Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Chocolate Starfish's John Nixon been up to lately? OR Sticks and stones may break my bones!!
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
Ever wondered how a musician with no familial ties to music can rise to touring with rock legends? Join us as we uncover the fascinating journey of John Stones Nixon, the dynamic bass player from Chocolate Starfish. From his humble beginnings in Windsor Jamm to the electrifying tours with Roxus supporting Bon Jovi, Poison, and Warrant,
Discover how the formation of Chocolate Starfish became a pivotal moment in his career, and get an intimate look at his life during the band's hiatus, including his return to trade work and the musical talents of his children.
Get ready to explore the band's creative ventures, such as their bold covers of iconic albums and their latest ambitious projects. We'll celebrate the intricate craftsmanship behind their tribute to Meatloaf's "Bat Out of Hell," their rendition of INXS's "Kick," and a heartfelt Queen tribute.
Plus, we'll spotlight their 2021 album "Beautiful Addiction" and their standout cover of Four Non-Blondes' "What's Up?"
This episode encapsulates the band's journey, their lasting impact on the music scene, and the resilience of a dedicated musician.
What has 'Stones' been up to lately? Let's find out!!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
That Radio Chick, Cheryl Lee here. Welcome to the Still Rockin' It podcast where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians and artists. Today we are chatting to the bass player of the Chocolate Starfish, John Nixon. We find out all about his early bands. He's a quiet achiever, is our John, from success with hard rock band Roxus to one of Australia's most beloved festival bands who can take on anything and win. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to thatradiochickcomau. You're with Cheryl Lee, that Radio Chick, and I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today John 'Stones' Nixon. Thank you for joining us, John. How are you going?
John Nixon:Wonderful, Cheryl. Thanks for the introduction. It's usually Adam or Darren doing this stuff, but Adam's away overseas for his 60th birthday. I think he's in somewhere in Italy flaunting around.
Cheryl Lee:I think I saw on Facebook he was singing in Italian.
John Nixon:He was. Yeah, I haven't seen that yet. I'll watch that tonight over a couple of beers.
Cheryl Lee:Multi-talented man.
John Nixon:He is 100%.
Cheryl Lee:We've got some exciting news to share about Choccy Starfish. But if you don't mind, I'm hoping we could sort of go backwards a little bit before we go forward.
John Nixon:Go for your life. See if I can remember that far back.
Cheryl Lee:Let's give you a test. I've done a little bit of research. You're a little bit of an enigma. Am I right in saying that your first band was Windsor Jamm?
John Nixon:Gee whiz, you are correct. Yeah, so Darren and I were in a band called Windsor Jamm. We were just kids at the time. Basically, the band was named after the street that Darren lived in, which was Windsor Crescent. I lived about five minutes down the road. Yeah, joined with Darren as a young buck, probably 11, 12 years old, named the band Windsor Jamm, and we stayed together for a little while and started playing some pubs when we got a little bit older and that band went on to other bands.
Cheryl Lee:Was music in your family. What made you pick up the bass?
John Nixon:No, no one in our family was musically minded. I just for some reason fell in love with guitar when I was young. Actually played guitar in our younger bands, but we never had a bass player. So as a young kid we couldn't afford to buy a bass, so I just used to turn the tone down on the guitar and make it try and sound somewhat like a bass until I could afford to buy one and then bought a bass guitar, and that's how that happened.
Cheryl Lee:The rest is history. So what about the children, John? Are they musical?
John Nixon:I've got two boys, young men basically, so Fletcher and Denver, so 21 and 22. They can play a little bit. They're actually pretty talented kids but never took it up as a profession. Just you know, can pull out an acoustic guitar, pull a few chords here and there, play a couple of songs around the campfire and they love it.
Cheryl Lee:They didn't follow you into the family business then, no no, no. After Windsor Jamm you were in a hard rock band called Roxus and you guys had some exciting times. It was short-lived.
John Nixon:you know, for probably a year and a half, two years we were signed to Melodian, which was one of Molly's labels. Yeah, we got around, did some big tours at the time Bon Jovi and Poison but you know, it was good at the time. Darren and I sort of had to move on, found Zoran and Adam in a studio one day doing some rehearsals and Zoran at the time um, just wanted Darren and I in the band to be the the back line and I joined first. But I basically wasn't going without Darren because I needed my other heartbeat and, um, yeah, so we joined the Chocolate Starfish and Roxus disbanded and off we went.
Cheryl Lee:Just on, Rocxus, for one more minute. Like you say, in 89 supported Poison and Bon Jovi on their respective Australian tours and also Warrant as well.
John Nixon:Any secrets? Any goss? Oh look, there probably was goss back then, probably a lot of goss, but to leave it alone getting in a bit of trouble.
Cheryl Lee:Nothing you can say on radio, but it was all good fun.
John Nixon:You know, learned a lot in those big stages and having the big Americans around was all another level.
Cheryl Lee:Like you say, a good learning curve it was?
John Nixon:Yeah, it was. You know, we all thought we were big rock stars and we were just. You know, 20-year-old kids learning.
Cheryl Lee:What an amazing experience. And then, like you say, you've met the other Choccy Starfish boys. The rest, as they say, is history, John is very humble his band Roxus.
Cheryl Lee:Their 1991 debut album Night Street, picked at number five on the ARIA albums chart with the most successful single. Where Are you Now reaching 13 on the aria albums chart with the most successful single? Where Are You Now reaching 13 on the aria singles chart? And certified gold rock music historian Ian Mcfarlane found the group played a blend of tune full van halen-esque hard rock and living color inspired funk around the Melbourne pub circuit, carefully cultivating their image of black leather, ripped jeans, cowboy boots, bandanas and big hair. Try as I might, I could not find you a Roxus recording, so let's have one from Poison, my favourite. Every Rose has Its Thorn. And then we're back to speak to John Stones Dixon. For those who don't know, Choccy Starfish formed in 1992, broke in 98 for a little bit of a rest. What did you do in that time? Well, we all sort of went normal Basically.
John Nixon:You know, I was a tradesman back in the day, so I got back on the tools and got back playing football, just doing stuff that we missed out on for you know, probably quite a few years. So, yeah, and we didn't really see each other at all really so I didn't really see Adam other at all, really so I didn't really see Adam or Darren too much over those years that we, that we'd finished. And then, yeah, we decided, well, let's give it another crack and see where it goes. I mean, everyone you know I wanted to have a family, wanted to get married, wanted to have kids and stuff. And it was really hard. We're on the road living out of a suitcase in a Tarrago, um, so you can't make kids in a Tarrago. So we thought, well, yeah, so life goes on.
Cheryl Lee:This was great so reformed in 2010. Then, unfortunately, one of your band members became very ill and you actually lost him to non-hodgkin lymphoma a year later.
John Nixon:So it was really hard. We got back together, we had some rehearsals, band was sounding really good again and then, yeah, Zos got um dealt with a card and, yeah, we it was really hard times, really hard time. So we did some shows. We actually did a, did a friend's wedding over over in the west and we basically flew Zos over and he's really sick at the time. He did the gig, he got through and then, yeah, we did a benefit concert and it wasn't wasn't long after that. It got him in the end and, well, we thought he'd want us to keep going.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah.
John Nixon:And that's what we did. You know we tried a few guitar players to try and fill his spot and you know they were just helping us out at the time. And then, yeah, we found Zach and it's been great and he's been a really good mix and he hasn't tried to play like Zos or be like Zos, because you can't, but he fits the bill, fits the band and, yeah, does a great job.
Cheryl Lee:It's really good that you guys have carried on almost like in his honour.
John Nixon:A hundred percent. And you know what, Cheryl? There's not a week when we're on the road or a day that his name doesn't get mentioned during the day. He's always there.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah.
John Nixon:What would Zos do in this situation? What would he do? You know he's always there. He's always looking down on us and even when we're playing shows you can just sort of hear him that he's in the room
Cheryl Lee:In 2017, Chocolate Starfish released their first album of new material in 20 years, titled Spider, dedicated to Zoran 'Spider' Romic, and Zoran co-wrote with Adam Thompson, the lead singer, t he album track Heavyweight several years earlier. I think we should have a listen to that track now and back to speak some more to bassist John Nixon of Chocolate Starfish very shortly. 2013 brought you guys to the Red Hot Summer Tour, and I think that might have been where I first saw you guys, because I go to the Red Hot Summer Tour every year without fail.
John Nixon:It was one of my favourite things on the calendar Really well yeah.
Cheryl Lee:And you guys are one of my favourite bands who are always there, and I love that. That year you were alongside Barnsey, Mossy and Dragon, I think.
John Nixon:Yeah, okay, yeah, that was one of the first ones back then. It's a great tour. We've done many, many Red Hot shows over the years. Great fun again. The great thing about it now is the audiences are our age, but they're bringing their kids along too, so we've got Little Fish fans now, so that's great, it's awesome. In Adelaide, it's always at Mannum on our beautiful yes, that's right out on the water there.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah, murray River, I'm always in the front row because you know I get there at the crack of dawn. But when you guys come on and Adam starts singing, I look behind all the way back. He's telling them what to sing and they're singing it and the whole crowd just gets involved.
John Nixon:He's one of the best you know. You can rock up the shows and generally we're, you know, I suppose I wouldn't say the youngest band, but we normally open up these shows. Sometimes it's hard because people are still walking into the venue, into these open airs, but once we kick off and people are aware of what we're about now they're down the front. He does his thing. You look out, it's just a sea of heads. You don't know what he's going to come up with. He's the best front man we've got in the country. You know personally. That's what I think he's great.
Cheryl Lee:The audience do. They just love him and they hang off every word. 2014, you recorded an acoustic album Born Again Versions. This is your life, by the way.
John Nixon:You're actually bringing a lot of it back. I have to remember about all this stuff.
Cheryl Lee:And then you wrote a song for a TV commercial in the NT which brought you to putting together the EP called Primitive.
John Nixon:You've done your research big time.
Cheryl Lee:Haven't, I
John Nixon:you have.
Cheryl Lee:And then what started out as a one-off performance of Meat Loaf's Bad Out of Hell album from way to go has sort of created another little offshoot of the original stuff where you guys like kick the hell out of Meatloaf and INXS's kick, do you like what I did there?
John Nixon:Yeah, I do I didn't even mean it.
John Nixon:That was an idea that the guys come up with. Actually, Darren, I'm pretty sure he came up with doing the Meatloaf and it was always a big album. Adam loved the album as a kid. I did too. But to learn that album, like we're all you know, we all know what we're doing. When you get together with your guitars, you know sort of put it all together. But this album was one hell of an album to learn.
John Nixon:It's a story Bat Out of Hell, goes for something like 11 minutes. Something like 11 minutes and there's not many times where the song comes back over the same part of the song. It just once it's been there, it just keeps going and I'll see you at the end. You know it was a massive learn and bad out of how we play it like it's ours. Now we open most shows up with it. Yeah, it was a great experience and all those Steinman songs and just we captured it. It took a while. It took months of rehearsals, to be quite honest, we brought some female backing singers into the act as well for those particular shows and, yeah, love the album. It was awesome, awesome, fun to play.
Cheryl Lee:You guys do a bloody good job, because taking on, you know, one classic song from such a classic iconic artist is tough enough, but you guys play the whole album like you just said, like it's your own now.
John Nixon:Yeah from start to finish, from Bad Out of Hell to For Crying Out Loud. You know we made it our own. You know, for Crying Out Loud was a big one for us because that had all this orchestral stuff and it was hard to do. But we made it our own. And Norm with his beautiful piano playing and stuff like that, adam with his killer, killer vocals in that song and just everyone's input into the whole record. Basically putting the show on as Meatloaf would have back in the day.
Cheryl Lee:I love it. I've got the album. I think it's a live album, I think.
John Nixon:Yeah, yeah, okay, is it the one we did? Or Meatloaf, that's the one? Oh, it was. Yeah, we did that at The Palais. That was an awesome show, yeah.
Cheryl Lee:Of course I've got my chocolate starfish Bat Out of Hell. Live at the Palais Theatre vinyl album. Here is that song right now for Crying Out Loud Back to speak to their bassman after this. That is, I think, really tough to do because as a punter, when we hear that someone's taking on one of the classics it's like ooh, but you had just as much success and did it just as brilliantly with INXS's Kick album.
John Nixon:Yeah, with both those albums, especially the Meatloaf. I was waiting for a lot of knockers out there because it's a big one. We're actually quite nervous as a band. You know how are we going to pull this off. But you know, I suppose if it hadn't worked in rehearsals we would have probably knocked it on the head and no one would have known any better anyway. But it just come together and along with the way we put the show across on stage, yeah, and it was the same with INXS another big album, Kick album yeah, and they both worked really well. My favourite was obviously the Bad Out Of Hell, just with the songs and stuff and, yeah, everything that went with it.
Cheryl Lee:And then you went for the hat trick, like your old hat's at this. Now, oh my God, they're taking on Queen. It worked.
John Nixon:It worked. Yeah, Adam did that with Zach. I didn't actually, I sort of had other things at the time, so Adam did that with Zach and put together a band, but it was really good. I'd seen the show and they did a great job and obviously, with Adam's antics and you know his Freddie antics he did it really well. So, yeah, there were three big albums there, three big bands. Congratulations, thank you what a success, thank you.
Cheryl Lee:What a success. 2021 brought us the release of the Beautiful Addiction album yeah, and again, jeepers, creepers, you did. You're So Vain which is, you know, just a worldwide phenomenal hit, did that amazingly and again made it your own. Back in the day, we all thought, oh, Four Non-Blondes, that's going to be tricky. And again.
John Nixon:It worked so good. And yeah and yeah, You're So Vain was a ripper when we recorded it and released it back in the day, you know, back in the 90s when we were over in America and, um, living over there writing some songs, um, and we released You're So Vain before we went over. So we went over to the States and trying to do some little shows and you know feeling the place out. We come back and then the thing's gone top ten. So going playing shows to, you know, 30, 40 people to come back to packing houses out when you've been away for a few months, it was a great, great move by the band, like choosing that song. That was another Darren idea. He's full of ideas, that young fella.
Cheryl Lee:He's an ideas man, isn't he, Darren? He is an ideas man.
John Nixon:So yeah, that kicked it all off, yeah.
Cheryl Lee:That was from Carly's 1972 hit with your version, number 11 on the Aria single chart and then the year later.
John Nixon:Mountain yeah, that went top ten as well, went gold for us. I think both those records went gold, Album went platinum. So yeah, it was a good few years.
Cheryl Lee:And Box. Both those albums I'm just seeing now produced by Pseudo Echo, Brian Cannon yeah.
John Nixon:So, yeah, we were good friends back in the day with Brian and back in school days and yeah, so Brian produced both those records and, yeah, they were both good, both successful.
Cheryl Lee:Coincidentally, I'm interviewing Brian on Friday for the telly.
John Nixon:I'll say hello to him for me. I will do
Cheryl Lee:I'd love to play a song for you now from the 1994 self-titled debut album produced by Pseudo Echo frontman Brian Canham for EMI. One of my favourite songs from the album Mountain. And back to speak some more with Stones shortly.
Cheryl Lee:This is really the year of the fish, right.
John Nixon:It is.
Cheryl Lee:You've got your 30th anniversary show touring the country.
John Nixon:Yep.
Cheryl Lee:Kicked off with the Red Hot Summer Tour. Mm-hmm and fourth consecutive appearance at the Big Red Bash.
John Nixon:What an awesome gig. If you haven't been out there, one place you need to get, so it's in the middle of the Simpson Desert. You've got the Big Red sand dune behind the stage. You've got 10,000 people camped out in front of the stage. We normally come on as the sun comes down and it's just an awesome atmosphere. All the volunteers that work there, all the people that come for thousands of miles around. I see all the fantastic bands that get out there. They do another one as well. The same promoter does one called Mundi Mundi, mundi, mundi, yeah, another one as well. Out in Broken Hill. Same event, same atmosphere. It's just. My favourite time of the year is when we do those two gigs.
Cheryl Lee:You're going to have to do it five consecutive years in a row and I'll see you down the front next year, Hopefully we do, I'd do it.
John Nixon:I'd do it every year. Yeah. So you're right, it's the 30th anniversary Of Chocolate Starfish, so it's actually 31, I think close to it. So, yeah, we basically hit the stage. Adam's away on holidays At the moment. I'm off next week to America for a couple of weeks with my wife, some friends, and when we get back we pretty much hit the stage straight away, start our national tour. It's all the theatre run. I think we hit you guys on the 19th of July at Norwood, I'm pretty sure. Very good. Yeah, the show is going to be full of surprises. Basically, it'll be Bat Out of Hell, all the classic albums INXS, a bit of Queen, all your old favourites from the Starfish favourites, along with a few other surprises and whatever Adam decides to get up to on the night. We're basically supporting ourselves. So we basically do an acoustic set with a few of our old songs and, yeah, put together our acoustic versions and then come out after that and just rock it.
Cheryl Lee:It's called the best of everything. So you're going to bring out all the big guns.
John Nixon:Yeah, we will, and some old favourites and some old favourites 100%.
Cheryl Lee:Get onto the Google-o-meter and see when the best of everything 30th anniversary tour comes to your town. How did you get your nickname, John Stone?
John Nixon:Well, it's actually Stones. It's not even a funny one. So when I was a young kid I was skinny, really skinny. So a good friend of ours he actually lives over there and does a lot of work for Port Adelaide with Paul Razonico. He made this name up, so it was John. He called me Sticks'n Sticks'n Stones, John Nixon Sticks'n Stones, and then it stuck and I still get it. People call me Stones, so there's no real story to it. I was a skinny young fella, it was a Sticks'n Stones, and then it was just Stones.
Cheryl Lee:Sticks and Stones may, break my bones. Yeah, that's it. If you're in the shower or in the car, wherever it is, you get to listen to whatever you want to listen to. What's on your playlist? Stones?
John Nixon:I'm a bit of a mixed bag, so I love country, but different, different artists. I listen to a lot of talkback too. To be quite honest, I love the everyday. You know AM talkback radio as well. I'm not that person who will just turn on and go bang. I'm listening to that for the next four weeks. It's just a mix and I think that sort of that's pretty sort of evident even in how the band performs, because everyone's got different tastes in music. You know, if we're all heavy metal, everyone will be listening to metal, but we're not that. I've got a big, wide, fast variety of music that I love to listen to. P retty eclectic. Exactly. H ave you got a non-negotiable on your rider?
Cheryl Lee:What have you got to have?
John Nixon:It's got to be Carlton Draft. Right, it's Draft, or I'm out, I'm not playing, I'm walking. What's this shit you've got in that bucket? I'm just a draft man, always have been, I've tried different beers.
John Nixon:Don't get me wrong. If it's not there, I'll still drink it. I'll drink other beers. But I am a Carlton Draft. I don't mind a Rosé. I don't probably look like the Rosé sort of person, but I love a Rosé, the odd spirit, but not heavily into the spirits. But yeah, Rosé and Carlton Draft, they're more of a go-to, Definitely not fussy.
Cheryl Lee:And what about footy?
John Nixon:Footy Collingwood.
Cheryl Lee:Oh right, we can't be friends .
John Nixon:which Adelaide team?
Cheryl Lee:Oh, the Adelaide team was Glenelg, which might give you a clue to my AFL team, Port Adelaide. Glenelg are the Tigers oh okay. I do not want to talk about footy at all this year ever.
John Nixon:All right, we'll leave it at that then.
Cheryl Lee:It's not going well, so good luck to your team anyway.
John Nixon:Oh well, I think we'll be okay.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah Well, thank you so much for your time today. I really appreciate sitting down and having a chat.
John Nixon:No problem, next time you see me in the front row. I'll say hello.
Cheryl Lee:Give me a wave.
John Nixon:100% Thanks very much for your time, Cheryl Lee.
Cheryl Lee:Oh, thank you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
John Nixon:Okay, bye for now
Cheryl Lee:Bye J ohn. See you . Oh my gosh, what to go out with. So many great songs, so many great albums, but I think I'm going to go with the 2021 release of the Beautiful Addiction album with the lead single, a cover of the Four Non-Blondes hit. And what a cover it is. What's Up?
Cheryl Lee:Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rockin it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. No-transcript.