American expat musician Diesel has built a formidable career since he first started in Australia, in the late '80s, with his original band Johnny Diesel & The Injectors.
After a long bus ride across the Nullarbor to Sydney with the frame of that band, Mark Lizotte (Diesel) quickly went on to establish himself as a prominent Aussie artist. The musician has released 15 studio albums, including 'Americana', 'Hepfidelity', 'Let It Fly', 'The Lobbyist', and 'Solid State Rhyme'.
Most recently, Diesel has released 'Diesel 30 - The Greatest Hits' as a celebration of his 30 years in music. “It's a house that keeps building, that's how I view my music career,” Diesel says. “It definitely feels like an accomplishment. It's awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time.
“I'm humbled that I've been allowed to stay in the industry and have a career out of it for 30 years because I certainly don't take it for granted.”
Diesel explains that with three decades experience in the challenging music industry, and successfully maintaining his career, he is more confident now when it comes to offering advice to artists starting out.
“Apart from the fact that it looks good on paper, I feel qualified to pass on things to people that are just starting out or are on their journeys into the industry but are still wanting to go deeper and learn more.
“I think you get to a stage where you realise you have got this accumulation of experience and a toolset that is quite refined. Helping other people, that is most rewarding to me. It's the old cliche: It's better to give than receive. I genuinely like to be the giver [rather] than the receiver as I find it beneficial.”
When it comes to his career, Diesel explains that an inner drive to create new songs keeps him going, as opposed to a personal hunt for accolades. “I've never had a list where I'm like 'I must achieve that'. I know some people have that kind of mentality. I was just trying to write another song or make another record.
“That's the kind of thing that keeps me going. The challenge of getting that song out of my head and into a tangible form so people can hear it and see how it lives in the world.”
After shows earlier in the year, Diesel will continue his 30th anniversary tour next month. Although having extensively toured Australia throughout his career, he describes this solo tour as one of the best he's done.
“It kind of brings people out of the woodwork. I didn't expect that. I just thought it'd be fun to go around, celebrate and tell a few stories.
“Talk about coming across the Nullarbor [back in the late '80s] and riding into Sydney on the bus, it's been 30 years since I've stepped off that bus and I'm still shredding the boards and doing this live thing. I'm lucky I've chosen a job that I have only hated momentarily, for such small amounts that it's not even worth commenting on.”
