Let's Play A Game With Flowertruck & Major Leagues

“Can we play ‘fuck, kill, marry?’ Is that ok to publish?” laughs Jacob Knauth. “I’ve already got the answer if it’s Flowertruck,” Will Blackburn says. 

We're on a conference call — Blackburn and I in Sydney, Knauth in Brisbane. The plan is to do something a little different for this interview; the bands are going to interview each other. The boys sound very similar over the line which is an issue when transcribing, and Blackburn cheekily taunts "Don't worry, I do a great Jacob impersonation," with "I do a great Will impersonation," coming from Knauth. Fuckers.

Major Leagues

"I haven't been told much about this. So… What are we doing? I walk around with no idea generally, so it'll be ok," says Knauth after we've established that no, ASIO aren't listening on our conversation and yes, the interview will be written up instead of the recording being published. We have a free run. Anything goes. So, naturally, we jump right into life's biggest mysteries.

"Will, what happens in the afterlife?" "Well, at the end of the day, I guess there is, is it the great gig in the sky? Well, eventually we'll all be there, just moshing to some anthemic heavenly tune," Blackburn answers. "[Prince and Bowie] can finally collaborate."

"Is it the great gig in the sky? Well, eventually we'll all be there, just moshing to some anthemic heavenly tune."

Blackburn's turn. "Jacob… what are you wearing?" There's a brief pause before "Aw, well, um, let me explain to you my entire dress code." All you need to know is that we didn't get a rundown of a battered pair of boxers. But he does have chicken remnants on his clothes. "Ah, perfect, business casual and deep fry!" enthuses Blackburn. They banter on for a bit about the benefits of wearing and/or bringing chicken to parties and nightclubs, before Knauth moves on with a hypothetical: "Everybody in your band is sick, and you still have to play a show; What would you do?" "Oh, ok, well firstly I definitely wholeheartedly believe that I carry the band Flowertruck anyway, and we were actually just going to call it 'Will Blackburn & His Meat Puppets' but, you know, Flowertruck had a bit more ring to it. I'd have to pull out my go-to entertainment weapon which is reinterpreting the songs of Flowertruck through interpretive dance." Brilliant. It should be a thing. "They'd have to try and figure out which [song] it is when actually I'm just gyrating and stuff!"

Songs that won’t require interpretive dance — just plain old hip thrusts and the shopping trolley — will play when the bands head off on their May tour. “We’ve just started making [a tour soundtrack]. Lemme just pull it up… Turns out my Spotify account has been transformed into the Major Leagues Spotify account, so it makes it really public when I’m listening to the new Carly Rae Jepsen album,” admits Knauth. “No way, that is such a banger, that album. No joke, nice,” exclaims Blackburn. It comes highly recommended by both band members. Also on the Flowertruck/Major Leagues Tour Playlist is “Apart from Flowertruck… ha ha… Big White, Terrible Truths, Totally Mild, Gunns, Whitney, Frankie Cosmos, Alex G, Hinds…” Tallying up a full 17 songs thus far. “You’re totally encouraged to add to it,” says Knauth to Blackburn. 

"Oh, wait, it's my turn, sorry!" jumps Blackburn.  A few more facts come to light: when Knauth is in Sydney, Blackburn is going to take him to a "Gorgeous, gorgeous — I mean you're in the chicken game, so I understand the benchmark — little spot, great atmosphere, vibes, house music, called Red Rooster. I'm resurrecting it in my mind." A random dude from Oporto in Newtown will be a member of Flowertruck's interpretive dance squad, chosen from his audition that saw him "Jump up on the bench and just gyrating… basically doing 'The Will Show'."

Knauth's 'fuck, kill, marry' question wraps us up. "This is going back to the gig where everyone else is sick, so I'm just gonna fuck me, marry me, kill me, it's gonna be great. All of those activities, once again, in interpretive dance. So the answer is... ME ME ME!" says the star of The Will Show.