Ned In The Grass: A McInterview With Ned & Friends: Part 2: This Time It’s Personal

Here it is! The second half of the DEFINITIVE interview with Darwin’s boldest rockers Ned & Friends. It’s been a while since the first half, and N&F have since played at Bass In the Grass 2011. Front man Ned Dorman described “taking to the stage with close to 5000 people rocking out to your music and just getting amongst it” as “probably the highest moment for N&F so far”.

Post Bass In The Grass, the boys have taken a well deserved break from their strenuous practising regime. They plan to “hit the studios” and record something over the next month or so, so keep your eye out, and in the meantime, don’t forget to like them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/NEDANDFRIENDS

We pick up our interview where we left off; in a quiet section of the Stuart Park McDonalds…

Me: Do you guys have anything in particular you would like to say?

Jack: Have we got an email?

Ned: I have an email.

Jack: No, for the band?

Ned: Ah, no. We’re in the process of setting up our own email server so that we can get ned@ned&friends, sean@ned&friends, jack@ned&friends and mitchell@ned&friends. We’d like a lot of special fan mail sent to us. Stuff from the heart. And donations.

(Mitchell starts playing music on his laptop. Ned & Friends proceed to free-style rap.)

The stylin’ sounds of Ned & Friends (freestyle rap) by GRINDonline

Ned: So right there is really the art form of what Ned & Friends is all about. Freestyle and…

Me: So like a big improv group?

Jack: Yeah.

Ned: For sure, for sure.

Me: That’s your song writing process.

Sean: We use Sibelius. A lot.

Me: Is Sibelius like some random music generator?

Ned: Yeah, you could say that.

Me: You know there’s WIFI here?

A dramatic re-enactment of the phone call.

Ned: What? Let’s update our Facebook statuses.

(My phone rings)

Me: Ah, Liam keeps on calling me. Hey Liam.

Mitchell: Hey Liam.

Jack: Hey Liam.

Ned: Hey Liam.

Sean: Want to join Ned & Friends?

Me: (Talking to Liam) So, I’m still in the interview. Yeah. Ok then. Alright. Well I might, I might. Where are you guys having lunch?

Sean: McDonald’s.

Me: (Talking to Liam) Oh, he’s not? Where will you go? The Indonesian? Alright. Ok. See you.

Sean: Guys, do we have anything serious? Should probably ask three questions and add some seriousness.

Ned: Yeah, wait – we’ll do some serious stuff now. If you wanna?

Me: We kind of have.

Ned: That’s cool then. Don’t even worry about it.

Sean: I think the most serious we answered was that-

Ned: That’s my dad. (Ned points out the window) He just drove past.

Jack: Really?

Ned: Yeah, in the Courier.

Sean: He’s alive? Anyway, goooood lunch. Ned & Friends.

Ned: Ned & Friends. That was our lunch time.

Jack: Yeah, we got to get back to school.

Ned: Yeah, we probably have to get back to school now.

Sean and Jack from Ned & Friends, playing at Bass

Me: Ah yes, you-

Ned: Lang, let’s go for a skate.

(We then ramble on about latest happenings. How it is possible that some Year 11s have their Ps already. Various movie trivia. Making strangled noises. Exchanging phone numbers.)

Me: Well, I guess we shall conclude the interview of Ned & Friends here at the McDonald’s Stuart Park.

Sean: Get amongst it.

Ned: I guess I’ll see you later… Olive.

—

And thus ends our definitive interview with Darwin’s premier rock/jazz/punk variety act NED & FRIENDS. You can probably find Ned, and his Friends, bumming around Darwin on any given afternoon, being sik ladz. Like them on their Facebook page, or stay tuned at GRINDonline, for any news on the band.