Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab
Encyclopedia
Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab (real name: Glenn Easton Dormand
better known by his stage name Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab) is an Australian songwriter, musician, record producer, remixer, TV presenter, radio announcer, and video director. He is best known as one of the founding members of the band Machine Gun Fellatio
and his presenting work on pay TV music channel MAX. In 1998, he won an ARIA Music Award
for Song of the Year for "No Aphrodisiac
" (co-written with Tim Freedman
and Matt Ford
). Chit Chat has also won an Inside Film Award and has been nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award.
He collaborated with Scottie Scott (Scott Chapman) and MGF bandmates 3k Short and Loveshark on the soundtracks to Raw Strip, AUS VR (also served as 2nd Camera) and Sasha And Amber’s Hardcore Holiday (also served as 2nd Camera and Producer).
Mention has been made in MGF press materials and interviews about a film helmed by Chit Chat titled Fisting by the Pool but no physical evidence of the film exists. Not publicly, at least.
Their first release, Unsound Sounds, was a collection of songs by themselves and two other bands, The Libertines and Limebunnies. All three bands were formed by Chit Chat.
MGF performed live at Big Day Out
in 2002 and 2003. They have also played at Homebake
on three separate occasions (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004). In addition to these festivals, MGF have played at Livid
(2001 and 2002), the Woodford Folk Festival
, Rock-It
, St Kilda Festival
and Gone South
.
The group made televised appearances on Rove, Late Night in Sibera, The Monday Dump, The Joint and What U Want.
The band played support for Primus
, Robbie Williams
, Duran Duran
, Garbage
and Kiss
.
MGF was noted for their wild live shows, which often involved both male and female nudity, light bondage gear and implied sexual intercourse with their instruments. This led to RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology
cancelling scheduled performances. Chit Chat himself was known for performing with just a Winnie-the-Pooh plush toy strapped to his genitals. In 2003, this practice caused issues at LA’s Viper Room
. Recounts Chit Chat: "The first problem was that it took a really long time to get my clothes off, because I had [a] broken collar bone. But we were still goin' nuts. I mean, I wanted to give the people the full show. Then these enormous black guys [working security] started walking towards me and it became obvious the venue was shutting me down. It was a bit scary. I guess it would have been scarier if there were two very large black men coming at me saying, 'Take your clothes off!'"
Overall, MGF released three albums, all of which were co-produced by Chit Chat. Their debut, Bring It On!
, was certified gold; the follow-up, Paging Mr. Strike
, was certified platinum. Their final album, On Ice
, was released in 2004.
, The Who
, Foo Fighters
, Slash
, Mumford and Sons, Coldplay
, Alicia Keys
, Pink
, Blondie
and Stevie Nicks
. He has been involved with the following programs: The Know, The MAX Sessions, MAX Masters (also wrote the theme), MAX Recommends (also wrote the theme), Take Five and various specials, including Sound Relief
, the APRA Awards
and twice hosting the St Kilda Festival and AMP Awards
.
Before the show ended in 2009, Chit Chat was, at five years, the longest serving presenter on The Know.
After the death of Crowded House
drummer Paul Hester
in 2005, Chit Chat took over hosting duties of The MAX Sessions. The show has twice been honoured with an ASTRA Award.
Chit Chat is the narrator and conducts all of the interviews for this MAX Masters, an ASTRA Award-winning monthly music documentary that focuses on an individual artist.
Chit Chat also served as host for the benefit shows WaveAid
and Sound Relief
, both of which won ASTRA Awards.
He is currently working on two documentaries: A five-part series about the Nineties and an eight-part series titled Great Music Cities of the World. They are due to air in late-2011.
, Killing Priscilla. The documentary featured Ashley Judd
, K.d. lang
and Ewan McGregor
.
In 2003, Chit Chat and 3k Short wrote the original score for the Jonathon Teplitzky film Gettin' Square
. For this they won the IF Award for Best Music and received an AFI Award nomination for Best Original Score . The pair originally rejected this job but later agreed after seeing David Wenham’s
courtroom scene.
Chit Chat scored the 2010 documentary You Only Live Twice: The Incredible True Story Of The Hughes Family, which won the AFI Award for Best Documentary Under One Hour.
With Scottie Scott
.
better known by his stage name Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab) is an Australian songwriter, musician, record producer, remixer, TV presenter, radio announcer, and video director. He is best known as one of the founding members of the band Machine Gun Fellatio
Machine Gun Fellatio
Machine Gun Fellatio was an Australian alternative rock band, formed in 1997. They were well-known for their provocative on-stage antics and humorous lyrics, as well as the musical merit of their songs. Their outrage-provoking name gives some idea of the attitude that pervades the band's work...
and his presenting work on pay TV music channel MAX. In 1998, he won an ARIA Music Award
ARIA Music Awards of 1998
The 12th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 20 October 1998 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre...
for Song of the Year for "No Aphrodisiac
No Aphrodisiac
"No Aphrodisiac" is the third single on The Whitlams third album Eternal Nightcap. It was written by Tim Freedman, with Pinky Beecroft and Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab helping with the lyrics. The single is the band's most successful and well known, voted the #1 song in the Triple J Hottest 100, 1997...
" (co-written with Tim Freedman
Tim Freedman
Timothy "Tim" James Freedman is the mainstay lead singer and keyboardist of the Australian band The Whitlams formed in 1993...
and Matt Ford
Pinky Beecroft
Pinky Beecroft is an Australian singer/songwriter/performer.He was the lead singer and song-writer of Australian band Machine Gun Fellatio. He quit the band in 2005, at which point the group split up. He is the lead singer of Pinky Beecroft & The White Russians...
). Chit Chat has also won an Inside Film Award and has been nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award.
Beginnings
Chit Chat began his musical career with the band Vrag. He was the lead singer and lyricist during the group’s existence from 1988 until 1994. Vrag’s four full members and two part-time vocalists would later form Machine Gun Fellatio (MGF). The only non-Vrag band member to be in MGF was Pinky Beecroft. In 2006, Vrag reformed and performed a show at Sydney’s Annandale HotelAdult Films
Prior to Machine Gun Fellatio achieving success, Chit Chat provided scores for local adult films. According to Chit Chat: “We initially self-financed the band by doing porn soundtracks, which is funny and I don’t mind mentioning. It’s really hard to do porn. You think it’s going to be easy – you’re just going to get the wah pedal and knock it out, but you’ve pretty much got to write wall-to-wall sound and add dynamics for a 20-minute scene. It’s a lot of music."He collaborated with Scottie Scott (Scott Chapman) and MGF bandmates 3k Short and Loveshark on the soundtracks to Raw Strip, AUS VR (also served as 2nd Camera) and Sasha And Amber’s Hardcore Holiday (also served as 2nd Camera and Producer).
Mention has been made in MGF press materials and interviews about a film helmed by Chit Chat titled Fisting by the Pool but no physical evidence of the film exists. Not publicly, at least.
Machine Gun Fellatio
Chit Chat and 3k Short started the band in 1996 and undertook songwriting, producing and management duties until the group split in 2005.Their first release, Unsound Sounds, was a collection of songs by themselves and two other bands, The Libertines and Limebunnies. All three bands were formed by Chit Chat.
MGF performed live at Big Day Out
Big Day Out
The Big Day Out is an annual music festival held in several cities in Australia and New Zealand in late January. It started in Sydney in 1992, spread to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth by 1993, with the Gold Coast and Auckland joining in 1994...
in 2002 and 2003. They have also played at Homebake
Homebake
Homebake is an annual Australian rock festival, featuring an all-Australian lineup . The festival was first held on 4 January 1996 at Belongil Fields in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of New South Wales...
on three separate occasions (2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004). In addition to these festivals, MGF have played at Livid
Livid
Livid was an Australian alternative rock music festival held annually from 1989 to 2003. Masterminded by Peter Walsh and Natalie Jeremijenko, the original idea of showcasing both the arts and music in the one event was standardised as late as October/early November from 1991 until 2003...
(2001 and 2002), the Woodford Folk Festival
Woodford Folk Festival
The Woodford Folk Festival is an annual music festival held near the small country town of Woodford, 72 km north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is one of the biggest annual cultural events of its type in Australia....
, Rock-It
Rock-It
Rock-It is an Australian music festival held at the Arena Joondalup in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The festival was first held in 1999, and mainly features modern rock music...
, St Kilda Festival
St Kilda Festival
The St Kilda Festival is a popular community festival held in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda. Traditionally held on the second Sunday in February, the festival is about showcasing live Australian music, family and children's entertainment, beach activities and much more all presented in a...
and Gone South
Gone South
Gone South was a music festival in Tasmania, Australia. It has been held in both Launceston and Hobart at various times. It has been promoted by local Hobart businessman Charles Touber, and more recently in conjunction with Karen Henderson....
.
The group made televised appearances on Rove, Late Night in Sibera, The Monday Dump, The Joint and What U Want.
The band played support for Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
, Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
, Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
and Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
.
MGF was noted for their wild live shows, which often involved both male and female nudity, light bondage gear and implied sexual intercourse with their instruments. This led to RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is an Australian public dual sector university based in Melbourne, Victoria. The institution was founded by the Honourable George Swinburne in 1908 and achieved university status in June 1992...
cancelling scheduled performances. Chit Chat himself was known for performing with just a Winnie-the-Pooh plush toy strapped to his genitals. In 2003, this practice caused issues at LA’s Viper Room
Viper Room
The Viper Room is a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. The club became known for being a hangout of Hollywood elite, and was the site where actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on...
. Recounts Chit Chat: "The first problem was that it took a really long time to get my clothes off, because I had [a] broken collar bone. But we were still goin' nuts. I mean, I wanted to give the people the full show. Then these enormous black guys [working security] started walking towards me and it became obvious the venue was shutting me down. It was a bit scary. I guess it would have been scarier if there were two very large black men coming at me saying, 'Take your clothes off!'"
Overall, MGF released three albums, all of which were co-produced by Chit Chat. Their debut, Bring It On!
Bring It On! (Machine Gun Fellatio album)
Bring It On! is the debut studio album by Australian alternative rock band Machine Gun Fellatio. The album was released on 29 September 2000 on Mushroom Records. "Unsent Letter" came in at No...
, was certified gold; the follow-up, Paging Mr. Strike
Paging Mr. Strike
Paging Mr. Strike is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Machine Gun Fellatio. The album was released on 26 August 2002 on Festival Records....
, was certified platinum. Their final album, On Ice
On Ice (Machine Gun Fellatio album)
On Ice is the third and final studio album by Australian alternative rock band Machine Gun Fellatio. The album was released on 18 October 2004 on Festival Records....
, was released in 2004.
Television
Chit Chat is the primary artist interviewer for pay TV music channel MAX. During his seven years with the channel, he has interviewed over 600 acts, including OasisOasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, Mumford and Sons, Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
. He has been involved with the following programs: The Know, The MAX Sessions, MAX Masters (also wrote the theme), MAX Recommends (also wrote the theme), Take Five and various specials, including Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
, the APRA Awards
APRA Awards
The APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
and twice hosting the St Kilda Festival and AMP Awards
Australian Music Prize
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
.
Before the show ended in 2009, Chit Chat was, at five years, the longest serving presenter on The Know.
After the death of Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...
drummer Paul Hester
Paul Hester
Paul Newell Hester was an Australian musician and television personality; he was the drummer for the related bands Split Enz and Crowded House.-The early years:...
in 2005, Chit Chat took over hosting duties of The MAX Sessions. The show has twice been honoured with an ASTRA Award.
Chit Chat is the narrator and conducts all of the interviews for this MAX Masters, an ASTRA Award-winning monthly music documentary that focuses on an individual artist.
Chit Chat also served as host for the benefit shows WaveAid
WaveAid
WaveAid was a fund raising concert held on Saturday the 29th of January 2005 as a means for raising funds for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. It was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and broadcast on television by Channel [V] and MTV, and on radio...
and Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
, both of which won ASTRA Awards.
He is currently working on two documentaries: A five-part series about the Nineties and an eight-part series titled Great Music Cities of the World. They are due to air in late-2011.
Film
In 2000 Chit Chat, 3k Short and Pinky Beecroft composed the score for Academy Award Academy Award winner Lizzy Gardiner’s documentary on director Stephan ElliottStephan Elliott
Stephan Elliott is an Australian film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Elliott began his career as an assistant director working in the boom of the Australian film industry of the 1980s....
, Killing Priscilla. The documentary featured Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd is an American television and film actress, who has played lead roles in films including Ruby in Paradise, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, Where the Heart Is and High Crimes...
, K.d. lang
K.D. Lang
Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...
and Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
.
In 2003, Chit Chat and 3k Short wrote the original score for the Jonathon Teplitzky film Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square
Gettin' Square is a crime caper movie set on Australia's Gold Coast and directed by Jonathan Teplitzky. The protagonists are ex-criminals trying to keep out of trouble....
. For this they won the IF Award for Best Music and received an AFI Award nomination for Best Original Score . The pair originally rejected this job but later agreed after seeing David Wenham’s
David Wenham
David Wenham is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies, television series and theatre productions. He is known in Hollywood for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Carl in Van Helsing and Dilios in 300 and Neil Fletcher in Australia...
courtroom scene.
Chit Chat scored the 2010 documentary You Only Live Twice: The Incredible True Story Of The Hughes Family, which won the AFI Award for Best Documentary Under One Hour.
Advertisements
Chit Chat and 3k Short have scored many award-winning and controversial TVC’s:- "Sperm Bank", "Bin Surfer" for Solo
- "Snakeskin Tampons" for Libra
- "Evoluion" for TDK
- "Skater" for Cottee’s
- "Pie Fight" for Davenport
- "Bucket Boy" for Hans
Radio
From 2008 until 2010, Chit Chat presented two weekly shows: Planet Rock, which was syndicated to 56 stations nationally, and Homebrew, which appeared on Triple M.Remixes
With 3k Short- The Whitlams - "No Aphrodisiac"
- TISM - "Defecate on my face"
- Custard - "Apartment"
- Pre.Shrunk - "Hot Robots"
With Scottie Scott
- Bellydance - "Ain’t No Use"
Recorded co-writes
- The Whitlams - "No Aphrodisiac" (with Tim Freedman, Matt Ford) (Won the 1998 ARIA Award for Song of the Year)
- Tex, Don and Charlie - "Fake That Emotion" (with Tex Perkins)
- The Grandmasters - "Love Dies Slow" (with Jackie Orzarcsky)
- The Grandmasters - "Light Off" (with Jackie Orzarcsky)
- The Grandmasters - "Holiday From Myself" (with Jackie Orzarcsky)
- Waikiki - "Together We’re A Song" (with Juanita Stein)
- Pre.Shrunk - "Crash" (with Dave Morris)
- Pre.Shrunk - "All Day Sucker" (with Dave Morris)
- Pre.Shrunk - "Legend Of The Fall" (with Dave Morris)
Current
Chit Chat has teamed-up with long time writing partner Scottie Scott and formed The StickUp Kids. Their EP “Take On The World” was released in 2010. They won an ABC Broadcasters Choice Award for the track “Make Time For Love” and were nominated for Best Rock Song at the 2010 Musicoz awards for “Blame It On The Rock n Roll”.Personal
Chit Chat has been married since 2005 and has two daughters. He and his family live in Newcastle, New South WalesNewcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
.