It’s been more than 30 years since his former band played their last show, but James Reyne is aware he’s still known as “that bloke from Australian Crawl” to a large section of the population. Brisbane-based music journalist Daniel Johnson gets some insights into James's songwriting process, discussing everything from his new album Toon Town Lullaby, to the 40th anniversary of Australian Crawl's debut album The Boys Light Up. 

James also explains what he's been up to since social restrictions arising from COVID-19 cut his tour short in March: “We were sitting at the airport, about to get on a plane to go to Sydney to continue with this tour we were on when we got the phone call saying ‘it’s over, go home’.

“So from that second, no one was going to earn any money and until we can go back and play in front of somebody in a place where people pay to go and see you - like it used to be - we’re not going to earn a cent.”

But James also shares plenty of humorous anecdotes, such as this one about touring with  Mark Seymour: “It’s the only time I’ve ever gone out after the gig and signed merchandise ... I only did it because I was with Mark but I swore I’d never do it again. I used to say to the audience ‘look we’re going to be signing CDs, if I met you at 10pm, or 2am, in 1981, I’m telling you now, I don’t remember’, and without fail, there would be some guy going, ‘maaaate, 1981! Remember at that club? … ‘ And no, I have no memory of it.”