The Meanies21 years between albums is a long stretch by any measure, but that's pretty much par for the course for Melbourne punk veterans The Meanies. Never a band to follow a rulebook, The Meanies cut a swathe though the still booming pub rock scene of the early '90s, becoming renowned for their legendarily hedonistic live shows - they shared stages with everyone from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Fugazi, The Lemonheads, Beastie Boys and Bad Brains - before suddenly pulling up stumps in 1995 when they seemed to have the music world at their feet.
They did reform relatively quickly in 1998, but since then they've just played sporadic shows and pared things back to the point that they'd barely released any new music at all in this second incarnation bar a few singles (although their entire catalogue was re-released on vinyl recently by Poison City Records). This sad fact, however, has now been rectified by the release of their new long-player, It's Not Me, It's You - it's raucous, brash and hooky, basically everything one had come to expect from a Meanies record back in the day and a collection that's proved well worth the wait.
"We went into it basically just wanting a bit of fun, and I was really surprised how much I liked it and how good it was too."
"We're really fucking happy with it actually," smiles singer Link Meanie of the album. "We went into it basically just wanting a bit of fun, and I was really surprised how much I liked it and how good it was too, so I'm keen to get out there and play most of the album. We've had [new tracks] There's A Gap and Kill in the set already, and we're currently in the studio trying to learn seven of the tracks off the album - trying to - and we'll probably have five or six of those in the set for the launches. You don't want too much overkill with that sorta shit."
It must be awesome to have new tunes in the repertoire after relying on the old chestnuts for so long?
"Yeah, for sure. In more recent times we've started pulling out a lot of the really old tunes that we haven't played in a long time too, because for a few years there we were pretty much playing the same set. Which is why we got really good," Link chuckles. "But it definitely breathes a new life into proceedings, and having fresh songs is fantastic."
The album's presser claims that the recent run of wins experienced by their old friends and sparring partners Cosmic Psychos was one of the motivations to get The Meanies back into the studio, but Link tells that there's more to it than that.
"I think it's a combination of things," he reflects. "There's definitely that renaissance of some of the older bands like the [Cosmic] Psychos and the Hard-Ons and all that, but also just having our 25th anniversary recently it was really lovely that a lot of people took interest - especially Poison City Records and Tym Records doing re-releases. It's just really exciting at the moment, and we just got a rush of blood.
"The album is 70 percent made up of [songs we've had as] demos that Wally [Meanie - bass] had sat on for twenty-plus years, some of them probably 25 years. He's been badgering me for years to do them, and I was like, 'Nah, nah, if we do it I'll just write new songs'. Then eventually I just caved in, and I'm really glad I did because a lot of those tracks came up sounding really good, and then you've got a few songs which were written in recent years and are maybe a little tougher, I dunno, but they fit well with the older songs and give it a nice little landscape which is good."
Even though the tracks were obviously re-recorded, it sounds remarkably fresh given that many of the songs' genesis can be traced back to the '90s.
"That's the thing, I was a bit worried that they might sound a bit dated but I think a lot of that's just in my own head because I've known them for so long and you always think you can write better songs down the track. But I was a pretty damn good songwriter back then too!" Link laughs. "I think the way I write now - writing for the Meanies - I think songs like You Know The Drill and Kill are probably a bit more how I'd write a Meanies song now, but I still think they fit in perfectly well with those older tracks."
The Meanies' live shows were always an event, Link in particular showing a willingness to push the boundaries of safety for both himself and those in attendance, but he doesn't believe that The Meanies have struggled over the journey to capture that live mayhem in the studio.
"I think we've ended up with what I can honestly say is my favourite Meanies record."
"To be honest, I don't think that's anything we ever consciously thought about, we just go in there and play our hearts out and hope for the best," he tells. "Particularly doing an album after so long you're not really sure how it's going to pan out, that's why I was really relieved - I think we've ended up with what I can honestly say is my favourite Meanies record.
"I guess it's got the band's fingerprint on it - particularly because some of the songs are older too so there's that connection with the older albums too - but also these days I think we just play better. We're better musicians now, and I changed a few lyrics too because I think I've definitely improved as a lyric writer - some of the original versions were a bit 'how's your father?', so I just worked them out a bit and flapped them around, and I'm a lot happier with them."
Does he remember his mindset from back in the day when he was penning these songs which have only now surfaced?
"I sorta remember a feel," Link recalls. "The person I was back then was almost a bit alien - a bit of an annoying prick. Just young and kinda stupid. But at the same time I can relate to the lyrical content - some of the lyrics were pretty raw and all that, which is why I thought it might be a bit weird doing a lot of these songs on the new album, but like I said I just re-worked some of the lyrics and it all fell into place."
There have been a couple of enforced line-up changes over the years following the sad passing of guitarists DD Meanie and Taz Blizzard, and It's Not Me, It's You represents the first long-form studio forays for long-term Meanies Jaws (guitar) and Ringo (drums).
"Yeah, Jaws hadn't done any recording with us before so that was awesome to get him in there - he's a fabulous guitar player, I really love his guitar playing - and live me and Wally are probably the weakest links, Jaws and Ringo are just freakishly steady, as well as good!" Link bellows. "You never hear Ringo fuck up, or Jaws, and Jaws is even coming to our rehearsals and showing us songs he's played once after all these years and me and Wal will be, like, 'Oh, okay, that's how it goes. Thanks Jaws!' He's a freak."
Did the recent 25-year milestone and the vinyl reissues give Link the chance to reflect upon The Meanies' journey and legacy?
"There's a part of me from a purely financial consideration or viewpoint that kind of regretted breaking up the band when I did."
"I don't dwell on the past too much - probably because I was a pretty unhappy person back in those days and don't like to think about it too much, and that was probably what made for some good live shows," he muses. "But I'm definitely a lot happier now and enjoy it more now, and I think across the board we have easily as much energy as we used to - it's just channeled better and we're better musicians, plus we probably don't get quite as drunk... until after the show. We have a little bit more discipline now and then just turn into a mess after the show, not during.
"There's a part of me from a purely financial consideration or viewpoint that kind of regretted breaking up the band when I did. We were really riding a wave and things were looking really good, but I think at the time I was really conscious of just getting pigeonholed into that style. And also I was just out of my head crazy as well, so I ended up doing the Tomorrow People stuff which probably wasn't the most natural way to write a record, it was probably me wanting to state that I do a lot of things. As opposed to now with Sun God Replica, which is purely music I love - it's what I want to do live with a great bunch of guys in that band, and I just love it. So I've got the best of both worlds - the Meanies is like dudes I've known for over half my life and we're pretty much brothers, and it's just fun. We just get out there amongst it and I just wanna keep doing it."
Which, excitingly, implies that we won't be waiting another 21 years for next The Meanies album.
"Definitely man, we'll be doing more for sure," Link enthuses. "The only misgivings I have about the whole thing is with my body - I'm fucking sore all the time. Probably showing my age! At the 25th anniversary show I broke my foot, it was, like, 'Ah, c'mon!' We're looking at getting overseas too - we're looking at early- or mid-next year. I never used to like touring much in the old days because I was always a bit miserable - I was a miserable prick - but now I want to do it, I just want to get out there and do it constantly. I'd tour non-stop if I could. I'd go a bit crazy probably, but I'd handle it a bit better now."
