Has there ever been a musician harder to categorise than Pinky Beecroft? (Okay, for those saying Frank Zappa or Ween, that was more of a rhetorical question, so please hold onto your opinions for the end.)
For the vast majority of music fans, his is a name which would have come to prominence thanks to his role as the de facto frontperson of Machine Gun Fellatio, a group whose very success needs to be studied by academics under the guise of answering the question ‘How on Earth did that happen?”
Machine Gun Fellatio were a genre-defying outfit whose existence was tantamount to a loose collective of weirdos – that is, a collective that just happened to make some amazing music. Despite their less-than radio friendly name, lyrics, live shows, and songs, they persisted, supported artists like KISS, Duran Duran, and Robbie Williams, and after three studio records, called it quits in 2005.
Shortly after that, as members went and did their own thing, so too did Pinky. He launched the band Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians, released an EP and two albums, and sporadically emerged from the shadows to play live shows.
Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians soon became The White Russians, and then performances as The Wreck Tangle and Pinky Beecroft 4.0 followed, but for 17 long years, no new music arrived. That is, until this year.
In fact, this month sees Pinky releasing the new album Lonesome Wolf. It might sound bizarre to say, given his storied career, but it’s a stunning piece of work.
Equal parts heartfelt, affecting, and powerful, it’s enough to remind you that behind the chaos he’s known for, he knows his way around a song – after all, he does also share a co-write on the ARIA Award-winning ‘No Aphrodisiac’ by The Whitlams.
Truly, it’s a wonderful album that ebbs and flows in terms of intensity and reflection, and it’s one that I urge you to listen to with the headphones on, allowing it to wash over you as it unfolds.
While Pinky might have had a wild life, the release of Lonesome Wolf proves that there’s more to him than what many fans would expect. Of course, diehard fans like myself have long been aware of that, but it’s nice to be able to share that with others.
This week, Pinky was kind enough to invite me into his hotel room in Melbourne for a lengthy chat about his musical career, his time with Machine Gun Fellatio, his solo work, and everything in between.
Anyway, have a listen to Pinky Beecroft’s Lonesome Wolf when it arrives next week, buy a ticket to his upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.
Pinky Beecroft’s Trusty Chords
Pinky’s One Influential Artist
- Randy Newman
Honourable Mentions:
- Leonard Cohen
- Ween
Pinky’s Three Impactful Albums
- Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023)
- Ween – The Pod (1991)
- Portishead – Dummy (1994)
Honourable Mentions:
- The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers (1991)
- The Beach Boys – Wild Honey EP (1967)
- Steely Dan – The Royal Scam (1976)
Pinky’s Five Trusty Songs
- Bill Withers – ‘Lovely Day’ (Pink actually chose “anything” by Bill Withers, but in the interest of picking something for the podcast, we’ve gone with 1977’s ‘Lovely Day’, the first specific song of Bill’s that Pinky mentioned during the chat.)
- Bobby Hebb – ‘Sunny’ (1963)
- Donovan – ‘Mellow Yellow’ (1966)
- Lana Del Rey – ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’ (2021)
- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – ‘Moanin” (1959)
Honourable Mention:
- Steely Dan – ‘Do It Again’ (1972)