At the age of 17, he experienced a culture shock when he landed in Australia from a wild country in Canada. At the time, Chris Masuak had already experienced a lot of family tensions. He was going to find a new family with Radio Birdman, whom he compared to a gang in the interview. « When I first settled in Australia, it was a strange new land with incomprehensible people, » he recalls in the fascinating documentary « Descent into the Maelstrom » which is devoted to the group Radio Birdman. He found himself seeing the group every weekend, playing the guitar with them, listening to their record collections. His former companions say of him, « He could play anything. It could be Johnny Winter or Mick Taylor… He picked up the guitar and was able to replay note for note after a concert what Deniz had played, and it was only natural that he joined the group. ” Warwick Gilgert (second bassist) is full of praise for it: « It really became something, it was a real wonder. You knew there was no better group. » The group did not survive a tour of England where tensions began to emerge. For Chris Masuak it was a musical and family commitment, there was honor and loyalty and a lot of pride in their music. Radio Birdman with the Saints revolutionized Australian underground rock music. Chris would make history with The New Christs and The Hitmen. He now lives his life as a rocker in Spain. Chris Masuak was kind enough to look back on his past and answer a few questions before a tour in France with his new group The Outside in February 2020.
How did you get this passion for music? how did you come to play the guitar?
When I was a kid we lived out on the frontier of Northern Alberta where there was no television and radio only when atmospheric conditions were right. So, we entertained ourselves by reading and listening to music and I started piano lessons when I was about five years old. So, music was just something we did.
When I was around twelve or thirteen my dad gave me an old homemade guitar that had been kicking around his sister’s basement. It had the name “Kay” appliqued to the headstock so I always referred to it as such. Later, some “experts” mistakenly insisted that it was an actual Kay … a mail order catalogue type guitar. Idiots.
In any case, the rest is history!
What were your first bands, first concerts in which you participated, do you have anectodes?
My first band was MANTA, up on the Big Bend of the Columbia River in British Columbia. I was thirteen and the youngest. We would have to get permission to play at bars and dances because of my age. We used to rehearse in the basement and I’d hook up all of our amps and PA to make a monster guitar rig. My parents were very tolerant.
Was your meeting with Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) decisive in your career?
I suppose so. I inadvertently found myself in the country’s coolest band and basically never stopped.
Do you have interesting or funny anectodes during tours with Radio Birdman, New Christ, Hitmen, or more recently? Can you tell us one or two?
In the early days Radio Birdman was a family or at the very least, a gang. We were ferociously committed and dedicated to our music but just getting a chance to play was an ongoing comedy of sorts. But ultimately, there is nothing fun about Radio Birdman. In that culture you’re either a bully or a sycophant and I don’t miss it.
The Hitmen tried to break out of the Birdman mold and take that legacy out of the Sydney underground scene and into the mainstream. We worked hard breaking down those very real barriers and had a lot of fun along the way. We never achieved mainstream success because we were dedicated to being at the vanguard and record companies just didn’t know what to do with us.
Sadly, that legacy has disappeared up it’s own self-importance as well.
The New Christs were basically The Hitmen backing Younger. That lineup recorded the band’s most quoted and enduring songs. It was probably the best band I’ve been in, especially with Richard Jakimiszyn on second guitar.
Like every lineup over the next 30 years it was hard-wired for failure.
Was the work to remix « Radio Appears » and « Living eyes » an opportunity to put the group Radio Birdman back in the saddle in 1994?
We attempted to salvage Living Eyes but the original recording was poorly tracked. The remix wasn’t an improvement. I thought that there was some hope for reconciliation leading up to the reformation. I didn’t suspect that reconciliation wasn’t the motive.
On the tours with the New Christs and the Hitmen especially during the first parts or concerts you made interesting meetings (Iggy Pop in 1984, the punk rock diva Niagara in December 2007). Are these good memories? Have there been other significant encounters in your career?
As I said, The New Christs were a formidable band at that time. Iggy had a substandard lineup on his first tour of Australia and was horrified that The New Christs easily outclassed his group of New York paranoiacs. Still, Iggy loved us! He came onstage with us one gig and we ran him through a bunch of songs until his band literally pulled the plug on us. I wonder if he remembers.
You entered with Radio Birdman at the Aria hall of Fame in 2007. What do you think of this institution as well as the Rock’n’roll hall of fame? Which groups should be included?
It was ironic that the “industry” that so maligned the band back in the day eventually came to recognise our contribution. Some members were churlish about it, but I figure that the recognition was hard won and that it should be accepted in good faith.
Which groups should be in the Hall of Fame? Certainly for Australia … The Loved Ones, The Black Diamonds, The Missing Links, The Purple Hearts … too many that won’t be considered.
You separate in 2010, and at the same time you are not invited to the reformation of 2014 … Do you think that ego problems can be a problem in a band?
The problems in that band run deeper and are more complicated than in most. When it was apparent that I would no longer tolerate the appalling behaviour of some of the members I was axed. There was no professional or musical reason. It was a vindictive and deliberate attempt to hurt me. In fact, by firing me the band lost “the glue” that allowed them to go off on their various tangents and still remain musically cohesive. I don’t even recognise them as that band any more. Sometimes, I wonder why they don’t just throw the towel in. It’s sad and embarrassing.
Can you tell me about the evolution of your career these past years ?
At the beginning, my career was a result of attrition. I had nothing else or better to do with my time or energy and managed to fall into projects that turned out to be somehow ground breaking. Every band I’ve been in has been at the vanguard, breaking through the very real cultural or musical barriers of the time for those that followed. Without the fame and commercial success, of course!
As time went on, I discovered that I loved writing and recording. Bands like The New Christs and Radio Birdman afforded very little satisfaction in those areas so I moved on or was moved on. Even The Hitmen, which I formed as a vehicle for my writing, had limitations.
I had a period where I got tired of musician’s shallowness and put myself through various studies and eventually practiced as a Naturopath for many years. But, I never put the guitar down.
Things started really changing when I started forming trios and was required to be the singer. Bands like The Juke Savages and Klondike’s North 40 were interesting new challenges with very capable players, and I really didn’t want to introduce another dynamic into the mix in the form of a fucking lead singer with the inevitable bullshit that accompanies them.
So, I forced myself to sing. Which, with my songs is like rubbing your head and patting your belly, then switching hands. Plus, I discovered that everything that I wrote was just exactly out of my singing range. So, I had to learn! Fast!
Plus, the freedom of writing for small groups meant I could push the boundaries and do things that would be beyond the capabilities of my previous bands. This is enormously satisfying and as well as being prolific, I like to think that my writing and playing is getting better. In any case, I’m really enjoying playing guitar and touring with The Viveiro Wave Riders and The Outside. It’s liberating to be finally associated with decent human beings!
You are preparing a new tour in France with Bruno Mondo on bass, What do you prefer in touring?
I prefer touring and playing with good people and having fun.
This is always the case with The Outside, and especially more so now with El Kara on drums to give us the solid foundation to make the band great.
From a musical point of view do you rather feel close to AC / DC or Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or even Rose Tattoo or others?
I have no affinity with any of those bands.
I do appreciate AC/DC and Rose Tattoo, but they really don’t swing. And, I loathe Nick Cave with an indescribable loathing. I really hate that junky chic shit!
What do you think of the current Australian scene Tame Impala, King Gizzard .. or others ?
There are some very dynamic, if somewhat derivative young bands coming up now. Tons of energy! It’s heartening!
There is this tragedy, these giant fires right now in Australia, how do you feel about climate change, do you think that politicians are doing enough on this issue?
I know that it’s fashionable to say that art and politics should be mutually exclusive. But in my opinion, to NOT get involved in the political debate is to relinquish your rights and privileges as a human being! And, artists are in a good position to help spread the dead-obvious message that our politicians actually do not have their constituents safety and well being at heart.
You have lived in many countries including Canada, Australia, and now Spain since 2010. Where do you feel best?
I’m a perennial foreigner. I’m a stranger everywhere! I’m very fucking lucky to be able to continue travelling and living the way that I do.
What are your 5 favorite albums from the past decade?
Don’t know if I can pick favorite albums. In Australia, I like what Mick Medew is doing now. Also, Amyl and The Sniffers are pretty fun. Overseas, David Gasten is doing a really good job curating his This Is Vintage Now lounge music stable. And, over here in Spain, The Atomic Zeros, Bang 74, and Johnny Casino are making great music.
What can we wish you better for 2020?
I just pray that our “leaders” don’t extinguish life on our planet this year! It looks grim! But, I see leadership and strength in many of our younger people, so maybe there is hope for their future.
For myself, I just hope for continued good health and happiness and the opportunity to keep writing and playing. I have so much more to do!
Interview : Frédéric Quennec
Thee Savage Beat 