Few performers can make people think and laugh quite like Bill Bailey.
asserted
people → make → Bailey
Currently on an extensive tour of Australia, Bailey shares stories of adventure, connection and wonder with Megan Burslem on ABC Classic Breakfast.
asserted
Bailey → share → Breakfast
From making music in Vietnam's remote highlands to mastering a typewriter solo at the Last Night of the Proms, Bailey reveals what it takes to be "a consummate professional".
He also shares the music that has inspired him throughout his career and why Australia continues to hold a special place in his heart.
asserted
Australia → make → heart
On touring Australia
Megan Burslem: What do you love about Australia?
asserted
you → tour → Australia
When my son came out on tour and he wanted to go skydiving, I said: "All right, let's go."
It was up on the Gold Coast, a beautiful pristine morning with blue skies.
We hurtled earthwards and then we deployed the parachute, and we just sort of gently floated down and landed on the beach.
Then I asked: "What's that down there?"
And he said: "Oh, that's just some whales breaching in the bay."
I was like, come on, really?
asserted
I → come → bay
You're touring all over Australia.
asserted
You → tour → Australia
Are you secretly sussing out real estate to move here?
asserted
you → susse → estate
It's crossed my mind.
asserted
It → cross → mind
What is the best musical experience you've had around the world?
asserted
you → have → world
I filmed a documentary in Vietnam, and we went up into the remote highlands up north, to a place called the Sapa Valley.
asserted
we → film → place
[The local indigenous people had] an instrument called the khèn.
asserted
people → have → instrument
It's a blown instrument that looks a bit like a bagpipe, but it's made of different lengths of bamboo.
asserted
it → blow → bamboo
It makes a very fluting, haunting sound.
asserted
It → make → sound
There was one practitioner of it who didn't even speak Vietnamese.
asserted
who → be → Vietnamese
He only spoke a local dialect.
asserted
He → speak → dialect
We had to get two translators, but we figured it out musically.
asserted
we → have → it
He would demonstrate [on a few instruments] how [the khèn] would be played.
asserted
khèn → demonstrate → instruments
I figured out the notation of [one of] the instruments and found that I could accompany him on my phone with a little [keyboard] app.
uncertain
I → figure → app
I played a few chords and accompanied him on this instrument up in these remote highlands.
asserted
I → play → highlands
It's moments like that where I think music has this incredible transformative power to connect people across nations, cultures and languages.
asserted
music → think → nations
You played at the Last Night of the Proms last year.
asserted
You → play → Proms
What was it like to experience the Royal Albert Hall organ up close?
asserted
it → experience → organ
When I played on the Last Night of the Proms last year, I had to rehearse at midnight.
asserted
I → play → midnight
It's not something where you can just turn up and say: "I'm just going to be noodling around up here.
asserted
I → turn → ?
I had to come in when all the concerts were finished, and everyone had left.
asserted
everyone → have → ?
"Meet me at the stage door at midnight and I will take you to the organ.
asserted
I → meet → organ
And then you sort of wind your way up through the corridors.
asserted
you → wind → corridors
When the organ switched on and it started to fill with air, the whole thing [came alive] like a beast.
asserted
thing → switch → beast
I got loose on this instrument, and it felt like that scene in Star Wars when the Emperor goes, "Ultimate power!", and sparks come out of his fingers.
asserted
sparks → get → fingers
You also played Leroy Anderson's The typewriter at the Proms.
asserted
You → play → Proms
How did you practise your solo?
asserted
you → practise → solo
You have to return the carriage [to get that ting sound].
asserted
You → have → sound
But you can't rely on the machine to ting every time.
asserted
you → rely → machine
So, as a backup, you have a little bell on the desk next to the typewriter.
asserted
you → have → typewriter
But at the Last Night of the Proms, they wanted the bell under the table, so I had to operate a foot-pedal bell on live television.
asserted
I → want → television
I practised and practised for hours and hours.
asserted
I → practise → hours
They'd hired me a beautiful old Corona typewriter, and I'm sure the neighbours thought: "Bill's gone analogue.
asserted
Bill → hire → typewriter
He's writing a novel."
asserted
He → write → novel
Burslem: Did you make a mistake?
Bailey: At one point, the keys jammed.
asserted
keys → make → point
But being the consummate professional, I'd planned for that eventuality by deliberately jamming them while I was playing and then rehearsing how to unjam them in the middle of a phrase.
asserted
I → plan → phrase
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia