Bertie Blackman: 'Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs'
Channel: Andrew McMillen
Date: 2014-10-22

Bertie Blackman speaking with Australian journalist and author Andrew McMillen for his book 'Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs', which was published in July 2014 by University of Queensland Press.

This clip was filmed at Bertie's manager's house on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria in June 2013, immediately after our 70 minute-long interview on the topic of drug use of all sorts – illicit, legal and prescription – which was then published as one of fourteen chapters in 'Talking Smack'. At the time, Bertie was writing songs that would later appear on her fifth album, 'The Dash', released in November 2014.

Bertie Blackman: "I feel like I've had an upbringing that was around drug-taking – my parents both being visual artists – and then me ending up as an artist as well, the way I saw them dealing with alcohol and drugs... I felt like what I had to offer was a relevant part of the conversation."

Bertie's chapter from 'Talking Smack' was published on TheVine.com.au in August 2014, and can be read here: http://www.thevine.com.au/entertainment/music/gotye-paul-kelly-bertie-blackman-and-more-talk-drug-use-in-talking-smack-20140826-285421/?page=1

More about 'Talking Smack' below, and at http://talkingsmack.com.au/

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'Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs' by Andrew McMillen (UQP, 2014)

Of all the creative industries, the most distinct link between drug use and creativity lies within music. The two elements seem to be intertwined, inseparable; that mythical phrase “sex, drugs and rock and roll” has been bandied about with a wink and a grin for decades. But is it all smoke and mirrors, or does that cliché ring true for some of our best-known performers?

In this fascinating book, journalist Andrew McMillen talks with Australian musicians about their thoughts on – and experiences with – illicit, prescription and legal drugs. Through a series of in-depth and intimate interviews, he tells the stories of those who have bitten into the forbidden fruit and avoided choking.

This isn’t to say that stories of ruin and redemption are avoided – they’re not. These celebrated performers have walked the straight-and-narrow path of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and prescription medication, as well as the supposedly dark-and-crooked road of cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and methamphetamine.

By having conversations about something that’s rarely discussed in public, and much less often dealt with honestly, McMillen explores the truths and realities of a contentious topic that isn’t going away.

'Talking Smack' is a timely, thought-provoking must-read that takes you inside the highs and lows of some of our most successful and creative musicians, including Paul Kelly, Tina Arena, Gotye, Steve Kilbey (The Church), Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon) and Holly Throsby.

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'Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs' was published on 23 July 2014 by University of Queensland Press. The book is available in paperback (RRP $29.95) at bookstores throughout Australia, and as an ebook throughout the world. http://www.talkingsmack.com.au/buy/

Video credits:

Creative Direction: Hans van Vliet, IV Motion (http://ivmotion.com.au/)
Animation: Hans van Vliet, Zac Bavas and Ryan Grzesiak
Music: ‘I Miss You’ by Hunz (http://hunz.com.au)
Editing: Hans van Vliet
Director: Andrew McMillen