Peabody: The Professionals.

Peabody launch Professional Againster at The Healer on Friday and the National Hotel, Toowoomba on Saturday.

With a couple of EPs already under their belt, Sydney act Peabody hit town for the official launch of their long playing debut Professional Againster. But just what is a professional againster, and how does one set about becoming one? Drummer Graeme Terwin explains.

“Professional Againster actually came from… the fellow that runs our record label, Nick Carr… we always thought it was pretty funny that bands would admit to using a title that someone from the record label has come up with. We would always jeer at that kind of thing. What a bunch of sellouts. But we were throwing around a bunch of titles, and we wanted something that encapsulates the feeling of the record. Nick suggested this title. A band called the New Bomb Turks did a song called Professional Againster. We said, no bloody way, and then we got to thinking about it and it does kind of sum up what the record is about. And to a large degree what each of us is about to a large degree.”

“I really like the idea that someone could be paid to be a professional cynicm,” he muses. “You’re paid to be against everything. Or you could just be against everything for the sake of it. I think we’re all pretty cynical people, and I think that comes through on the record. Not in a negative way, but it does come through. It’s a funny idea to be just against stuff for the sake of it.”

Do you think you need a healthy does of cynicism to be in band?

“I think you do, otherwise you’d just go completely mental. Just the reality of being in a band, at any age, is just bloody hard. I think with the politics and bullshit that’s involved, unless you can question it and have a bit of a laugh at it, there’s no way you’ll stay in it and keep slogging it out. These are the things that I think help you get through it, other than the time you spend on stage. Unless you can have a laugh at it when you’re watching the ARIA’s, which I think is more of a comedy show, you just can’t get through it. After all that,” he chuckles “My answer to that question is yes.”

There’s a track on the album called The Greatest Compilation Of All Time, so I have to ask what’s on the band’s compilation tape. Who’s in control of the tape deck on the tour bus?

“It’s a manual bus, and I’m the only Peabody member that can drive a manual. So I can be a bit more assertive when I’m in the driver’s seat,” he laughs. “You have to do what the driver says. We try and mix it up a bit. We went to Melbourne last weekend, and when you’re trekking around you try and get some variety in there, but at the end of the day you’ve only go so many CDs. I think we got some Sonic Youth in there, a bit of International Noise Conspiracy. A lot of local stuff, it could be anything.”

“Actually, I was at the BP in Redfern the other day. Have you sent this thing in petrol stations now where you can buy CDs? I was having a look through it when I was at the cashier and they had The Vines CD, and Alex Lloyd was right up the front. And I just had this picture of people coming home from work, and they saw the ARIAs on Tuesday night and they’ll see the CD and go ‘I might just buy it’. I just thought he was a bit of a wanker at the ARIAs for making a speech about how Australia has the most beautiful women in the world. What a sleaze. I don’t usually do this stuff, but I moved it near the back of the pile. The Kasey Chambers CD was in there, and she was nice on the night, so I moved her to the front. Maybe that’s musical karma.”

Not big fans of Alex at the best of times then?

“We tend to make fun of him in the band, and Ben and Bruno actually share a house with Jay from Frenzal Rhomb, and he’s a bit of a joke presence at their house. We had a party at their house one night, and as the RSVP number they put Alex Lloyd’s home phone number,” he laughs. “Jay got it from their manager or something. I think you need to have a go at people like that every now and then, and Australian’s do it so well.”