Thursday, May 13, 2010 | 1:25 a.m.
Human Nature covers T.N.T.
It's not all Motown sounds for Human Nature, which dusted off an old tune from fellow Australian music act AC/DC prior to their anniversary show at the new Human Nature Theater.
As I remember it, Michael Tierney was the one who lit the fuse. Last year, soon after Human Nature started its run at Imperial Palace, I interviewed the group during a press event at the Flamingo and asked if they happened to be AC/DC fans.
AC/DC is from Australia, same as Human Nature. And they record music, same as Human Nature. But it's a different sort of music, layered with crunching power chords and vocals by Brian Johnson and the late Bon Scott that are more squelched than sung. Most recently, the band's work serves as the soundtrack for "Iron Man 2," and last month they played a sold-out show at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Surprisingly, Michael offered that Human Nature once sang an a cappella version of AC/DC's "T.N.T."
Oy! Oy! Oy!
I asked the guys if they would sing it that day. Not bloody likely. Human Nature hadn't sung the song in several years, and the tune has a fairly colorful history over that span. Human Nature's version actually has been recorded for release, in 2003 as part of "Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge 2," a compilation of artists singing songs out of their own recognized genre. Denton was a comic radio host in Sydney whose shtick was to challenge artists to perform songs that ran counter to their own genre.
So, on these albums we hear, for example, Barenaked Ladies singing Prince's, "When Doves Cry" and Willie Nelson with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Human Nature offered their take on "T.N.T.," long forgotten until Tierney's disclosure.
In the months since, I've occasionally asked Michael and Andrew Tierney, Toby Allen and Phil Burton if they're ready to sing the song. A crazy request? Not hardly. They finally consented Tuesday night, and they did not disappoint.
Oy! Oy! Oy!
A footnote: As the title implies, there was an "Andrew Denton's Musical Challenge 1" that preceded Volume 2, and Human Nature is found there, too — singing "Legs," by ZZ Top. Can we get an encore, sometime?
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at twitter.com/JohnnyKats.
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