The Eternal Battle Of Man Verses Camel With JASON WHALLEY From FRENZAL RHOMB

Interview by Kris Peters
At the turn of the last century - around the same time the world
was supposed to succumb to the flash in the pan that was the Y2K
bug - a group of four Sydney punk reprobates called Frenzal Rhomb
were plotting their own assault on the world.
But instead of technology, this was a stealth attack by
music.
After previously making their name as carefree, wreckless,
uncompromising punk rockers through albums Coughing Up A Storm, Not
So Tough Now and Meet The Family, Frenzal Rhomb elected to go a
little more mainstream on their fourth album, A Man's Not A Camel.
So much so that the album contained a bona fide ballad - I Miss My
Lung, and another on the cusp of being a ballad with You Are Not My
Friend.
Granted, A Man's Not A Camel provided some staple Frenzal moments
with songs like It's Up To You, Do You Wanna Fight Me and the
irresistible I Know Why Dinosaurs Became Extinct, and it also
contained more than enough lashings of Frenzal humour, but it was
also far enough on the right side of the musical ledger to have the
song Never Had So Much Fun nominated for an ARIA Award in the Best
Pop Release category.
I shit you not. Thankfully a singing budgie by the name of Kylie
Minogue pipped them at the post, otherwise who knows how far down
the rabbit hole Frenzal Rhomb would have gone?
And now, 26 years after it first came out, Frenzal Rhomb are
celebrating the 25th (ish) Birthday of A Man's Not A Camel with an
extensive Australian tour that will see the band travelling to
places some of you might not even know exist.
HEAVY tracked down Frenzal frontman Jason Whalley to take a trip
down memory lane.
"That record seemed to resonate with people," Whalley nodded,
stroking his chin. "It had all those songs on it like Never Had So
Much Fun and You Are Not My Friend and I Miss My Lung and all that
jazz. There's a lot of songs on there that, let's be honest,
weren't very good. But it had a few songs on there that seemed to
resonate with people. We are doing this tour where we're
celebrating this record, but to be honest, we play all the good
songs off that record every time we play anyway. We are pulling out
some deep cuts too. I've had to relearn a lot of lyrics. I actually
looked up the lyrics on the internet to try and figure out what
they were, to try and relearn them."
We ask if that means the whole of A Man's Not A Camel album will be
played in full on tour.
"100% not," he countered. "We wouldn't do that to our audience.
There's a few songs on there that just have not stood the test of
time. I mean, even a week after it was released, we weren't playing
them. When you see bands doing their whole album, I'm always like,
come on, mate, they weren't all bangers."
In the full interview, Jay discussed Frenzal Rhomb's upcoming shows
in more detail, revealing the tour will include 25 shows in various
locations that were missed during their last tour, allowing the
band to reconnect with fans. He expressed enthusiasm for the tour
and reflected on the band's evolution in songwriting on A Man's Not
A Camel, noting a shift towards a more pop-oriented sound while
emphasizing the importance of song quality over tempo.
The conversation also covered Frenzal's experiences with the
album's reception and their nomination at the ARIA's, where he
recalled a memorable performance in hospital attire due to his
broken arm. We discussed the album's release in the US under Fat
Mike's Fat Wreck Chords, highlighting changes made to the tracklist
and the unnecessary suggestion of a name change for the American
market, plus more.

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