Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Kav Temperley says Heath Ledger’s death prompted the reflections on fame and distance from home that fed into Eskimo Joe’s “Foreign Land.” In a 2025 interview reported by PerthNow, the singer recalled learning of Ledger’s death while the band was in New York, then finding a line for the song’s bridge as the group worked on it.
What Kav Temperley said about Heath Ledger and “Foreign Land”
Temperley’s account links the song to his reaction to Ledger’s death and to television coverage of the actor’s life. He said the experience turned his thoughts toward fame and what it can mean to feel cut off from what is real.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Song Is a City | $6.84 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Black Fingernails Red Wine | $12.46 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Ghosts of the Past by Eskimo Joe (2011-08-30) | $20.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Wastelands by Eskimo Joe (2013-05-04) | $21.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Inshalla | $29.98 | Buy on Amazon |
PerthNow reported that Eskimo Joe was in New York for a performance when Temperley was told Ledger had died. The following day, Temperley was trying to write in a hotel room and watched television coverage discussing Ledger’s life. He said the coverage prompted him to think about the effects of fame, and he shared those thoughts with bandmates Stuart MacLeod and Joel Quartermain.
Temperley described fame this way: “You know, when you get pushed through this fame shaped hole, you kind of come out a little bit sideways and you’re grasping at something that’s real,” he said, according to PerthNow.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Music
How the song’s bridge took shape
Temperley recalled that the idea of Ledger was on the band’s mind as they worked on the bridge. He said Quartermain encouraged him to sing whatever came to mind: “This idea of Heath Ledger was going around in our heads, so I stood in front of the microphone and Joel said, ‘Just go for it, just sing anything that comes into your head’.”
Temperley said the line he sang was: “I smell the blood of an Australian. Try to understand me if you can”. The recollection and the lyric are Temperley’s as reproduced in PerthNow’s report; the article’s quotes are not independently verified here against a recording or transcript.
Rank #2
What the second account adds
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra’s account of a later Eskimo Joe concert also describes Temperley discussing the circumstances of learning about Ledger’s death and writing “Foreign Land” while watching news reports in a hotel room. WASO identifies the track as part of Eskimo Joe’s fourth album, Inshalla.
The two accounts differ on the location detail: PerthNow places the band in New York and the writing in a hotel room, while WASO’s retrospective account places its hotel-room description in Houston. Those details should remain attributed to the individual accounts rather than combined into one definitive location.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →What is established about “Foreign Land”
The reported connection is an account of Temperley’s inspiration and writing process, not a claim that Ledger co-wrote or performed on the song. WASO identifies “Foreign Land” as a track from Inshalla. The accounts cited here do not establish the song’s exact release date, chart history, sales, certification, awards, full songwriting credits, or current physical formats.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
