The Wiggles, Australian rock stars with the preschool crowd, are heading to Halifax for three shows on Oct. 30 and 31 at the Metro Centre.
The purple Wiggle, Jeff Fatt, plays piano and accordion in the band, but he’s a little narcoleptic until the audience yells out: “Wake up Jeff!”
With the jet-lag, time difference and everything – are you getting enough sleep?
Yes — I sleep now and then. I catch up on my sleep on stage.
Where do you guys get your energy — especially after so many years of performing for kids?
A lot of it comes from the audience. If you’re not feeling that well before you get on stage and the roar of the crowd and performing for children really keeps you on your game.
I think the shows we’re doing now are much more physical than they’ve ever been and doing things physically really keeps you active.
What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
Just going as The Wiggles! Actually for one Halloween I dressed as the yellow Wiggle.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs? I mean there’s been a chicken with hiccups and a Monkey Man…
It pretty much comes from the children and what’s in their world, just concepts what they relate to.
It’s just making the most ordinary, boring things which may seem boring to an adult and just making them interesting and fun for children.
As Canadians we can appreciate how you guys incorporate everything Australian into your performances. Do you get kids asking about Australia and wondering if it’s a magical place?
We do have that now and then. The concept of Australia is a hard concept to grasp, with the fact you have to fly 24 hours to get there.
I have also wondered if there’s any competition between The Wiggles and AC/DC to sell the most records. It must be getting close.
(laugh) No, there’s nothing consciously competitive.
