Saturday, June 22

Waves, Wollongong

Jon English is battling the noise of roadworks outside his studio.

As he shuts the door, he says he doesn’t like his chances of getting everything done before he flies to Europe the following morning.

Yet, he doesn’t sound stressed.

The multi-talented English has done so much for so long that the 64-year-old can juggle tasks effortlessly.

‘‘You get used to it,’’ English assures. ‘‘It’s okay if you’re doing what you want, as opposed to what you have to do.’’

And English has always done what he wants, whether it be as a rock singer, writer of songs and musicals, or acting on stage or film.

He started in bands in the late 1960s after emigrating with his parents to Australia as a 12-year-old in 1961.  There was the Sebastian Hardie Blues Band, Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972, solo records, TV roles such as Against the Wind and All Together Now and stage musicals such as The Pirates of Penzance.

Amid a long career, English teamed up with the Foster Brothers in 1983 to release the live double album Beating the Boards.

John Coker, John Dallimore, Peter Deacon, Greg Henson and Keith Kerwin are teaming with English for the 30th anniversary of the release of the album, touring across Australia.

‘‘They’re my mates as well, some I’ve known for like 40 years,’’ English says of the reunion.

‘‘There’s still quite a natural telepathy, we don’t even have to discuss things. A lot of the time we make the same mistakes.’’

Does the band sound any different to 30 years ago?

‘‘There’s less hisses and crackles coming from the speaker,’’ he says.

English and the band are still ‘‘prolific’’ at writing new material, and he pokes fun at the unwritten rule that artists over 50 shouldn’t release new material. 

Whether it be for a rock song or a musical, English loves to tell a story.

‘‘The secret is to keep it a simple story,’’ he says. ‘‘The idea of writing a musical is you’re writing a story with a bunch of songs.’’

It was while touring in The Rock Show, a revue featuring classic rock music of the ’60s and ’70s, that English’s partner Coralea Cameron suggested the tour with the Foster Brothers.

But being the juggler English is, that’s not the only gig he’s working on. After spending a fortnight in Europe with son Jonathan, 31, who’s also a muso, English wants to take his updated rock opera Paris on the road overseas and  in Australia.

English laments how musicals, even when written in Australia, need to be established overseas before productions in Australia are considered a safe investment.

But for the moment, English is happy to keep juggling.