Putting the final touches on what will be his 17th LP (due for release later this year), Mark Lizotte—AKA Diesel—could be forgiven for coming across as a little bit jaded with the whole music business.
When it comes to the Australian rock bucket list, the man has ticked them all off: ARIA Awards, tours with the likes of The Angels, Rose Tattoo and Baby Animals, and even a stint as guitarist for his brother-in-law, Jimmy Barnes. Despite his incredible success, though, Mark isn’t looking to rest on his laurels. When we catch up with him, he’s just returned from another successful weekend of shows on his ‘By Request Tour’, which he began in 2025, and added an extra 21 shows for 2026 in order to meet demand.
“There are all kinds of surprises in the show every night,” he said. “Sometimes I think ‘Okay, I don’t hear myself singing that song, but it’s obviously a favourite of yours’—and then it really works. I try to keep it sort of like on the edge of the guardrails.”
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The ‘By Request’ tour means fans get to choose the setlist every night, off of two extended playlists they get to see beforehand. “I am kind of controlling it to some degree,” he admits. “But the point of it is to perform the songs that I just don’t play as much, and some of my covers—like the Rihanna song (‘Stay’)—have had a lot of requests, which I’m happy about, ’cause I do like singing that song.”
Photo credit: Jesse Lizotte
Part of his current headspace is wanting to connect organically with fans; a key part of ‘By Request’ is sharing anecdotes fans have given about what the songs mean to them. “I’ll add a few anecdotes into the introductions to the songs because I figured if fans were comfortable enough to share them with me, then they’re probably comfortable enough for me to share them with the room. Some of the stories have been very, very sensitive and very, very humbling,” he muses.
Of course, being so available for his fans to share their emotional experiences with him means that, in between shows, rest is key. But meeting so many people and hearing so many stories has him feeling philosophical.
“I come home, and I’m depleted,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’s something that no one really briefs you on—I’ve just been running on adrenaline for three days, and historically, I think, we as musicians would never talk about this. We would think, ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ and you would lean into all the wrong things, like substances or whatever.
“Now I feel like I’ve got tools, because I have lost enough people in my life to kind of know this is what happens on this planet.
“I think this idea of closure is such a ridiculous concept. It’s like when you get a hole in your favourite pair of jeans, you have to go ‘Okay, cool. I won’t get upset about it. I’ll make friends with that hole.’”
Mark is full of these kinds of life lessons. He shares that after having had a nervous breakdown, he realised that by sweeping his problems under the rug, he’d created a bump that he eventually tripped on.
He freely shares vignettes as if speaking with an old friend—and fans in Sydney will have a chance to hear this advice from him at his upcoming appearance at the Sydney Guitar Show. Appearing in a stacked line-up including Plini, Tash Wolf, Hussy Hicks and more, guitar nerds and gear heads will get a chance to pick his brain for life—and guitar—lessons. Of particular interest is a conversation he will mediate with Fender Master Builder David Brown, whose credits include working with Billy Joel’s band.
Photo credit: Jesse Lizotte
“We’re gonna talk about dream builds and probably try to recreate some old guitars that I used to have,” Mark said excitedly. “It’s the kind of event that’s perfect for guitarists of all ages to come out and get inspired watching pros play. I used to just go to music shops and would just noodle on everything until they would kick me out because I wasn’t buying anything. Watching other people play in real life was like my YouTube, and then going home and trying to replicate what I just saw—that was always the thing for me. You might not agree with everything a player is doing, but hopefully you’ll still go ‘Oh wow, what was that? That was cool. I wouldn’t have thought of that. I’m gonna go home and rethink things.’”
There’s no lack of fuel in the tank for Mark. Even when at home and trying to switch off from being a rock star, he still finds songs coming to him—often at inconvenient times.
“Song ideas don’t usually come in the studio with my equipment in my hands,” he laughs. “I’ll often be thinking how annoying it is that nothing’s really popping into my head, but then I’ll be having a nap on the floor for 10 minutes, just trying to shut down to kind of replenish myself, and then something just comes into my head. I’ll also wake up in the middle of the night, or be out running—it’s when I’m away from my desk, and then I urgently have to go back to my desk to make sure I’ve captured it.
“I’ve somehow remained curious, and if I had to advise anybody, it would be that: stay curious! I’m just a product of all the stuff that I’ve heard and all the stuff that I’m gonna hear, you know? No one is an island of absolute endless creativity—at least not in my mind anyway. I’m still intrigued by (songwriting), so I’ll just keep hacking away at it!”
Mark closes our conversation by acknowledging the special place of teachers in his life and his desire to continue giving back to the scene that’s been so good to him.
“Seeing the music world through other people’s eyes is a great way of staying fresh,” he said.
“I understand how people get so much reward out of teaching in that sense, because all this knowledge is just useless unless you pass it on.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of stuff now. I’ve got a pretty decent skillset and am still building and learning myself, but if I don’t pass it onto people around me, it’s just nothing.”
Sydney Guitar Show
7-8 March, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW
Tickets and info at guitarshow.au/sydney/
By Request tour
Tickets and info at dieselmusic.com.au
