My question: Which venue in the U.S. is your favorite place to play?

Can you ask him where the hell I can get my hands on a copy of the live performance of "She Will Have Her Way" that he did with Sheryl Crow?

Were there things that he did not like (creatively or managerially) when he got into Split Enz, swore he would never do on his own, yet found himself doing the same things in Crowded House?

Any chance of another Finn brothers project, or perhaps a Finns record with Liam, Elroy and Tim?

What is his favorite song on Woodface, and why?

I'd like to know what he thinks about the recent "Finn renaissance." It seems like everyone in the family is thriving creatively and, as a fan of the entire group, I'd like to know what's going on. Is it the water?

Also, are there any other collaborations in the works after the new 7 Worlds Collide? Perhaps another Bic Runga album appearance?

"Imagine if writing songs in flat keys suddenly became a major felony. How would You imagine a day in Neil Finn's Violent Life of Crime, circa September 2010?"

When playing 'Recurring Dream' live, why does Neil never sing the second verse, as heard on 'Afterglow"?

Any chance of more collaborations with Johnny Marr? I'd love to hear an entire album co-written by the two of them.

One more from me.

What's the toughest song to remember the words to when singing it live?

Thanks.

Which three songs by other artists do you wish you had authored?

I was stumped for a bit trying to think of a good question, even though I like Neil and own a lot of his solo and group work. Let's try this:

Neil, you've found a niche in pop music, and when people buy a Neil Finn album or Crowded House album, in general they know what they're going to get -- melodic, clever lyrics, production that's not too lush, not too sparse. Commericially, if you were to try something radically different, like releasing a bluegrass album or electronic music, that would be a challenge. (Think in the vein of Norah Jones and her El Madmo punk band project, which was sort of quietly released and swept under the rug, so to speak.) Imagine Bill Gates became your patron, set a carte blanche budget up to a million bucks, and said, "Neil, make an album of a completely new kind of music, something you've always wanted to try," in what direction do you think you might turn?

OK, that might get the wheels turning. Heh heh.

O.k im greedy--but its Neil Finn!!
1) Do you think music (and the music industry) are in a better place now then 25 years ago?

2)Any good artists coming out of Australia that we should know about?

3) Back in the 80's, artists tended to band to together in support of various causes (Greenpeace, Amnesty International) by conducting tours and releasing compilation albums. Although such actions still occur today, though on a smaller scale, should artists use their platform/stage as artists to promote certain organizations or causes whether political or not?

Thanks for letting us be a part of the interview, Jon.

My question(s): When is the new Crowded House album coming out and what will it be titled? Also, what "mood" will it have; the more subdued vibe of "Time On Earth", the pure bliss of "Woodface", or something altogether different.

And lastly, you might want to ask Neil how it feels to reside on the Mt. Olympus of pop songwriters!

Did you ever notice any signs of Paul Hester's depression while on the road with him ?
Does any part of your subconscious blame yourself for Paul's suicide ?

Sorry, I gotta ask the tough questions.

Ummmm... not a good idea.

One question that needs to be asked:

Can he once and for all say whether or not there's any chance there might be a one-off Split Enz reunion tour outside of Australia/NZ. He must know there's an immense amount of love for the band in the UK and US, for example. Is it just logistics stopping it from happening?

Question on song writing process...let's get past the "it comes out of thin air" answer and get some meat a potatoes - when writing what is his basic process...we know "every song is different" and "sometimes I'm just the one putting it down on paper...it's coming from somewhere else" but when he hits upon an idea (either lyrical or musical) what is his process and when does he decide to throw in the major to minor chord change or add the 7th? Really most interested in what process he goes through to write.

What song sat in the cooker for the longest time and final became something he was waiting for?

Also, any chance for a "Scoop"-like set of demos from Neil?

Thanks for the suggestions, everybody! The interview happened a day earlier than expected -- somebody (not me) forgot to account for the International Date Line when scheduling a patched-through conversation between LA and New Zealand. Nevertheless, I got a lot of the questions in, in addition to my own Q's about the new album, after talking Neil into doubling our allotted time (a paltry 15 minutes) by telling him I had great reader queries.

Look for the interview next Monday!