DARREN
HAYES
by Lawrence Ferber
Australian-born, England-based singer/songwriter
Darren Hayes is best known stateside for his work
as lead vocalist of pop group Savage Garden. Their multi-platinum
albums include the number one Billboard singles, “Truly
Madly Deeply” and “I Knew I Loved You.”
The international pop star went solo in 2002 with Spin,
and in 2004 he released The Tension and the Spark. In
2006, Hayes came out and married his boyfriend, Richard
Cullen, in London. Hayes addressed the joyful civil union
on his website, writing: “I feel lucky to live in
an era where my relationship can be considered legally
legitimate, and I commend the U.K. government for embracing
this very basic civil liberty.” Now out, empowered,
and happily taken, the well-traveled Hayes is forging
his career sans compromise, releasing a 25-song concept
album, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made,on
his own label, Powdered Sugar Productions. In between
trips to New York to promote his new album, Hayes joined
us in the VIP lounge.
Congrats on the civil union, Darren.
Where did you go for your honeymoon, and how did it
measure up?
I haven’t told anyone this. We went to the
Italian Riviera. In ten years of being a pop star and
traveling around the world, I’d never been there,
but I always wanted to go. The movie The Talented Mr.
Ripley always made me fascinated with that area of Italy.
Richard had never been there so it seemed like a no-brainer.
What place in the world is on the
top of your list to visit?
Israel. I’ve never been. I’m not a Christian,
but I find the history that’s name checked in the
Bible fascinating. I’d love to go to Jerusalem,
Bethlehem. I’d love to go to Egypt—I’ve
always been fascinated by the ruins and history there.
What are the most essential items
in your suitcase?
At the moment it’s these throat lozenges for
singers. They’re made from propolis—It’s
got antibacterial qualities. Also a good moisturizer,
and probably an iPod.
What is the first thing you do when
you get into a hotel room?
I unpack everything as if I’m living there.
It’s annoying but I put all my underwear in the
drawers, unpack everything in my toilet bag, and hang
everything up so it’s all away and I don’t
feel like I’m living out of a suitcase.
When choosing a hotel, what are some
of the amenities you consider absolutely essential?
Air conditioning. A gym on premises. A separate
shower: I’m a big shower man. I’m not big
into baths, which I think is good for the environment.
I tend to like old school hotels. I love grand hotels.
Not so much into minimalism.
What is the best or most unique souvenir
you ever brought home, and where is it right now?
My house is full of tchotchkes. Most of them are
Star Wars things. I have a Tibetan prayer bowl that
was actually a gift, but apparently it’s 400 years
old and I’m looking at it right now on a shelf
in my office.
If you were the president of an airline
company, what are some of the changes you would make
to improve business and customer satisfaction?
Where do we start? I really think everybody should
have the option to have an almost flat bed. It doesn’t
matter where you are, and I’ve traveled enough
in economy to complain about it, the conditions are
sometimes subhuman! Being an Australian, for the first
two years of my career I traveled back and forth to
New York probably 20 times in economy, always as the
middle person in that row of five! So I think people
would pay for more comfort. One of my favorite airlines
is Virgin. I like the [individual in-seat] TVs. Even
in economy it’s an amazing selection [of entertainment].
If you could meet with anyone from
the past, who would it be, where would you meet, and
why?
It would be Michael Jackson circa 1983. I’d
be on the set of Thriller. I think something broke in
Michael after that period. He was so innocent and full
of joy, wonder, and excitement. He was really a big
naïve kid. As a child, he and Madonna really inspired
me to be a performer, so that would be amazing to go
back and see him in that period.
Speaking of going back in time, some
songs on your new CD have a time travel theme. If you
could magically appear anyplace in the world at any
time in history where would it be?
Easily Victorian England. That period inspired
the record so much. The world of Jules Verne and H.G.
Wells. And the fact [Richard and I] live in a Victorian
terrace house, it was built in 1863, I think. I found
myself, not only because I met an Englishman and fell
madly in love, thinking a lot about my genealogy and
where I had come from and the idea of the future-present-past
all blurring into one.
Back to the present, what would make
the dream Turndown Service?
I’m really all about lighting, so I love it
when I come back to my hotel room and the lighting has
been dimmed and there’s a candle lit. It makes
you feel somebody’s saying, “Have a good night’s
sleep.”
If you were stranded on a desert
island what three things would you hope to find there?
Sunblock. I hate sun. Really, really hate it, I
burn easily. Some kind of water filtration system. And
a banana tree!
[Published:
August, 2007]
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