TV HITS: OK, you've come form out of nowhere with "I Want You". What's the story?
Darren: Well for us, it's probably been a three-year sort of thing, I guess. We were a covers band, then it end up being two guys writing songs and having a great management team. It was a lot of stuff behind the scene for the last two years leading up to this. We just decided to make a record, to be honest. We sat in a room for about eight months, wrote songs, sent demo and basically got signed after that first demo.
TVH: Did "I Want You" break in Brisbane first?
Darren: No, Melbourne radio picked it up first.
Daniel: I guess it was all done without the hype. It was like, "Here is our song, make of it what you will", and I think radio took a genuine interest in it.
Darren: Brisbane was one of the last places to get on board, even though we're from there.
TVH: What about this whole Roxette-soundlike thing? Are you fans of theirs?
Darren: No, never been. I respect them but I've never bought a Roxette single. I think when people hear our next single "To The Moon And Back" they'll see we are not like Roxette.
Daniel: I think the whole Roxette thing came from an industry mag. A reviewer said something about "I Want You" sounding like Roxette, so, of course, when most DJs red it they think, "Blah blah Roxette!"
TVH: Do you have similar taste in music?
Darren: no, we're pretty much different all the way down to line. I'm a really big fan so I listen to lots of different stuff. I'm a big Prince fan, I love U2, Michael Jackson, and I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac and Motown.
Daniel: I'm a song-person really, but I don't have any real idols. If George Michael or Sheryl Crow come up with a really good song I'd like that. It's not dishonest to the artist...but if they please me with a good song over and over again then they get all my credit and I respect them.
TVH: How does your relationship work in terms of writing and performing?
Daniel: We haven't got a set ingredient yet and that's good 'cause we're still finding our feet...
Darren:...but we write everything together
TVH: Do you guys ever argue?
Darren: Not about music.
Daniel: We did during the recording. But we were going throuhg a lot of changes - here we are from Brisbane, two guys who came from nowhere, sitting in a room with Charles fisher, who is a fantastic producer. Three in one room is better than two, but not easier than two. Two people in one room is easy!
Darren: It's just like a family, you end up siding with one.
Daniel: It was really difficult because sometimes Darren and Charles would agree on something and then sit out on it. And then sometimes me and Darren would agree on something.
Darren: But in terms of our relationship together, we muddle that out years ago!
TVH: Do you worry about being a pop group in Australia when bands like You Am I and Regurgitator get all the press?
Daniel: Well, we can't get away with not being a pop group because that's what we are. And we believe in what we do.
Darren: I listen to Triple J so I don't listen to a lot of commercial music. But I'm not going to apolagise for my commerciality because it's not a compromise. We are commercial-that's the music we write.
Darren: To be honest, I'd just rather do what's in my heart. Just because we're commercial doesn't mean our hearts are marketing strategies...Besides the lyric content is fantastic and a lot of the arrangements are great.
TVH: Daniel, do you ever get mixed with Daniel Johns from silverchair?
Daniel: No, but they called me "Daniel Johns but not the one from silverchair" on the radio the other day!
TVH: What's your new single "To The Moon And Back" about?
Darren: It's about a very dear friend. It was one of the first songs we wrote together and it's probably the reason we got signed. It's a beautiful song and we're really happy with it. It features the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel: Even if doesn't do anything on the charts, we're releasing it to get away from the whole Roxette thing.
TVH: What's your favourite Roxette song?
Darren: The only Roxette song I really like is "Listen To Your Heart" that's a great song.
Daniel: "It Must Have Been Love" was good.
TVH: What is the meaning of life according to Savage Garden?
Darren: (in Swedish accent) To listen to your heart.
Daniel: To come on and join the joyride.
Darren: To be the heart of the funfair...! Nah, I guess just to be true to yourself!
