Hmmm. Smells like Smoked Salmon. Artist supplied.
Scientist and Surrealist Kim Salmon is one of those persistent, wilful artists who simply cannot stop.
LA label In The Red will soon be releasing a reissue of the first Kim Salmon and The Surrealists LP, “Hit Me With the Surreal Feel”. This is the one you can never find. On top of that, would you believe a new Scientists live album? “The Definitive Article Live” was recorded at Brisbane's The Triffid back in 2017, with Kim, Boris Sujdovic, Tony Thewlis and the late, much missed Leanne Cowie.
To whet your appetite, Kim has announced a brief but unique tour, combining personnel from both The Scientists and Surrealists. Surreal Science appears at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne on Friday April 10, followed by the Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney on Saturday April 11, and finally the Rosemount Hotel in Perth on the following Saturday, April 18.
Since can't get to any of these gigs (and believe me, I'm gnashing my teeth and wondering if I could clone myself), I thought I should ask Mr Salmon a few questions to see what condition his condition was in.
I-94 Bar: What books or writers have impressed you recently?
Kim Salmon: In the last decade or so some of the writers who’ve impressed me are people I actually know - # 1 being Edwina Preston: “The Inheritance Of Ivory Hammer” first got me in and “Bad Art Mother: was stunning. She has another on the way called “Sisters” I think. Definitely getting (purchasing!) that!
Chris Wommersly’s another. I met him at Fitzroy pool between swimming laps. He sent me his book “The Diplomat” (referring to the Diplomat Motor Inn/hangout for Rock musos and other dodgy types) The book was a lot about art forgery as much as dodgy rock muso behaviour. I went on to read “Bereft” which I couldn’t put down!
Christo Tsiolkas is another great writer that I’m fortunate enough to know a little in real life. I read “Loaded” when it came out. Ha Ha! I went on to become friends in real life with the actor who played an old Greek guy who picked up the protagonist in the film adaptation called “Head On”.
Maybe it’s the personal connection and the familiar places seen through the eyes of people I know that has attracted me to these writers.
Tony Birch is a wonderful writer who I’m reading lots of. I don’t know him personally but feel as though I do.
I-94 Bar: Kim, it seems every time I turn around you've popped up with a new release or event. Looking back, I'm struck by your incessant, prolific (and wayward) nature. What drives you to do this ...?
Kim Salmon: Now that I’m finally retired from the workforce, ie the domain of ‘real' jobs, and am on the pension, I can finally be honest!
I’ve always been shit at anything other than art and music. I gave it all my best shot – teaching music, storeman/warehouse work, trade union work, labouring, nursing assistant work, cleaning, bank clerk. I was passable to shit at all of them at best if I’m honest. But in saying all that, it’s fair for me to say I’m good at music and art, bottom line!
As much as I’ve bullshitted myself and others over the years that I had any calling for, aptitude, or anything beyond antipathy for any form of normal employment, I’ve always known somewhere deep inside myself that my survival depended on making music or making art. Had I been better at commerce and had major hit records I might’ve had some kind of superannuation. However for me I’ve always known that at some point I’d need a decent catalogue of work to perform and fall back on. That’s basically my superannuation. AND on top of that, I’ve always loved making stuff!
I-94 Bar: Your latest “Freudian Slippers” by your “other” band Smoked Salmon has that heaviness, that emphatic surface silliness, yet there's a seriously ugly vibe beneath it all (in that sense it kinda reminded me of T.Rex's uncharacteristically savage and nasty “Raw Ramp”. It seems you've again rediscovered your evident love for the ‘70s- what, Bolan meets Slade and Sabbaff on the couch - am I missing anyone? Or are you also nodding to the US new waves of psych?
Kim Salmon: Wow! T-Rex?! To me the song was always this kind’ve off-beat funk, almost Prince thing. Prince was actually what came into my head when I started jamming vocals on Mike’s riff. That’s why there’s lots of space in the Smoked Salmon version of the song. And Claire’s DX7 synth lines are straight outta “Controversy”; it just goes to show how differently people perceive things.
I play it solo as well as with Smoked Salmon and the solo version is actually heavier sounding, as was the Kim and Leanne version … but the way it sounds on the new single is how I always envisaged it. It's no secret that I like T-Rex - but are you sure you’re not projecting that onto this song?
(That last answer caused your humble scribe to cackle immoderately. Just so you know.)
I-94 Bar: The first thing everyone's going to ask about “Freudian Slippers” is, 'have you had therapy?', and the second question is, “Did it help?”. (I'm tempted to pre-empt the third question, 'why not?' but perhaps I won't) ... Also, I'll confess I'm wondering how close to home this verse is, but... should I ask?
She said empty out your brain because
I will be your drain because
You should own your pain
and then not just shift the blame when it’s
It’s a fucked up game when it's all about the blame
And it's all down the drain and it's all about to go insane
Insane
Kim Salmon: Are you sure you’re not projecting?! Ha ha! Michael came up with the first half of those lyrics you just quoted. The song’s pretty much a 50/50 split composition and lyric-wise. I’ll admit that the writing process has psycho-therapeutic parallels in that it’s about free association - almost like a Rorschach test. But when you said “surface silliness” before - you were on the mark there.
Those lyrics were just wordplay and having fun. As for how much they reveal of our psyches ... I’ll leave that up to the listeners to think whatever they like.
I-94 Bar: Could you explain a little about your current songwriting process, and how it’s changed over the years? And, you’ve had several art exhibitions and design your own vivid record covers - what's the response been? More exhibitions on the way?
Kim Salmon: I couldn’t begin to explain my songwriting process. It's practically a different process for every song! In fact it’s the process that’s what it's about. Much like my painting.
My covers aren’t related closely to my art practice although I’m thinking of incorporating their process into my work in the future. As an example. Freudian Slippers’ cover has pairs of women’s slippers that are meant to suggest vulvas. There’s a fairly phallic fish in the picture.
I fantasize somewhat that I’m constructing scenes like a Renaissance painter. Caravaggio would’ve had models and set designers and assistance running around all over the shop. Me, I’ve got Safari on my iPhone. You can imagine what my search history looks like. Would you believe I actually had to design my own vulval slippers!? The search yielded nothing close. (ED: Should have tried Temu!) But it’s still fun constructing these scenes!
Speaking of constructing scenes this wouldn’t be a KS interview without mention of The Scientists or Surrealists and I must take the opportunity to talk about Surreal Science!
The show will utilise both band and various combos of the players and some of their parallel skills to create something that hopefully is a bit more than just a gig. Both of these bands have been my life’s work and that work has always been to create something that brings to the fore the amazing characters that I’ve worked with in these two entities.
At the start of the Mark 2 Scientists I quickly found myself writing music for the combination of musical personalities that was Brett, Boris and Tony. I painted myself into a corner - but that corner turned into a whole new universe. Line-ups changed, the band changed … even into the Surrealists but the process (not the song) remained similar. Just the characters changed.
Surreal Science will be set up for segues between line-ups creating scenes rather than sets; it’ll be a chance to show what I’ve been on about all these years as well as a chance to show and watch what all of these amazing musical characters are!
Buy Surreal Science tickets
Buy Kim Salmon music
