Australian singer/songwriter Meg Washington is in a good place. Speaking to The Pineapple on the phone from Brisbane where she lives with her husband and son, it sounds like the three-time ARIA winner has a lot to feel good about.
How To Make Gravy, a new feature film Meg co-wrote and produced with husband Nick Waterman, is coming out next month. Her new album, which Meg describes as ‘a little bit country and a little bit stoned’ and ‘my best yet’ is due for release next year.
She’s touring five Australian states in November and December, starting at The J in Noosa this Saturday 23 November.
That’s a lot of creative output but Washington sounds calm and relaxed as she chats while riding the bus and doing errands. Why is she in such a good place? She says motherhood is part of the equation.
‘Having my son was a really big important change for me. It fixed my brain in a lot of ways.’
‘I am coming to understand myself and enjoy myself more and more as I grow.’
Bringing Paul Kelly’s song to the screen
Some of that growth has been into new creative fields, such as co-writing and co-producing How to Make Gravy, a film adaptation of Paul Kelly’s iconic song.
The song is written as a letter from a prison inmate to his family and the film stars Daniel Henshall as Joe, Brenton Thwaites as brother Dan, Kate Mulvany as Joe’s sister Stella and Damon Herriman as her husband Roger. Hugo Weaving plays a new character: Noel the lifer.
There are appearances from Kim Gyngell, rapper Adam Briggs, former Grates lead singer, Patience Hodgson and Zaachariaha Fielding of Electric Fields.
The crew shot the film in 25 days on the Gold Coast where How to Make Gravy lead producer Schuyler Weiss also produced Elvis with Baz Luhrmann.
Washington says it was a relaxed set.
‘It was the first feature film for our cinematographer, costume designer and production designer and it was Nick’s and my first feature. So the first time for a lot of us. Everyone did their homework which resulted in a really calm and peaceful shoot.’
The film aims to be as faithful as possible to the lyrics.
‘We knew the song was beloved in Australia and there would be fans and nerds like me looking for the song in every scene. There will be people who haven’t heard the song, so the film had to work for them too. We knew it had to be a Christmas movie and a prison movie. Bundling those truths together is what led us to the adaptation.’
Washington says the song is not set in any particular state or town.
‘We use the phrase Aussie Gotham. It is Australia but it could be anywhere.’
How to Make Gravy premieres on Sunday 1 December on Binge. As many viewers watch it for the first time, Washington will be touring Australia with her solo act.
More intimate vibe with solo tour
‘My last shows in January were with capital city orchestras. They were big shows, very planned, with lots of crew.
‘This tour I’ll be (mostly) solo. There may or may not be people who appear,’ she says mischievously.
‘I’m really looking forward to my solo shows because I have a jazz background and improvisation is a bit part of my musicality.’
Meg Washington is looking forward to taking her solo act on tour. IMAGE: Michelle Pitiris
She hopes audiences will sing along to some of the songs.
‘There’s a prison choir in How to Make Gravy and I wrote the songs the choir perform. The process made me realise I care a lot about singing in the sense of where the spirituality and physicality of singing intercept.
‘We seem to have atomised music into individual expressions of artistry and if you are not “professional” or “good enough” you don’t deserve to make sounds. I’m coming more to music as a place for an individual to embody your own sound.
‘I see my shows as opportunities for collective rejoicing rather than just sit and watch me sing.’
A laser focus
Meg Washington sounds reflective: maybe because she’s packed a lot into her life so far.
She enjoyed fame and acclaim early in her twenties with debut album I Believe You Liar winning three ARIAs. Since then her fame has grown as the voice of teacher Calypso on Bluey and appearances on Spicks and Specks, Rockwiz and Q&A.
Now aged 38, she says maturing has been good for her.
‘For me it feels like a narrowing. When I was younger I had a big torch and shone it on everything. Now I have a laser beam and I put it on what I want.’
PHOTO: Zac Bayly
Meg Washington’s Australian tour kicks off at The J in Noosa this Saturday.
Washington says she’s delighted to kick off her tour in Noosa because: ‘It’s absolutely glorious: the interweaving of nature and the town. I remember getting my drivers’ licence at 18 and the only place I knew there was Gelati was Noosa so I did a few runs on the weekend just to get Gelati.’
Check here for other tour dates.
IMAGE at top of story: PHOTO: Zac Bayly
