http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/i...tick-to-singing/2007/07/09/1183833410098.html
'I should shut up and stick to singing'
Dylan Welch
July 9, 2007 - 3:51PM
At no time have I ever 'smoked a joint' with Bono or Peter Garrett
Daniel Johns and, left, Peter Garrett and Bono.
The office of Peter Garrett has moved quickly to hose down a joke by Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns on Sydney radio this morning, suggesting Johns, his wife, Garrett and U2 singer Bono smoked dope together at a house in Sydney recently.
Johns, on Triple J to discuss the band's fifth album, Young Modern, released earlier this year, joked with presenters that when he played a demo of the album to Garrett and Bono they had been all lying on a bed in a Sydney house Bono was occupying, and smoking marijuana.
"[Bono] invited me over the house he was staying at in Sydney and asked if I'd play the demos and it was really one of the most surreal moments of my life," Johns said after 8am.
"It was me and [Johns's wife] Natalie [Imbruglia] and Peter Garrett and Bono laying on Bono's bed smoking joints listening to the Young Modern demo."
News website Crikey said the alleged incident would have occurred in November last year, when U2 were playing in Sydney.
Garrett's office began receiving calls from journalists who had taken the comments literally, and the office quickly contacted Johns's management to establish what had occurred.
Once he became aware his joke had been taken seriously, Johns issued a retraction.
"I made a stupid joke," the singer declared in a late morning statement. "It's just been brought to my attention that some people in the media have taken my dumb joke seriously so I want to set the record straight. At no time have I ever 'smoked a joint' with Bono or Peter Garrett.
"They are both well known to be very anti-drugs so that's why I assumed everybody would know I was joking when I made that comment. Clearly that wasn't the case and I feel sick that I might have caused embarrassment to two people who I admire so much.
"I was fortunate enough to once get to play them some of my demos but I swear that no joints were involved. I guess I felt a bit like a namedropper mentioning them on the radio so that's why I added a silly throwaway joke.
"I accept that drug use is no laughing matter and I apologise sincerely for any confusion or harm I've caused."
When contacted by smh.com.au Mr Garrett's spokeswoman Kate Pasterfield confirmed the alleged incident had not taken place.
Via Ms Pasterfield, Mr Garrett also clarified whether he had ever smoked marijuana in his life.
"I tried a bit of dope in my 20s but I haven't since," Mr Garret said through Ms Pasterfield.
Johns also said in his statement that issues such as this were one of the reasons he was disinclined to participate in interviews.
"I really should just shut up and stick to singing," he wrote.
