Metro Cafe Interview with Darren Hayes
Metro Magazine
London, England
by Andrew Williams
November 14, 2005

Singer Darren Hayes sold more than 20 million records as half of Australian pop duo Savage Garden, with hits including Truly Madly Deeply. Since the band split in 2001 Hayes has pursued a solo career. Last album, The Tension And The Spark saw him go in an electronic direction - which seemed to leave his fanbase cold. His new single So Beautiful is out now.

What were the highlights of being Savage Garden?
You never forget the phone call - and it happened twice - when you're told you've got the No.1 single in America. It's so hard to achieve - you don't even dream about it. My favourite thing was just being a kid from Brisbane flying around on a private jet and getting served caviar. Moments when you don't feel like a popstar but people treat you like one are really funny.

Is it true you split Savage Garden up during a radio interview without telling your colleague Daniel Jones?
No - it's an urban myth. Daniel left the band the week before the Affirmation record was released. He told everyone; the band, the managers, that he just wasn't happy. I did that interview eight months later and he told reporters: 'That's the first I've heard of it.' I felt that I was going to get strung up by Savage Garden fans for leaving poor Daniel and not telling him - but it was actually the other way around.

Are you still pals?
We were never really pals. He's an interesting person. He distanced himself from me while we were in the band to keep it fresh. I think he viewed himself as a Svengali. I'd hang out with everyone and he'd go back to his hotel room. There wasn't any animosity, though. He came to my last tour in Australia. It's very bitter-sweet because I love the guy but I don't know him at all.

How was he a Svengali? Did he write all the songs?
No, it was always 50/50. He'd write a chord progression and I'd write the melody and lyrics. It was very regimented. By Svenagli, I meant he was someone who saw my potential and saw me as someone who was green but talented. Once I learned how to stand on my own two feet he took a step back. I'm really proud of that songwriting, it was a shared thing.

Your solo sales haven't matched those of Savage Garden. Are you bothered?
If I had to compete with the sales of the band why would I get up in the morning? They were phenomenal. It's hard to sell 10million albums today - you're lucky if a successful album sells more than three million copies. We were very fortunate to have our heyday back then. What I do doesn't have the same appeal. I'd like it to but I've never made changes to my music to make more money, even when we were extremely successful. We defined the sound of commercial radio in some parts of the world.

Are you working on a new solo record?
Yes. I realised I've been mucking about a bit and the next one has to be successful. The last one was very electro-ey. I knew I'd sold enough records in the past to take a chance and make something that wasn't as commercially viable - like Kylie Minogue's Impossible Princess. I got the best reviews of my life but we knew it wasn't going to translate into sales. I've got it out of my system. I'm writing the next one acoustically.

What's been your most extravagant purchase?
I bought an entire collection of original 1970s Stars Wars men because I never had them when I was a kid. They go up in value every year. I had to insure them. I won't let anyone leave their drinks on the Star Wars cabinet.

Can you really recite all the dialogue from the documentary In Bed With Madonna?
Yes. It was like my Bible. I was a kid from a small town - she was a girl from Detroit. I remember looking at her ambition and being compelled by it. In the very early days of my career I related to her drive.

Were you ruthless?
Not morally but I was in terms of my work ethic. I ate, slept and breathed my career. I'm 33 now and the things that drive me are artistic concerns. I can't imagine sweating on a midweek chart position now.

Have you met Madonna?
No and I don't really want to. I still enjoy being a fan. I think if you make music it's important to understand what it's like to be a fan. Once you lose that you lose your spark.

When was the last time you were so drunk you threw up?
I've never vomited from drinking. Maybe it's my Australian DNA. I've been blind drunk but I've never thrown up. I could be a career alcoholic.

Do you have celebrity chums?
Not really. I'm your regular Joe. Celebrity is a full-time job. I saw shots of Lisa Scott-Lee in the paper and it implied she'd set those shots up. I was amazed. I've spent years wondering why, when I've come out of a yoga school with my yoga mat and coffee, no one's snapped a picture of me. You either have to be incredibly famous or set it up. I never want to play that game. Once you let the animal in your home, it's in. I like to keep it at barking distance.

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