Deborah Conway

Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier have been part of the musical fabric of people’s lives for nearly 35 years.

Way before their personal and professional collaborations, Ms Conway was at the forefront of Australian music with band, Do Re Mi (she describes their big hit, “Man Overboard”, as an “evergreen”), and her solo recordings, “String of Pearls” and “Bitch Epic”.

Opening the Perth Festival’s Writers Weekend, Deborah Conway spoke with local journalist, Simon Collins, about her recent memoir, Book of Life.

The entertainers began with a rendition of their song, “Imperfect Words” (from their 2019 album, The Words of Men) an apt way of introducing their song writing to the sold-out audience.

Ms Conway admitted that when she started writing the book, she didn’t really know what she was doing; she couldn’t draw from her diaries (many started, but never completed), so she went to her lyric notes, letters and faxes to prompt memories of her own life.

No publisher knew of her project.  She didn’t want to write to a deadline or agenda.

Her closest collaborator, Willy Zygier, acted as a form of literary advisor, lending helpful suggestions to improve and strengthen her writing.

Often during the interview, Deborah looked to him to confirm facts and to illustrate some of her life writing, they grabbed their guitars to weave in musical memories.

“Will You Miss Me, When You’re Sober” accompanied a funny anecdote about a demanding fan at a long-ago Perth gig.

Being jobbing musicians after Deborah Conway’s initial radio success waned, the couple have had to expand their skills and job descriptions.

The book goes into detail about the crippling music industry and how Conway has moved away from its grip by producing live shows, directing music festivals, acting in musicals, and touring constantly, all while raising three children (now in their 20s).

The heartbreaking song “Serpent’s Tooth” (from their 2016 album Everybody’s Begging), written with her teenage daughters in mind, brought knowing laughter and applause from the crowd.

Conway stated that she believes in honesty, so that her revelations would not offend those people mentioned in her book –

• Leonard Cohen (they supported him on tour and were thrilled that he liked their work but, the entrepreneur in Ms Conway mentioned the sales and new fans gained from that gig).

• Paul Kelly (they had a brief affair before she met Willy but have still collaborated musically).

• Michael Gudinski (she was devastated by his death even though their working relationship had been prickly).

She admitted her lyrical inspiration comes from overheard conversations, other people’s lives or her own. It’s all fair game and she is always aspiring to write a perfect song that lives on in people’s memories.

This reminded her that somehow, there are statistics that String of Pearls is the most shop-lifted album in Australia!

With time for only one last song, the couple sang an improvised combination of “Release Me” segueing into “Alive and Brilliant”. 

It was fascinating to see their eye-contact and intuitive communication with each other.

“Trust me,” she said, while strumming to conduct the timing of the songs’ intersection.

For Perth fans wanting more of this rewarding musical collaboration and their life stories, the couple are currently touring Songs from the Book of Life, which they’ll perform at the Perth International Cabaret festival in June, this year.

Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier conduct a song-writing workshop on 24 February and a panel discussion, Sunday 25 February, as part of the Writers Weekend at Perth Festival.

Jane Keehn