| Ben [Lee] and the art of zen; [G Go Magazine Edition] |
| April 14, 2005, 11:00 pm |
Source: G Go Magazine Edition Ben and the art of zen; [G Go Magazine Edition] LAUREN MCMENEMY. The Gold Coast Bulletin. Southport, Qld.: Apr 14, 2005. pg. 4 Yes, [Ben Lee] is happy. At 26, he has emerged from the other side of his mid-20s crisis thanks to a spiritual awakening and happiness. Gone is the angst-ridden teen who first made noises with rock band Noise Addict in the early 1990s. The first non-Lee release on Ten Fingers, by Canadian band Pony Up, has just come out in the US - "we sold 1500 in the first two weeks; it was so exciting!" - and he has another band, the Anti-Qs, about to head into the studio with former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha. The Zen-ness doesn't end there. In the liner notes for Awake is the New Sleep - a very telling title - Lee thanks the American Taoist Healing Centre and talks of divine secrets of the universe. For a guy who's never been exactly `normal', it's a brave step to be so open about his spiritual journey. Full Text (573 words) Copyright News Limited Apr 14, 2005 IT'S not the statement you were expecting from Ben Lee's lips: "Yeah, I'm happy." Not from the indie wonderkid who built his name on teenage angst rock. The man who most people outside music associate with any of the following: being Claire Danes's ex; his hits Cigarettes Will Kill You and Something Borrowed, Something Blue; his film debut last year (The Rage in Placid Lake); being, well, unusual; and/or complete honesty about his thoughts. "A key thing has been starting to use music as a means of sharing something with people," he says. "The more joy I allow into my music, the more other people seem to be getting joy out of it, and then it just becomes this revolving door of good feeling." Yes, Ben Lee is happy. At 26, he has emerged from the other side of his mid-20s crisis thanks to a spiritual awakening and happiness. Gone is the angst-ridden teen who first made noises with rock band Noise Addict in the early 1990s. Gone are the experimentations of his past two albums - the rocky Breathing Tornadoes (1998), and beats-driven Hey You, Yes You (2002). Gone, too, is the movie-star girlfriend, replaced by a Zen outlook and a new-found passion for his first love - music. "I think I used to look at music the way a lot of people look at what they do - which is what can I get out of it," he says. "And now I'm more thinking of it as like a service, you know? Let me see if I can inspire some people and get some hope in and lift people's spirits. "And it seems like that has been a huge part of the key to becoming happier in my life - and I say that on the album, the realisation that living is giving. "I didn't realise that. Maybe it's kind of basic stuff, but it took me 26 years." The record he's talking about is his latest, Awake is the New Sleep - the first release on Lee's new label, Ten Fingers. "I am my label; I call the shots. That's nice. I feel like in 12 years of making records, I've earned that privilege and I'm psyched about that," he says. The first non-Lee release on Ten Fingers, by Canadian band Pony Up, has just come out in the US - "we sold 1500 in the first two weeks; it was so exciting!" - and he has another band, the Anti-Qs, about to head into the studio with former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha. "It's just like how I started with Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys looking out for me," he says, recalling the days when two of the biggest bands of the '90s took a young Aussie muso under their wing. And the Zen-ness doesn't end there. In the liner notes for Awake is the New Sleep - a very telling title - Lee thanks the American Taoist Healing Centre and talks of divine secrets of the universe. For a guy who's never been exactly `normal', it's a brave step to be so open about his spiritual journey. "For me, music has always been spiritual," he says. "In terms of me actively exploring my spirituality, yeah, that's happened, and it's had a tangible effect." * Awake is the New Sleep is out now. Ben Lee plays The Tivoli on May 20 and The Great Northern Hotel on May 21. Credit: Lauren McMenemy |