Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers’ musical composer Glenn Moorhouse chats bringing 90s nostalgia to life
Glenn Moorhouse has enjoyed a rich and colourful 25-year career in the Australian music industry. As a guitarist, composer, arranger and musical director – Glenn’s musical journey has delivered more twists and turns than the rugged coastlines of his island home, Tasmania. As musical director, Glenn brought Green Day’s punk opus American Idiot to the nation, as well as developing the new Australian musical Dubbo Championship Wrestling. Teaming up with writers James Millar, Steph Tisdell and Rachael Chisholm, he composed the music for the musical Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers, which is premiering at Brisbane Powerhouse in January. We chatted with Glenn about his creative process, projects and the power of 90s nostalgia.
We’d love to start right at the beginning of your love of music – can you recall the moment when you sensed an inkling of affection for performing arts?
It all began with my Mum who was a guitar tutor. From a very early age I was encouraged to place my fingers on the nylon strings and that magical sound entranced me! Then when I was in high school I saw a local rock band onstage and I vividly remember thinking that I wanted to express myself in that same way. That dream has fuelled my passion and drive ever since.
What was your journey into musical theatre like?
I fell into music theatre by accident, or one could say by necessity! I’d landed in Sydney with no money, nowhere to live and no prospects, but felt I had something to offer the Australian music scene. Within that first week I received an offer to audition for a show that I knew nothing about, Jersey Boys – apparently it was a big deal! The offer of a weekly pay cheque whilst playing guitar was too good to be true, however the real prize was working with some of the most talented people I’d ever hoped to meet. Now I was bitten by the theatre bug.
How did you become involved in the creation of Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers?
Two wonderful colleagues of mine, Guy Harrison and Madison Thew-Keyworth from Mad About Theatre, have been developing the show since its inception and reached out to see if I’d be interested in putting together a musical pitch. We spoke of crafting a score that evolved beyond the original Rockabilly sound to include a stronger Australian tone, drawing on influences like The Warumpi Band, Goanna, and to modern day exponents King Stingray. I was drawn to the challenge of creating a family friendly music theatre score that is still rooted in our unique Oz Rock heritage – who could resist such an endeavour!
Did you have any particular connection to or memories of the original cartoon before you became involved in the musical?
My strongest memory of the animation was the use of the Yidaki in the series, a sound that in the 90s felt fresh and exciting as we hadn’t heard the instrument used that way on mainstream television. The visual landscape and textures that Peter Viska and his team created were also striking, a wonderfully zany hyper-realism that contrasted the neon of America’s glitz with the never-ending vastness of Australia.
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Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers is a powerful blast of 90s nostalgia. How did you and the rest of the creative team go about adapting it for a new generation?
The approach was three-pronged: harnessing the nostalgia for past fans, bringing the characters to life for a 3D representation, and finally to transfer the heart and soul of the piece into a modern world where entire families can find meaning and laughter. In saying that, the dynamics from the original story remain as strong as ever: the struggles between family and friends, the David and Goliath battle between big business and small towns, and the importance of listening to each other and respecting differing opinions. A key to our nostalgia for me is kids solving mysteries using walkie talkies… it doesn’t get better than that!
What is your process for composing a musical? How did you approach writing the music for Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers?
I always start with building a few loose sketches, small islands of sound/tonality/rhythm that help set parameters around future ideas. In this instance it was a rockabilly moment, then a smarmy sleazy villain feel which was closer to Huey Lewis than Disney, lastly a sound for the Truckstoppers using driving beats and long sounding guitars to echo the open roads of our country. One of the biggest challenges was to write songs that capture the playfulness and imagination that kids have. The sheer joy of watching our young cast dance and sing to songs about ghosts and setting up secret meetings was exhilarating!
Are you excited for the world premiere of Li’l Elvis Jones and The Truckstoppers at the Brisbane Powerhouse in January? What can audiences expect?
I’m beyond thrilled to be launching the show at the Powerhouse. I’ve been lucky enough to perform on this stage many times with various projects and I truly believe the Brisbane Powerhouse is one of Australia’s most exciting creative spaces! Kids: be prepared to dance in your seat, sing along and imagine you’re saving the town of Wannapoo along with our pint-sized heroes. Parents and Grandparents: you will laugh and nod along with the knowing tone of recognition… oh and you may cry as we have set up some moments especially for you!
You are also currently creating a new work based on the Female Factories in Tasmania. Li’l Elvis and female factories are pretty diametrically opposing vibes. How do you decide what projects to take on? What draws you to them?
They couldn’t be further apart! Fundamentally it’s storytelling, whatever the backdrop, the story of humans and how we cope with external forces upon our fragility is what I love to explore. With Li’l Elvis it’s finding ourselves, finding our voice, finding our truth, that is the heart of the piece. Bringing to life the resilience and resolve of women who were transported from all over the colonies to an isolated island at the bottom of the world, to find where they managed to scrape out their small moments of joy or rise together in defiance of their captors, to tell an unknown story, that carries great artistic responsibility. What can I say, I love a challenge!
Aside from composing, arranging, directing and playing music, what do you like to do to unwind in your free time?
Once I’m done with all those things I have very little time left! I still enjoy watching a band onstage, I love sitting in my backyard and listening to an album start to finish. These days I fly down to Tasmania as much as I can to spend time with my elderly mother. I still hold her hand and play that same nylon stringed guitar I first played as a child and we sing songs and harmonise and share our love of music. Nothing is more precious than those moments and nothing offers more perspective to help quiet the creative mind. That stillness is precious.