Jason Lauren, Good morning Melbourne. You're on the air with Jason Lauren. Clint heer as well. We grew up with Savage Gardens. This man then peeled off to do his own solo career and we love that just as much as well. And he is back with his own memoir which is out now. Darren Hayes, good morning and Walking and Nova.
Thanks for having me.
Darren Hayes.
So I've got history with Darren.
We were never going to talk about that, and also I was very confused about my sexuality.
I've got a compliment. You're the best smelling guest we have ever had in this studio.
That means a lot to me.
He looks mixologist I am.
I'll tell you the truth as to why I smell good though, right, it's part of a thing that I think that anyone who is slightly famous should do, which is leave an impression.
Oh my gosh, unlovable is the memoir that's mouth I was going to bring up. We've got history, so I've interviewed you numerous times over the years. In fact, when I was a young fellow, I was at the big ceremony in Brisbane growing up on the main streets of Brisbane.
And the keys to the city.
Yeah, the keys to the city Savage Garden were given.
Back in the day. Do you need to get into a building?
I don't actually know what they do, but they do.
They well, I can get into most people's homes.
It's a thing.
Or do you get to keep them for the rest of your life?
Yeah, that's hilarious. Note it's ridiculous, isn't it. It's just like a wooden, plastic thing that they present to.
You up in Brisbane.
Yeah. My book launch in Brisbane is at that same town. Been there since I got the Keys to the city.
Will it be trauma?
No, it was an extraordinary thing. Yeah. So the memoir. Was it cathartic? Yeah, of course it was. I had never planned to write a book. It's I don't consider myself a celebrity. It's not a celebrity memoir. It really is a book about overcoming trauma. I grew up in a family, which I wrote about in Savage Garden and all throughout my career, but no one really put the pieces together.
The song I think we don't you know, we hear pop stars and these amazing musicians like yourself write these incredible songs, but you kin'd of you sing along to it, you don't really think about the trauma or the story behind us.
Sure like two Beds and a Coffee Machine is a song from Famous Look at Me So I've got tickets, But it's a song from Affirmation about me, my mom, my sister, and my brother being on their own, living in hotel rooms with two beds and a coffee machine. Running from my dad and people at the time, he used to say, God, that song is so sad. Who is it about? Back then, I was so ashamed I couldn't tell anyone who it was about.
Ah, what did you say? How did you answer that question back in the day.
I think I avoided it out of respect for my mum, who was so brave in letting me put that song on the record. But this book came about because for my last album, I think, you know, Look, I'm fifty two now and and I had and have lived with a severe depressive disorder and PTSD from my childhood all my life, and I've had great treatment for it. But I did an article in the UK which was a childhood picture of me and I was ten sitting on my bed, picture of Michael Jackson on the wall, and
I looked like a happy little kid. And I wrote the story behind the picture, which was that nobody knew the horrors of what was going on in my home. And I had two book offers, one of them was thankfully from Penguin Australia, and they said, would you write that story? And I guess I was ready to.
That's what I was about to say back then when you were asked about it with the song, you probably just won't ready as well.
It's so interesting because I know people who have not the same stories. You know, one's got the same story, but a similar story many people.
There, and kids carry.
So much weight protecting their parents from like you, you said, the embarrassment of it and wearing this shield because you didn't want your mum to feel embarrassed about what your family was going through. It must have been such a burden. And you're certainly not alone in that, right there, families listening to this right now that no, oh my gosh, that's me. I would hate for people to know what my mum goes through. But being able to speak about it so truthfully and honestly is so powerful.
I dedicate the book to my mom. I mostly wrote this because I think the thing I care about most in the world is women and violence against women. I know in this country it's a pandemic. It's I mean, there are so many women who are murdered by their disgruntled partners. What saddens me about this book is that back in the seventies when we were dealing with this, there were no laws to protect my mom. She couldn't leave my dad, he was an ex police officer. When
she went to the police, they all just year. You know, I'm saying, there.
Are laws about it now, and people are still.
And they're still being murdered. Women are still being murdered. It's that's the thing that it really really moves me. So, yes, this book, a lot of it is about me, but it's really about women because my mum was such a victim, and it's about breaking cycles of abuse.
I want to say Kurdos to you, because just by opening up and telling this side of your story, you would be helping so many people, more than you'll realize.
I really want to, And that's the whole gist of the book. You know, like it was scary to lift that veil and be so vulnerable, really joyful, really happy.
Yeah, we're going to come back more with Darren Hayes on the other side of this Serah on Nova. We are hanging out with Darren Hayes this morning, truly, madly, deeply. Do you do you still get into.
That I've never stopped singing the songs. I don't know that the general public ever knew that, because the breakup of the band was just so messy.
I find as a true fan, I find it if like you guys don't even talk now, do you you?
He was incredibly unkind to me and he didn't tell the truth when the band broke up, And I go, do you think there's any chance if he If no, I'll just stop you there.
Even if he reached out, No, because.
He has reached out several times and offered to go on the record and kind of apologize. What he did to me was public. Look, no one wants to hear about that stuff. Fans want to just hear songs.
I got something joyful to player. You love this? This was doing the rounds online.
This guy, I love this.
This got me Okay, So this is for hurligans. This is a whole full pub.
Choir pase English footy fans.
Here we go, hard men, I.
Love it, arms around each other.
Do you know what's so sweet about this is because we've always been very protective of that song. But what happened was I think it was the World Cup was falling on Valentine's Day and this was this amazing marketing ad. It might have been via Adidas or something, but I just loved the message and it was like, Hey, love, I'm going to go to the footy. Please don't break up with me, but I love you. And these are real footy fans.
Well, if you're protective of the music, you do not want to see videos of Lauren having a crack at karaokeing.
Everyone should sing. It's good for the soul totally. It doesn't matter if you think you can't sing or whatever. Everyone should sing.
It just makes you feel what about you think you can sing but you can't asking for.
Just I know quite well, just don't have a career in it.
I mean the radio.
I haven't heard this, but I just found out you released a cover of Last Christmas.
Oh my gosh, we must put this on rotation. Yeah, George Michael, you got to meet George Michael.
We became somewhat acquaintances him and George Michael. I'm gonna this is going to sound like a humble brand.
Go for it.
It's George Mike.
So I sang this song and then maybe six months later, was invited by Pavarotti duet with him at Pavarotine. Friends.
Hang on, you did a with George Michael or Pavarotti.
And you're friends.
I was the friend's friend single and I had to sing an Italian and I don't know what it is. It's the go to love me, I know that. Here's the deal. We go to Moderna in Italy. Guess who's on the bill Tracy Chapman, Annie Lennox, George Michael, and Darryl Haynes from Soundgarden right, and I'm thinking total imposter syndrome. Whatevervarotti friends couldn't have been nicer. Yet. The friends were aua aqua with Pavarotti traditional and actually the lead singer
whose name, forgive me, I can't remember. She's a beautiful person and hasn't great voice. But here's the deal. The other guy was like, dumb on Bobby, I don't know if he can send so Pavarotti.
Didn't say Barbie girl.
He gave me singing lessons.
Pavarotti.
He took the key and he raised it five semi tones because in in Spanish, I'm sorry in Italian he kept saying, no, no, you're returning, you're atturning your antenna. I was just like whatever, But anyway, then George is on the same show and he walks up to me and he goes, you're saying summer mine, didn't.
You George did?
And I'm like, George, Michael knew about it, Yes, are you here for royalties? And I just went I sat there frozen, and he went, I quite liked it a little wink. And I just.
Oh, Michael, because when he said it, were you like, oh my god, is taking a savvy in my song?
Yeah? You know what. I once did a Prince cover and you know how Prince reacted to that.
I didn't like it.
He not that. Not only did he not like it, he said, please burn all copies? Was a live recording on a DVD.
Can we find it on YouTube?
No? You actually can? We must go it was it was my song popular match mashed up with Baby on.
The Star, Please Burn? Or was that in a voice note or an email or it was.
I don't know how are he communicated. I think it might have been at that point through invisible ink because at that point but yeah, we had filmed it in like HD cameras. It was a d v D about to come out, and I was so proud, and it was like he had one hundred percent of the royalties and he went burn it, burn old copies.
Oh wow. I could imagine him saying that.
You know him, he's a genius.
The artist formerly known as Prince.
He's a genius him terribly.
Well, so are you, sir. Darren Hayes new memoir, Unlovable is available now.
It's very good, So lovable smell.
I'll be emailing through the concoction later on and I.
Will reply with videos of Lauren hacking your song a karaokee.
Lauren wake Up Feeling Good, Number one hundred Lauren socials
MHM