You Am I
You Am I have been smearing the walls of Australia’s pubs, clubs and theatres with no-fuss, feet-stomping, guitar-slamming rock & roll for longer than you’ve been watching ‘Simpsons’ re-runs. Yes, that’s a bloody long time, and a lot longer than most bands can manage in this day and age.
Bands that have stood the test of time often put their ongoing success down to pure luck, while the less modest might suggest it’s because of their kick-arse songs. But for drummer Rusty Hopkinson, it all comes down to having “unconditional love and respect for each other.”
Okay – possibly not the rock star answer you were expecting. Then again, Rusty Hopkinson doesn’t come across as being typical at all.
Exhibit A: his spare time. When he’s not writing, recording, or touring with You Am I, Rusty helps run the Australian arm of Daptone records, home of the phenomenal soul singer Sharon Jones and her band, the Dap-kings.
Add to that his own label, Illustrious Artists, with a catalogue that includes seven inches (that’s vinyl, kids) for The Vines and the Pictures, and it becomes apparent that Rusty is a muso with a fondness for the way things were before those new-fangled compact discs and downloads changed everything.
He admits, “I also buy lots of old records from far more gratifying eras than the current one and have a terrible addiction to MMORPGs.” Yes, even rock stars play World of Warcraft.
Rusty is clearly a man who knows his rock & roll history, and wears his reverence for the greats of the past on his sleeve.
“[Listen to] Harry Smith’s ‘Anthology of American Folk Music’, it’s a classic compilation of 1920′s folk, blues and jazz and it’s the absolute root of everything you like. It shows that the attitude that powers modern music, like punk rock, has been around a lot longer than we tend to realise.”
“Listen to a song like ‘Bring it With You When You Come’ by Cannon’s Jug Stompers and you will hear the primordial soup that rock & roll was pulled from,” he says.
And for those of you hoping for a pearl of wisdom that could ignite your own music career, Rusty has yet more suggestions.
“Listen to ‘Don’t Ya Just Know It’ by Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and the Clowns – a hearty New Orleans gumbo that’s got everything a rock & roll song needs; it’s spicy and full of beans,” he says.
At this point, Rusty is sounding more like a music librarian than a drummer for a hard-working Australian rock band. What about the wild nights of alcohol- induced vomiting? What about throwing TVs into swimming pools? After so many years on the road both in Australia and abroad, what is Rusty’s defining rock & roll moment?
“I played the drums with sunglasses on at Sound Relief.”
Slowly but surely, we’re unlocking the true key to band longevity. Rusty’s understated humour must have gone down a treat when he ran into his favourite star from the ill-fated and undeniably hilarious Fox series, Arrested Development.
“Last time we were in New York, I walked into our dressing room and David Cross was there. He is one of our heroes and was charming and cool,” he says.
Having now spent a fair bit of time in America, Rusty has made some poignant observations about the difference between American and Australian audiences: “Accents.”
Rusty and the boys of You Am I have just finished a whirlwind tour of Australia as part of the JD Set series of shows, with up-comers The Shiny Brights and the Glass Ceiling. Their latest album ‘Dilettantes’ is available now.
