Crash Test Dummies On Tour…

Canadian alternative folk-rockers, CRASH TEST DUMMIES, make their long-awaited return to Australia for the First Time since 1992 as part of their God Shuffled His Feet 30th Anniversary World Tour. Lead single Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm reached #1 on the ARIA Charts and the Album holds a special place in the hearts of many. They’ll play the album alongside other fan favourites like Superman’s Song and The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead.

The original lineup of Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts and Mitch Dorge reunited in 2017 and have been touring together since. Produced by Jerry “Talking Head” Harrison their 1993 sophomore album God Shuffled His Feet was Certified Platinum in Australia. The album has stood the test of time and as well as Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm which stayed at #1 for three weeks, it also included the singles Afternoons & Coffeespoons, Swimming in Your Ocean and the title track God Shuffled his Feet.

CRASH TEST DUMMIES are still beloved in a way that transcends nostalgia. Join them on their God Shuffled His Feet 30th Anniversary World Tour. Brad Roberts talsk to Hi Fi Way about the tour.

It must feeling of excitement and relief to be return to Australia?
Yes, both. I’m very pleased the shows are selling well, I’m extremely pleased.

Was there always the intention of returning much sooner?
Well, we went to Australia in 1992 when our first record came out, and our first record did extremely well in Canada, but not anywhere else. So, when we went there it was a very low key affair there. The shows weren’t that big, and they weren’t super well attended by any means. Then on our second record, we had this huge hit with Mmm Mmm Mmm Hmm and they really worked me to death. The American label had me doing press, it seemed like 24/7. It was unbelievable. I was just exhausted. By the time we finished touring around Europe twice, America twice and Canada twice, it was time for us to look at other places to go, including Australia and I would have just said, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I have to take a break. Like, I’ve just been run ragged. So, we never did get to Australia on our second big record went, and if we had, we probably could have played some really big shows, but I was just too worn out.

It definitely will be different playing smaller venues in Australia this time. Do you remember the shows from that first tour?
Oh yeah. We had a great time in Australia and we were all very excited to go. I even stayed after we finished playing and did some of my own travelling because when you’re doing shows, you really don’t have time to see much except for the gig in the hotel.

Have you seen the generational shift in the fan base coming to shows now?
Yeah, we get a lot of people that come out who got into the record when it first came out, and for them it’s nostalgia, but we also get a lot of people who bring their kids or kids themselves whose parents have turned them on to us. I’m always surprised and happy to see when people that aren’t fifty years old show up.

Are you continually amazed by the power and the legacy of the album God Shuffled His Feet, that it just continues to grow and grow? It’s just not one of those albums that came out and people have forgotten.
Well, of course that pleases me a great deal and makes it possible for us to tour to begin with. So, I couldn’t be happier about that.

What do you think it is about the album that that has made it stand the test of time, it’s just loaded with so many great songs on the album.
Well, thank you very much. I really appreciate that. It was our second record and I had learned a lot about songwriting by the time I came to make that record. I think that the songs went up in quality considerably. We also spent a long time recording that record and it was very thickly layered with tracks and took a long time to mix. The song God Shuffled His Feet took two days to mix by a guy who does nothing but mix for a living. Tom Lord-Alge, did a fantastic job mixing that record I thought.

Did that create pressure in itself being something that you’re always going to be compared against when bringing out another album? Almost like people are going to be sort of expecting another version of Mmm Mmm Mmm Hmm.
I already went through that a long time ago. When we put out our third record, it didn’t sound anything like our second record, and neither did our fourth record sound anything like our third record. I just kept making records that sounded different from each other because I didn’t want to get bored and I knew that I could span different genres, so I never really stuck to a formula and here we are today,

Are you looking to play the album in full or are you looking to play most of the back catalogue when you’re here on tour in Australia?
Oh, we’ll definitely play most of the songs from God Shuffled Hi Feet and we’ll play a sprinkling of other songs from our other records, maybe a cover or two and leave it at that.

I love the relatively new single Sacred Alphabet. Do you still feel the pressure to create new music or is this just something that you do to fulfill that creative itch?
Yeah, I made records for a while after departing from BMG records and I just got to the point where I couldn’t afford to make them anymore, so I stopped and then in 2023 I decided to write a song and just release one song. I figured I couldn’t go broke doing that. So Sacred Alphabet came to birth. We’ll be doing that at our live shows in Australia. It goes over really well, which always surprises me because it’s not a song everyone’s familiar with and we get a good round of applause after that song every time. So, I’m definitely going to pull that out.

It has a great vibe to it, is that a glimpse to what you might do more of in future?
I could imagine doing more along those lines. Yes, you’re right.

Beyond touring Australia what is next for the band? Is there anything left on your list to accomplish?
I’m happy touring. When I was a young man, I didn’t really like touring because I wanted to write music all the time and I just found it tedious because I was always doing so much press. Nowadays we do the press in advance of our shows like I’m doing with you now and I can actually travel at a pace when we go to Australia where I won’t be run ragged. I’ll enjoy myself, I’ll have a great time and that’s really what’s left in the band for me aside from writing new material and playing live.

Do you get to put the tourist hat on and are there any places that you’re really looking forward to checking out while you’re here in Australia?
That will depend entirely on when our shows are and how much time we have between shows. I have not looked at a map and looked at where we’re playing. I don’t know if we’re going to be flying or if we’re going to be driving or how it’s going to work. So, I really have no idea if I’ll have any time off. I’m sure that I will enjoy just simply being in that part of the world. I mean, it’s beautiful, beautiful country.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch The Crash Test Dummies on the following dates, tickets from Metropolis Touring…