Watch Daniel Johns cringe through surf-centric interview with These New South Whales

In a new episode of their webseries, TNSW Tonight! – said to be filmed in 2020, but shelved for unknown reasons – These New South Whales interview Daniel Johns about his elusive surf-rock project, “Sandy Johnson”.

• READ MORE: The Big Read – Daniel Johns: “I had anxiety about the future for so long, but realised I was scared of a place that may never exist”

The episode is a masterclass in cringe comedy; as the satirical talkshow’s host, TNSW vocalist Jamie Timony meets Johns’ lackadaisical frigidity with a grating awkwardness, frequently interrupting the Silverchair legend to share trivial anecdotes and redundant quips.

It sees Johns – clad in a loose-fitting tank top, wet board shorts and messy, bleached hair – stumble through questions about his newfound love of surfing, hanging out with pro surfer Mick Fanning (who he nonchalantly calls “Micky”) and punching a shark, as well as his “new” musical endeavour: a surf-rock project under the moniker of Sandy Johnson.

According to Johns, the Sandy Johnson project (which, it should be noted, does not actually exist) was conceptualised in Hawaii, where he “spent a lot of time hanging out [and] getting to know myself”. It supposedly comprises “a lot of really great, original stuff” that sounds “like the beach meets the sand”.

After pausing to rip a fierce hit of his vape, he said of the project’s musicality: “It’s just me and my guitar, man… ‘Cause that’s all we got when you’re living in nature.” Rounding out the show, too, Johns delivered an acoustic performance of a song from the Sandy Johnson project, titled ‘Sex On The Beach’.

Have a look at the full episode below:

The new episode of TNSW Tonight! was partially filmed at Johns’ interactive Past, Present & FutureNever exhibition, which ended its four-month run in Melbourne today (December 23).

It comes amid a huge year for the artist, which also included the release of his second solo album, ‘FutureNever’ – which went on to break several ARIA Chart records – as well as a podcast (Who Is Daniel Johns?) and a three-part docuseries (Inside The Mind Of Daniel Johns). A short film, What If The Future Never Happened? – starring 6 Festivals breakout Rasmus King – will also premiere in the near future.