Having just played a bunch of shows at SXSW (like everyone else in the music business) psychedelic bluesman King Tuff is heading on his way to Australia for the first time. He is a very chilled kind of bloke, and was in that type of mood when speaking to The AU Review. We just casually asked what exactly he was up to right at that moment.
King Tuff: Yeah I am in LA just relaxing. I’m looking forward to South by Southwest as well. Yeah that’ll be insane. I’m probably looking forward to the Burgers show ’cause they’re reissuing my old record and there’ll be a lot of old friends playing too. It’ll be crazy.
the AU review: You’re getting a crazy new vinyl out in a couple of months?
I’m real excited for it. Been a while since that one was available to get, so it’ll be nice to get it out to people who wanted it and stuff.
It’ll be great to see it out there and around the same time you’ll be coming out to Australia. You have a few dates here in Australia and then you’re off to Europe, so it’ll be an intense type of touring schedule for you I suppose?
It is, but there’s some stuff I’m looking forward to, like Australia in itself and Primavera Festival as well.
You’re wanting to play a huge festival in Spain, who’d want to do that [sarcastically]?
Yeah, your’e right! I’m over it right now! [chuckles]. But yeah, I’m also working on songs in my spare time as well. It’ll be good I think.
When we spoke at CMJ a few months ago you just released a few songs on a seven inch, and it looked as if you were going to make some new material. Is that going to be happening later this year?
I’m looking to take some time out really and write a bunch of songs to be able to figure what the best album will be. At the moment the type of songs I’m writing are joke songs! I think I have to do that [write joke songs] – it’s just part of the process.
Will the joke songs become incredibly serious and dramatic further in the songwriting process?
No. In actual fact I’ll put out a comedy album next.
I think I could see you on a comedy tour one day.
Oh man, I don’t know. I don’t think I could do comedy [laughs]. I would have to wear some sweatpants or something right?
I don’t know, you’ve gotta just kind of, let it all grow.
Maybe. I’m trying to get myself together and get further away from that [laughs]. But maybe I should just give in. Talk to me in a couple of years.
When it comes to the Australian tour (we thought) you were going to see a quite bit of Australia, but you don’t have any days off! I thought you’d have some time to see the country?
Yeah, it’s a bummer. I was like, “oh, I have to play a show every day and won’t get to touch a god damn kangaroo or whatever”.
You play the 24th to the 27th of April. Do you get a day off before at least or are they throwing you in the deep end down here?
I don’t know. It’s a pretty long flight so I hope that I at least sleep with a koala for five seconds! We’ll see what happens. You know I have a few friends from Australia and they always tell me to go down there.
I also want to come during the Summertime too. Will it be cold when I get there?
No, it’ll be April, so it should be kind of still warm. We only really have two cold months in Australia. You’ll be fine. You’ll just have to come back next Summer. Onto other things, how has the New Year treated you so far?
Well, I bought a lamp, a desk and a chair! That’s pretty sweet. I’ve created an office.
What’ll be the main purpose of the office. Will it be for writing? Partying?
Mainly just staring at the wall. That’s it really. That’s what I do.
A lot of procrastination then?
Yeah, staring at the wall just thinking of what to do rather than just doing it! [laughs]
So just for your Australian fans, what can we expect from your show?
It’ll be a three-piece band so it’ll be a little different from what we normally do things. It’ll be a bare bones rock and roll experience.
How many people do you play with normally?
Four normally. There are two guitarists normally, but just for this tour there’ll be just one and most tours after that it’ll just be one.
I read that you had to cancel your Mexico show. That’s a pity.
Yeah that just kind of turned into a mess. It was due to a bunch of different reasons.
Hopefully you’ll get a bunch of Mexican food into you in Austin (for SXSW).
Oh yeah, oh yeah. You know it. My skin is going to change into a taco at the end of it.
And it’s delicious!
I’m also going to drink only margaritas and probably won’t be able to talk very well.
As long as you can sing and rock out at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter.
Oh that’s a different thing. It’s another part of the brain. Am just looking forward to it.
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