When did you first leave home?
When I was about 16 I left home to go busking for two weeks. I've never been back since.

Where was home?
In Montreal, Canada.

Where did you live after that?
My first home was a rented place in Los Angeles, in the hillls. I was sharing with two Australians who got me interested in Australia in the first place.

What was it like and were you there long?
It was a beautiful old castle-like house in a kind of  poor neighbourhood. I remember the neighbouring Mexican families all around us had chickens, and we used to wake up to roosters in the middle of Los Angeles. I was there for about seven years before moving a couple of times in Los Angeles and then into North Hollywood on the other side of the canyon.

Did you live with anyone interesting?
I lived with Australians and met a lot of touring Australian bands and the Little River Band was one of them. I got to know Glenn Shorrock and his wife Jo, well and Glenn offered me a tour down here (in Australia) and I've been here ever since.

Where did you live when you first came to Australia?
Balmain. That was in '83. I was a guest for about 6 months - the guest who wouldn't leave, in a huge house with about five floors.

Have you moved much since?
After that I shared a place with a girl at Paddington. Then I got the flat at Bondi, which I've had for 14 years.

Where's your favourite place?
I've actually got 10 acres (4ha) of land up on the North Coast, which I got about two years ago. It's my favourite because its mine and its something I've always wanted to do - have some land and build on it.





© Lily Zdilar - "Home Life" - The Daily Telegraph 20th October 2001

You're building there?
Yes, I was actually thing of straw bale construction, which is literally bales of straw that are sprayed through with concrete. They're incredibly warm in winter and very cool in summer. Incredibly heat efficient and a very quick way of building.
They last for hundreds of years and its really an amazing way to build. I'm just reading up on it now.


Is it going to be very big?
I've only got a small place now so it's (the property) going to be comfortable. If I can build with straw bale, I'll have lots of money left over for space.

Where do you stay when you visit the property?
I have an Indian Sioux tepee. A friend's sister has a company in Victoria the builds traditional tepees; they're fire resistant and made from 12-gauge canvas. They're beautiful things.

Are you a homebody?
I definitely love my home, especially the past few years working and travelling as much as I do. I can never quite get enough time at home.

How's you home decorated?
Most of my friends and people who come to my house say it looks like some sort of museum.  I tend to collect things from different travels and experiences. Each thing represents a time and a place for me. I also like making things. I've got this huge beaded doorway made of mirrored bits and shells from the beach where I have my land. I also do mosaics. I've also got a collection of Indian woollen blankets that I started in my travels to New Mexico. They've got the most gorgeous colours and patterns and I have them on my sofa, chairs and bed. I've been dragging them around the world for almost 22 years!

Have you had any "moving" experiences?
When I first came to Australia from Los Angeles I was coming for a few months and gave up my house in LA and put everything in storage. I used to send them cheques. Something happened where they didn't get the cheque in time and they sent me the ad from the local paper for auctions from their storage units and it listed all my stuff -- my grandmother's jewellery, my shoe collection and all my trinkets from trips to Japan. I've lost a lot of stuff but that happens through life. I still think about the things in those trunks to this very day. Many of them meant a lot to me, especially my grandmother's amethyst jewellery.

What do you enjoy about living in Bondi?
Bondi is work orientated, it's city life; there's culture, great deli's and markets on Sunday's. Up North is quieter. I like to go there just before I write a record. It helps me concentrate and gather my thoughts.