CROSSWORDSI adore crosswords. I don’t do the print ones as
much as I’d like to, because all the good ones are in conservative
newspapers and I don’t really want to support them. There are a
few online that I like to do, though – they aren’t too easy or too hard.
Finding the right words is really important to the kind of songs
I write; sometimes I’ll stress for days over a phrase just to get it
perfect. I like to think that doing little things like crosswords keeps
my vocabulary up and makes it easier for me to say what I mean.
...................MY GUITARThe guitar I play is a black Danelectro that was given to
me as a surprise birthday gift at a time when I didn’t have a working
guitar of my own. It really blew me away. I’m very prone to depression
and self-doubt, and I think about quitting music all the time, but the
guitar reminds me there are people out there who love me and care
about the things I’m doing. It’s the most valuable thing I own.
...................TOURING THE WORLDThis year my band has been lucky enough
to play a lot of music overseas. I’d never been to America or Europe
before, so it’s been amazing to travel and see the world while
playing my songs to people. It’s great, but it’s also very stressful.Being a transgender person and playing music to new audiences is
a challenging experience that I don’t have a lot of reference points
for. I know that when we play, there are people in the room who
are going to have a problem with me, no matter what I do. It’s a
frustrating and sometimes scary reality, but it’s really important for
me to be outside my comfort zone. I know when I throw myself into
the deep end, I’m making things a little easier for people like me
who are constantly ridiculed or ignored by the music industry....................
WALKING There are all these alleyways in Melbourne’s northern
suburbs that are really long and usually filled with cats, birds and
lemon trees. It’s nice on a sunny day to follow them down to where
it’s quiet and there’s no traffic or people anywhere. I really feel as
if I’m the only person on Earth when I walk down there....................
COFFEEI am obsessed with coffee. Sometimes I drink about
15 to 20 cups a day. I’ve got a very addictive personality and I need
to have something to hold in my hands and sip, otherwise I start to
feel strange. Being overseas this year was weird, because nowhere
else apart from Australia knows how to make good coffee. It’s been
real satisfying to get back home each time and buy a flat white on
Sydney Road. Next time I leave Australia, I’m going to have to pack
a percolator with me....................
THE BANK I used to live in this old bank in Preston. It’s just
a building now, but for a few years it was a pretty amazing
sharehouse/venue/recording studio. I wrote so many songs there,
and my band played our very first gig in the studio space. I never
used to feel like I was part of anything, and it gave me a real
sense of community and energy that I’d never had before. It’s
really important to have somewhere you belong and are free to
be yourself. I’m grateful for the things I’ve learnt and the friends
I’ve met while living there. It still energises me.things that matter
to me...
WITH ROMY VAGER OF
MELBOURNE BAND RVG.
Interview Sophie Kalagasmusic talks