There is no question about Neil Finn’s position in contemporary music history. One of the world’s most successful songwriters certainly, but successful is a word that you could equally appropriate to the likes of production liner Dianne Warren, creator of many financially lucrative hits yet in my opinion, devoid of any soul. Perhaps respect is a more all-encompassing term to describe Finn’s career. It’s such respect that recently had international rock stars like Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, The Smith’s Johnny Marr, and Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien flying from the other side of the world to join Neil in a week of very special intimate gigs in Auckland at the beginning of his tour in support of the new album ‘One Nil’.

It’s also that respect which had one British journalist gloating a few years ago that "Neil Finn writes songs that Paul McCartney would sell his children to be able to write." Ridiculous statement, but the scribe got his point across, Finn’s best songs could easily stand beside some of the beautiful classic McCartney ballads. There is no denying a Beatles influence in Finn’s music, but such was that band’s massive influence, who in pop music hasn’t been influenced to some degree by Lennon and McCartney.

I had always wondered about Finn’s response to the famous McCartney quote and made a mental note to ask him should I ever have the opportunity. Recently the opportunity arose … and so did the question. With tongue firmly in cheek, Finn’s immediate response … "Actually I just bought some of McCartney’s Kids!"

I don’t know about you, but the thought of a songwriting collaboration between Finn and McCartney is something that excites me somewhat and anyone with any influence in the matter is free to promote the concept further. After all they have both met, have mutual respect for each other’s work and belong to the same record company!

"Actually I have met Paul a few times. He’s a lovely fellow…he’s a charming man." said Finn. "I don’t know about working together really. I have never really thought about it. I suppose it is always a possibility. I guess there is no reason why not but I’ve never thought about it."

For the moment fans of Neil’s music are happy enough that the new album is out, full of classic Finn melodies, and due to be played live at a venue nearby very soon.

Like much of Finn’s material One Nil is one of those albums that rewards the listener with new experiences the more it’s played. Different depths and dimensions are to be found with successive rotations. A conscious plan?

"Not a deliberate ploy" said Neil, " I’d quite like it if people got it the first time around but it seems like it takes a few listens on every record I put out. There’s probably a couple of exceptions. The first Crowded House record I think was pretty immediate for people. I don’t know whether it has to do with the fact that the songs have a certain subtlety to them which emerges after repeated listenings or because I have worked on them in the studio a lot and there are certain layers of interest built into them that I get very used to. I get very accustomed to them but for other people they emerge the second or third time."

Finn is very much at home in the recording studio. It’s there that he can experiment with different shapes and sounds and add interest to what is usually a great piece of songwriting to begin with. Fellow New Zealander Dave Dobbyn once revealed to this magazine that Finn liked to have all sorts of exotic instruments lying around the studio just in case there was a whimful use for them. The situation was no different with the recording of the new album. Neil explains, "I think every studio should be equipped with odd things in a way. Part of the process of recording is providing interest and surprise and intrigue in the process. If you are hung up on a piece that isn’t working, and you’ve got a set of vibes or old Mellotron that could suddenly be the character sound that can bring a track home or make it happen."

Prior to recording One Nil, Finn was already up for experimentation having worked on a soundtrack with another Kiwi, Edmund Cake. In Cake’s arsenal of music making equipment were items such as rubber bands and drinking glasses.

Neil recalls the experience, "He’s very wilful and experimental with sounds. He would record stuff at double speed then drop it to half speed and refer to that as Nanosphere. Things like the sound of someone putting a hand around a crystal glass would suddenly become like a bass cello. He’s quite fascinating."

Apart from the extraordinary gear Finn has used on his recordings, he has remained faithful to his traditional instruments. He’s been using the same guitars for a while now, either a Gretsch Duo Jet or a Gibson Goldtop which he records through a Fender Champ mostly, or sometimes a Vox, Matchless, or Fender Twin Reverb. "I’ve also had a bit of luck with just using a POD on some songs" said Finn.

Helping out in the recording of One Nil were former Prince band members Wendy (Melvoin) and Lisa (Germano). Wendy was the main collaborator and played drums, bass and guitar on the record, as well as a little E-Bow guitar on the opening track ‘The Climber’. "Just a total rhythm generator, she’s plays like a good time." Said Finn of Wendy’s contribution.

I wondered during studio down-time whether the subject ever got around to Prince and his recording habits?

"There were some good stories. He used to ring them up at three in the morning when they were asleep and say "Wendy! We’re cuttin’ hits!" And it was basically like .. you better get in here. But I didn’t do that to her."

The end result of a Neil Finn songwriting binge we all know, One Nil is a fine example, but what of the process and where does he begin?

"A set of chords and a melody almost always to begin with and hopefully there’ll be a few lines to go with that. Occasionally the words will come pouring out and they write themselves in a very short time. But a lot of the time you just get a few key phrases and work on it. I usually like to have a tape recorder running when I’m writing and then I can refer back. I often try to do a very quick and immediate demo of the song, put a few layers and harmonies on . Basically so I can have a pleasurable listening experience. I try to make something that I like to listen to and it’s often only two minutes long, just a skeleton of a song, but I know that if I can listen back to it at the end of the night more than half a dozen times, and it sounds better to me, then I know I am on a winner."

Finn is always keen to share his musical experiences. On his recent New Zealand tour he put together several bands via his website to back him on his shows. Applicants were asked to send in a demo of themselves playing a Neil Finn or Crowded House song. The successful musicians were quickly rehearsed at soundcheck before the show and then unleashed to perform the classic Finn tunes that very night. It’s a concept he liked so much that he’s considering employing it throughout the year in other parts of the world

Being spontaneous and not taking life too seriously are two things we have always associated with Neil Finn. Many will remember a shocked Molly Meldrum at the Countdown Music Awards when Neil seemingly tripped and hurt himself accidently in view of a national TV audience. All fully intended of course.

During the Crowded House days it was not unusual for the band to play at private parties, in radio station stair wells, or wherever and whenever they felt like playing. Neil recalled some of those magical intimate performances.

"Without wanting to paint it as being some kind of policy, it’s a case of being prepared to play anywhere if there is a good reason to, and that stems from someone growing up playing at parties and lounge rooms and that’s how we cut our teeth, entertaining friends and family. So it feels very natural to play anywhere and music shouldn’t be so precious that have to have a whole production aesthetic behind it. It should be capable of being reduced to a guitar, a voice and a room full of people and still work."

Further proof of Neil’s willingness to try anything if it sounds fresh and exciting are his string of dates with the Australian Chamber Orchestra this year. He’ll be playing classical concerts in the early evening and a rock concert late at night.

"I’m writing a piece of music with two or three other composers in conjunction with Richard Tognetti and the ACO" said Finn " and Michael Leunig (Melbourne cartoonist) is the philosophical collaborator."

It seems it’s no easy task keeping up with Neil Finn and his musical projects. It’s for this reason he has placed a great deal of energy into developing his website (www.nilfun.net).

Visitors to the site can not only download Finn music and catch up on the latest tour information but also discover other creative people including musicians, artists and designers whose work Neil finds interesting (Another web address Neil recommends and sites as being inspirational is superbad.com).

By placing both his and other artists work on the web, I wondered where he stood on the issue of the moment; Napster?

"I welcome it . Whether or not it’s right for one person to profit so dramatically from someone’s music, that’s probably one issue. Certainly if it’s not them then it will be someone else and I don’t think you can stop , or should stop people’s access to what is available. Otherwise it’s a form of tyranny. I think the internet is a great wonderous work in progress. I support anything that spreads good work, good music and good things around and I don’t give a shit if it ‘s free or whatever."

People like Metallica have gone to great lengths to protect their music and the financial aspect of it…

"Yeh, you know they sound like a business and I don’t have much respect for them. I don’t want to slag them off particularly, but I don’t think that whole thing looked very good. It looked like they were anti-fans in a way. The principles of copyright are obviously what has made me money over the years and it’s hypocritical for me to say all music should be free, because I have obviously benefited from copyright being strong but I also think the people that download music in the main are fans, and at some point they will buy something off you that you will get money from. So why begrudge them a few free things."

Neil has made a comfortable living from his songwriting craft, travelled the world and met people he probably never dreamed he would ever meet but when it’s all stripped bare I wondered what music as a pure form meant to him…

"Music is very powerful. It’s magic. Music is magic and it helps all sorts of other things. A lot of it is just the pure expression of doing it., how joyous that is. It’s indefinable in a way. That’s what’s great about music..it describes aspects of living and feeling that there are no words for, and there is no other way of expressing it. In terms of putting you in tune with a deeper sense of life … nothing compares."