NOONAN’S HEARTBREAK FUELS DEBUT SOLO EP
Interview: September 2006

A broken heart has always brought out the best in songwriters. Tyrone Noonan is no exception. The multi-instrumentalist and founder of George - with sister Katie - is still licking his wounds after a long-term relationship went sadly wrong. As such the title of his debut solo mini-album, Heavy Soul Part 1, is no surprise. The music is harder than anything he’s done before. Angry, at times, and very electric and minimal compared to the vast atmospheres and elegant expressionism of George. This is musical with angles and sharp edges.

At home in Brisbane where he’s working up a live band, Tyrone seems a little hesitant compared with the man I spoke to in the boom years of George, which - let’s put it on paper - is officially on “extended long service leave” and I wouldn’t expect it to end too soon. Katie is due to give birth to her second child in November - she already has a 14-month old son, Dexter - and has also recorded a solo album, and Tyrone plans a full-length solo set next.

More on his thoughts about George later, but let’s get to the meat of this solo six-tracker.

“Once George decided to take a break I sat down with a guitar and piano and just thought ‘ let’s see what I can write’. I had no preconceptions,” he says. “When you work on one project for so long you write subconsciously, in a way that suits the main band.

“So being solo has been a slowly evolving process but one I decided to lock in on what I was doing it came together fairly quickly..

“I’m working towards a full-length album. That’s my next project. This is a teaser, kind of like my break-up suite. A lot of the songs are very personal; the most personal and honest I’ve ever released.

“It was challenging letting go. The fear of self-expression is hard to get over. But somebody pointed out a while ago that the songwriters I respect the most are classic underdogs who aren’t scared to display human frailty.”

He’s talking about John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys - the conversation devolves into a brief discussion of the merits of the great song, God Only Knows, and Surf’s Up. Tyrone admits to being a late arrival when it comes to Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but he’s a convert - particularly to the immaculate harmonies of Crosby Stills Nash & Young.

And, of course, harmonies were such a major part of the best moments of George.

So how hard has been to step away from the band that when it arrived, suddenly flew and soared much like Katie’s voice. George were a well kept secret one moment and everybody’s favourite the next. Awards followed hits followed awards followed critically adored records. Even better, the record companies couldn’t invent more Georges: there just aren’t that many great singers with a vocal range like Katie’s who happen to have a brother who’s a multi-instrumentalist, both backed by one of the tightest and musically adept rhythm sections in the country. think about it: all these people cut jazz records in their spare time. And get plaudits when they do. It has to be a wrench to stand alone.

“Yes, it was hard to step away,” Tyrone says, “but it was part of me discovering myself as a songwriters and rediscovering my own identity as a human being. It’s actually kind of scary when you realise you have to do it. But all great artists have a history of jumping off the cliff.

“I do miss the camaraderie of the family unit I helped build up over the years. We were very close. The way it happened helped us to be as well. We had to be. We went from little indie band to major act in very short space of time. We had been out there touring for years and in retrospect i can see the build-up but still it was an incredible thing when it happened. Now the solo project has built up a whole lot of other challenges. So I’ll concentrate on this for the next year. I’ll curb my Geminian wanderings, lock down the band and concentrate.”

But the best comment he saves to last. It is the measure of the man: “I’m proud to say, I have to say I love music but my favourite time is hanging out with my little nephew, Dexter.”