Powderfinger's Drummer On 20 Years In Australia's Biggest Band | Jon Coghill - EP184

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He spent 20 years behind the drum kit of Powderfinger, and says it all felt "moderately normal".

Jon Coghill grew up on the Sunshine Coast wanting to be Luke Skywalker, then Michael Jackson, before a drum kit at 12 and a drunk night pogo-dancing into a UQ rehearsal room put him in front of a three-piece band who'd remember him 18 months later at his audition.

The same week he auditioned for Custard. What followed was Double Allergic, Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five, Vulture Street, and a band that chose to stay friends over writing another great record.

In this episode you'll learn why the day-to-day is the goal, what 15 years of high performance actually costs, and how to walk away from the thing that made you.

Get in touch with Jon Coghill

https://www.joncoghill.com.au

Jon's Quick Fire Answers

What does success mean to you?

"Probably some type of happiness, but there's different parts of your life that you're trying to be happy with. So if you can balance each one — the adult one, the parenting one, the one when you become a child — all of those different personalities, happiness in each of them, maybe. Nearly impossible."

What does happiness mean to you?

"That's about balance too, isn't it? I reckon it's incremental. As long as you don't have too high expectations and you can see the good shit. It's about seeing the good shit. When your kid comes home and makes a joke — now that makes me happy."

What book would you most recommend?

"It's not so much a self-help book. It's just the most phenomenal, immersive writing I have ever come across — Don Winslow's The Force. It takes you into a character that is phenomenally messed up and twisted. You just wonder how the heck did this author get into this character."

You've got to invite four people to dinner, living or dead, but not friends or family. Who are you inviting?

"Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon — all drummers — and Stevie Wonder, who's a great drummer as well. But apparently Stevie's one of the funniest people in the world."

Who would you suggest as a future guest on the show?

"My mate Dan Monday would be good. He's always really interesting. Get Kevin Rudd."

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Chapters

(00:00:00) - Introduction

(00:00:48) – Chapter 1 | Luke Skywalker, Michael Jackson, A Drum Kit At 12 And Pogo-Dancing Into Powderfinger's Rehearsal Room

(00:14:31) – Chapter 2 | Four Days A Week In A Condemned Building: The Brisbane Scene, Regurgitator And Why The Day-To-Day Is The Goal

(00:21:54) – Chapter 3 | Nearly Dropped: The Grunge Dud, Juice vs Powderfinger, Double Allergic, Pick You Up And Success That Creeps Up On You

(00:32:18) – Chapter 4 | What 15 Years Cost: Sacrifice, Bernard's Solo Break, Deciding To Leave, ABC Journalism, Film And Fatherhood