Here's What We Think Paul Kelly Could Talk About During His BIGSOUND Keynote Address

He's the poet laureate of Australian music and now Paul Kelly will be sharing his years of experience with BIGSOUND during his keynote address. Jessica Dale looks to the Kelly songbook for ideas of what he could cover...

Sometimes things move in Leaps & Bounds, other times they're a little slower…

It took Kelly the best part of forty years to get a #1 album on the ARIA Albums Chart, with 2017's Life Is Fine finally sealing the deal. We could all use a little PK lesson in patience and persistence.

Maybe it's The Oldest Story In The Book...

Kelly's ability to tell a story that isn't just his own is probably one of the main reasons he's so loved nationwide. Tracks like From Little Things Big Things Grow and Everything's Turning To White prove exactly that, so maybe we'll hear more about how Kelly's songs came to tell a national story. 

Sometimes it's OK to do Dumb Things…

The dumbest things or hardest lessons learned can often lead to the best stories, or in this case, songs. Maybe Kelly can share some wisdom on why even the ugliest of times can eventually lead to the best outcomes.

Every Fucking City feels the same…

After an extensive touring career that's taken him across the country and around the world multiple times maybe Kelly can share his best tips for life on the road, or at the very least the best places to have a beer.

God Told Me To look everywhere for inspiration…

Kelly's work has drawn on everything from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the biblical tales like the fictionalised one in God Told Me To. The point being that inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere, and hopefully, Kelly will divulge just some of the spots to look.

Before Too Long you may need to change your approach…

While you can still hear the same recognisable Paul Kelly sound in his first and current albums, but in that time Kelly's approach to songwriting itself has changed. Expect Kelly to share just why he's changed his tune on the topic.

If I Could Start Again Today, I would…

Four decades in the business means Kelly has seen and lived a lot of change, which begs the question; if he could start his career over what, if anything, would he do differently?

If you know How To Make Gravy share that recipe around…

OK, so granted he already did the 1996 classic, but the gravy recipe we're talking about here is a juicy career. Who wouldn't want a Paul Kelly step-by-step guide to musical success?

Paul Kelly speaks to BIGSOUND on Wednesday, 5 September.