Melbourne’s Duxie Franklin was once described by an audience member as ‘the musical lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa’.
Duxie can genre hop with the greatest of ease, which is showcased on her latest single ‘It’s Time’ – taken from her forthcoming debut EP ‘Watch Your Soul’ (which scenestr will premiere later this month). "When I wrote this song, I never expected it to grow legs and run the way it has," Duxie says."People seem to really connect with it when I play it live; me and my little guitar. It is exciting to see how it has transformed in the recording studio and how the different arrangements and instrumentation have taken it so far beyond where it started."
Who is Duxie Franklin? Duxie Franklin is a multi-instrumental musical chameleon, dubbed the ‘lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa’ for her voice, her folk stylings and her idiosyncratic genre-fluidity.
I sound like. . . go have a listen you lazy bastards.
My first gig was. . . at a local singer-songwriters' open-mic night at an Irish Murphy’s pub in Salamanca, Hobart.
How did you settle on your stage name and was it a hard decision? Growing up I was obsessed with ducks and they form(ed) a big part of my identity (my nickname was Ducky), so it felt natural to try to incorporate that into my stage name. The Franklin came from a particularly thought-provoking, near-death white-water rafting experience on the wild Franklin River in Tasmania.
In the studio I usually. . . smash out epic five-minute instrumental solos that take my songs into wildly new and exciting directions that send me into existential crises as I wonder if I’ve missed my calling as a death metal lead-guitarist/ opera composer/ experimental jazz pianist.
If I could tour with anyone. . . I would travel with a full-time masseur and a chef, so that my physical and nutritional needs would be well catered for. Relaxing rubs and glorious grub.
Social media is. . . both the best and the worst thing. It can be amazing for connection of course, but it can be a black hole for time and emotional energy.
My favourite app at the moment is. . . Headspace, the app for guided meditations. I put on the wind-down meditation before bed and I’m out like a light.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time. . . I introduced a previous partner and my best friend to my mum who proceeded to call them by the wrong name and then she farted loudly, three times.
Life on the road can be. . . adventurous, exhausting, rewarding, hilarious and bizarre. One thing it is NOT is boring.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that my rider contains. . . a koala petting zoo in the green room.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in, was. . . when my left leg was trapped under a log in thrashing white-water rapids, my head below the surface being pounded by surging river water (see question 4 re: Franklin River).
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band. . . Melissa McCarthy as her character from ‘The Boss’. Her tenacity and willingness to ignore the rules for immoral personal gain would serve the Duxie Franklin empire well.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party. . . a chef, a waiter and a dish pig.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? I’d make a lovely big salad with tomato, cucumber, bocconcini and basil. Mains would be Moroccan roasted vegetables and macadamia nut cous cous. And for dessert, perhaps my famous melt-in-the-middle chocolate cake with thickened cream.
No matter the expense, send me a case of. . . fermented eucalyptus juice brewed by koalas in the remote forest valleys of southeastern Australia.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was. . . last week sometime? In between yoga and swimming I try to fit in core strengthening and lower-back exercises. Must make the most of my ludicrously flamboyant active wear.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Tidying up. The house gremlins sneak behind my back and leave terrible piles of mess everywhere – it’s an endless job.
Do you have any phobias? I have a phobia of dirt, dust, cobwebs, spiders, spider webs, that sort of thing. Filming the music video for ‘It’s Time’ was a big challenge in that respect as it involved trekking through the bush; plenty of all of the above!
Would you ever partake in a reality show? One in which I could be an entirely farcical character who pronounces gnocchi as ‘gah-nocky’ and draws on a monobrow as an anti-establishment fashion statement.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? My friend Gavin has a bomb-daddy silver 100 per cent original 180SX. I could pretend to borrow it for a drifting joy-ride and accidentally write it off. He would be gutted.
