Colin
To many who have followed Hay's
lengthy career, the quiet heartbreak of
1998 single "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever
Get Over You" is an even more revealing masterstroke than "Overkill."
Actor and director Zach Braff provided a key catalyst by featuring "I Just
track that resonates with listeners who
have second-guessed past steps and
wished for an elusive break. Hay
describes the pitfalls inherent in such
hopes.
"The whole idea is you really can't
wait for it, " he says. "You have to take
action. It's only then when it actually
starts to happen, because you're not
being concerned about what occurred
20 years ago, or what's going to happen
down the line."
August saw release of a documentary about Hay's unique trajectory
called Colin Hay: Waiting for My Real
Life. The film describes the transition
from Men at Work's success into Hay's
solo work and perseverance through
relative obscurity. Despite hard times,
Colin Hay, 2015
11•2015
Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" in
the 2004 film Garden State. "It was fantastic for me, because it opened up a
whole new audience," says Hay. "I
could have taken that song to radio stations and they wouldn't have touched
it with a ten-foot pole. It's too long. It's
slow. It's mournful. But it's the context
in which people encounter it. Zach
thought, 'If people are exposed to this
music, they'll respond to it.'" Hay himself appeared alongside Braff in television's hospital satire Scrubs.
The yearning "Waiting for My Real
Life to Begin" is another standout solo
doubt and self-destructive habits, the
story culminates in respect and rebirth.
The film recently premiered at the
Melbourne International Film Festival
in Australia. Hay anticipates screenings
across North America during the coming months.
"The arc goes from riches, to walking in the wilderness, to getting some
kind of foothold in the present," says
Hay. "I think it shows the idea that creativity can be your salvation. It replaces
addictive behavior, if you let it. When I
was trying to give up the drink, my
guitar was always waiting for me in the
8 illinoisentertainer.com november 2015
Photo: Beth Herzhaft