Anne Hamersky
Colin Hay, formerly the front man of Aussie popsters Men at Work, has been flying solo since the band broke up in the late '80s. In addition to songwriting and touring, Hay has branched out to film and several television appearances on the hit sitcom "Scrubs." Expect to hear songs from his new album, "Are You Looking at Me?" tonight when Hay and his guitar hit the stage of Discovery Theatre.
With new album, 'Down Under' singer feels at top of solo career
Published: May 10, 2007
Last Modified: May 10, 2007 at 05:29 AM
You can't really call this one a comeback. More like a liberation, maybe. Because at this point in his career, it seems like Colin Hay, front man for Men at Work, was a solo artist trapped in a band's body.
If the name doesn't set off any familiarity buzzers, the voice will. His reedy tenor is responsible for etching "Who Can It Be Now?" "Down Under" and other Men at Work tunes into the brains of just about anyone old enough to remember the cyanide-laced Tylenol scare or when John Belushi died.
That Grammy-winning, Aussie hit factory fell apart in 1985. But Hay didn't.
"I just carried on," he said from a Philadelphia hotel room where he was taking a night off after seven shows in six nights -- he'll play Anchorage tonight. "You kind of put on a nice coat and, you know, strike out confidently."
It's been more than 20 years since Hay launched his solo career, and still he gets recognized first as "that former Men at Work guy" rather than who he is today.
He doesn't mind.
"That was part of my past and part of who I am," said Hay, 53. "There's no real point in trying to get away from something you can't get away from. You might as well embrace it."
A lot has changed though since he went striking out on his own. For one thing, he moved from Australia to Los Angeles, where he started his own label, Lazy Eye Records, in 1994. For another, he's now on much better terms with his liver.
"I don't drink anymore," he said. "I used to drink a lot, and it got the better of me. I decided I had to give it up if I wanted to still walk around the planet."
That doesn't mean Hay's gone preachy. In fact, he has moments when he wishes his sobriety wasn't so.
"You know how it is, talking to some people? Christ, I wish I could have a drink."
One of the songs on his new album, "Are You Looking at Me?" is about that very thing:
I wish I was still drinking, I was a lot more fun
Life of the endless party, friends with anyone
I wouldn't have to answer for the promises I broke
Like the president today, or when he drank and snorted coke
In addition to songwriting, recording and touring, Hay has picked up work here and there as an actor. Among his film credits, he was a drugged-up musician in Mark Joffe's "Cosi" and played in "Heaven's Burning" with Russell Crowe. He's also racked up some television appearances, including on the NBC series "Scrubs."
His music has also had cameos in a half dozen "Scrubs" episodes. And "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" is on the Grammy Award winning soundtrack from "Garden State."
His recent CD release, "Are You Looking at Me?" is Hay's first recording of new songs in five years. And he's feeling pretty good about it.
"Whenever you do a record you think it's the best one you've done," he said. "That's the way I feel about this one. Hopefully, that's how I'll feel about the next one.
"I had a great time making it. And I can listen to it all the way to the end, which is a good sign I think."
In addition to his solo career, Hay still plays and tours with others. He and former Men at Work sax and keyboard man Greg Ham toured together from 1996 to 2002 and did "Down Under" for the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 2003, Hay was invited to tour with the Ringo Starr All Starr Band.
For this Anchorage gig, it will just be the man and his guitar, although there's a chance his wife, Cecilia Noel, leader of salsoul band The Wild Clams, will break free from her own touring schedule to join him.
He's looking forward to playing here.
"I've never been," he said. "I'm quite excited.
"I think people should expect to have a great night out. That's what I try to provide. I'll try to make people feel good about having stepped out the door."
• Daily News reporter Debra McKinney can be reached at dmckinney@adn.com.
Colin Hay
Presented by Whistling Swan Productions
When: 7:30 p.m. today
Where: Discovery Theatre
How much: $29, www.centertix. net
Web: www.colinhay.com
