Prepare to be 'booglarised' by Pugsley Buzzard when he brings his blend of dark-hoodoo blues, good-time rollicking boogie and blazing-stride-style piano playing to the Brisbane Jazz Club later this month.
With performances all over the world – from the smoky jazz cellars of Berlin to downtown New Orleans – Pugsley has dazzled and delighted audiences far and wide with his mesmerising voice.
You played violin when you were younger. What made you give that up and move on to the piano?
Jimi Hendrix. It sounds rather oblique but as a result of seeing Jimi Hendrix destroy his guitar mid performance on a TV show at the age of eight, I thought it would be a good idea to finish a little recital I was doing for my relatives on the violin with the same vigour. Needless to say it didn't receive the response I imagined. It ended in a different kind of chaos. Someone performing the Heimlich maneuver on my auntie who choked on her sandwich and my grandmother crying because I destroyed a family heirloom. The words 'destructive boy' were issued and I was banned from having any instruments from then on but there was a piano in the house so I started playing that.
Have you always loved/ played jazz music?
Yes. I like and listen to all kinds of music but jazz and blues has always been something I wanted particularly to play. My grandmother played boogie and stride piano, so I was familiar with it from an early age. And I was particularly attracted to improvisation in any style.
How does it feel to be compared to great names like Tom Waits and Fats Waller?
I suppose people make comparisons so they don't have to work too hard to describe a sound with more words. In a sense I suppose it is an honour to be compared to great artists, but in general I'm annoyed by comparisons. I'd rather read a review rich with adjectives and description rather than comparisons to other artist's sounds.
You've spent a lot of time travelling around the world, touring, visiting and living... Where was your favourite place to go?
I've always liked Portugal. I've played there many times. And I love the south in the US particularly New Orleans. I've played there many times and recorded my last album there.
How do you handle long flights when touring?
Sleep, movies, books. [Planes] have to be endured unfortunately but once I've reached the destination the horror of hours cooped up in a cloud-can are soon forgotten.
Have you got any pre-show rituals that you do before you go on stage to perform?
I like to smoke cigars. A large, fine quality stogie generally puts me in the right mood.
Have you been performing in front of people your entire life?
Yes. I did lots of performance; music and drama as a child and I have been working professionally since I was still in high school.
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You've got some pretty impressive facial hair going on, and there doesn't ever seem to be a time when you're not wearing a hat... How did that become your signature 'look'?
A hat is a worthwhile investment. It protects the head and face from the elements and is a good place to store secrets. I only trust people who wear hats with delicate information. How else can you keep it under your hat. As for the facial hair. Why spend your life shaving, trying to look like a child. If it grows there, wear it proudly I say.
How many hats do you own, and is there one that's a more special than any of the others?
At the moment I have about a dozen, maybe 15. I throw out all my stuff every so often and start again which I did last year. So they are all ones I got pretty recently. I buy them mostly when I'm touring. Mostly in the States. I wish I could say I stole one from a dead man and there's a bullet hole right in front. But the truth is I'm not sentimental about them. Some are just more comfortable than others and I wear them more.
It's been said that you make grown men cry with your razor-blade vocals. What is the craziest thing that a fan has done for you?
Hmmm. There are somethings I probably shouldn't repeat in a mainstream publication. I was asked to sign a young lady's chest at a festival once. A few artists have done paintings of me and sent them across the world to me. I was playing in a venue in Lisbon once that was in a courtyard. An Austrian gentlemen who was a little under the weather to say the least heard the music in passing but couldn't find the entrance so he scaled the wall and came crashing down face planting right in front of the stage. Then stood right in front with blood pouring from his nose telling me it was the greatest thing he'd ever heard until the venue security dragged him away. That perhaps was a little crazy.
What can we expect from your upcoming show at the Brisbane Jazz Club?
I'll be performing in trio style with an old friend of mine from Perth, Matt Eves, on bass and Aaron Jansz on drums. I don't know exactly what I'll be playing yet but a lot of stuff off my latest recording probably. Have you been working on any new material? Yes I'm always writing new stuff.
Click here for a full list of upcoming shows Pugsley Buzzard has.
