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[email protected] au and look for Connect Joyce and Control a podcast celebrating people with disability. Brought to you by carers, Queensland, n d i s, local area coordination partner in the community. Mc Wheels is a Sunshine Coast based hip hop artist known off stage as Nathan Teman. Nathan uses a wheelchair and for the last couple of years has been living independently with support from the N D I S. He's also been honing his craft, releasing original music and performing at gigs around southeast Queensland.
Speaker 2 00:01:08 It's those sunny days where I sit back and just chill with the waves and reminisce when feeling the blessed number mind out of this maze.
Speaker 3 00:01:15 It's been a pretty amazing ride, that's for sure. I can't sing, so it was easy enough. Well, not easy enough, but it was an easy choice for me to pick that kind of genre because there wasn't really any singing involved. It's just more rhythmic sort of thing and, and keeping and percussion kind of with your voice, matching with the beat. And, um, so I really liked that sort of aspect of it. But I like the storytelling element. Um, in hiphop you can get more out what you want to say in your story, but rather than like actual singing songs and stuff, cause we have more words and more lines in, in our songs and stuff. So I really like that aspect of it. And, um, and the actual just beat wise that we wrap over, um, I, I like the style that, um, most artists used to go with, which was like this boom back kind of sort of style. Um, yeah, very old school sort of sort of feel.
Speaker 4 00:02:10 What do you like about, listen? So how, how were they like to work with?
Speaker 3 00:02:14 Theyre an awesome bunch of guys. I've met 'em a couple of times now and they're some of the most humble, nicest, you know, all, all the words you can think of under the sun to describe like, just amazing people. Um, that's exactly what they are. Like they, they treat their fans like they're friends, basically. You know, I got to open for them in, uh, Brisbane. In 2014, they did this, um, tour. I called Circus Under the Stars. They wanted to have like a local artist, an underground local artist, um, opening each part of their tour. And they didn't come to the Sunshine Coast, they just came to Brisbane. So I, um, so I entered that, um, that one there and I managed to win the Brisbane slot, which was pretty, um, pretty amazing. So to play, you know, 20 minutes on the main stage, um, at River Stage was just, yeah, incredible in front of, um, obviously it was the opening act, so there was still people like slowly coming in later, you know, in the, in the night night sort of stuff. But we still had a fair amount of people right down the front, like really getting into what we were doing.
Speaker 4 00:03:21 And you've released some albums, is that right?
Speaker 3 00:03:24 So I've released three albums and before that I re I released a, um, an ep. Um, so yeah, so I've got, um, my first album came out in, uh, 2013, um, which was called My Introduction. Um, my next album came out in 2017, which is called Dark Side of Happiness. And then my latest album, um, story so far came out, um, just last year in September.
Speaker 5 00:03:51 I think the first thing that you need to know about hip hop
Speaker 6 00:03:54 And hip hop is this,
Speaker 2 00:03:55 It's my caller Judy. So winner I upgrade to Packa Punch More with Combination Robert or a Punch.
Speaker 7 00:04:01 Hiphop is an attitude for style.
Speaker 3 00:04:03 They've done all right for, for what, um, for what I was able to achieve with them and stuff like, got a little bit of radio play and, you know, people seem to really, you know, enjoy, you know, songs and stuff like that, but to get 'em like on the bigger radio stations like Triple Gay and that sort of stuff is quite tough. But, you know, we try as hard as we can like anyone else to, to get 'em to a much broader, um, audience. But, um, it can be, it, it can be difficult, but for me I'm just, I'm just happy to release music and if there's a couple people that really enjoy it and they like to listen to it on a regular, I'm, I'm happy with that. There's gotta be at least someone out there that really enjoys it. So, And, and if there is, I'm, I'm just happy with that.
Speaker 4 00:04:45 That's fantastic. And what's coming up for you music wise?
Speaker 3 00:04:49 I don't know if I'll do albums. I think at the moment I'm following a lot of like, um, my mates who do like hip hop music and stuff, and they seem to do singles more than albums because you can keep up the content, um, quicker and faster and, and get more stuff out there. So I think that's a road that I would, I, I'd take just because writing an album takes so much process and if you can, you know, get a beat, you write a song, you record it, you can put it out and then if you can keep that flowing, you could release like at least 12, like 12 tracks and you can put one out like maybe once every month or something like that, or you know, um, and it's just, it's just a lot easier to promote than an album basically. Especially if you're an underground artist.
Speaker 4 00:05:31 Do you use any support workers to help with your music career?
Speaker 3 00:05:35 Yeah, so Shane, who is, uh, DJ Crooked, he, um, he's one of my support workers and he, um, you know, jumps up on stage and pretty much like the backbone of my band basically. Other than that, it, it's mostly just using like support workers and they'll just like maybe take me to either a gig, um, if it's just by myself or, um, to like, recording and, and, um, yeah, so they'll like drive us there and be there for assistance if I need it for anything and that sort of stuff.
Speaker 0 00:06:06 Sport is for everyone, whether you are playing for fun, competing seriously watching from the grandstand or volunteering in the canteen. There's a place for everybody and every ability in the sporting community. Carers Queensland is running discussion groups and surveys to find out more from people with disability, families and carers, their experiences, thoughts, opinions and insights into making sport more inclusive and accessible because that's a great goal. Find out more, get in touch or look for events and opportunities coming up near you. Visit our
[email protected] or call our inquiries line on one 300 triple 9 6 3 6
Speaker 2 00:06:54 Fire cuz it got power space reality that he sold time and mine all intertwined as one for my existence to be purified and I won't be Kit Mattai and St in that road for my demise. I finally left my cocoon and transformed into something new just like a butterfly. So, dunno the meaning of life, but I know the meaning of mine to be happy with my world that I forged and designed sa I watched this bottle sail away on the ocean, beautifully glide. I finally severed my connection with my monster in a piece I can find.
Speaker 3 00:07:27 I've been living independently now with the Endos for about, uh, four years, um, on the Sunshine Coast and yeah, it's been incredible.
Speaker 4 00:07:37 That's great. Do, do you live by yourself or with friends or
Speaker 3 00:07:40 No, No, by myself. Yeah, no, I, um, I live all by myself. I moved out of home in 2018 and yeah, managed to get a place of my own through Department of Housing. They managed to find me a place and yeah, and I, I've been living there since, so it's been fantastic.
Speaker 4 00:07:59 And so what sort of N D I S supports are you getting to ensure you can live independently?
Speaker 3 00:08:04 When I was first living by myself, it was probably around about like eight hours in total a week that I was getting, only because of the fact that n d s wasn't around at that time on the Sunshine Coast. So then when it kicked in the next year, it ramped up to around about like maybe 30 hours a week.
Speaker 4 00:08:22 A support worker?
Speaker 3 00:08:23 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just core staff, social staff, keeping the house maintained and all sort of stuff. Things that I just couldn't do myself. So that's definitely been, um, the main sort of focus with my sort of funding and obviously just getting out and about like to, you know, if I need to go somewhere to like either grocery shops or like appointments or whatever or things that I've got booked or yeah, all that sort of stuff. So, and I guess just company wise as well.
Speaker 4 00:08:51 And so what other supports do you access?
Speaker 3 00:08:54 I've used, you know, OTs and stuff like that to help with, um, uh, accessing needs within disability equipment and stuff. So like with wheelchairs and, and stuff like that. Most of my support is like in home support, obviously community access, sort of support, um, companionship support, I guess it's mostly just all that sort of stuff and, and like personal care and all the main like important sort of stuff really.
Speaker 4 00:09:22 Why do you think it's important to have these supports to develop your independence?
Speaker 3 00:09:27 I just think it's, um, it's a great thing because years ago when funding was quite tough for people to, um, to get all the, the care and everything that needed to be done was basically with the parents and they had to do like 24 7, you know, and just every, every single day. And it can be tiring, you know, like my, um, you know, my mom was pretty much sole carer for, for me, you know, and she, um, was also a private, um, private house cleaner, you know, for for many years. And so if I wasn't able to go to school or something like that or whatever, she wasn't able to go to work. So she, you know, and she running her own sort of business and stuff like that, so then she would've to take the day off to take care of me and, and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 00:10:11 And it wasn't until when Endos sort of came in, we both were looking into potentially if I, I asked her, I said, If I live independently, how, how would you feel about that? And we both thought it'd be a good thing because it gives her her own independence that she doesn't have to worry so much about taking care of me and I get my own independence to better go and do all the things that I want to do without, you know, having to either bring her along or yeah. And all that sort of stuff. So I think it's wonderful for, for both parties basically.
Speaker 4 00:10:41 Absolutely. Your living life, like any other 28 year old.
Speaker 3 00:10:45 Yeah, you know, like most people who are in wheelchairs or any, any kind of disability, they, they're wanting to just get out and do things that they want to do live with their friends or, or whoever. And, you know, they probably don't really want to bring their parents along all the time. They just wanna go and hang out with mates. And the ndis like funding allows that, you know, it gives freedom to go and, and do the things that they've been wanting to do for a while because it's there, you know. I also think it's great in sense that like, people who are struggling maybe to get jobs and stuff like that, they're keen to, to jump in and support people in disability work. Like, you know, with Shane, you know, he was a chef and, you know, a baker and, and all of his stuff was all in, you know, food and, and all that sort of stuff for most of his, um, career. And then he took the leap and changed all of it. Now he's a full, full-time support worker with, you know, many clients and then he goes and takes care of and stuff. So I think it's, um, it works both ways in, in that sort of regard. It helps people, um, with support, but it also helps people, um, find work to be able to support people.
Speaker 4 00:11:51 So it really does sound like the N D I S is making a difference in your life.
Speaker 3 00:11:55 Yeah, I mean it's making a ma massive difference in my life, but as well as I think yeah, many people around Australia, it's had a massive impact on, on my life and I, I I can't fault it. It's, it's been terrific ever since it came for me. One of the best things to come into to help for myself and, and my family. And just give us both, um, that independence and, um, easy sort lifestyle.
Speaker 2 00:12:21 <laugh> flash check, check on the mic. One, two will burn and rubber so comes Jack. If you can't see through the smoke or see through the miss, but I'll tell you what, never heard a flow like disco flash. Check, check on the mic. One, two, will is burn and rubber. So come Jack, if you can't see through the smoke or see through the myth, but I'll tell you what, never heard a flower like this. Go
Speaker 0 00:12:39 To find out more about Mc wheels, listen to his music or follow his adventures. You can find him in all the usual places online. Mc wheels.com.au or look for Mc wheels on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, or iTunes. Thanks for joining us at Choice and Control, a Carers Queensland podcast. For more information about the National Disability Insurance Scheme or carers Queensland, contact us online at carers Q l d.com.au. You can call us on one three hundred nine six three six or head to Facebook and look for carers Queensland N D I S.
