Billie Eilish talks about recording Australian bird sounds and says she stopped going outside because she was worried [5:33]
WIPPA I love that Australia is important to you too because I love to see that buzzer sound when you cross the street. Have you picked up any new voices in Australia since you moved here this time?
Billy man, I wasn’t like, I don’t go out… I used to go out and love to hang out and do stuff. And I don’t do that much. Because life is a little different.
WIPPA What will happen when you scan your food like it’s self checkout at the supermarket.
Billy could do that. I don’t know, I’ll have to go to a store to do that. But we did bike rides when we were in New Zealand because I’ve been going out more than the last few years. I was like, in fact, when I was on tour, afraid to step outside because I was just worried. I won’t be able to, people are going… which is like, I’m more calm about it. Now I am more comfortable with it. That’s why I’m doing other things. But I’m still busy. But we were in New Zealand and we went on a bike ride. And these birds were like we’re making it sound crazy, robotic and it was so sick. And we were moving so I couldn’t record it. But I was with my friend Dora and we were like, What’s that sound? She is amazing. Dora and I she also makes music she is on tour with me. But he’s also about using weird voices. And so we both heard the birds and we were like, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
WIPPA is the famous thing here too, our crows.
Billy Oh! *makes the sound of crow* doesn’t it make exactly the same sound?
WIPPA This is good. I mean jokes have been made that sometimes it looks like they’re saying f****.
Billy man, actually, I have a recording from the last time I was here and it’s called Sydney Birds. And this is 2019 and that was I was standing on the balcony of the hotel room. And I was just leaving * crow noise * I am telling you man, it seems exactly like this
WIPPA Can I give you my dolphin?
Billy please.
WIPPA *Dolphin Shore*
Billy isn’t even a dog with your mouth open! He is very good.
Billy Tells Us What Really Happened When He Broke Protocol To Meet The Royal Family “I Was So Worried About It” [7:59]
FITZY You wrote a James Bond song. You won an Oscar for this. Congratulations. Rani passed away recently. And we’re dedicating a little bit of our show here and obviously that means she means a lot to us here in Australia. Yes, you met the royals, but when you met the royals the protocol apparently went out the door?
Billy I was all set to go. I was like, I was like studying what etiquette was supposed to be. I was ready to curse. I was ready not to shake hands. I was not ready to ask questions and speak until I was spoken to. And I was very worried about it. I was like, I don’t know how to do this. And they all walked in and they were like, What’s going on? How are you? how’s it going? And I was like, oh my god. And it was funny. I was with Phoebe Waller Bridges and she was standing there. And Phineas and I we were like Phoebe. Do you know protocol and like, do you know you have to curse? Like no, no, we were like, oh well, nobody, like no one prepared you on protocol? And she’s like, no, like, we’re meeting like that, should we be doing anything special? And we thought it was as big as it was supposed to be… and they walked in and it was great. They were so nice and friendly and charming.
Billie Eilish talks about the first songs he wrote inspired by The Walking Dead [0:24]
Fourth time for FITZY Australia? Wow 20 years old already?
Billy yes I know.
FITZY you have three shows. It’s going to be incredible. are you nervous? I mean, it’s crazy that you were playing for 500 people when you were 16. And then a year later, you’re playing 20, 30,000 people to like. So I mean, it must be Crussie now, right?
Billy isn’t like that, it’s so sick. Like, the show that I get to do. I mean, you know, I just did three in New Zealand. And like, gosh, I get up on stage right now. And I’m just like that, I just have to like every single show. It never seems normal. Yes. And every show I have to stand there for a second and really just look around the room, and take it in. And it’s a crazy feeling.
The best part about FITZY is that you love to interact with the crowd. So you negotiate, you pick people up, you talk? Is this a big deal for you?
Billy it has to be like this. For me I really don’t like the idea of doing a show, like doing a show for people. I want them to be with me on the show, like doing a show with me. And like the idea of.. I was saying, like, I did this thing yesterday, I’m gonna make it again, because it looked cool. If there was a show that I did, and I walked off the stage, and for whatever reason, I wasn’t happy about it, it almost always seemed like the crowd was watching a show. And I was the show they were watching instead of watching it wasn’t interactive. Like, what I want is the connection and the way I want it, I want them to do as much shows as I am doing.
FITZY I was at your first Coachella performance. And you had a technical problem. But look, like we knew with the lights and stuff, we understood, but the way you interacted with the crowd, I wouldn’t have known because, and then your documentary, the world is a little hazy, I’m like you already. Could see, like I’d hit a recession and just go out and everything would stop. But you then suddenly, as soon as you hit that stage, Billy do you switch on? you have to do it, don’t you?
Billy mehm this is crazy.
WIPPA But then you go from that extreme, like that show you’re gonna do tonight and some other big show. And then when you just go home to family, and you know, mom and dad. It’s like such a big change. It’s such a different world. I mean, I know you go back to the basics of staying at home. But even when the party’s over and you’re looking for ideas for a movie clip in the backyard with your mom. Your mom is running, I don’t know if this will work and you’re just sitting around the table in the backyard. It’s like being able to have conversations that feel so easy and normal for any family. But then to be able to take him out into the world. It should be phenomenal to see it grow and develop.
Billy I’m telling you man this is a real experience of my life.
FITZY Do you remember that you started writing music at 11. Which was your first song?
Billy Well, well, when I was a kid, I was like a kid writing songs like I was singing and constantly making stuff up but it wasn’t like a song song. So I wrote like little songs, when I was five I wrote a song with a friend on my guitar, like, ukulele and then like grass and flowers.
FITZY Give it to us We’ll play it on Nova.
Billy I will I’ll record it now. But my first song. I think the first song I wrote was a song, I think it was either a song I wrote, why not? Or a song I wrote called Finger Cross. I meant about Fingers Crossed, it was like a lost love song, but it was really about the walking dead. Yeah, because it was one, I’ve said this before, but it was a song exercise. My mom was actually teaching a songwriting class and one of the exercises was, like, go home and watch your favorite TV show or watch a TV show or whatever. And whatever sticks to you can be a song or the like, just about anything interesting. just write it down. And I’ve been watching The Walking Dead since I was 11 and I love The Walking Dead. And I wrote a bunch of things they said in it and liked the episode title and the likes, so I wrote a song about it, but it’s a lot like you wouldn’t know. We put it on SoundCloud when I was 13.
