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Quan Yeomans

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Quan Yeomans
Yeomans performing with Regurgitator in Sydney on 31 December 2012
Yeomans performing with Regurgitator in Sydney on 31 December 2012
Background information
Born (1972-12-12) 12 December 1972 (age 51)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresRock, alternative rock, hip hop, electronica
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, animator, producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, keyboard, synthesizer, drums
Years active1993–present
LabelsValve Records, Warner Bros.
Website[1]

Quan Yeomans (born 12 December 1972) is an Australian musician best known as the frontman of the band Regurgitator.

Early years

Yeomans was born in Sydney to a fifth-generation Australian father, Neville, and his mother Lien, a well-known Vietnamese Australian chef and author. His parents divorced during his childhood, during which he recalls listening to various Fleetwood Mac albums.[1][2] At an early age Lien arranged for family friend and Channel Seven newsreader Peter Waltham to give music lessons for Quan in exchange for cooking lessons. In 1984, his family relocated to Brisbane and he attended Bardon Primary School before attending Kelvin Grove State High School until graduation in 1989. Yeomans travelled with his father in 1991 to Rio de Janeiro to the World Economic Forum, where he heard Indian scientist and author Vandana Shiva speak about the crippling, cyclic effects of debt on the Third World. He has stated, "To find out about that was a critical moment for me and inspired a lot of work that I did in the band [Regurgitator]".[3]

Regurgitator

In 1993, Yeomans was a drummer for Brisbane punk band Zooerastia. After meeting Pangaea bassist/vocalist Ben Ely on a bus, they would form Regurgitator with Yeomans on guitar/vocals and Martin Lee on drums. He has stated that he felt like a hypocrite signing to major label Warner Music because of his views on the music industry as the mouthpiece of global capitalism.[4]

Yeomans is the dominant composer in the group, owning the writing credits to over half the songs on each album. The majority of songs chosen for single releases are also his. Regurgitator's shift towards synth-driven 80s pop on their second album Unit, which contrasted greatly to their earlier rock/hip hop orientated works, is largely due to Yeomans' frustration with their male-dominant audience who embraced their heavier sound. Manager Paul Curtis recalls that he had once stated "thank god Grinspoon came along because they took all the male angst away from our shows".[5]

Yeomans is also an animator and has animated several of Regurgitator's music videos, including that of the band's most popular song, Polyester Girl.

Happyland

In 1996, Yeomans became acquainted with Janet English, bassist/vocalist for Melbourne-based band Spiderbait. The two started dating and the relationship lasted several years. The pair formed Happyland,[6] an art pop band and released Welcome to Happyland in 1998, which spawned a few hits that received airplay on Triple J. The project has been inactive since 2000.

2000 onward

Yeomans formed a solo project entitled "BLOX" and Quan the Amateur, releasing a self-titled album in December 2008 under the latter moniker. Quan: The Amateur was recorded in Hong Kong, where he resided at the time of recording, and Yeomans then performed the album on the 2009 Big Day Out tour.[7][8]

Yeomans' hip-hop project Disaster!, featuring former girlfriend Emilie Goegan, played shows in Japan and Australia. Disaster! has ceased due to the couple ending their relationship.[9]

From late 2013 to well into 2015 Regurgitator was on a period of indefinite hiatus due to personal matters and the geographical locations of Ely and Yeomans (the former resides in Melbourne, Australia, while the latter resides in Hong Kong).[10] They started touring again in 2015 before recording Headroxx in 2018 and a children's album The Really Really Really Really Boring Album in 2019.

Musical and lyrical style

Yeomans' lyrical style has been described as a trademark postmodern lyricism and sceptical cynicism.[11] He is known for the explicit lyrical content that appeared on Regurgitator's earlier releases. Songs such as "I Like It Like That", "Pop Porn" and "The World of Sleaze" deals with issues of sexism. Yeomans has acknowledged feminist performance artist and friend Kiley Gaffney as a major influence. He has also credited his father, a psychiatrist, as his 'greatest intellectual and emotional influence. It is through his insights that I discovered the true nature of subversion, subtlety and brutality.'[12] Their attendance at the 1991 World Economic Forum directly influenced the lyrics for the song 'G7 Dick Electro Boogie'. Another reoccurring theme in Yeomans' lyrics is about musicians dealing with fame, which is possibly influenced by his own career. Regurgitator bassist/co-vocalist Ben Ely noted that 'Quan was really playing around hardcore topics with cute pop songs'[13] when asked about the controversial track 'I Sucked A Lot of Cock To Get Where I Am'.

Personal life

Yeomans had lived in Hong Kong with his partner and their first child was born in late 2013.[10][14] As of 2019, he was residing in Melbourne. He has two children.[15]

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
1998 "Black Bugs" Best Video Nominated [16]
Quan Yeomans and Janet English for Happyland – Welcome to Happyland ARIA Award for Best Cover Art Nominated

References

  1. ^ Kotori Magazine – Explosions by Regurgitator – An Interview
  2. ^ Listen | triple j
  3. ^ live dreamer – quan yeomans | map magazine's street editors Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Pig City: From the Saints to Savage Garden" By Andrew Stafford, Published by University of Queensland Press, 2004, p.275
  5. ^ The Album Series – Regurgitator: Unit | media | triple j
  6. ^ Happyland Discography on spakatak.com
  7. ^ "2013 Speakers: QUAN YEOMANS". Big Sound. Qld Music Network Inc. 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  8. ^ Alistair Erskine (12 May 2009). "Quan-tum Leap". BMA Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  9. ^ "DAS RACIST / LAKUTIS / DISASTER! / TIGERMOTH – THE ZOO – 24/01/2012". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  10. ^ a b Jody Macgregor (20 September 2013). "Regurgitator going on indefinite hiatus". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  11. ^ Musicfeeds.com.au drops in on Quan in Hong Kong
  12. ^ "Australian Story: Australian Lives" By Gabrielle Carey, Published by ABC Books, October 1997, p.185
  13. ^ FBI Radio Interview with Ben Ely, 16 November 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4joDRbgyvM
  14. ^ "So we have some good news... and some not so good news". Regurgitator on Facebook. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2013 – via Facebook.
  15. ^ "Regurgitator still getting their roxx off" SMH https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/regurgitator-still-getting-their-roxx-off-20180731-p4zund.html
  16. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "Winners by Award – Artisan Awards – Best Video". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 December 2019.
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