Parmies, Pies and Talking Budgies: Beddy Rays Interview Each Other

The self-titled debut album from Redland Bay punk rock outfit Beddy Rays is out now. The album, which includes the singles ‘Sobercoaster’, ‘Wait A While’, ‘Week On Repeat’, ‘On My Own’, ‘Sort It Out’ and ‘Milk’, is the culmination of many years of friendship, beachside piss-ups and low-stakes jam sessions for the Queensland quartet.

To celebrate the album’s release, Beddy Rays vocalist/guitarist Jackson Van Issum and guitarist Lewis McKenna probe each other about the taxonomy of pub food, Big Brother ambitions, throat lozenges and vegetables as weapons.

Jackson Van Issum Interrogates Lewis McKenna

Jackson Van Issum: If you were at a three-day summer festival with nothing but the shirt on your back then suddenly a magic genie puffed out of the mosh pit and offered you three things of your choice, what would they be?

Lewis McKenna: Number one would have to be a backpack full of drink tickets. Number two would be a jet pack so I can fly between the stages and dodge the traffic. And third would be a blow-up pool to have a quick dunk in.

J: Thoughts on calling a palmy a motza because majority are made with mozzarella not parmesan?

L: I am categorically opposed to changing the name of a parmy, Jacko. In my books, “motza” is a euphemism for the word expensive.

J: If you were serving time in the Big Brother house, would you wanna go the distance for the major prize or leave early but happily with a Hyundai Getz and the latest Nokia phone?

L: I’d pick the Hyundai and the Nokia for sure. Can you imagine all the fun you can have with those two things? I can see myself doing mainys in the Getz whilst cranking the latest So Fresh CD with a big smile on my dial. To fill the void when I’m not driving the Getz, I’d be spamming the shit out of Snake on the Nokia and doing prank calls with me mates.

J: Do you still rate a Yatala pie? Or are they lacking “chunk” in the chunky steak department?

L: Yatala pies are still tasty, but I recently discovered they charge for sauce now, which is bloody outrageous. I rate their pastries there, but. They’re quite delicious.

J: Do you think Beyoncé’s new album will stand a chance in the charts with the same release date as Beddy Rays’ debut album?

L: I reckon Beyoncé is absolutely rattled over the fact we are releasing our album on the same day. The charts are gonna be clogged with bulk Beddy Rays tunes and Beyoncé knows it.

Lewis McKenna Interrogates Jackson Van Issum

Lewis McKenna: If you had a pet budgie, what would be the first phrase you teach it to say?

Jackson Van Issum: I would probably teach it to say “Queenslander” to piss off our drummer Benny. Haha, luv ya Benny.

L: You somehow find yourself in a situation where you have to battle an opponent and the only weapon each of you can use is a vegetable; what vegetable are you going to use and why?

J: Pineapples… I’d probably shoot them out of a catapult. I can imagine they’d fly through the air like a Vortex on the beach.

L: What is your preferred throat lozenge?

J: When I was a young fella Butter Menthol was the only way to go. Now I mung on Vicks’ Eucalyptus drops.

L: If you had to choose another language to learn, what would it be and why?

J: It would have to be Japanese for the culture and food. I hear they have good snow fields over there. We’ve been wanting to go to Japan for a while now, eh Lewy? Let’s make it happen.

L: Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings?

J: Harry Potter for sure. So many memories with those movies with my sister growing up. I remember she got the Philosopher’s Stone on VHS for Chrissy when we were young. She was a Harry Potter expert and I think she may have had a crush on Ron Weasley.