Cool Hunting

Given that his tunes are requested (and more importantly, played) daily on Australia's biggest indie radio stations and that his live acts manage to sell out within hours, it's somewhat surprising that Kiwi-turned-Aussie Popolice is still a completely down-to-earth guy content with creating tunes that cause even the poser kids to get up and cut loose. CH caught up with Popolice on the cusp of international acclaim to talk about pop, posers and pizza.

Who is Popolice?
A one-man band that originated in Auckland, NZ and now exists in Melbourne, Australia.

How, why and when did it start?
Popolice started in 1997 as a result of me not being good enough at sports and too good at computer games.

Biggest influences?
My influences are extremely varied…common reference points are lots of bands from New Zealand's Flying Nun record label and My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Pavement—obvious indie-pop influences to be honest—although Sydney's Gerling might well be one of my biggest influences, particularly their album When Young Terrorists Chase The Sun (2001)…mixing samples, pop, noise, techno, acoustic, rock, whatever….

What have you eaten today?
Fatoush salad I made based on a recipe I learned from working at a cooking school. I eat two minute noodles too—most flavors—but one has to be healthy if one is to rock!

What's playing in the background?
Listening to the new Justice album, getting hooked on this indie/disco sound—once again, [I'm] behind the times. I first heard about Nirvana one week after Kurt Cobain died. Whatever's happening now, I'll be an expert in three years.

If you could play a soundtrack to one film, what would it be?
Woodenhead, a New Zealand film by Florian Habicht. All the dialog and music was recorded before filming even took place. The actors acted to a soundtrack—not pretentious at all, though it may seem by description. It's a really moving and surreal film like a fairy tale.

Biggest compliment?
Thanks for the add.

Where to from here?
Experimenting more with electronic music but still keep the noisy guitar element there. Not sure, maybe back to NZ for a bit. Maybe New York—who knows? For now I'm more than happy to go to Barkley Square in suburban Melbourne for a slice of Margerita Pizza.