JZ: November 2011

Interview with Gordon Harvey, Laughing Hands - October, 2011

How did you meet the other members of Laughing Hands?

Paul Widdicombe was an old friend of mine. I met Paul Schutze through someone I shared a house with - we went till the same college until both of us dropped out. We met Ian Stewart through a drummer we were jamming with.

What was your "role" in Laughing Hands? In an improvised collective did you even have "roles" per se?

It was very open. Everybody pretty much played everything and swapped gear. I mostly played bass, but also played keyboard, which was interesting since I had no clue what I was playing.

Your two records where released on your own label Adhesive, was it assumed that you would just self release your music? Did Adhesive release anything else?

Adhesive didn't release anything while I was involved. We weren't interested in developing the label, just releasing our own material.

Considering your involvement with the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre and improvisation, what was your relation to "punk"? Did you consider yourselves punk?

We definitely didn't consider ourselves punk, but we were very influenced by the punk ethos and many of the styles it launched. Before punk we were more influenced by German prog-rock, jazz-rock and European jazz, which essentially meant extended jam sessions. Punk and its offshoots inspired us with its directness and brevity. It made us realise you can say something with more clarity in a short track, and that electronic music didn't have to be self-indulgent. I remember Paul coming back from a trip to the UK with an album by This Heat, which for me at least turned everything upside down with its raw and varied sound.

What sort of shows did you play? Did you play beyond Melbourne?

We mostly played small gigs around Melbourne. At that time it seemed there were lots of venues that were open to new ideas and weren't too generic in their choices. We played at an arts festival in Sydney. After I left they supported the Cure in Melbourne.

Did the Laughing Hands sound evolve over time?

Certainly in my time the sound became tighter. The first album was slower and drowning in reverb, but under that post-punk influence we started having more fun, almost letting a pop influence creep in.

Both your albums were recorded at Latrobe University, how did you get access to their studios?

One of the Clifton Hill regulars was David Chesworth who if I remember, worked there or at least had a close involvement with them. They were very supportive of new independent music. The second album was in fact mostly recorded at Paul's and my house on a small four-track, and I think mixed at Latrobe.

Who/what was The Invisible College?

That was after I left. I think it was just Paul and Ian doing different stuff.

Laughing Hands appeared on the Masse Mensch compilation, released in Germany, alongside (now) seminal acts such Nurse With Wounds, Smegma and DDAA - where you aware of the contemporary musical developments outside of Australia?

Australia was always somewhat insulated at the time - It took a while for new music to find its way over. We would pick up what we could, which was probably pretty random. A little later specialist retailers started to import larger selections of material. I think the overseas scene was more aware of us that we were of them. We'd send albums to Germany and the UK and have no idea what happened to them, or, if I remember, the money.

What happened to the Vinyl on Demand box set collection of various Laughing Hands and Invisible College tape releases advertised? It seemingly disappeared from their website...

Not sure about that. I'm sure Paul could answer that question.

(Published in Negative Guest List, Issue #31, 2011)