Living Through A Musician's Worst Nightmare: Alex Lahey Plays 'Two Truths & A Lie'

You know that feeling when you’re listening to Alex Lahey’s music and it’s so relatable and inviting and candid and you’re like, ‘Man, this is so real.’ Lahey is like that in real life, too. It’s always lovely when artists share personal stories in this column – about a vulnerable time, their family, a fond memory – and Lahey ticks off all three boxes in this one.

She shares that time she had a near-deaf experience (pretty much near-death in a musician’s world), had an amazing night out in Japan with her brother, and the unconditional love she has for her late grandfather – who wasn’t blood at all, but may as well have been.

We’re inching closer to the release of Lahey's second record, The Best Of Luck Club. She’s got big shoes to fill after I Love You Like A Brother won her numerous awards and accolades and some A+ reviews. She says this new one is a concept album, a metaphor for “going to a place and either having the worst day or the best day, but it feels like you have a seat at the table”, and leaving your new companion by wishing them the best of luck.

She says her own 'Best Of Luck Club' is in a dive bar, which pretty well sets us up for our first truth…

Truth

Alex: I came up with a travel story but it was from when I was on a family holiday. It was my brother, my mum and I, we went to Japan about five years ago, and my brother and I… I feel like it signalled the beginning of our adult relationship. He had just turned 19 I think, and I would’ve been 22 or something, so it was the first time we had hung out and been on a level playing field.

Uppy: Totally get it.

A: I feel like that was signalled by this particular night out he and I had in Tokyo, where we ended up basically being adopted by a group of Japanese businessmen.

U: A salaryman! 

A: Yeah! It was a bit funny. So we went out and we were sort of bar hopping around Tokyo as you do, around Shibuya. We ended up in this jazz club – and as a lot of bars do in Japan and particularly in Tokyo – it had like ten seats. Ten seats, one bartender, two beers and like a hundred whiskies. It was just like walls of records as well – you could curate what was on. It wasn’t like, ohhh Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong, it was like VERY deep jazz.

U: The niche shit.

A: Yeah, yeah. Super heavy. Anyway, so we were there, and these Japanese men and their wives... were sitting across from us. We started talking and you know, they asked us where we were from and we said, 'Australia,' and they were like, 'OH! Hugh Jackman!' They wanted to know whether we KNEW Hugh Jackman... We ended up shuffling towards them and just getting absolutely hammered, and at one point they were like, ‘What is your favourite Japanese food?’ and I’m like, ‘Well, my brother really likes gyoza,’ and then nek minnit someone rocks up with like 40 dumplings.

U: Oh wow.

A: They’re just watching us eat these dumplings and we had to just get ‘em down because it would’ve been so rude not to have eaten all of them.

U: Yeahh. How cute!

A: Yeahhh. We just drank and drank and drank and drank all this beautiful Japanese whiskey, and at the end they were like, 'We are too drunk. We must leave.' [Laughs] they left and I said to the bartender when my brother and I left, I was like, 'What do we need to cover?' and she was like, 'No, they took care of EVERYTHING, don’t worry about it.' It was just such a funny night. And obviously my mum was on the trip but didn’t come out with us that time, so my brother and I woke up the next morning pretty dusty and she was like, sooo proud of us. I’ve never seen a mother being so proud of seeing her children so hungover.

U: I mean, it’s like truly immersing yourself in the culture, right? Hanging out with the locals.

A: It was really good! It was so fun, and even in a massive city like Tokyo, obviously these people had a relationship with the bartender or something, so it’s so funny that in a city where it looks like everyone is in a silo out of necessity because it IS so big, there are actually these beautiful relationships that happen underground. In some cases, like this bar.

U: I still haven’t been to Japan but everything I hear is like, the culture is super respectful and very trusting of each other and caring of each other. And that’s so nice because you can be that to strangers in this gigantic city and it’s not weird, whereas here I feel like if two businessmen wanted to hang out with you, you’d be like, 'What do you want from me?'

A: Yeah, or like, 'Get away from me.' Totally. It’s so true. It’s a totally different culture and there is pride in their culture and not in a way like they want to protect it from outsiders, but like, we actually want to share it with you. If you’re gonna come to Japan and eat Japanese food and have a Japanese experience, we want it to be the BEST possible one. I think that’s really cool, and there’s a lot of humility in that too which I think is really nice.

Truth

A: I remember when I was in Year 7, I think it was, they asked you to write a story about anything that you wanted. Anyway, so I wrote this story, which was a reflection about this time that I went to the football with my grandfather. And my grandfather is – or was, he’s since passed away – my mother’s stepfather. So he wasn’t actually a blood relative of mine.

U: But you grew up with him thinking of him as your grandfather?

A: Yeah, he WAS my grandfather. So we had a very, very, very close relationship and he was a big sports fan and he was a North Melbourne supporter and I am a St Kilda supporter. One time the St Kilda Saints were playing Brisbane at the stadium formerly known as the Telstra Dome. Him and I went because my dad couldn’t take me, and we went to this game. My grandfather had a terrible reputation for like… if his team was down, even in the first quarter, he’d just leave?

U: [Laughs] just like, didn’t wanna stick it out?

A: Couldn’t deal with losing! And we were watching this game and it was like down to the wire. It was like 30 seconds to go, I think it was equal scoring or something, and my grandfather was like, 'We need to go, we need to leave!' He was probably quite worried I was gonna be disappointed if my team lost. I was quite a young kid, but I think he also couldn’t deal with the stress of it!

U: Wait, so was it your team versus his team?

A: No, his team wasn’t even involved! Which is so ridiculous. And then this footy player, his name was Austinn Jones, he was #5 of the Saints, he just kicked a point. And I think they realised later on that the point was actually out on the full, shouldn’t have been a point at all, but it ended up winning the game for the Saints. It was one of the best moments of my life up to that point. I remember standing on one of the chairs, he and I were celebrating and it wasn’t even his team, and it was just this really nice moment. For some reason, I was totally set on writing a story on that particular day and it’s just really interesting, like… the idea of blood being thicker than water [is] such bullshit. I feel like my relationship with that person is the foundation of that belief. It was just a really nice story and something I’ll never forget, the euphoria associated with this total botched win at the footy with my grandfather and how special it was to share that with him.

U: Yeah. Do you still have the story written up?

A: I dunno! Maybe it’s still somewhere. I actually haven’t even thought of that. I think I recall handwriting it. But it was really funny – my grandfather had countless school projects made about him. I remember when I was in grade six, we had to redesign the $5 bill and put someone on it, and I put him on it.

U: Awww man. That’s so lovely.

A: Yeah, he was the coolest guy ever. So accepting and warm and generous and fun and good-humoured. He was a really important role model, I think.

U: Sounds like a top guy.

A: A top bloke. Funny enough, he is the namesake of my record label, Nicky Boy Records. It’s named after him.

U: Oh wow. Nick? 

A: Yeah, Nick. People used to call him Nicky Boy so yeah, that’s what my label’s named after.

U: That’s so good. Did he pass away after you started making music?

A: Yeah, he passed away in 2012. He’d definitely seen me play saxophone in various bands and in my old band as well, but it was before I started the Alex Lahey project.

U: He would be so stoked to see how far you’re getting.

A: Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I remember the last record was #1 on the indie charts when it came out, and it was like, 'I Love You Like A Brother, Nicky Boy Records,’ and I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’

U: It must be pretty heartwarming for your mum to see how much he affected you too.

A: Totally, yeah. I think it’s just so beautiful that you can take on people in your family. It’s so special.

U: If you make them blood, they’re blood.

Lie

A: I thought I’d do something that is the reason I had to push my phone call back with you. I went to the audiologist today, a hearing specialist, and I went because I’m currently in the process of getting IEMs made for me, in-ear monitors. Those are like the headphones you see people on stage wear but in like, little earplug form.

U: Yeah, they’re like custom-moulded for you and stuff.

A: Yeah! For those of you playing at home, they basically send you the monitoring mix of what you’re playing live so it doesn’t affect your front of house mix as much, and you get a better sense of what you’re playing on stage. You can get like generic ones or like the real deal ones which are moulded to your ear. So I went and got them moulded, but the catch is that this was the SECOND time I went to get them done. The first time I went 18 months ago at a different clinic, there was an incident where the silicon attached to my eardrum.

U: It did WHAT?!

A: They put a cotton wad down your ear canals to block it and then they put silicon through your ear, and then they pull it out and that’s the mould. So what had happened with me is that for some reason the cotton bud went in my ear, they put the silicon in and the silicon passed the cotton bud and went to my eardrum, and when they pulled it out, it ruptured my eardrum.

U: Aw, fuck.

A: Yeah. It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me, also excruciatingly painful.

U: I bet.

A: There are so many nerve endings in your ear. The thing that hurt the most was my GUMS. My teeth really hurt. It just felt like I’d been smacked across the face. It was so scary. I immediately started crying for the pain. And also the fear of like, ‘This is it.’ It scared the absolute shit out of me and I ended up going to the GP the next day and he said, ‘Your ear is full of blood, you need to get this sorted.’ This was JUST before the first album had come out.

U: Great timing.

A: Yeah, it was so bad, and I was supposed to be going overseas that week and doing press and I was like, ‘I dunno if I can fly.’ 

U: It would hurt so much.

A: Anyway, it ended up being fine and my hearing’s all fine and everything.

U: Does it heal by itself?

A: Yeah, you just have to make sure it doesn’t get infected, you take antibiotics while it’s healing otherwise you’re really fucked. So it’s been 18 months until I’ve had the courage to do it again because it was so awful, but now that we’re playing bigger venues on the upcoming tour, it’s better for the shows to just DO it. So I went in today and said, ‘Look, this happened last time, I don’t know what the deal is but can you PLEASE just be careful…’ And like, ‘Also, I’m just telling you I’m really freaking out about this right now.’ She was really understanding and talked me through the whole thing, and when she put the cotton bud in my right ear, I was like, ‘Can you just DOUBLE CHECK that you’re sealing everything off?’ So she went into my ear and went, ‘Oh! Your ear canal’s really narrow, but at the end of your right one, it kind of opens up at the end?’

U: Ohhh, that’s where it got out!

A: Yeah. So it sort of turns upwards. She said last time, either the silicon went in there and touched the eardrum, or it didn’t go in there but created a vacuum, like water coming out of a bottle. I was like, ‘Whatever it is, BLOCK it.’ It’s all right now, but it was like, I’m just gonna go get these moulds and it escalated to this massive situation and everyone was like, ‘WHAT’S GOING ON!’ I didn’t put it on any social media or anything because I didn’t want anyone to think there was something wrong with me! Or make them concerned which would make me freak out more. Yeah, this procedure put a hole in my eardrum in this very freak way. It was literally like a musician’s worst nightmare. This is my livelihood.

U: God, yeah.

A: It’s really funny - my partner showed me this podcast with The National. Apparently Matt, the lead singer of the band, really hated this particular harmonica part on one of the songs and there was an incident where he landed to listen to some mixes and his eardrum had ruptured on the flight, his right ear or something. So the Dessner brothers, who really wanted to keep this harmonica part, just panned everything to the left so he’d sign off on it but couldn’t hear it!

U: That’s so CHEEKY.

A: It’s pretty funny. But I was like, ‘Oh, I know exactly what that feels like!’

Alex Lahey’s second album, The Best Of Luck Club, is due out on 17 May. She hits the road around the country from 6 June.

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