Marcia Hines - Long Play Series (2024)
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MusicTranscript
00:00I came out of the bottom of the stage on a cherry picker and I just kind of appeared and the roar
00:08Oh my god, the roar of the crowd Brian was like
00:11So I did the performance and it was so much fun
00:13And I kind of hung out went to a dance party and blew and I went home to my ma and ma said how'd it go?
00:19I said, you know, I think I could die now
00:22Because I know what love is, you know, I mean the love
00:27So
00:29What a thrill to welcome marcia hines to the australian music vault
00:33It feels like she's always been part of the australian musical landscape ever since she stepped on stage at the age of 16
00:42to perform in hair hit singles albums tours theater
00:47Television she's been spreading musical joy for 54 years and we are delighted to welcome her
00:55Marcia, how are you? Hey, brian. Are you good? Yes. I am. I couldn't be better. Actually. You're always pretty good
01:01Oh, yeah, it's it's a mindset. It's important to sort of stay as positive
01:05Some days a diamond boyfriend some days a stone, but most of the time it's diamond life. Yeah
01:11Marcia i'm intrigued to know what the 16 year old marcia hines would have thought of this remarkable career
01:20I actually say to myself now, you know, like wow, look at you
01:23I'm staying somewhere in melbourne at the moment and i'm doing this
01:28Play called greece and I actually looked up the other day because i'm very high up in the building that i'm staying and I went
01:35Oh, look at you who would have thought that's what I think, you know
01:39I mean, I couldn't have dreamt this this career that i've had. I couldn't have dreamt it. It's quite amazing
01:44Did you have a driving ambition? Yes, i'm jamaican. I'm jamaican
01:49So, you know jamaican people have got a you know
01:51We've got a great work ethic and I watched my parents and the people around me do well
01:56And I remember the day I said to myself, you know, um
02:01I'm not gonna stay here. I remember looking up
02:05Into the sky at another apartment building thinking I gotta go. I gotta go and explore this place called the world
02:12And I must have been about 10 or 11
02:14When I thought that
02:15And yet you're in boston, which is not far from new york city. I mean you're in you're close to
02:22The big time. Yes, but you wanted to go. Did you have an idea of where you wanted to go?
02:27No, not whatsoever 11
02:28No
02:28But I did know that my mother had traveled from jamaica and she moved from jamaica with my dad
02:35To live in boston and that that in itself was a big travel for people from jamaica. And um
02:41The reason I left boston is because hair started the musical right? Yes
02:46And so my best friend her name was linda
02:49She had a sister
02:51And her sister was older than us and would always go into her sister's room when her sister wasn't there
02:56To explore her room as teenage girls do and her sister turned into a woman called donna summer
03:03Oh donna summer. Yeah, so my best friend and i'm still very close to linda
03:08She did hair she she went and auditioned in hair and said come on come on
03:11Come on, come and do it with me and I went no because I don't want to be stuck in boston
03:15I'll go to chicago or philly or you know go to la but I want to be stuck in boston linda and lo and behold a
03:21friend of mine
03:22Who was a shakespearean actor?
03:24He went for an audition to do hair and they said oh look man
03:28You're really good. But what we're looking for is a rough diamond and he said, you know, I know just the girl but
03:34I know just the girl but she's underage so i'll have to go and speak to her ma
03:39And so he presented it to my mom and my mother presented it to me and said, what do you think? You know, I said
03:46I'd like to try it ma and so my mother trusted me. I went and auditioned my friends were behind in a curtain
03:53My friend linda was making faces at me so I could blow the audition. It was fantastic
03:57That's what friends do and so I I did the audition for jim shaman and sandra mckenzie
04:02and um
04:03Like about nine or 14 days later, I think I was
04:07coming to austria
04:09to austria
04:12I had no idea what you know, you know americans know so little about the world, you know
04:18Even when I go back to america the news that I watch on television
04:22Very little unless it's a huge tragedy in australia. Yeah, you don't hear about yes
04:27So jim shaman, I mean he was a very very big figure and handsome theater
04:32Was he now he had a cape on i'd never seen in a man in a cape really? Yeah, I remember that vividly
04:39Yeah, he was gorgeous and harry miller, of course
04:42So right from the start, I mean it's interesting you arrive in sydney
04:47At the age of 16 you're performing in here
04:50And you're with these interesting people jim shaman harry miller reg livermore. Yes
04:57John waters
04:59Tell us about those guys
05:01Well, okay first and foremost harry m was my guardian until I was 21
05:05so I remember signing my contract and it was
05:08um a man
05:09Another chap's name at the top of it
05:12My mother's name and mine scribbled down the bottom when I signed my contract. Yeah, and harry was very good to me
05:18Um, and I stayed very close to him up until the time he passed
05:22He was very kind and he encouraged right and then um, jim. I could hardly even talk
05:28Around him because he was just such a cool dude. Yes. Yeah, he was an amazing director for hair and he used to
05:35Say to us, you know
05:37enjoy yourselves on stage, but you have something to
05:42Give to the audience in the sense that this is about the vietnam war
05:46So give that message and we we all really took it very seriously when it comes to reggie livermore
05:51I don't know what reggie was thinking
05:53But for some reason he took me under his wing and whenever we did. Um
05:59We had double shows for some reason. I would always eat with reg, you know
06:03So we just became buddies and he'd put things into my head and say it's important that you work hard
06:08If you work hard things will be great and you know, we lead by example. Yes, and as for um, john waters
06:15I can just talk in front of him now
06:18He's a wonderful human being you know, yes because at the age of 16 you'd done
06:23You'd performed in talent shows, but you hadn't done gigs. You haven't done theater. No, no theater. No theater
06:30No, I mean, I remember seeing here with my mother. I remember seeing the show. It was at the may
06:35Mayflower theater in boston, right and um
06:38When they asked me if I would like to do it
06:41I remember watching it and looking at the nude scene. I wasn't perplexed but I went okay cool
06:46And then when I got to
06:48sydney
06:50And the nude scene was of course done
06:53They said to me you you don't have to do it unless you feel comfortable
06:56So I didn't do it for about maybe not not even a week and then I went, you know
07:01It's an important thing the message is and so I did it with the rest, you know, what's interesting about that brian
07:08No one was ever sleazy. No one was ever
07:11Inappropriate we all you know, and even now
07:14The cast is referred to as the tribe
07:17Yes, and we all took such great care of each other man
07:20and we still do marcia one of the really fascinating things about doing hair at an early age is that
07:27There is a strong political agenda. Yes. It was I read somewhere that you talked about
07:32American soldiers coming to see the show
07:35And telling you about their experiences in vietnam. Yeah, you know first and foremost
07:40I thank them all for their services because you know
07:46Still to me, you know man's inhumanity the man still floors me, you know
07:52and um to have to
07:54Go and fight and then come back and not be appreciated. It's not fair that in itself is truly not fair
08:00When we were in sydney
08:02A lot of the soldiers who had fought in vietnam had told us the most horrific stories you can imagine
08:09About living in motionless in the carcass of a cow for days
08:14As the vietcong walked past them. Yes, and and you know friends of mine went to war
08:22And they sent them back
08:24Their bodies back, but it wasn't their bodies. It was pieces of other people's bodies
08:29Excuse me. I I find it
08:32it still hurts immensely and just
08:34The reason the soldiers were in sydney
08:37Was to
08:39Re-acclimatize themselves to
08:41Life. Yes. It was called r and r. Yep
08:43and so um sydney the cross was just full of the american soldiers and
08:47They were so kind to all of us and they spoke to us and they were very grateful for what we were doing trying to
08:53Yes. Yeah, just to tell people this war was wrong. And you know, the interesting thing about here is
09:00Once the vietnam war was over brian
09:03Harry miller stopped the show and said it's no longer relevant
09:06Oh, really? Yeah, so which I thought was really a really cool thing on his part and people said to me just recently
09:13Oh, what?
09:14Would you go and see here the the plan?
09:17I lived it. Yeah, you know, I mean, of course
09:20I don't I think it was it was a very timely thing and I I it'll be interesting if someone put it together
09:26But i've not seen any production of it. Yeah
09:29A complicating factor, of course was that not only were you new to the theater and you were 16, but you were pregnant
09:36Yes, totally pregnant, but I didn't know totally pregnant and I didn't know because I think I would have stayed home if i'd known
09:43Okay, so I I was um, I remember vividly that I thought I kept looking at myself in the mirror thinking gee
09:50Because I was a little thing. Yeah, and um, I thought gee you're developing. Yes developing into a mother
09:56So I had no idea and and I remember i'm thinking say something's wrong with me
10:01Yeah, because I developed very slowly as a kid and then I remember
10:05Yeah, I didn't have boobs and all of a sudden I had boobs and the stomach was still flat
10:10And now I went to a doctor. His name was dr. Kennedy in elizabeth bay and I said look, uh, you know an examination
10:17He said okay. He said mrs. I went no. No, it's miss. He said well
10:22You're at least six and a half months pregnant
10:25And you're performing every night every night that god sent and you kept performing I performed until the night I had denny
10:32I was on stage the night before I had denny
10:35I did the performance
10:37I went to the hospital
10:39was induced
10:40Went to crown street women's hospital had denny
10:43And had a very short labor like 25 minutes
10:47You know 16 17 you you fit and then I went to um, uh convalescence home for nine days and I was back on stage
10:55And I was like, oh my god, I'm back on stage. I'm back on stage. I'm back on stage
11:00And I was like, oh my god, I'm back on stage. I'm back on stage
11:03And I was like, oh my god, I'm back on stage. I'm back on stage
11:07Wow, yeah, I mean that's what you're built for. That's what you're made for. I do not
11:12Condone teenage pregnancy because your life as you once knew it. Yes stops and somebody's looking at you for food shelter
11:20I brought up a nice a really nice girl, but it wasn't easy. But no, you know, what is when you're 16?
11:26Nothing's hard and did
11:28motherhood inform your
11:30Performances. Do you think no, I just do remember though before I had her I was singing aquarius and she's kicking me, you know
11:37That's unusual trying to sing through a kick. Yes. No, it didn't change me. It was um
11:43I was always taught by my mom
11:45Whatever you do you have to be responsible for what you do, right?
11:48So and I I remember um, I used to write my mother all the time because back in the day it was
11:53Cost so much money to phone somebody but I remember writing her
11:57And sending her photographs and I said, oh mom i'm pregnant. She said yes. I've just been waiting for you to tell me
12:02She knew she knew and she said, you know, and you have you've chosen a very strange career marcia
12:08Because i'm basically the only one in the business
12:10I was then and she said so if you can't take care of the baby bring her back to boston
12:15so, you know that was like
12:17Yeah, do you know what I mean? So there was no judgment on her none whatsoever. No, why?
12:23You know, yeah. Well, she's obviously a special woman
12:27All right, you finish hair and then jesus christ superstar
12:32Happens. Yeah, tell us about some of those
12:35actors people like john english doug parkinson
12:40John paul young
12:42Stevie, right, correct from the easy beats. Yeah
12:45Because you probably weren't aware of the easy beats no, but I I digress in the sense that I remember
12:53watching superstar
12:55and thinking
12:56what
12:58What is this i'm watching? Yeah, and I called harry and said oh harry harry
13:02Can I can I just sing in the chorus of this show? Can I just please he said no because you're
13:08Still one of the only semi-originals in hair. Yes. Okay, so you got to stay
13:13I think we're in tasmania at that point and you got to stay with the show and then like I said earlier the show
13:18Ended yes, and I got a call from harry and miller and gary van eggman, right?
13:23And harry said masha, would you like to sing mary in jesus christ superstar? I said, let me think. Yes
13:29And then a beautiful woman by the name of michelle ford and taught me the part
13:33And I learned the part here in the palais theater in melbourne
13:37But it was I remember hearing john paul young thinking what the hell
13:41When I first heard him sing, you know, and stevie was
13:45Stevie was amazing stevie was yeah, reg livermore was incredible. They were all incredible
13:50John english was like on another level of pop stuff
13:53You know he was and um, I had a lovely relationship and I still have with um, trevor white the guy that
14:00And doug and I toured doug parkinson and I toured quite
14:03The you know quite a lot and then he did I remember when he did. Um judas
14:08I'd stand by the side of the stage and go damn
14:11He was such a great singer incredible. I know I know
14:16And a good guy good guy great sense of humor. Yeah
14:19but john english you
14:21Had a long relationship with I mean we're jumping ahead a little bit, but that's okay
14:25I want to ask you about the jokers and queens. Well, that was great
14:29So reason being that john and I were tight my manager peter ricks who's still my manager
14:35He managed john for a bit, right?
14:38And um, we did huge tours around australia and then we went to new zealand tore that up and um
14:44We just had a great relationship and then we decided to record and we made the album jokers and queens and that was great
14:50He was a real star that guy. He was really quite outstanding, you know
14:54And he just could hold an audience in the palm of his hands
14:57Even now I do tours and people go john english. I said you had a crush, right?
15:01Yeah, so many women had a crush on john. All right, let's jump back after superstar
15:08you tour with the
15:10Daly wilson big band. Yeah now that was a little bit more jazz bit of a flip flop. Yeah, it was good though
15:16you know, um, I was still in superstar and I got um
15:21Approached to sing with the band, you know
15:23and ed wilson was very kind to me and he taught me all the arrangements and stuff and
15:29Just before I started to work with them. I went into the studio with robbie
15:34And um robbie porter, yeah, I went in the studio and I recorded um
15:39Fire and rain
15:40It was just and it was my the band that I used to work with a band that it wasn't my band
15:45They're called baxter font
15:46Yes. Yeah, and so, um, we recorded that
15:50and then um
15:51we got asked
15:53to go to russia
15:55and represent
15:57Australia with the daily wilson big band that was mad
16:01Wow, so we were there for like about three weeks in lithuania latvia riga moscow
16:08Yeah, and leningrad and you're playing in old theaters
16:11So huge like maybe 12 or I don't know 8 000 people a night and it was stupid
16:17It was you
16:18Are you the featured vocalist are you on the whole time?
16:21No, no
16:21I'd come on and sing a few songs and then leave and come back on and sing because it was the big band
16:26But you know brian, that's where I learned pitch
16:29When you sing with horn players, yes, you gotta know where you are, you know
16:33And I learned a lot as a vocalist working with and warren daly was cool too. He was a drummer
16:38And so it was it was a tour
16:41I've never been to russia and I went to russia as an american citizen, too
16:46During communism, which was very very interesting. Yeah, it was um
16:50Yeah, I loved it, you know, and yeah, and you toured america with daily wills. Yeah, we did vegas
16:56Hated vegas. Oh, did you? Oh, yeah, what's that place? It's so fake, you know, and we were there for and I remember in in in in the
17:04The showrooms. Yeah where we were I could hear liberace and I could hear. Um
17:13Bill cosby, so we're in the same hotel as them. Yeah, we did. Well, we we we did very very well
17:19Wow, did you go back to boston? No, it was just vegas. Yeah, just vegas and
17:25Just vegas and and we're supposed to do ronnie scotts in london and something happened. Ronnie scotts is very famous. Um, jazz club
17:31But I remember calling peter. Um, or maybe he called me in russia and he said marcia marcia
17:38Fire and rain is doing really well and I said really who bought it, you know
17:42Because we just really I released fire and rain before I I left down
17:47Australia and um, and then that was kind of like the start of my um solo career as a performer. Yeah. Yeah
17:55Tell us about the musicians that you were working with because I think am I right in thinking late 70s. There was
18:01Mark, kennedy on drums
18:03Jackie was asking houston steven houston. How did you put that band together?
18:09I don't know. It just happened
18:11You know, I mean, you know like you hang with musicians and this is what I kind of say to the kids
18:14And I don't know I said, you know
18:16You you want to sing go and find some people who want to put a band together and put that that's how you learn
18:21That's how I cut my teeth, you know, and when I cut my teeth on all those incredible but there was jim kelly there was
18:27I mean the mark punch all these
18:31Amazing mostly sydney. I get the city. No melbourne and sydney. It was sort of like because
18:37We kind of all meshed the biggest
18:39live scene in australia
18:41Was melbourne? Yes, because you guys had like the sancho ham pub and all and I learned
18:47how to perform because I mean
18:49in those situations
18:52You're so incidental
18:54Right. They've not really come to see you. They'll come to sort of hang out and drink, you know back in the day
18:58Yeah, and I learned a lot and then there was renee gueah, you know, there was linda george. There were all these amazing girls
19:05You know singers and you know, we just hung out and I remember hanging out with the guys from akadaka on tour
19:11Did you yes? Yeah
19:14You know
19:15Yeah, it was their diet was amazing. It was like coca-cola and smarties. I remember saying and cups of tea. Yeah
19:21Yeah, they were great guys and um rose tattoo and all those amazing people that you know, we did well we did so well
19:28Well, that's a wonderful thing about that era
19:30And I think radio was very similar that you would hear all sorts of music. It wasn't just one style
19:36No, no, it wasn't and so I imagine that was the same for
19:40The live uh the live gigs as well, but also, you know, it was interesting because the city that really
19:46Endorsed and supported us was adelaide. Yeah
19:51Yeah
19:52They had the most amazing music on radio
19:55And so it would sort of flip-flop from adelaide into melbourne into sydney
19:59It was an interesting dynamic and adelaide had some live gigs
20:02But melbourne seemed to me to have maybe because I was leaving home
20:06But yeah, melbourne seemed to have the best um live gigs back in a couple of names
20:11You mentioned I want to zero in on because they're really important to australian music mark kennedy. Yes remarkable drummer
20:18Yes, he was and he was um, I was engaged to mark for a while. Yes, and mark, um designed all of my
20:26costumes and sets
20:28So not just a drummer. No, not very very smart. I I sent him a message a couple weeks ago and um,
20:35We're still very tight. He's a good dude. Yeah
20:38Incredible drama renee gaya. Oh renee. She was a difficult woman
20:43Okay
20:43Everybody knows that she was difficult
20:45But uh renee and I had a very interesting relationship because she was doing well in america and I was in america recording
20:51We kind of hung out a little bit then but yeah, god bless her soul
20:54You know renee was one of the finest singers. We've we've sort of yes
20:59And she would be quite open about the fact that she was she claimed it. Yeah, you gotta own it
21:05That's right. Yeah, you gotta own it. So when were you recording in america?
21:09I was record or most of my albums in the beginning were recorded in america like shining and um, I said three
21:16Libre studios in la with robbie porter. So I did like three big albums. So I'd lived there
21:22Yeah, so what you would be you were
21:25Here but then robbie would say let's go to america because of the musicians to record because of the musicianship
21:30Yeah, you know we had people like toto and all these because you could just hire who you wanted really back in the day
21:36So you could have these amazing famous musicians to play on your album. Yeah. Yeah
21:41One of my favorite singles and I think it was a number two single was you yeah, tell us about that
21:48that's an interesting story brian because
21:51We just about finished the album and it was trafalgar studios with charles fisher. He was the engineer I think and um,
21:58and robbie
21:59and my band
22:01and um, we just about finished and mark as always
22:06Flipping through this, you know these
22:08Vinyls, and he said what's this song called you?
22:11Well, we saw it's just one of those. He said let's have a listen
22:15And lo and behold we listened to it and said let's record that and we did how because robbie didn't want to
22:21But mark mark has a great ear mark taught me so much about music when it comes to feel
22:27You know that whole awb average white band thing
22:30He was totally into that and gino vanelli and all these great great musicians and he taught me about that
22:36When and then of course the song was cute
22:39But then mark played on it. It's funny because I listened to it recently thought what a drummer
22:45Musical he's a musical drummer. Yes
22:47Remarkable. Yes. So that had a a strong disco feel. Yeah, and then
22:53You you flirted with the idea of disco in europe. Yes
22:57And so I I recorded a couple things and they did well
23:01Um, but the song that did the best for me in europe was many rivers to cross, right?
23:07Um and jimmy cliff. Yeah, and reason I think reason being um,
23:12It was a very tumultuous time and also i'd gone to london to record with a guy called david mackay
23:19And david did a total eclipse of a heart with bonnie tyler and he's an australian expat
23:25and um
23:26His studios were in um, surrey
23:29And we'd travel my musical director charlie hell and I would travel daily and he'd only work from 10 to 5
23:35Which is very interesting, right? So we'd work from 10 to 5 and then travel back to baker street where we lived. Yeah
23:42and um
23:44I just finished my
23:47Bad time with my recording company with robbie. Yes, and so, um peter organized this album
23:54Called take it from the boys
23:57And so we recorded it and then in the middle of the album
24:00My brother died and which was I had a brother who was 18 months older than me and we were very close
24:06and he died and
24:09My mother said to me well look, um, i've buried your mother your father
24:14my mother and dad
24:16My mother and dad within 14 days of each other and your dad
24:20You have to go home and do this
24:22That's the responsible thing to do
24:25So I did I did what I was told
24:28And um, I went home and buried dwight
24:32And then I remember that's when you know that incredible thing
24:36Life goes on
24:38Happen, I saw it. So i'm on this plane mourning my brother and people that clinking champagne and laughing as i'm flying
24:45from london to boston i'm thinking
24:48It was like that epiphany
24:50Wow, you know life really does go on. What do you do?
24:54You know, so anyway, I go and bury dwight
24:58And I fly back to london and I say to david david says how are you I said, I don't know david
25:03I don't even know if I can sing i'm just so cut that this has happened. He said okay, so
25:08choose a song
25:10Choose choose any song that we're supposed to record
25:14And I said, um
25:16Let's do many rivers to cross
25:18And I sang it and I can hear the pain and consequently I think that's what made that song a hit the performance
25:25Yeah was so strong informed by dwight. Yeah, you get you know, so you found that song
25:31Yeah, yeah beautiful song
25:34Remarkable. Yeah. Yeah jimmy cliff. Yeah, my jamaican friend
25:39That's true. Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Yeah recording in england recording in america and recording in australia
25:46There must be quite strong
25:49Differences the recording period is hard. Yeah, because you're trying to get perfection. There's no such thing
25:53Yep, so you do the best you can with what you got. You know what I mean? Oh recording is hard
25:58Yes, I bet you know because you're just hearing yourself over and over and you make mistakes and there's a semi-tone that you can't hear
26:05or a tone
26:07And then you get it and then you think okay. Yeah, I mean I don't listen to myself that often because I always hear it and go
26:13You should have sung a better note than that much. You could have why'd you go there?
26:18I'm getting better with it. But you know, like I don't listen to myself. Don't you unless I have to learn something? No, no, no
26:24What about live performances? Oh like like that because that's crazy
26:28That's like you're on you know, like any mistakes a good mistake as long as you get through it
26:34That's right. Yeah, but do you listen back to yourself having done a show? Yeah, right
26:39Because we're touring we were touring last year with um, my band the guys that work with suit and tie and myself
26:46And um, yes, I do listen. It's important, you know
26:50Or i'll hear a note that i'm not quite getting and it's funny because my
26:54Singing coach is a guy called lee mccray
26:57And he he he's an amazing coach in australia teaches. He used to teach human nature
27:03He teaches everybody in theater and he he was a performer himself and I said this is note
27:08I just came and I said my voice has changed and he explained everything
27:11It's great because you know, you really do as a performer try and be the best you can at every performance
27:17But there are certain notes that just get in your head
27:20And you just can't quite get them and he explained to me that I said what's happening i'm singing in my voice
27:26And i'm hitting notes that i've never sung. He said yeah. Well, that's because it's a muscle. Yes
27:32And the more you work on the muscle, it's like tuning up a car. Yeah, you know, so do you warm up before a show?
27:38Oh, absolutely you do whether or not it's a 15 minute show or a two hour show. Yeah always you have to uh-huh
27:45And it's a it's a what that does is it gives you a road map to tell you where your voice is sitting
27:50Yeah, yes. Yeah. Yeah and gets away. It gets rid of some nerves too. So, of course, yeah, of course
27:56Let's jump back a little bit. I wanted to ask you about uh tv appearances
28:01Particularly countdown. Yeah, but also you had your own show
28:06marcia's music marcia music
28:08Tell me about that one before countdown before. Yeah. Well, um, okay, so
28:13Um, that's when I actually looked at people like donny and maria and went damn
28:18Those people work hard. Yes. It's hard. You gotta hurry up and wait
28:23Hurry up and why hurry up and wait and then oh, that was great. Can you do it again?
28:28And so you do one song maybe eight or ten times, you know, and it was back at the studios and abc go hill
28:35Yeah, and um, I had the most incredible cameraman and they taught me so much they taught me so much
28:41Uh that i'd go to europe and they'd say to me, how did you learn those techniques? Thank you very much. Australia
28:49Yeah, I learned all that on tv at abc. Yeah, it was hard work, but it was wonderful
28:53We had people like john farnham. I had john waters on I had
28:58Probably there's so many people that I had already always admired and they came on to the show and roger kirk
29:05roger kirk was a set designer and
29:08clothing designer and he um
29:10Has won grammys
29:12So we had amazing rick birch
29:15Was our executive producer who did the olympic correct? So we had some amazing people abc was the bomb
29:21But you know, it's so funny to sit here and see all these cameras where I remember where they'd be on these incredible
29:27dollies dollies and jibs and
29:30Huge. Yeah, it was crazy. It was good. It was hard. It was hard work. But and um frank esler smith who used to work with um
29:38Ear supply, right? He was like one of the musical directors. We had great people on that show
29:43Yeah, i've learned a lot man, and i'm still learning. I'll bet it's an amazing gig amazing life, you know, yeah
29:51What about countdown?
29:56Countdown
29:58And I just freak inside and then I remember singing one night
30:02And um, I used to close my eyes because I was so nervous and a cameraman said to me
30:08Masha, why do you close your eyes? I said, oh because i'm just so nervous
30:11You got such nice eyes for brian. I've not closed my eyes since so right I went, you know
30:16he's just saying like this and he said open your eyes and
30:19Because I say to people also, you know when when you open your eyes people see you
30:23Yes, you know and and all closing your eyes does maybe allows you to concentrate but it locks people out. So
30:31You were you found countdown?
30:34Difficult because you were nervous, but what about the chaotic nature of us fantastic molly, you know and molly
30:40We all must thank molly for all that he did because he he introduced us first and foremost every weekend
30:47About what we were doing and how we're doing it what new music we're creating
30:52And it was one of those great times where we used to hang out
30:57Because we were all on the road back then there was a road to hang out on, you know
31:00we all were working so hard and would sit down in the canteen at the abc and talk about what we'd done and
31:06Who had what what truck crashed and blah blah blah. It was fantastic. Yeah where to get good food
31:12Which highway to take and then which roadies were good. Yeah, that's right
31:17And the roadies are everything, you know the people who take care of my stage
31:21They're everything, you know, because without them you can't do the gig there's something about that
31:26Collective isn't there we're working, you know, and we're working for one thing and that is to put a good show on
31:33Yes for one thing, you know and the the laughs and the fun that it's it's a it's a wonderful
31:38It's just a wonderful thing to do, you know, I describe people
31:42people say what you know, what's it like to make music and I say it's kind of like
31:46A box that you get right and you open the box
31:50And inside there's another box
31:53And inside that box lo and behold there's another and it just it's perpetual, you know, it encourages me but it also
31:59It gives me knowledge
32:01you know, I
32:02I'll hear music that i've heard sometime and then i'll be sitting in a quiet space and i'll hear it again and go
32:08Oh, wow, isn't that beautiful?
32:10It moves me music moves me
32:12Well, you move us too. And I think that is really essential
32:17As I mentioned before there's 54 years
32:20A remarkable career a couple of other highlights where it feels to me in my research where hang on
32:28Where's marcia and then suddenly she comes back?
32:32One of those was closing the sydney gay and lesbian marty grant. Yes, man
32:391990 I believe yes. Tell us about that show. Sure. So so, you know, I was asked to do it and I
32:46very
32:47Happily said yes, i'd love to
32:50And I remember I always go to sound check
32:52it's very important, you know to go sound check and feel the stage and find out what's going on how to get on how to
32:58Get off
32:59And um, I did the sound check and then I said everybody goodbye i'm going home. So I went home and went to sleep
33:04and um
33:06Yeah
33:07Because the gig was like something like six o'clock or 5 30 in the morning or something
33:10So I went home and went to sleep
33:12And then put on the war paint put the makeup on and then worked out what I was going to wear
33:16And then went back to the gig, you know went back to the horton pavilion
33:22And um, my my it was messy anyway
33:26my my performance was um
33:29I came out of out of the bottom of the stage on a cherry picker
33:34And I just kind of appeared and the roar
33:38My god the roar of the crowd brian was like
33:42Oh my god
33:43Anyway, so I did the performance and it was so much fun and I kind of hung out and stayed with
33:48We did went to a dance party and below and I went home to my ma
33:52And ma said how'd it go? Because she'd always say how'd it go? How's your job?
33:56I said, you know, I think I could die now
33:59Because I know what love is, you know, I mean the love and that sense of liberation
34:05And euphoria everyone is is equal that sense. It's a beautiful thing
34:10Do you remember the set or do you remember what were some of the songs? I think it was just one song
34:14I think it was your love. Yeah, I think it was your love still brings me to my knees
34:20Incredible then we jump ahead probably 10 years to the recording of rise
34:28Yeah, that was a trip for the australian olympic team. Yeah, the australian olympic team chose that song
34:35As their song to g them up before they went, you know to perform yes, and the crazy thing about that was
34:45I got to hang out at the olympic village with the athletes with peter brock our blessing and laurie lawrenson
34:52So there were three of us used to hang out
34:58I learned about nerves
35:00About nerves, right when I watch the olympians
35:06They're nervous
35:08But they meter their nerves. You can't just
35:11You know, it's like bit by bit. Yes bit by bit
35:16Steady wins the race. I learned that I remember watching him thinking now
35:20This is fascinating because I don't know that musicians do that, but we might do that in another form but seeing
35:27People who compete because I don't think musicians compete we're athletes do no
35:32It's a totally different headspace, you know
35:34And I mean you have to stay within your head and you have to do what you got to do
35:37And you know what you got to do
35:39You don't know what that other person's going to do, but you're going to try and beat them doing it. It was fascinating
35:44but you have a high degree of
35:47poise
35:48And it seems to me that a lot of it is intuitive
35:52i've watched
35:54Julia zamiro introduce you
35:57And i've watched you I can see you side stage behind the curtain and you wait
36:04And you wait
36:05And the audience level of excitement is building
36:09It's really quite wonderful to watch see I have no idea
36:13It just it's kind of like i'd be standing there thinking i'd be metering myself in my brain and think okay. Well
36:20When you're ready
36:22What else you know when you're ready, yeah, well it works beautifully thank you timing is everything man timing is everything yeah
36:29Speaking of timing, uh, you're back on our screens with australian idol. This is uh,
36:362024
36:37Tell us about that journey because that's quite remarkable started in
36:422004 I believe yeah, it's 21 years man. Wow 21 years 2003 perhaps
36:48Look it's been it's been
36:52As I said earlier we lead by example, right and i've had great people around me who have encouraged me
36:57You get a lot more from people if you give them positive
37:01Criticism opposed to negative. Yes, you know and these kids
37:08They've been plucked from obscurity and thrown onto a stage where everybody's got an opinion on them
37:13And so when I am speaking to them
37:16And so when I am speaking to them, i'm sure they can't even see me, okay
37:21But I try and and give something of positive as that was given to me. Look
37:27I heard about australian idol
37:30From a friend of mine who since passed his name is brian walsh
37:34And brian walsh used to run fox
37:37he called
37:39Peter and myself and said this amazing show coming to australia
37:43If
37:47Marsh has asked to do it
37:49I think it would be a good idea for her career because it'll introduce her to
37:53A younger audience than she already knows and the audience. She already knows. Yes, and um,
37:59Interesting thing about australian idol brian. I had to audition for it. They did a mock setup. Did you yes, man?
38:06They did a whole mock setup where um, these actors came in and I think it was dick o'brien and me
38:12And um, they would perform and they wanted to see how
38:17We responded to them. So I actually auditioned
38:20Crazy, huh? And I didn't you know, i'm glad I did it took a while to sort of wrap my head around it
38:27Because there before the grace of god go I they just want to do what i'm doing, you know the kids so
38:32you know, um, and I believe that
38:35In my humble opinion australian idol is a great brand because we've actually unearthed some stars
38:42You know, and um, they're still relevant today and fingers crossed. That's what we'll do again. Yes, you know with this new series
38:48Yeah, but your approach is really
38:52From the heart and you can tell that you want to
38:56Build them up and not knock them down. Why would you?
38:59well
39:00knocking people down is part of
39:04In a way the landscape and sometimes I think uh, I can imagine tv executives getting a little bit excited by that
39:12Because there's conflict
39:14But you've not moved to be strong. No, that's not me. No, you know
39:18Back in the day when we first did it they suggested things that I do and I went, you know, what you hired me, right?
39:26That's who's gonna show up me. Okay, and and also, you know, peter would say to me every year do me one favor
39:32I'd say what be?
39:34yourself
39:36Just be yourself marsha. You'll be fine. And so, you know, i've got that positive feedback from
39:42He's not my manager. He's my brother. Yes, you know, we've been together that long
39:46You know that we've been through births deaths and marriages and he's just such a a solid real human being and he continues to help
39:52Me reinvent me and so I listen to what he says. We've got a great think tank. Brian walsh was one
39:59Of a part of our think that we've got great people who give us ideas and stuff and you know
40:04I think it's such a shared
40:06It's a wonderful thing that we I keep saying it but it's such a wonderful thing to create just create
40:12It's a wonderful thing. Well peter ricks, of course was behind another great marsha highlight was the velvet
40:19Tell us about velvet
40:21That was another
40:23wonderful
40:25Stroke of genius on his part, you know, it was a vehicle for me again
40:29yeah, you know and um
40:30I don't know what I can do until people ask me to do something, you know what I mean?
40:34I think okay and he told me the concept and then we had craig eilert, uh director who did it, you know
40:40It was wonderful, you know, and I do love disco
40:43I
40:44describe disco like
40:47Because of the vietnam war
40:50And all the sadness that happened during that and then disco
40:54Rose out of the ashes. It was joy bad fashion
40:57Liberation bad fashion. Yes. Yes crass. What wonderful joy. Yes, and I think people still have that mindset
41:05Yeah with what disco is and look the show
41:08I hadn't worked with physical acts before
41:11And when we did when we did velvet there were all these amazing physical acts, you know circus people
41:16And that's another way to learn about what you do. Yeah, their bodies
41:20They're so in tune with their bodies because it was part circus part burlesque
41:25And it was also a beautiful story of a young lad finding himself
41:30Yeah through through the circus, you know through what we had to give him and questioning himself and we say just be yourself once again
41:38And that show traveled. I know you had huge success in adelaide. Did you take it to edinburgh? Yes, we did
41:45What was that like? It was great because nobody knew what amasha hines was and so I had to work hard
41:50And I worked hard, you know, it was very successful and the edinburgh festival that's on another yeah
41:57Oh, that was wonderful. I love scottish people there
42:00So I lived in london as I said in scotland, you know, london's are nice. They're different but in london in scotland
42:06I remember walking around getting lost and i'd say to someone excuse me. I'm lost. Are you dear?
42:12And then would you like to come in for a cup of tea?
42:15They're just such kind people and edinburgh is pretty it reminds me very much of boston, you know the old buildings and yeah
42:22So I really enjoyed the festival. I enjoyed the scottish people. I enjoyed the experience of people not knowing not knowing
42:30Which makes you work harder. You betcha
42:33Absolutely. Yeah
42:35All right, we're about to wrap up, but I want to ask you about your gospel album
42:42Of last year, it's quite recent the gospel according to marcia
42:48Tell us about the record but also maybe link us back to
42:52Your childhood. Okay. So most black children in america are brought up in church
42:58Church teaches you grace church teaches you
43:04How important it is to take care of your elderly people and the people around you people who aren't as fortunate as yourself
43:10Church is a community
43:12Um, and my godmother was a jamaican lady who hadn't had any children, but she was blind
43:19Her name was florence james and um
43:22florence
43:23Was the lead singer in in her choir in the baptist church. My mother was church of england flow was um,
43:29baptist baptist
43:32And so I would dutifully go
43:34To the church of england service with my mom and then haul it down the street and get to to flow because
43:40She was baptist and i'd say ma you're gonna come she said no those people are too noisy
43:44Masha that baptist music is too noisy for me
43:47So i'd run down the street and i'd collect flow and she was the lead singer in her choir
43:53And because she was blind
43:55I was allowed to go up to the pulpit box up to the choir box
44:00And children were not allowed there, but because she was blind I could sit there
44:03And just listen to her sing. Yeah, and that's where I stole a lot of my licks and stuff
44:07You know, you sort of listen listen listen and all these incredible women
44:12in the choir
44:13and so
44:15I don't know. It was just one of those things in which
44:19Gospel music is very important to me
44:24I hear people sing these notes brian and I don't think they could sing them unless they were praising
44:30And so for me to do the gospel album, we had done interviews. I'd done an interview with a guy called simon mani
44:37Yeah, I did say yes, excuse me
44:39Yes, and simon and I because he asked peter could he interview me and peter said sure sure sure
44:44so I went to his house and we started talking about gospel music and he said
44:48You know what? We should call this the gospel according to masha and I said i'm stealing that simon
44:52And so that's what we call the album and the reception of it was just incredible. Um
44:59Gil mcaveney who runs
45:02Vivid in sydney. Yeah, she gave us a church
45:05on um, mccorry street right across the street from parliament house
45:10She gave us a church and um
45:13St. Stephen's church in mccorry street and we put a choir together
45:17And it was all so hard to do because it was during covid and so to put a choir together
45:22We had to separately, you know do bits and pieces voice bits and pieces
45:25We found the quiet in a place called mount druitt and they were all samoan and maui people, right
45:32and um
45:34I remember first hearing them thinking. Oh my goodness. It feels like going home brian, you know, and so the reception for this
45:42gospel album was just
45:44Outstanding. It felt like going home. That's all I can say and i'm so pleased that I did it
45:49And I plan I want to do another one, you know, yes because you know your first one it was you know, but I think
45:55With our musical director joe akaria and all the people that contributed. It was just a wonderful experience. Yeah, especially for me
46:04you know and you know and
46:06Interestingly enough flow didn't see me
46:10become famous no
46:13And i'm sure she's watching i'm sure she is yes, man. Yeah, i'm sure she is we've been watching
46:19We've been loving you and we thank you very much. It's totally my pleasure
46:25You