenever you want too. Skip breakfast and just get right into it.

NB Beacon: How’d you guys keep yourself entertained while you were there?

Joel O’Keefe: Ah, you know. When you go out at night, you hit the town and head to a blues bar and stuff like that. That was the entertainment. Then just rockin’ out as a band in the studio, tracking it down. We just love playing rock ‘n’ roll. A lot of that was just, you know, rockin’ out basically. (laughing) Yea.

NB Beacon: I’m assuming off the new single the album is going to be straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. How can you describe the new album?

Joel O’Keefe: We really focused on getting a live sound and really capturing the room sound a lot more. Umm, compared to the last album, I guess this one’s probably a little bit harder, a little bit faster. It’s just a bit more ballsier.

SFX: Airbourne – Runnin’ Wild

NB Beacon: You guys are soon enough going to be going on tour with Motley Crue. Can you describe a night of Airbourne and Tommy Lee? What would that consist of?

Joel O’Keefe: Oh, mate. (laughing) That would sound like a bit of fun wouldn’t it? I don’t reckon there would be a lot of drums being played. (laughing) I tell ya what. It’ll be a blur. You wouldn’t be able to remember it the next day.

NB Beacon: I didn’t know if you were aware of it or not, but we’re hosting the Olympics next month in Vancouver.

Joel O’Keefe: Yea, good on ya. Congratulations.

NB Beacon: (laughing) Thank you. If you guys could be in a sport winter or summer, what would you guys do?

Joel O’Keefe: I reckon the old, what do they call it, the bobsled team or whatever it is. You know the Jamaican bobsled team, that movie. (both laughing)

NB Beacon: That was a sweet movie.

Joel O’Keefe: (laughing) Yea, it was. So, I reckon that would be us. That’s what we’d do.

NB Beacon: Lots of training I imagine.

Joel O’Keefe: Yea, we’d have to have a big car stereo in it that’s the only thing. When we’re going down, we’d be rockin’ out to a little Motorhead down the f—king down the bobsled track. (both laughing)

NB Beacon: I think that would be the first time Motorhead and the Olympics would be put together.

Joel O’Keefe: Lemmy (lead singer of Motorhead), he should open it.  That’d be awesome.

NB Beacon: We’ll try to make that happen in the next month. (both laughing) Ok, there’s the conventional Olympics. What if there was a drinking Olympics?

Joel O’Keefe: That’d be a bit of fun, I reckon. Speaking of Lemmy, he’d probably be there.

NB Beacon: What would competition be in that? Maybe a relay beer chug?

Joel O’Keefe: Yea, a bit of relay but a different kind of relay. Not just men running around. More like guys and girls running around playing a bit of relay. (laughing) Passing the baton between a girl and a boy. That’d be a bit of fun.

NB Beacon: (laughing) That works out pretty good. Perfect, that’s all I had. Great success with the next album. I’ve seen you guys live before and you’re amazing. You put a lot of effort into the live shows, and as a rock fan, I can appreciate it. I think a lot of rock fans do as well.

Joel O’Keefe: We sure as hell love touring here. It’s so much fun, and we’re really happy to be here. We’re really looking forward to get back out there again.

SFX: Airbourne – Runnin’ Wild

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Posted by Dave Gauthier on Feb 6, 2010. Filed under Transcripts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.