The Paradise Motel
Encyclopedia
The Paradise Motel are a critically and commercially successful independent Australia
n band from Hobart
, Tasmania
, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.
, Tasmania
in 1994. After playing one concert in the Kaos Cafe the band relocated to Melbourne
in 1995.
Once established they found singer, Merida Sussex, working in the St Kilda
Public Library and attracted organist BJ Austin and drummer Tim O'Shannassy. Their first concert was on Valentine's Day 1995 at the now defunct Carlton Moviehouse and began a penchant for performing at atypical venues, shortly before signing to Bruce Milne
's management company "The Shining Path".
After intense rehearsals and further gigging they were signed to Mushroom Records
through whom they released the EP Left Over Life to Kill
, its name taken from the autobiography
of Dylan Thomas
' widow Caitlin MacNamara.
Variously described as An assured and extremely vivid piece of music, In 25 minutes they might very well change the way you listen to music, 9.5/10, and Possibly the finest début EP by a band in Australian music history. Left Over Life to Kill reached number 2 on the Australian Alternative Charts and became the third highest selling alternative release of 1996.
This was soon followed by a remix
EP, titled Some Deaths Take Forever, named from graffito on the wall of Brisbane venue The Zoo. It consisted of experimental remixes of tracks and outtakes from Left Over Life to Kill
, an interpretation of The Triffids
' song Raining Pleasure
and was produced by the band themselves. 2,000 hand-numbered copies were produced and soon sold out. These and many subsequent releases by The Paradise Motel were noted for their stylistic uniformity, reminiscent of Penguin Books
' Penguin Classics series.
Early 1997 saw the release of The Paradise Motel's first full-length album, Still Life
. Early editions featured and accompanying bonus disc Junk Mail which consisted of one 30-minute track of outtakes. The album was preceded by the single 'Bad Light', described as a perfect example of the band's self-described technique: "The violence and the silence"
1998 saw the release of the single 'Heavy Weather' with an attendant filmclip. Both highlighted a new lush styling for the band as Mushroom
and Infectious
attempted to prime them for an overseas market. Second album Flight Paths was released later in the year and indicated a denser production. Several singles and a national tour followed.
had already described the band as a deliciously unsettling proposition), record label Mushroom
/Infectious
made them the first signing to their London-based branch. After touring Europe with Grandaddy
, Sparklehorse
and Mercury Rev
to the US for the CMJ
and North by Northwest
Festivals, the band continued to play shows in England with acts such as The Divine Comedy
, Smog
and Drugstore
, though recorded no new material and disbanded in early 2000.
- Aulich joined indie band Drugstore
for a period before returning to Australia where he formed the band Small Sips with Matt Bailey and Karl Smith of Sodastream
and Lee Memorial.
Sussex released a solo album before forming Candy, she is involved with the running of the Stolen Recordings
label.
Mark Austin furthered his studies in architecture
and married Gina Morris (ex-NME
journalist and ex-stereolab
member) in 2002, they have settled in Melbourne.
Tim O'Shannassy completed a PhD in music and literature in London, and taught at a number of colleges in New York.
Bickford lived in Melbourne for a period, before returning to the UK where he married Lauren Zoric in 2004. In 2005 he appeared as the resident expert and co-host on 'The Golden Lot', on a weekly ITV
program he co-hosted with Carol Vordeman. Zoric and Bickford returned to Melbourne in 2007 with the band reuniting shortly afterward.
', completed at the end of 2008. Thematically it was considered an extension of their earlier preoccupations; death, disappearances and the Australian wilderness.
Longtime violinist and co-arranger Campbell Shaw became a full-time member of the band after recording, bass guitarist Esme MacDonald joined shortly before recording as did drummer Damien Hill. In December 2008 drummer Hill took his own life and the album was not released until 29 January 2011, the second birthday of his daughter. The band have set up a link for anyone interested in donating to the Jesuit Social Services 'Support After Suicide' program on their website. The link: https://secure.donman.net.au/client/JSS/jss.asp
The album concerns the life and death of Azaria Chamberlain
and was released on the 30th anniversary of her birth, 11 June 2010. A limited edition release on USB was made for a one-off performance in Melbourne.
The album received positive reviews upon its release
, pedal steel
, and occasional accompaniment from a string quartet. Unlike many other Australian bands of the time the Paradise Motel were considered 'sonically adventurous' with their frequent deconstruction and reinterpretation of their own songs. Their aesthetic was one of sparseness and melancholia, punctuated by bursts of manic loudness; or, as they once said in an interview, "the violence and the silence". Their lyrical subject matter often veered towards the melancholy and macabre, which results in comparisons to Nick Cave
, TV series Twin Peaks
and Mazzy Star
, as did Sussex's vocal style. Much of the Paradise Motel's songwriting came from Charles Bickford, whilst Matt Aulich was responsible for the string and instrumental arrangements in most of their tracks.
' song Drive appears in the soundtrack
to the film of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
. Their early song, "German Girl", also appears in the film.
Songs by the band have appeared on several compilation CDs attached to magazines such as NME
, Melody Maker
and Select.
Three songs by The Paradise Motel are played in the Australian television show Heartbreak High
: "Bad Light", "Ashes" and "German Girl".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n band from Hobart
Hobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.
Formation and early releases 1994–1998
Guitarist and organist Charles Bickford, guitarist and arranger Matt Aulich and bassist Matthew Bailey formed the first incarnation of The Paradise Motel in HobartHobart
Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1994. After playing one concert in the Kaos Cafe the band relocated to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1995.
Once established they found singer, Merida Sussex, working in the St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
Public Library and attracted organist BJ Austin and drummer Tim O'Shannassy. Their first concert was on Valentine's Day 1995 at the now defunct Carlton Moviehouse and began a penchant for performing at atypical venues, shortly before signing to Bruce Milne
Bruce Milne
Bruce Milne is an Australian music entrepreneur closely linked to the Melbourne post-punk scene. He founded the independent record label Au-Go-Go in 1979....
's management company "The Shining Path".
After intense rehearsals and further gigging they were signed to Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
through whom they released the EP Left Over Life to Kill
Left Over Life to Kill
Left Over Life To Kill is both an EP and an album released by the Australian band The Paradise Motel, released in 1996 and 1997 respectively...
, its name taken from the autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
of Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
' widow Caitlin MacNamara.
Variously described as An assured and extremely vivid piece of music, In 25 minutes they might very well change the way you listen to music, 9.5/10, and Possibly the finest début EP by a band in Australian music history. Left Over Life to Kill reached number 2 on the Australian Alternative Charts and became the third highest selling alternative release of 1996.
This was soon followed by a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
EP, titled Some Deaths Take Forever, named from graffito on the wall of Brisbane venue The Zoo. It consisted of experimental remixes of tracks and outtakes from Left Over Life to Kill
Left Over Life to Kill
Left Over Life To Kill is both an EP and an album released by the Australian band The Paradise Motel, released in 1996 and 1997 respectively...
, an interpretation of The Triffids
The Triffids
The Triffids were a seminal Australian alternative rock and pop band formed in Perth, Western Australia, in May 1978 with charismatic, David McComb as singer-songwriter, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboardist. They achieved negligible success in Australia, but greater success in the U.K...
' song Raining Pleasure
Raining Pleasure (EP)
Raining Pleasure by The Triffids was released as a 12" EP in 1984 and reached #95 on the Australian Charts.Although the EP has not been in print for some time, selected tracks appeared on the Love in Bright Landscapes and Australian Melodrama compilations, while all seven tracks were compiled on...
and was produced by the band themselves. 2,000 hand-numbered copies were produced and soon sold out. These and many subsequent releases by The Paradise Motel were noted for their stylistic uniformity, reminiscent of Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
' Penguin Classics series.
Early 1997 saw the release of The Paradise Motel's first full-length album, Still Life
Still Life (The Paradise Motel album)
Still Life was an album by Tasmanian rock band The Paradise Motel. It was released to largely positive reviews in 1996.-Themes:This album began the band's interest in disappearances and landscape. Two singles were taken from the album, Bad Light and Calling You. It is still regarded as one of the...
. Early editions featured and accompanying bonus disc Junk Mail which consisted of one 30-minute track of outtakes. The album was preceded by the single 'Bad Light', described as a perfect example of the band's self-described technique: "The violence and the silence"
1998 saw the release of the single 'Heavy Weather' with an attendant filmclip. Both highlighted a new lush styling for the band as Mushroom
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
and Infectious
Infectious Records
Infectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
attempted to prime them for an overseas market. Second album Flight Paths was released later in the year and indicated a denser production. Several singles and a national tour followed.
Move to London and disbandment 1999–2000
Keen to showcase the band to a possibly more receptive British audience (Melody MakerMelody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
had already described the band as a deliciously unsettling proposition), record label Mushroom
Mushroom Records
Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
/Infectious
Infectious Records
Infectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
made them the first signing to their London-based branch. After touring Europe with Grandaddy
Grandaddy
Grandaddy was an American indie rock band, formed in 1992 in Modesto, California by singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Jason Lytle, bassist Kevin Garcia, and drummer Aaron Burtch. Guitarist Jim Fairchild and keyboardist Tim Dryden later joined the band in 1995...
, Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse
Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band led by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous.-History:Sparklehorse's first album, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot featuring Bob Rupe of the Silos and Cracker, was a modest college radio success...
and Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...
to the US for the CMJ
College Music Journal
College Music Journal, commonly known as CMJ, is a music events/publishing company which hosts an annual festival in New York City, the CMJ Music Marathon, as well as a weekly magazine of and for the music industry and college radio stations in the United States and Canada. It publishes top 30...
and North by Northwest
North by Northwest
North by Northwest is a 1959 American thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason, and featuring Leo G. Carroll and Martin Landau...
Festivals, the band continued to play shows in England with acts such as The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy (band)
The Divine Comedy are a chamber pop band from Ireland, fronted by Neil Hannon. Formed in 1989, Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation bar drums. To date, ten studio albums have been released under the Divine...
, Smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
and Drugstore
Drugstore
Drugstore is a common American term for a type of store centrally featuring a pharmacy. Drugstores sell not only medicines, but also miscellaneous items such as candy, cosmetics, and magazines, as well as light refreshments....
, though recorded no new material and disbanded in early 2000.
Intervening years 2000–2008
Following disbandment, Aulich, Sussex, Austin and O'Shannassy remained in the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- Aulich joined indie band Drugstore
Drugstore (band)
Drugstore are a London-based alternative and dream pop band led by Brazilian singer-songwriter and bassist Isabel Monteiro , who relocated to England in 1990s, with Dave Hunter on guitar and Mike Chylinski on drums...
for a period before returning to Australia where he formed the band Small Sips with Matt Bailey and Karl Smith of Sodastream
Sodastream (band)
Sodastream were an Australian duo consisting of Karl Smith and Pete Cohen . They have toured widely in Australia, US, Europe and Japan and have had national rotation on Triple J....
and Lee Memorial.
Sussex released a solo album before forming Candy, she is involved with the running of the Stolen Recordings
Stolen Recordings
Stolen Recordings is an independent record label founded by two musicians and one artist based in Tottenham, London. Stolen's first release was in May 2005 and in 2009 they founded a publishing company in association with Beggars Music called Stolen Publishing.-Current artists:* Pete And The...
label.
Mark Austin furthered his studies in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and married Gina Morris (ex-NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
journalist and ex-stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
member) in 2002, they have settled in Melbourne.
Tim O'Shannassy completed a PhD in music and literature in London, and taught at a number of colleges in New York.
Bickford lived in Melbourne for a period, before returning to the UK where he married Lauren Zoric in 2004. In 2005 he appeared as the resident expert and co-host on 'The Golden Lot', on a weekly ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
program he co-hosted with Carol Vordeman. Zoric and Bickford returned to Melbourne in 2007 with the band reuniting shortly afterward.
Reunification 2008–2010
In January 2008 recording began on the band's third studio album 'I Still Hear Your Voice At NightI Still Hear Your Voice at Night
- Personnel :*Mérida Sussex - vocals*Esme Macdonald - bass*Matt Aulich - guitars*Campbell Shaw - violins*BJ Austin - organ, pedal steel*Damien Hill - drums*Charles Bickford - guitar, organ, percussion...
', completed at the end of 2008. Thematically it was considered an extension of their earlier preoccupations; death, disappearances and the Australian wilderness.
Longtime violinist and co-arranger Campbell Shaw became a full-time member of the band after recording, bass guitarist Esme MacDonald joined shortly before recording as did drummer Damien Hill. In December 2008 drummer Hill took his own life and the album was not released until 29 January 2011, the second birthday of his daughter. The band have set up a link for anyone interested in donating to the Jesuit Social Services 'Support After Suicide' program on their website. The link: https://secure.donman.net.au/client/JSS/jss.asp
Australian Ghost Story
Work on a fourth studio record, Australian Ghost Story began mid-2009, again produced by the band, this time with overdubs in London by Jason Breckenridge and mastering by Casey Rice.The album concerns the life and death of Azaria Chamberlain
Azaria Chamberlain disappearance
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl, who disappeared on the night of 17 August 1980 on a camping trip to Uluru with her family. Her body was never found. Her parents, Lindy and Michael Chamberlain, reported that she had been taken from their tent by a dingo...
and was released on the 30th anniversary of her birth, 11 June 2010. A limited edition release on USB was made for a one-off performance in Melbourne.
The album received positive reviews upon its release
Musical style
The Paradise Motel's instrumentation typically features two guitars (acoustic and electric), bass, drums, Hammond organHammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, pedal steel
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, and occasional accompaniment from a string quartet. Unlike many other Australian bands of the time the Paradise Motel were considered 'sonically adventurous' with their frequent deconstruction and reinterpretation of their own songs. Their aesthetic was one of sparseness and melancholia, punctuated by bursts of manic loudness; or, as they once said in an interview, "the violence and the silence". Their lyrical subject matter often veered towards the melancholy and macabre, which results in comparisons to Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, TV series Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
and Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
, as did Sussex's vocal style. Much of the Paradise Motel's songwriting came from Charles Bickford, whilst Matt Aulich was responsible for the string and instrumental arrangements in most of their tracks.
Singles
- 1997 Heavy Weather
- 1997 Calling You (UK)
- 1998 Derwent River Star (AUS)
- 1998 Watch Illuminum (UK)
- 1999 Hollywood Landmines (UK)
- 1999 Drive (UK)
- 1999 Lee's Trees - As Reworked by Lee RanaldoLee RanaldoLee M. Ranaldo is an American singer, guitarist, writer, record producer, and visual artist, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth...
of Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
(UK)
EPs
- 1996 Left Over Life to KillLeft Over Life to KillLeft Over Life To Kill is both an EP and an album released by the Australian band The Paradise Motel, released in 1996 and 1997 respectively...
EP (AUS) - 1996 Some Deaths Take Forever EP (AUS)
- 1996 Bad Light EP (AUS)
- 1997 (Please Keep Me Safe) EP (AUS)
- 2010 Australian Ghost Story Live EP 1 (AUS)
- 2010 Australian Ghost Story Live EP 2 (AUS)
- 2010 Australian Ghost Story Live EP 3 (AUS)
- 2010 Australian Ghost Story Live EP 4 (AUS)
Albums
- 1997 Still LifeStill Life (The Paradise Motel album)Still Life was an album by Tasmanian rock band The Paradise Motel. It was released to largely positive reviews in 1996.-Themes:This album began the band's interest in disappearances and landscape. Two singles were taken from the album, Bad Light and Calling You. It is still regarded as one of the...
(AUS) - 1997 Junk Mail - limited edition bonus album
- 1997 Left Over Life to KillLeft Over Life to KillLeft Over Life To Kill is both an EP and an album released by the Australian band The Paradise Motel, released in 1996 and 1997 respectively...
(UK) - 1999 Flight Paths
- 1999 Reworkings
- 2010 Australian Ghost StoryAustralian Ghost Story- Personnel :* Merida Sussex – vocals* Matt Aulich – guitars, arrangements* Esme Macdonald – bass guitar* Mark BJ Austin – keyboards, organ, pedal steel* Andy Hazel – drums* Campbell Shaw – violins* Charles Bickford – various- Themes :...
- 2010 The Paradise Motel Live (AUS) - limited edition compilation of live recordings
- 2011 I Still Hear Your Voice At NightI Still Hear Your Voice at Night- Personnel :*Mérida Sussex - vocals*Esme Macdonald - bass*Matt Aulich - guitars*Campbell Shaw - violins*BJ Austin - organ, pedal steel*Damien Hill - drums*Charles Bickford - guitar, organ, percussion...
Other appearances
The Paradise Motel's cover of The CarsThe Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
' song Drive appears in the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
He Died With A Felafel In His Hand
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is a novel by John Birmingham, first published in 1994 by The Yellow Press . The story consists of a collection of colourful anecdotes about living in share houses in Brisbane and other cities in Australia with variously dubious housemates. The title refers to a...
. Their early song, "German Girl", also appears in the film.
Songs by the band have appeared on several compilation CDs attached to magazines such as NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and Select.
Three songs by The Paradise Motel are played in the Australian television show Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High
Heartbreak High is an Australian television series that ran for seven years from 1994 to 1999. The series dealt with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries...
: "Bad Light", "Ashes" and "German Girl".