When you look back at the Australian artists who've made their mark internationally, Savage Garden are right up there.
Two guys from Brisbane who went Number 1 around the world, cracked the notoriously tough U.S. market and sold nearly 30 million albums with hits like 'I Want You', 'To The Moon And Back', and 'Truly Madly Deeply'.
They may have only been together for two albums, but the legacy of their pop breakthrough continues, as does frontman Darren Hayes' incredible story.
While he was sailing the highs of global fame, behind the scenes, Darren was dealing with a fractured band relationship, battling depression, and in the closet, unable to be truly himself.
As a now proudly out gay man, he continues to sing his stories as a solo artist, but the road hasn't always been smooth sailing.
Growing up in Logan, Queensland, the youngest of three in a home shadowed by severe domestic violence, who could have predicted that this sensitive kid who loved to sing would one day stand on the world's biggest stages?
Darren's story is extraordinary: 250 rejection letters before anyone would sign Savage Garden, a manager who mortgaged his home to make it happen, and a partnership with Daniel Jones that produced some of the most iconic pop of the '90s before it all came crashing down. There have been plenty of lows too; being told by his own record company to hide who he was, the sudden loss of his mother, and a terrifying accident that shattered his jaw and nearly ended his singing career for good. But Darren Hayes is back, and he's got stories.
This episode was captured at Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, which was the building originally built by Charlie Chaplin, later home to A&M Records, and the exact room where "We Are the World" was recorded (Quincy Jones directing Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, and a room full of legends). It's a space steeped in music history, and if you believe the people who work there, a few ghosts as well. It was the perfect place to sit down with Darren and travel through a life defined by music, survival, and healing.
Darren Hayes' song choices:
- The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town'
- HAIM - 'Hallelujah'
- Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home'
- Coldplay - 'O'
- Maisie Peters – 'Two Weeks Ago'
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene at Chaplin Studios
02:31 The History of Chaplin Studios: From Charlie Chaplin to A&M Records
04:00 Karen Carpenter's Ghost and the Sacred Walls
05:13 The Theme: Songs of Healing and Music Saving a Life
05:41 Growing Up with Domestic Violence in Logan, Queensland
06:05 Music as Escape: AM Radio, The Carpenters, and Auntie Jenny's Records
06:56 Learning to Sing from Diana Ross and His Mother's Voice
08:01 The Dream Academy - 'Life in a Northern Town'
08:50 Catharsis Through Melancholy and the Sentimentality of Childhood
10:52 Transitions: Missing His Siblings and "The Morning Lasted All Day"
12:12 The End of High School and Not Wanting to Grow Up
14:23 Growing Up in Logan: Feeling Like a Prince Despite Poverty
15:12 A Hyper-Masculine World and Making Star Wars Toys Kiss
15:44 Deciding He Was Famous at Age Ten: Protective Armor Against Bullying
16:38 Being Called the F Word by His Father Before He Knew What It Meant
18:05 Either Be Famous and Magical, or Die
18:27 His Job Was to Keep His Mother Alive
19:21 Hockey Sticks and Midnight Escapes: Surviving His Father's Violence
20:15 Haim - 'Hallelujah'
21:02 The Sound of Grace: Guardian Angels and Being Protected
21:58 Being Uninvited from a Party and His Mother's Comfort
23:30 "You've Got a Hallelujah": Surviving Childhood
24:46 When Did Music Become the Path? High School Choir and Musical Theatre
25:50 Feeling the Molecules Change When He Sang
27:57 The First Band: A Death Metal Audition and Joining Red Edge with Daniel Jones
29:26 Throwing Up on the Way to Toowoomba: Playing Aussie Classics He Didn't Know
30:14 Leaving Red Edge and the Beginning of Savage Garden
31:05 The First Song They Wrote Together: A Thousand Words
31:25 The Australian Music Landscape: Grunge vs. Pop and 250 Rejection Letters
33:26 John Woodruff Mortgaged His Home and No One Was Laughing Anymore
33:46 Global Fame, Fans as Mirrors, and the Exhausting Rollercoaster
35:58 Secrets: Being Gay, Depression, and the Record Company Hiding Who He Was
36:45 Young The Giant - 'The Walk Home'
37:24 Why Savage Garden Ended: Daniel's Unhappiness with Fame
37:49 The Sum of the Parts and Beatlesque Chemistry in the Studio
38:32 Touring the World Knowing It Was Over
39:51 His Relationship with Daniel Now: "We Don't Talk Much Anymore"
41:21 Solo Records, Coming Out, and the Album Called Homosexual
42:01 Queer Fans and the First Dapple of Sunlight
42:49 What His Mother Thought of Fame: She Couldn't Have Given a Shit
43:47 Paying Cash for a House So His Mother Could Finally Leave
44:48 Coldplay - 'O'
45:08 Grief, Letting Go, and the Sudden Loss of His Mother
46:43 Choosing This Song for Her Funeral
47:22 The Flock of Birds Metaphor and Cutting the Tether
48:15 "I Had to Let Her Go Like a Beautiful Balloon"
50:18 The Accident: A Vasovagal Syncope Episode That Shattered His Jaw
50:44 Seventeen Teeth Broken, Mouth Wired Shut for Three Months, and Learning to Sing Again
51:02 The Troubadour Comeback: "If I Don't Get Back on Stage, I May Never"
51:51 What It Felt Like: Love
52:18 Carrying His Mother's DNA in His Heart and Vocal Cords
52:49 Maisie Peters - 'Two Weeks Ago'
53:14 In Love: How His Dog Huxley Found Eddie
54:38 Four Blocks Apart for a Decade and Zoom Dates with a New Partner
55:41 Never Spending a Night Apart in Three Years
56:23 2027: The 30th Anniversary of Savage Garden and a New Record
56:48 Writing Melodies with His Mouth Wired Shut
57:39 "I'm Back, Baby"
58:53 Next Time: David Byrne
59:53 Take 5 with Zan Rowe – Stream the Series on ABC iview
This episode was filmed for season 5 of Take 5 with Zan Rowe on ABC TV and ABC iview. You can stream the whole season on ABC iview now.
Watch this episode of Take 5 on ABC iview: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/take-5-with-zan-rowe
There are parts of this conversation that explore Darren’s experiences with family violence. It’s a big part of his story, so please be warned. And if you need support, here are some resources who provide it:
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