Paul Kelly: John Lennon’s “Imagine” is probably one of the worst songs ever written. I can’t stand it Australian music

Your new album is called Seventy. You are 70 years old. And I hear you like the number 70.

It’s a Biblical number. It’s a very interesting number for me. I like the sound of that. Turning 70 feels like a real milestone. I can’t say it’s an achievement, but I must have had my fair share of luck to reach 70 years old. I was very reckless and took risks – so I feel lucky to be 70 years old. Everything else after that is just incremental.

I’ve been writing songs about death being always around the corner since I was very young. [laughs] I think Neil Young once said that he was writing songs about getting older when he was 21 years old. “Old man, take a look at my life…” I think all poets are concerned with time and with life not being too long.

He has an atmosphere [the protagonist of Kelly’s songs How to Make Gravy and To Her Door] He stopped talking to you, and now he’s dead?

No, he won’t shut up. I wrote to Rita and wrote a letter to give Rita her perspective. And it’s all atmosphere! He speaks all the way beyond the grave. He’s still talking as the song fades out. I was a little worried that some people would be upset that I killed Joe off, but it was fun, fun to write, fun to sing. And in the end I didn’t really kill him at all! You can’t keep it down.

Someone suggested that I could now write a prequel [to How to Make Gravy]. I’m often asked, why is Joe in prison? My honest answer is that I don’t know. Often times you write songs and don’t know the details. He’s in prison. I don’t know why, sorry!

What do you think is the most controversial thing in popular culture?

I think John Lennon’s “Imagine” is probably one of the worst songs ever written. I can’t stand it. I love having these arguments with Ash Naylor, our guitarist. I love The Beatles and John Lennon, but I didn’t like that song from the beginning and I still don’t like it. Especially when it became so popular.

And I could happily spend the rest of my life never hearing Hotel California again. There’s probably a lot more, but I might stop there! One song I really like that people might be surprised by is “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner. That is the most beautiful song.

You’ve toured with both Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Who did you have the most fun on tour with?

They were both fun. I learned a lot from both of them. I recently took my first ever tour of the main square, and these guys were a touchstone for me because they made those large spaces feel intimate in very different ways. Bob was very ordinary, off the cuff. You get the feeling that even his band didn’t know the next song. Leonard, on the other hand, was completely scripted—he said the same thing every night, and performed the same songs, pretty much—but he never seemed routine or flashy. It seemed like a prayer or ritual. He served the audience, and you could feel the love for him. Instead of enjoying it and making himself great, he made himself a servant. He was like a vaudevillian rabbi, in the way he acted. But everyone was hanging on every word. And it’s the same with Dylan, because you always know he’s going to do something different. His band watches him like a hawk, just to make sure they know what song he’s singing.

What book, album or movie do you always go back to and why?

The sound of music. I’ve come back to that several times. It has great melodies, a great story, and romance. I love the way the darkness swirls around the edges of this film. I remember when I saw it as a kid, I thought of it as a fun movie with catchy songs. Then I remember seeing him as an adult and suddenly realized the depth and darkness surrounding him. It was a huge surprise, and probably the reason why this movie stuck with me.

And I love Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven.” He’s an old bounty hunter who returns for one last job. Every time he gets on his horse, he really suffers. I like it. I go and watch it just for that alone. I get that these days when I ride my bike!

What is your most memorable interaction with a fan?

The first thing that comes to my mind was when we played in Amsterdam this year. There was a guy at the front of the stage saying, “Paul, I have to talk to you!” So I finished the song and said, “Yeah, what’s up?” He said: “I want to propose to my girlfriend on stage.” I was thinking, what could go wrong if I let this happen? I said to him: Are you sure she will say yes? By this time, the audience was starting to get involved, so I said: “Okay, come on – you better know she’s going to say yes.” He said: Yes, I think so!

So he called her up to the stage, but she wasn’t expecting it, so she was in the back of the room. He called her name and she wasn’t there – I was thinking, oh my God, this might not be good. I later found out that they were quite drunk and got drunker as the night went on. But she eventually got her way, got down on one knee and said yes. The room exploded, and they were all happy. They started drinking wildly and later tried to break into the band room, but we made it out in time.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Black and Tan Fantasy by Duke Ellington. It sounds like a funeral march. It’s just a beautiful arrangement and an unusual song. I first heard it when I was 12 – my older sister was going out with the trumpet player and he bought some records around the house. I didn’t know how people could make this kind of music.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

In terms of performance, it was probably from my grandmother, who was an opera singer. “If you’re nervous before a show, just breathe deeply,” she said. It’s the simplest advice. I still use it before shows – think nothing and breathe deeply.

What is your least favorite bird and why?

A noisy miner, by far. They’re the ones we have everywhere here where we live. They are bullies. They are not beautiful. It’s bad for native birds. I’ll be happy never to see another miner again. There are Indian miners and annoying miners – they are all miners to me and I don’t like them.

What’s the messiest thing that’s ever happened on stage?

Mittagong RSL club in 1988. It was a complete disaster. When we got there, our PA was torn, so the sound check took a long time. The support act was a DJ and he was killing it, there were heaps of people on the dance floor. He started making snide remarks – ‘The band’s coming sometime before Christmas’, that kind of thing. We eventually arrived and everyone ran to the bar which seemed about half a mile away. We started playing and it sounded terrible. There were reactions, and the observers looked muddled. We were really struggling. Finally, a woman came from the bar and stood in front of the guitarist and started pointing at him mid-song. “Maybe one person will love us!” I believed. And when we finished the song she said, “Listen, I’m leaving now but I just wanted to say before I leave that you’re the worst band I’ve ever seen in my life.” [laughs] We’ve had some better shows since then.