Interviewer: ninemsn in association with
60 Minutes presents a live interview with Jamie Durie, talking to us tonight about "The hard yards" story of his life so far ... Jamie Durie, host of the successful
Backyard Blitz and recently
The Block TV programs. Welcome Jamie, it's good to have you with us.
Jamie Durie: Great to be here. Looking forward to having a chat.
Interviewer: Jamie, you've certainly had an amazing journey through life so far. A carpenter, a model, a founding member of Manpower, a circus acrobat, studies in horticulture and two successful lifestyle programs and a boss of a multi-million-dollar international business empire. Has it been rough and difficult getting to where you are now or has the ride been smooth and eventful?
Jamie Durie: It's been extremely rough and certainly character-building. However, nothing good comes easy and it's nice to sit back and enjoy the fruits of hard labour.
Interviewer: Well we have a lot of fans waiting to ask you some questions … we will get straight into them.
Guest_itsjustme: You've made a lot of changes in your work life, putting on and, mmm, taking off different tool belts. Do you regret any of the choices and will we ever see you back on stage?
Jamie Durie: Ha ha ha. Absolutely not. Those days are over, but I'm enjoying my current tool belt immensely.
Guest_TurfLayer: Was it important to you to let the public know you were no longer Jamie Durie "the stripper" but Jamie Durie "the landscape designer"?
Jamie Durie: Yeah, certainly I've worked hard to get the business to where it is today and we can all very easily get pigeonholed and typecast. I'm proud of what I'm involved in today and proud of my staff and what we've created.
Guest_TurfLayer: Considering everything you have achieved in your life, what would you say is your biggest [achievement] and what one are you the most proud of?
Jamie Durie: Managing to still have a personal life outside of work, but if it's a business-related achievement, probably building a company from scratch and now designing hotels in the Canary Islands.
Impulse7: Do you miss the lifestyle of touring with Manpower? We certainly miss you being in Manpower ... lol.
Jamie Durie: I'm probably busier now than when I was in the show, but there are certainly some things that working with the show I occasionally miss, for example working with a live audience. Television cameras don't quite give you the same applause.
AuzzieGal01: Jamie, I wanted to ask if you prefer the way your body is today in relation to your dancing days ... I know I do!
Jamie Durie: Yes, I do prefer the way my body is today. It feels a lot more comfortable and I don't have to work so hard to keep it that way.
Guest_itsjustme: How did Manpower come about and what was your role (other than the obvious) in the company and do you still have any involvement with the group?
Jamie Durie: I was tour manager. It initiated from a nightclub act in Surfers Paradise. At one point we had about 96 employees and no, I don't have any involvement with the group from a business point of view. However, I have remained close friends with a couple of them.
Mystique_1: Do you think you have become more of a sex icon now, compared to your stripping days?
Jamie Durie: Don't know, don't really care.
Guest_itsjustme: From your works on
Backyard Blitz, you seem very passionate about your designs. What inspires you when working with your clients?
Jamie Durie: The challenge of being able to create something unique that they may never have thought of initially, whilst still keeping within the guidelines of their personal or commercial needs.
MrPotatoehead0022: Jamie, when did you start your horticulture course (age) and did you do it fulltime?
Jamie Durie: Started in late 1995 and yes, fulltime for three-and-a-half years.
SweetAsHoney242: What was the most memorable backyard that you have transformed and why?
Jamie Durie: Probably the one we did two weeks ago for the Children's First Foundation. Apart from building a garden for an extremely needy cause, we were instrumental in four other children getting help and also made some special friends along the way.
Guest_itsjustme:
Backyard Blitz doesn't just seem to be about sprucing up things but also has some environmental issues wrapped with it. Is this something you wanted to involve in the show or was it something that just fell in?
Jamie Durie: No, it's something I'm always pushing for. However, it's sometimes [difficult] to get the message across, because half of what we film gets edited out because of our time constraints.
Guest_TurfLayer: How did you get involved with Planet Ark?
Jamie Durie: Have been involved with them for eight years now. They're an extremely proactive environmental group and I enjoy helping out wherever I can.
chefie5: Is the horticulture game a hard one to get into? As I find gardening so bloody mind-stimulating…
Jamie Durie: The design game is extremely hard to get into and even harder to make a buck. Selling concepts and ideas can be a tricky business. But I've always worked at marketing the business in any way I can. I've been lucky to have the support of Channel Nine, my great staff, my management team at IMG and my mates.
justclare2003: What is it like to work with Scott Cam and the rest of the
Backyard Blitz team? It always looks like so much fun!
Jamie Durie: Yeah, it's just like going to work with a bunch of your mates and cracking jokes all day.
madman-chopper: Where did you find Scott Cam — he's a laugh riot ….a real ocker type of fella!
Jamie Durie: Where you find most builders — in the Yellow Pages. A great man, and he's the real thing.
Interviewer: Here at ninemsn we've had the pleasure of interviewing the
The Block contestants. What was it like for you, Jamie, working with these people?
Jamie Durie: An absolute pleasure. They're all extremely down-to-earth, great couples and very easy to get along with. It almost didn't seem like work.
Debster_77: Was the popularity of
The Block what you anticipated?
Jamie Durie: Absolutely not. We're still amazed at the figures and certainly keen to do more.
Kapitaal1: Do you think TV shows such as
Backyard Blitz and
The Block have had an impact on the real estate market?
Jamie Durie: I think the media like to speculate that it has. But astute buyers can spot the difference and if anything it has certainly made people appreciate their own environment a little more.
Guest_TurfLayer: It must have been a huge thrill to be selected as one of only four designers to contribute an exhibit at the world's biggest garden show. That must have been fantastic.
Jamie Durie: Yeah, it was certainly a great privilege and one I'll never forget. We're looking forward to exhibiting in Japan in April.
Fyreflyght: Could you give us your top three tips for designing a yard, be it front or back!
Jamie Durie: Choose plants that will give you the desired shape that you need rather than manipulating it into shapes that you'll constantly have to maintain. Always test your soils and work out whether they are compatible with the plants you're installing and educate yourself or get help on where to position the plants to ensure their survival.
kimbo-reno: With
Backyard Blitz, what has been your most challenging makeover, in terms of design and weather problems?
Jamie Durie: Two years back we did a job in complete clay that was also on a slope and it didn't stop raining for two days solid. And we spent the majority of the two days improving the drainage and soil. Never want to do that again!
Guest_TurfLayer: I think your book
Patio is fantastic. Did you expect it to be so popular? I was reading it has sold more than 50,000 copies.
Jamie Durie: No, I never expected it to be so popular. We're over the moon, which is why we've now published a sequel,
The Outdoor Room, and writing books is certainly a great passion of mine.
Interviewer: Jamie, we're having a lot of questions coming through about your water features. Some calling you the "water feature king". Can you explain why you use them so often?
Jamie Durie: I guess it's an area where I have a lot of interest. I consider it to be a fairly strong element in the scheme of things, in the garden that is, and it's also a fantastic artistic medium to work with.
Maxietom: How did you expand your landscaping business internationally?
Jamie Durie: Just through word of mouth. It's been no overnight success. It's taken six years.
Guest_Atomic_Blonde: Jamie, who has been your greatest inspiration in life?
Jamie Durie: An architect named Geoffrey Bawa. He's a famous Sri Lankan garden designer and architect and I had the pleasure of meeting him in Sri Lanka last year before he passed away. His books are incredible.
Guest_Atomic_Blonde: Jamie, what are your inspirations for the future?
Jamie Durie: I would love to get my teeth into some more international documentaries and bring home some lovely information and images on inspiring gardens abroad.
Guest_itsjustme: I've read somewhere that you studied some on Edna Walling, can you explain this thing about the throwing of the potatoes and do you use this method?
Jamie Durie: Edna was always famous for her cottage-style gardens and her way of recreating nature was to throw potatoes over her shoulders and wherever they landed, that's where she'd plant. I haven't often used this method myself, but she became very famous for it and it certainly does work.
bcl2001au: How do you keep your private life separate and does your girlfriend ever see you — with so many projects going you must hardly have any time for a private life?
Jamie Durie: You're right — life's extremely busy at the moment. But we both realise you have to make certain sacrifices while you're young to create a better future for our family. I think I'll certainly start to slow down when we have children and if I don't I'm sure Siobhan will have something to say about it. But on the positive side, we still manage to squeeze in some lovely moments and they're very private.
Geelong_Fann: Hi Jamie, what was your first landscaping job? And was it successful?
Jamie Durie: It was a small garden in North Sydney. I think the budget was around $5000 and yeah, it's still looking fantastic today. It's funny, some of the smaller ones are still my favourites.
Nat4718: Wot other hobbies do u have … in wotever spare time u get to pursue them?
Jamie Durie: I surf a lot when I can in the mornings. Love camping and would you believe, love spending time in my own backyard.
2wiceasfun: Where do you get your inspiration for a theme on a garden and how do you sell it to your clients who have no experience or imagination?
Jamie Durie: That's part of the technique of being a successful designer … is not just understanding their brief but being able to sell your concepts. The first ideas that come to mind when you first come onto the site are often your best. I always follow my gut instinct and back it 100 percent and if they're at all hesitant in some areas, I'll customise the concept to suit their needs.
Tassiechick2980: Which part of your career have you enjoyed the most?
Jamie Durie: Certainly the latter part. It's been a tough but interesting journey and this is a career that I can take to my death. The nice thing about it also is that hopefully some of the gardens I build, I'll be able to show my grandkids some day.
MsToniMac1: Does your company do design concept work or do you do the plan and then the actual landscaping?
Jamie Durie: No, we run like an architect's office. We supply the plans and documentation. We then oversee the construction process on behalf of the clients.
KnottDocter: I'm a lover of
The Block. Will we be seeing another series soon?
Jamie Durie: Certainly. We're currently choosing the next location and will start filming in a few months.
Drive_It_Like_It_Stolen: Who actually designs the gardens for
Backyard Blitz and do u actually finish in three days or do u just say that?
Jamie Durie: We always finish within 48 hours, though we have been caught out a couple of times. We have a group of about five different designers. I'm one of them and that's to ensure different styles are being put forward at all times.
Ashblh1: What is your personal favourite garden style?
Jamie Durie: Japanese. A good Japanese garden will hold all the elements of nature and represent them in the most simplistic and natural way.
Candice2223: With the Japanese style, do you think it contains an element of dedication and commitment to maintaining?
Jamie Durie: Yes, nothing good comes easy. But working on small-scale Japanese gardens can also be extremely therapeutic. So anything that can encourage that kind of therapy in your life can't be a bad thing. The Japanese have been doing it for thousands of years and they seem to have a well-balanced culture.
Helgahelga1: Are you personally and professionally influenced by eastern philosophies then?
Jamie Durie: Certainly. Always have been.
chookashell: With your love for Japanese gardens, do you follow the rules of feng shui?
Jamie Durie: Occasionally, when asked. But I don't feel it's always compulsory. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
blondewildkitti74: How do I get my hands on a copy of your latest book? And where can I get more information on your business?
Jamie Durie: Thrilled you'd love to see the new book. I can take orders via my website for both the past and present book and I also have a fantastic new range of garden products that I've been working on for three years which will be available through all Kmart and Kmart garden centres in the next few months. My website is
www.patio.com.au and I'll be updating it from time to time and will also be installing an occasional chat room where we'll love to hear from you. Thanks for your request.
Guest_itsjustme: From carpenter to stripper, acrobat, horticulturist and now successful lifestyle TV show presenter. What's next for the sexy heartthrob Jamie Durie?
Jamie Durie: Quite happy the way life is right now. I think I've got quite enough on my plate for the moment. However, as I mentioned before I'm looking forward to doing some documentaries or specials overseas and bringing home some inspiring stories.
Interviewer: Jamie, thank you for joining us tonight, it was a real pleasure. Are there any last words you would like to share with our chat members before we wrap things up for tonight?
Jamie Durie: Thanks for chatting with me, it's been a pleasure to have the opportunity to answer your questions and get your feedback. Sometimes life can get so busy, it's nice to reflect on what I do and to hear people's opinions on it. Look forward to chatting with you all again one day soon. Thanks for your support. Keep smiling. Jamie.
Interviewer: Again, thank you for joining us, Jamie, and have a good night. This concludes our live chat with Jamie Durie, August 31, 2003. Produced by ninemsn.com.au in Sydney, Australia
ninemsn.com.au ©2003
