Former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies has opened up about bandmate Daniel Johns’ battle with anorexia in a new ABC documentary.
The rockers, who were childhood friends, have been estranged since the band split in 2011 following Johns’ highly publicized health issues.
Formed in 1992 in the NSW coastal city of Newcastle, Silverchair made headlines with their first album Frogstomp in 1995, selling 10 million records worldwide.
Appears on the ABC Australian storyGillies says he and bassist Chris Joannou recalled how Johns seemed to suffer from the pressures of fame after the band’s early success.
“I wish he would have come to me and Chris and talked to us, but we just didn’t have those tools,” Gillies said.
Former Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies (right) has opened up about bandmate Daniel Johns’ (left) struggle with anorexia in a new ABC documentary. The band is pictured in 2007
The rockers, who were childhood friends, have been estranged since the band split in 2011 following Johns’ highly publicized health issues.
“Three young men growing up in the 80s and 90s, you know, working class in Newcastle, you don’t talk about how you feel. It’s not what you do.’
Silverchair, called ‘Nirvana in Pajamas’, were still teenagers when their second album Freak stormed the charts in 1997.
But Gillies says the fame and money took their toll on Johns, who attracted the most attention from fans and the media.
As the band hit the world stage, Johns lost weight as he began to feel the impact of anorexia.
“Chris and I noticed that Dan was becoming more and more vulnerable.” he said.
‘I didn’t even know what anorexia was. It’s quite confronting to see a friend go through that illness,” he added.
A frail Johns performs on stage at the height of the band’s success in the ’90s
Silverchair, called ‘Nirvana in Pajamas’, were still teenagers when their second album Freak stormed the charts in 1997
The band would go on to sell more than 10 million records worldwide and win the most ARIAs in the awards show’s history.
However, in recent years, cracks began to show as Johns – who has openly battled drug and alcohol problems – embarked on a number of solo projects.
Johns, meanwhile, has repeatedly reached out to his former friends on social media and TV appearances.
In September last year, the troubled musician appeared on The project and called Gillies and Joannou ‘bitter, jealous and angry’.
Mentioning Gillies, he said the drummer had a “real problem” with his fame, claiming both of his former bandmates “never came to see him.”
“Three young men growing up in the 80s and 90s, you know, working class in Newcastle, you don’t talk about how you feel. It’s not what you do,” Gillies said
Silverchair bassist Chris Joannou is also interviewed on Australian Story
The ABC’s Australian Story documentary comes ahead of the release of Gillies and Joannou’s memoir Love & Pain on September 27, which gives fans the chance to get the inside story on one of Aussie rock’s ugliest break-ups.
The book release follows a series of disparaging comments Johns made last year about his former bandmates in the series ‘Who Is Daniel Johns?’ podcast and the YouTube series Inside The Mind Of Daniel Johns.
Neither Gillies nor Joannou responded at the time.
Meanwhile, the ABC has revealed Johns was asked to appear on Australian Story with his former Silverchair bandmates, but the singer declined.
Part 2 of the Australian Story with Gillies and Joannou will be shown on Monday.
Johns, pictured last year, declined to appear in the ABC special