Brendan O'Reilly is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist with an extensive background in rock, pop, blues and jazz.
He has performed in many different countries, played in hundreds of bands and busked his way around Europe by bicycle. From an early age he had written songs reflecting the vicissitudes of life on the road.'Unheard Of' offers a selection of these troubadour vignettes, a fascinating concoction of lilting melodies, driving rhythms, powerful lyrics and ironic humour, which Brendan brings to 2023 Adelaide Fringe.
Who is Brendan O'Reilly? I'm coming to Adelaide Fringe to present a 2-hour show of my own songs, about 30 chosen from hundreds that I've written.
I sound like... Hopefully, I sound a bit original, but my influences are all the greats, especially from the '60s and '70s (Beatles, Stones, Lou Reed) as well as a big dose of the blues (Freddy King, Johnny Winter) and jazz standards – I went to jazz school for about six years. Also Australian/ NZ music (Easybeats, Divinyls, Split Enz) I've really got too many to mention.
My first gig was... A toga party at North Steyne Surf Club, when I was 15, in a band playing covers of Easybeats, Johnny Winter, Chain, Santana et cetera. With the lights on us, I couldn't see the audience.
My show is called 'Unheard Of', because I'm pretty much unheard of, and I hope there's something new and unfamiliar in my writing. I like puns and playing with language – I worked as an ESL teacher and I've got about five uni degrees in various languages. I'm nuts for languages.
I'm trying to build a home studio, but I'm a bit daunted by technology. Usually I just record all my ideas live into a digital recorder. I've been collating them since the '80s (it was tape back then). I've got many gigabytes of stuff. Sometimes I can make a song out of various bits, both old and new.
I would love to tour as support act for... A solo act like Paul Kelly or Mark Seymour.
Social media has... Its obvious advantages, but it's also a massive distraction. I find when I'm offline I can concentrate better.
My favourite app at the moment is... Linguee. It's a multi-lingual online dictionary. I often watch the news in French/ Dutch/ German/ Spanish or Japanese. There are always a few new words, and the app remembers them, so I can revise later.
To date my most embarrassing moment was... I spent a year in Malaga, Spain in 2012 as a teacher's assistant in a high school. They'd just got an expensive, new smartboard, but I wrote on it with a regular board marker and nearly destroyed it. ¡Qué vergüenza!
Life on the road can be... Exciting, because you're free. In 2015-16, I cycled with all my busking gear from Hamburg to Norway, along the Elbe to Czechia, again from Hamburg to San Sebastian in Spain, then around the UK.
But it can be lonely too. I was a busker in Hamburg for a couple of years. I'd work all Friday and Saturday night, but my free time was during the week, when most people are working.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that my rider contains... A few beers for after work.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in was... Cycling with my trailer (with guitar, amp, battery, tent etc.) across a bridge to my accommodation in Saint-Nazaire in France. There was no cycling lane, the wind was fierce, and semi-trailers were whizzing by my ears. Fifteen minutes of hell, and the same travelling back the next morning.
Also busking on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg was pretty scary. I've seen dead bodies, fights, been threatened, and had to fight for space with beggars and sex workers. But mostly it was fun, and people were very generous.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be your spokesperson? It's only a fantasy, but a great songwriter like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan or Ray Davies. I've got so much respect for anyone who writes songs from the heart, with invention, harmony and poetry.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Anywhere really, but possibly Brussels, because one of my crazy dreams is to master several languages, and in Brussels I could work on my Flemish and French at the same time.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party... My band mates from the Freeekz. We're old-school mates from Hunters Hill High. As Dolly Parton said, you can't make old friends.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Spinach and cheese cannelloni, in case you're vegetarian. I love spinach, like Popeye.
When it comes to pets are you a lover or hater of our furry friends? I love dogs, but I prefer not to have pets so that I can travel.
No matter the expense, send me a case of... Jever beer from Schleswig-Holstein, or Westmalle Dubbel from Belgium.
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was... Never. I like walking, tennis, swimming. Gym is not my thing.
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Self-promotion. I prefer making music than trying to sell it.
Do you have any phobias... I've never liked eggs. The smell, texture, taste just turns me off.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? No! I avoid reality like the plague.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? Once I found a mannequin in the street, took it home to our sharehouse, put it in my friend's bed, and left a note saying it was a young woman, whom he liked, and she hoped he didn't mind her sleeping there. I came down later that night to find him tapping the mannequin on the shoulder, trying to wake it up.
Best local takeaway joint for a midnight feed that will leave you with a food coma? I usually avoid takeaway food, but the kebab joint in Darling St, Balmain, is good if you're hungry after a Freeekz gig. It's also the only place open.
Which fictional character best describes your personality? I can relate to Adrian Mole, because he thinks he's a poet, though no one else does.
Last show you binge-watched? I'm ploughing through repeats of 'Inspector Rex'. It's corny and dated, but I love hearing the German and watching the scenery around Vienna.
Brendan O'Reilly plays Adelaide Fringe at The Gov 26 February and 2, 12 March.
