ICEHOUSE'S PRIMARY DRUMMER
Spellbound's 1997 Interview with Paul Wheeler

Every rock and roll band has their "thunder god." Each band thinks theirs is the best and the fans will support that assumption. Well, it is a simple fact that they are all wrong. Icehouse is the lucky outfit to have THE thunder god of them all. That deity's name is Paul Wheeler. On a direct line to drumming heaven, Spellbound spoke with Paul about his past and present. We also took a moment to talk to Paul about two very personal issues that have had a huge impact on his life.

And in the beginning, there came forth a young man fated to become a drumming legend. Too bad he wanted to drive trains…

Spellbound: Why don't we start from the beginning…

Paul: I was born.

Spellbound: As a child, were you musically inclined?

Paul: Not really, actually. When I was about five, all I wanted to do was drive trains. I had this fixation on wanting to be a train driver. I don't know why. I think it was the thing of watching the train tracks when I was looking out the windows. I don't know if it was saying, subconsciously, "You're going to go on a journey. You don't know where the hell you're going." Anyway, I didn't end up doing that. I can't remember what else I wanted to do after that. I think it was when I was about ten or something, that I was watching TV. I think it was a show called Sounds and this band came on - I remember seeing this big drum kit. This big shiny thing, you know. I think it was Led Zeppelin who were on TV and I just remember seeing John Bonham playing. For some reason I just thought, "That's what I want to do."

Spellbound: Did anyone else in your family have any musical leanings?

Paul: My brother was already playing electric guitar then so I used to go through all his records and my sister's records. There was music around all the time so I guess my influences came through them as I listened to all their records. From then on, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to play drums. So I just pestered my parents until eventually they gave in and bought me my first drum kit - which cost about $50 or something - from some guy who'd given up playing in clubs. It was stained yellow from all the smoke in the clubs. It still had the old calfskins on it. So I used to just jam with my brother at home, just me and him after school. We'd play our favorite songs and it just went on from there.

Spellbound: Who would you play?

Paul: Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the first Pretenders record, Heart - we'd play a song called "Barracuda." We used to play old Police records like the first album and the singles before the first album. Just anything really, not too particular.

Spellbound: Who were your drumming heroes besides John Bonham?

Paul: Stuart Copeland I guess. When I was younger it was just those two, but then as I've gotten older I don't really have a favorite anymore. I just listen to everything and different players because I can pick up different ideas from different players. I listen to everyone rather than just shutting myself off and listening to the same players all the time - even though there are quite a bit of fills that I do that I can't get out of the habit of just from listening to Stuart Copeland. There's another guy named Bill Bruford who I like from King Crimson. Too many to mention - it depends on the song. They might play crappy on one song and then do something really good on another one. It doesn't have to be really difficult; it's just the idea that they come up with.

Spellbound: What was the first band you were in?

Paul: The first band, when I was around 15, was with a bunch of friends called Ground Level. We got the name off a supermarket shopping bag that said, "Men's Underwear, Ground Level." So we thought, what the hell, we'll call it that - pretty original, wasn't it?

Spellbound: Pretty clever!

Paul: Embarrassing! That was just with a bunch of friends. We'd do the usual thing you do when you first start a band playing the parties and whatever gigs you can get. Doing little clubs here and there. I did a gig once where they wouldn't let me in because I was underage but the rest of the band were over 18 so I had to play outside the actual gig while the others played inside. Can you believe that?

Spellbound: That's unreal!

Paul: So I was out there in the beer garden playing the drums while the rest of the band were inside. There was a bit of a problem with the delay happening. For the people outside it was just one big drum solo and half the place ended up leaving after the first song.

Spellbound: So then what happened with that band? Where did it go from there?

Paul: We just eventually went off and did other things. I played with somebody else, people lost interest, and then the band split. Then I just played with different cover bands, whatever work I could get. Just playing whatever because I wanted to play.

So the godling didn't board the train to start a career on the rails. However, he had still to earn his status as "thunder god." We talked further about how he gained experience on the path to godhood.

Spellbound: Which was your first real serious band, where you thought, "Hey, I'm actually getting somewhere with this!"?

Paul: I guess when I tried out for Machinations and I got that, I first thought I was getting into something more serious.

Spellbound: What year was that?

Paul: That was 1985.

Spellbound: So you were twenty.

Paul: Well, I'm not sure how old I was... I'm only 27 now... so that makes me what? 16?

Spellbound: That's right...

Paul: Then Icehouse came up not long after that, really. I was with Machinations for only two months or maybe a bit longer.

Spellbound: How did you get connected to Icehouse?

Paul: Glenn Krawczyk used to work at the Turramurra Music Centre and Iva used to - well I think he still does - go there to check out gear or whatever. I knew Glenn from playing in a band called Motives MO with him and David Chapman, which was in about 1985 as well. I guess Iva was talking to him, telling him he was putting a band together and Glenn suggested me. I tried out and originally didn't get it. I think a friend of Guy Pratt's got the gig. He ended up not working out. Iva called back and said, "We need someone soon because we're doing this Australian tour and then we're off to America." So they had to get somebody pretty fast. It just went from there, a couple weeks of rehearsal and we went off.

Spellbound: What did you think of the band when you first started playing with them? Where they what you expected?

Paul: I was pretty excited just from going to playing in cover bands into this band that had albums out and were playing to crowds. It was a bit daunting. It was a bit of a shock really - travelling all over the place when before that I hadn't really traveled anywhere.

Spellbound: Did you feel that you fit in? You were a bit younger that the other guys.

Paul: I was 19, and the others were older. It felt a bit weird. There was that age difference and it felt like I was just this little kid who's come in to play drums. But after a while, I showed them how good I was… no…

Spellbound: That's probably true.

Paul: It was a bit strange at first, but after a while it was okay. Having the chance to travel around, going to America and Europe, I've had a lot of good experiences.

Spellbound: In terms of your playing for Icehouse, how much is your "creative self" playing the drums, and how much is what Iva tells you to do?

Paul: When we've recorded before, Iva would give me a demo of the songs with what he'd programmed. I would go in and do my interpretation of what he'd done. I think it was on the Man Of Colours record, he programmed all these fills. So I went in and pretty much copied all the fills that he'd programmed, and I think I should have gone in there and put a bit more of myself into it. But, you know, it turned out really well anyway. The way David Lord worked, it came down to putting a certain roll here and a certain roll there, so I couldn't just play the drums all over the place. With Code Blue, I had a bit more say in what I did with the drums. The rough idea was there, but as far as fills and all that business, I had a bit more space to do what I wanted.

Spellbound: Then with Big Wheel, you were there as more than just the drummer, you were also a songwriter and collaborator.

Paul: I actually thought it was a good record. I thought it had some good songs on it, and some of the type of sounds and drum fills.

Spellbound: What has been your favorite moment in your career with Icehouse?

Paul: When I first joined, we toured Australia, and then we went to America and Europe. All this stuff was happening and it was new and exciting.

Spellbound: That was for Measure For Measure, right?

Paul: Yeah, and then there was Man Of Colours which was a huge album. All of that, you know, it was pretty full on. From playing in some small band, to going to something like that and having a huge record like Man Of Colours. Constantly touring and playing to big crowds was something that I'd always wanted to do. So I couldn't have asked for anything more, really. But I'd like to do it again!

Spellbound: That would be fun, wouldn't it?

Paul: Yeah, who knows what's going to happen?

At this point in his history, the godling had graduated from thunder god academy and very soon found himself in demand by others in need of his talent.

Spellbound: Who else have you played with during your breaks from Icehouse?

Paul: In 1991, I lived in America for about a year or so - played a couple of shows with Kyle Vincent.

Spellbound: He's got a pretty strong following now.

Paul: He's been going at it for years now - I hope something more happens for him. There are a lot of people, but one that comes to mind straight away is Vincent Stone. There was Max Sharam, who's known here - she sort of disappeared and is in Los Angeles somewhere. In 1996, I went to Singapore for about four months and Heron Island for two months with a couple of the guys from Max Sharam's band. It was just a bit like a long holiday - it's really a very nice place to have a holiday.

Spellbound: You've worked with Guy Delandro.

Paul: I've known Guy for years. I played on a couple of his records for him just doing overdubs and stuff like that.

Spellbound: The Maybe Dolls?

Paul: That's right, I played with the Maybe Dolls for a year in 1992. They're doing Australia again, just going round and round Australia. I've been doing quite a few sessions for commercials for a company called Song Zu.

Spellbound: How did you get hooked up with that?

Paul: Through a guy called Cameron Giles, a friend of mine who is the singer and bass player in a band called Gank. He works at Song Zu and writes quite a few of the jingles, so he always gives me a call when he wants me to do something. I did a session for David Chapman the other day, so it's just the odd bit of work here and there. In the beginning of 1997 I started playing with Primary, and I've been doing that ever since.

Spellbound: And how's that going?

Paul: Oh, good! Their album comes out on the 21st of June.

Spellbound: Is this their second album?

Paul: No, this is their first - it's taken so long to complete! They've had about three singles now, one of which is being played in high rotation on Triple J. It hasn't really crossed over to Triple M, though. I think it's been played on Triple M a couple times but that's it. They do well in the Alternative charts, but as far as mainstream charts, they haven't really crossed over. I think the single has just made it into the Top 20 on that chart.

Spellbound: What's the name of it?

Paul: It's a song called "Young."

Spellbound: What's going to be the name of the album?

Paul: It's called This Is The Sound. We just did a tour supporting the Bare Naked Ladies. We did a tour not long ago with Arcana and a tour with Matchbox 20 before they were that well known. They just did a small club tour out here in 1998. The next time they came out they were doing theatres, and then the next time they came out they were doing entertainment centres. And it was all because of us - if it wasn't for us, they wouldn't be where they are today. [laughter]

Spellbound: Primary just started a new tour. [Primary's tour began in June of 1999. Please see Darren McKinty's review after the end of this interview.]

Paul: Yeah, that's right, and we're playing tonight at Newtown. Then we're going to Melbourne next week for a week and a half. Then we're going to Adelaide and Perth. Then I think we're going to New Zealand for a couple of days - Christchurch and Auckland - I think the single's in the charts so we're going over there. Then back to Melbourne and Sydney. We're pretty busy, just touring around.

Even thunder gods have lightning strike them on occasion. We talked with Paul about two such events that have had a tremendous effect on his life.

Spellbound: We wanted to touch on a couple of subjects that Icehouse fans might not know about you. First: Tell us about your son, John-Paul.

Paul: He's 14. He's just into the usual things that 14 year olds are into. He has just discovered girls - well, he discovered girls a little bit earlier. So, he's going through that stage.

Spellbound: Is he asking Dad for advice?

Paul: No, I end up asking him for advice! He doesn't like school much but he does really well at school.

Spellbound: Does he play any musical instruments?

Paul: I actually bought him a drum kit and he's right into the drums. I've been giving him lessons and he's catching on pretty quick but who knows? I should probably steer him away from being a drummer.

Spellbound: Why?

Paul: Maybe he should get into computers or something like that where he can make thousands of dollars a week. But he can do whatever he wants to do.

Spellbound: He'll change his mind a million times.

Paul: Yeah, but if he wants to do that then he should do it.

Spellbound: And he'll have a great teacher!

Paul: Well... of course!

Spellbound: The second subject is the fact that you have epilepsy.

Paul: I thought everyone knew this!

Spellbound: Has it been really difficult to be a musician and have epilepsy?

Paul: I've been lucky that all the bands I've played with kind of understand that I can't really do anything about it when I have a seizure. I've just been lucky that they haven't said, "Well, sorry, we can't handle this sort of thing happening," or "We can't risk anything happening on stage." The seizures I have aren't the big ones called Grand Mal, but are the Petite Mal. I'll be playing the drums, and then all of a sudden I'll just get quieter and I'll start playing softer. Then eventually I'll just stop and stare at my snare drum. I'll just be staring, and the rest of the band will be going, "What the hell's going on here, the drummer's dead!"

Spellbound: We saw it happen one time on the Big Wheel tour at one of the Melbourne shows. We likened it to the way a wind up toy will gradually slow down until it stops.

Paul: Sometimes I don't even know that I've had it until afterwards, when I feel really tired because they really drain me. I just want to have a good lie down and a cup of tea.

Spellbound: Do you remember any of them?

Paul: Sometimes I can feel them coming on and I'm sort of going to myself, "Oh please, I don't feel like having one." Sometimes I can actually talk myself out of having one - I feel like I can anyway.

Spellbound: What we remember happening when you had a seizure at the Melbourne show was that the guys obviously knew what was going on. Simon walked over to you and clapped his hands really hard right in front of your face. After a while you came to, picked up your sticks, and just launched right back into the song. It was "Great Southern Land."

Paul: It's weird! It's like you said, it's like my batteries go flat and then I start up again after half a minute. I'll just start playing softly again and then I'll get louder and louder until I'm back into the song again. When I stop, the band try to keep the song going and act as if nothing has really happened.

Spellbound: They did really well with that, on the night we saw it happen. From an outsider's perspective, we have always thought it admirable that even though you occasionally have this problem, Iva still has you in the band. It also seems that he really looks after you and worries about your health. You had the flu in Melbourne plus you had your seizure, and he wanted to make sure you were OK. That was our perspective on the whole thing, so we thought that you guys had a really good relationship.

Paul: When we were on tour, he always asked me, "Have you taken your pills?" I was lucky that he never said to me that he couldn't risk it happening. The thing is, I'm OK as long as I look after myself and don't go out and get drunk every night.

Spellbound: Remember that when you're on tour with Primary.

Paul: Yeah, I know! I don't really go out and do that so much anymore. I have sort of gotten over that. Going out and getting written off is just a pill - seems like it takes a whole day to get over it.

Spellbound: Have a good tour and take care of yourself.

A special thank you to Paul for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak with us. We appreciate his honesty and his willingness to share his experiences with Spellbound.

PRIMARILY PAUL
by Darren McKinty

For those of you who have been wondering what Paul Wheeler has been up to as of late, let me introduce you to the band Primary, a Sydney based group who have one of the most energetic acts I have witnessed down here in Melbourne for a long time.

Catching their show at the Hi Fi bar on a rainy Friday night was the excuse I needed to get up off my backside and see a live act, something which I haven't done for a while.

I met up with Stephen Cauchi, another Spellbounder who, like me, was hopeful that Paul would be playing. Seeing him play was the main reason for us wanting to see the band in the first place. Lucky for us he was.

Paul, as usual, was in excellent form; thrashing away on the kit with such energy that his hands were still trembling from the adrenaline when we met up with him backstage after the performance.

We spoke about the gig, his playing with Primary to date and his role in Icehouse (informing him that he has been the subject of much admiration in the fanclub for his drumming skills, which seemed to surprise him a bit), and he said that he'd like to perform with Icehouse again should Iva decide to tour to promote the new album.

Primary will be playing all over the place for the next few months (mainly Sydney and surrounds) so keep your eyes peeled for venues and dates.

For all you Paul Wheeler fans out there, I strongly urge you to see Primary. Paul's energetic playing is totally unleashed in this heavier (and louder) style of music, and it is a credit to his skills as a drummer that the energy is maintained throughout the set. Mind you, the female lead has a very dominant presence on stage as well. I was a bit worried about the microphone stand going through Paul's drum kit at one stage.

Great to see you in action again, Paul, and I hope to catch up with you again next time you're in town.