01-12-1996

Silverchair Busted

(Music Network Magazine (Australia))

While staying in America doing pre-promotion for their sophomore album Freak Show, and shooting a video for its first single Freak, silverchair got themselves into a spot of bother.

The band plus Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, were test driving a new 4WD for an article in a U.S. magazine. After easily mastering the local carpark, lead singer Daniel Johns took the car onto the local beach to join some other 4WD's. Local police and what has been described as "Baywatch-style patrol officers" objected and ordered everyone out of the vehicle to discover that Johns has no permit to drive on the beach and didn't have his driver's license with him. This resulted in him being locked in a holding cell at a Santa Monica police station, until U.S. Epic Records officials produced his drivers license and explained who he was. No charges were laid. The police had photos taken with the band.

The very cool, and very rockin' Freak single goes to radio New Year's Eve and the equally rockin' album is out in early February.