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Saturday, March 31, 2007
It’s one of Darren’s favourite musicals so it was nice for us to go and see something that he chose rather than one of my force fed choices. And what a corker Little Shop Of Horrors is. With music written by the amazing Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, I knew it would be a musical tour de force. Ashman and Menken were responsible for a trio of Disney classics that bought the company back into the limelight – The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin. The duo have a knack for creating songs that deal with very real human emotions while focusing on the humour, pathos and sometimes the fantastical. I have always loved their music and the Steve Martin film version, but have been dying to see the original theatrical production with less happy ending on the stage. The 3 singing girls really hold together the production and were not only fine of voice, but also hilarious in their performances, particularly in the slow motion fight scenes with the bums during Downtown. Alistair McGowen was downright sleazy as the evil dentist who enjoys inflicting pain on other people (and a number of other characters later on) and the actor embraced the leather trousers and the fetishist angle. Sheriden Smith (Antony’s girlfriend, Emma from The Royle Family) was a lot different to the iconic version of Audrey played in the film by Ellen Greene and she played it very well. Her role as the beaten girlfriend was played equally for laughs (bearing breasts and neck for a nipple tweaking “whatever you say, doctor!”) and pathos (her “I’m dating a semi-sadist” during somewhere that’s green was heartbreaking) and it was her focus on feeling that she didn’t deserve any better that made it a great performance. It was Paul Keating that shone out as geeky Seymour. As the plant grows and demands human flesh, it plays on Seymour’s fears and gets him to do downright devious and despicable things in order to prove his love to Audrey. It’s a play filled with moral dilemmas and ethical propostions, but if you just want the light stuff, the songs are catchy, the doo wop chorus girls hilarious, and Paul slightly sexy. Geek chic is back!! Huzzah, etc. PS – if you were the woman in front of us with the mad fly away hair, no wonder your fella left at half time and didn’t come back. No one likes a stray follicle in their minstrels. Grrr 
PPS – Paul was also in Closer To Heaven, the pet shop boys musical and the mp3 below is taken from that!
MP3:
MP3: Paul Keating – Positive Role Model (Almighty Mix)
Live and Lovely: Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat the Musical
0 comments Posted by ai at 11:06 AM
Friday, March 30, 2007
In between all this blogging there's the small matter of Weight Watchers and trying to reach my mini-goal before my trip to Sweden. Good result this week: another pound off and only three to go till my mini-goal (as Shayne Ward may have once sung, "That's My Mini-Goal". Or maybe not.)
ba dom tssk!), yet it was Bonnie, Claire and Kyran that were head and shoulders above the rest. They were so fluid in their movements and moved incredibly well to the songs that they had chosen while being quite fearless in the way they flung themselves round the ice. In the second half, the professional skaters got to do more and I have to say two of the routines just blew me away. One was set to the CanCan music from the excellent Moulin Rouge and involved lots of death defying flinging of some completely fearless lady around the guys skates and close to the ice and into the air, all at incredibly fast speeds. I was literally holding my breath the whole time, fearing for her safety! Then Daniel Someoneortheother did Angels and flew off the ice just holding onto two pieces of cloth. Man, you got to be ripped to do that! I got sore just watching him. So all in all, quite the magical breathtaking evening (i’ll tell you more about my quite serious back injury I sustained today tomorrow in the pre-amble…)
Rubbish name change of the week... (first in an occasional series)
0 comments Posted by ai at 11:08 AM
What I first wrote about Stewart Mac...
Next is Stewart Mac, formerly of boyband Triple8 (who gave us the crunk rock of Knockout and Give Me A Reason). It seems that every upcoming male solo star these days has the obligatory white shirt black tie photo shoot, but hey, Stewart looks good with it so who's complaining. Like Ste, Stewart has gone down the the acoustic pop route, with one difference. While Ste's songs are works of craft in progress, there is an instant accessibility with Stewart's music. He has a keen talent for developing a melody that will work it's way into your brain and make his songs a lot of fun to listen to. Actually, some of the tunes remind me of the great songs on Third Eye Blind's debut cd which i was obsessed with in the late 90s... Anyway apparently an album is forthcoming and I can't wait to hear it.
What I said about Invisible…
I made a few notes as I started listening to this last week as I knew it would be a fave of mine before the first few bars had even finished. There is a great piano riff at the start, that brings back memories of Big Big World from several years back. The addition of strings to this track create a great romantic atmosphere as Stewart sings us into quite a rocking chorus. The contrast of the soothing verses and energetic chorus works incredibly well and the song is one of Stewart’s strongest to date.
What Stewart said to me...
1 - can you start off by telling us how you got into the music industry? How did triple 8 come together
I’d always written songs and was in a rock band back home who I joined while I was doing music at college. Then when that band didn’t go anywhere, I kinda got disillusioned with it all and got a normal job for a few years. Then I met Jamie who was already in triple 8 and I wrote a song for the band. When it came to the band altering it’s line up, I was kind of putting songs forward for them as a writer, but cause I was friends with them, and in the right place at the right time, they asked if I wanted to actually be in it…the rest is history!
1a - what are your fondest memories from that time? Fave 888 song?
Just traveling all over the place. Got to play to thousands of people, make videos, record an album, do photoshoots, the kind of stuff you dream about really. Wouldn’t change it for anything. Nothing but fond memories from that time! Fave song….probablly “Good To Go” just cause it was the single and stuff!
1b - naughtiest thing you did while in the band!
Too rude to mention…and there were few like that to be honest…all of them involved afterparties, jack daniels and coke and very few inhibitions!!! Enough said!
2 - how important is it for you to write your own stuff? If a great song was offered to you (a la Can't Get You Out Of My Head was offered to Kylie) would you do it?
Writing is what it’s all about. It’s how I started. When I was 10 or something, I was writing songs on my first acoustic guitar. It’s something you can either do or you can’t I think…you can’t really teach it! Well, not to write good songs anyway!!! It has to come naturally! Being in a band like Triple 8, as good as it was, you kinda don’t get a lot of control about the stuff you’re singing, so this time round it’s all about my songs. I write them all in my room or in the studio, either on my own or with my producer nudging me in the right direction. Nothing more complicated than that really! The songs all start with me and a guitar or piano, but end up as these massive, epic productions…my producer Dave’s a genius!! Writing is also the thing that’s gonna make me rich…you can be the biggest star in the world, but if you don’t write, you’re missing out on your pension!!!
I get offered songs from writers and producers a lot, but for me it’s not about how good they are, it’s about the relationship I have with them. I’m not gona sit there and sing something heartfelt that someone else wrote for me!!
3 - Is there a dream person you would like to work with - either a duet or writing with? And who would you love to sing one of your songs?
I’d love to work with a producer called John Shanks. He’s written and produced some of my favorite acts and his sound is so good! I guess I’d like either Bon Jovi or The Goo Goo Dolls to perform one of my tracks…that’d be dream time!!!
4 - Live Lounge on radio one is one of my fave shows where current acts cover songs they wouldn't normally do. What current pop song would you cover if you went on and how would you change it?
I was thinking about this the other day actually…I do a mean version of Love Machine by Girls Aloud, but the Arctic Monkeys have already done that….I’d probably do Friday I’m In Love by the Cure…classic!
5 - For me image, fashion and pop all seem to go hand in hand - for better or worse. How important is the outfit to you? (you have some great looks on your myspace page)
Unfortunately we all know it’s not about talent alone…you need to be marketable! That doesn’t mean you have to dress and look like a model, but it just means that something about how you look is gonna let people relate to you and give them an idea about what your music and stuff is gonna say to them! Record companies these days put too much emphasis on style over substance in my opinion, but if the talent is there, then the image can push you to the forefront a bit quicker I suppose!
6 - What can people going to see you live expect?
As it’s pretty early days for me, I’m only doing little acoustic shows, so you’re not gonna get the big stadium rock sound that my records showcase. The songs you’ll hear me do live are pretty much the songs as I wrote them. I sit in my room with my guitar and play them all the time, so the raw, basic versions you’ll hear live are me at my most vulnerable…so be kind! ;)
7 - what do you think of celeb reality shows like Dancing On Ice, Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity? Do any appeal?
No. Next question. Ha…they’re not really my cup of tea. I get why so called celebs do them, you know, if they’ve got a book to plug or a career to save, but they don’t appeal to me. I don’t even watch them…I’ll look at them if my mates are watching or something, but I just don’t care about the people on them enough you know!? My mum likes ‘em though! Bless her!! This will come back to haunt me won’t it!!! You’ll see me in celebrity street cleaner in 5 years time!! Ha! Oh, one I would do is The match….but that’s purley for the football…that’d be awesome!
8 - How about the X Factor - have you been tempted by this route? Who do you think has done well from this?
Again, not my cup of tea. Standing in a room, unaccompanied, I’m not even gonna pretend I have a voice to rival Mariah Carey or Michael Buble or whoever! So why would I try?? I only start to work when I’m singing a song that I’ve written, whilst playing the music on my guitar…shows like the X-Factor aren’t gonna let me do that are they, so it’s no use to me. I know people knock them as formats, but I do understand why singers of a certain type go for the show! It can get you to the top in record time. That said, they chew you up and spit you out…where’s Shayne Ward now?? Exactly! I hope they don’t fuck up Leonna’s career…she’s SO talented. Kinda says more about the music industry that a talent like Leonna has to go on a reality show to make it!! A&R men should be doing a better job to find talent like her!!! Rant over…do I sound bitter!!! ;)
9 - Most embarrassing record in your collection?
God…I think I own a Kiss in Ibiza collection album…I was young and had been on a lad’s holiday…can’t stand that kind of shit these days…never did back then either really!
10 - What do you do when you are "off duty" - films, tv, reading, socialising etc.
I love socializing!!! Me and my mates – the usual! Football is my other big passion…I’m a big Spurs fan and go to most home games as I live really near the ground in North London. That gets a lot of frustration out too! Shouting at the players and stuff!
11 - you are taking thezapping out on a night on the town. What can i expect :)
A gig or a comedy club somewhere, then maybe some food and bar hopping then onto a club…by about 5 am no-one will know who or where the hell anyone else is so it’s individual taxis back home to prepare for the hangover to come!!!
12 - rather randomly, what would your stag night prank on a pal be??
Um, I’ve been on a few…got one this year as well…we kind of go easy on each other to be honest! Everyone’s scared that if they mess someone up, they’ll be a revenge attack when it’s their turn in the chair!!! Plus we’re all too scared of the bride’s reaction if we were to shave eyebrows etc!!!
13 - where do you see yourself in one years time?
God…honestly, I hope that people both in the industry and in the public, understanfd the album I’ve made and love it as much as I do. I’m not in this for the money, just the success…cause if you’re successful, it means that people are liking what you’re doing and so that means I get to do this as a living for a lot longer! I guess I’d love to have sold a shit load of albums, be working on the second batch of songs and picking up awards all over the world…and by awards I mean Grammies…not groupies!!! ;) If you believe that, you’ll believe anything!!!
14 - anything else you want to discuss??
Amy Winehouse…what is the point of her? Really fucking annoys me!! And Pete Doherty or whatever his name is! If anyone else in the country did what he does, taking crack and breaking the law, we’d get put in jail for a long time, but it seems cause it’s him he gets away with it! The bloke’s a loser. And so is Kate Moss for being with him…what a waste! That’s it!
Many thanks to Stewart for answering my questions J Check out his music on his myspace page. It’s rather good.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Things that you learn on a Thursday…
· It is possible to get through a day at work even when you are more tired than you can remember being in the longest time
· Having a new regular date that you get paid that is 5 days after the old date is a royal pain in the bootie
· I’m not very bootylicious
· Albums are leaking all over the place – the new Nats Beds; Whatshername from the original Sugababes and Disney Mania Volume Five. It’s all good.
· I am REALLY looking forward to The Tudors starting on Showtime on Sunday – even though the website won’t let me in because I am not American. How exclusionary.
· Work is getting increasingly anal about the parking spaces – apparently we now have to fit 7 cars on each side of the car park or else!
· I forgot to watch The Apprentice last night so I am out of the loop – luckily Sky+ kicked in so I can watch it sometime in the “near future”
· I received my last subscription copy of Heat this week – i will not miss it.
· No matter how hard i plan my holiday dates always mean that I miss something – I fly to
· I only just realised Patrick Neil Harris is a gayer. This is what happens when you forget to regularly visit Pink Is The New Blog and have a stack of unread Entertainment Weeklys…
· I can;t think of anything else I have learnt today, but I am sure my quest for lifelong learning continues (the labour government will be so proud…)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Finally a decent song in the top 20. After being around for what seems like months now, Superbus' "Butterfly" has finally gone straight in at no. 11 and brings some much needed fresh new music to the chart.
Liking "Elles Demandent" by Medhy Custos which has a real summer sound to it. Not much else happening this week: Fatal Bazooka still no. 1 (why??) and the dreaded Cascada this week's highest new entry.
In the album chart, Calogero's "Pomme C" is the highest new entry but hasn't manage to knock the latest Les Enfoires collection off the top. I promised I'd do a full review of Calo's CD now I've got it and this will probably follow over the weekend. Shock horror: so far I don't like it as much as I want to :-((
1. Hilary Duff – The Math: We will start with little Hilster! Not that she’s the be all and end all of electro pop, because she certainly isn’t (though Dignity is a step in the right direction towards pop classiness). But two of her best songs were never released as singles… and the first one is The Math. A great little rocky tune that embraces fuzzy guitars and a decent beat with a catchy chorus – give this one a little bit of a synthy makeover and you got a smash on your hands…
2. The Faders – Better Off Dead: Another song rooted in guitar rock but with the heart of a disco waiting to get out. The Faders just sort of faded away really thanks to an utterly crappy second single. Had this been released with a variety of remixes, it could have nestled atop the charts with Sugababes and Girls Aloud. Maybe Molly McQueen will do something dandy with it and surprise us all…
3. Tommy Page – Kissing In The Rain: Taken from his final (to date) album,
4. The Sugarcubes – Hit: Quirky pre-Bjork smash that is just an amazing infusion of eclectic styles, innovative instrumentation and Bjork’s distinctive vocal. While every other bugger does It’s Oh So Quiet as their karaoke fave, it would take a brave person to attack this song, rework it and make it their own. But it could be done and prove to be one of the best pop covers of recent times in the right hands…
5. All*Stars – Love Is: You may judge me for liking All*Stars when I judge Scooch so harshly. I’m not really sure why they were so appealing, other than I thought Sam Bloom was a little bit RAR and they were always supporting Steps on the many times I saw them in concert. Love Is was always rumoured to be the final single from their debut album, but after the poor showing of the lovely Back When it never happened. So someone needs to dust off this little sparkling pop beauty, bring it up to date and be as foxy as Sam Bloom. Marv…
6. Hear’Say – Loving Is Easy: Unfairly ignored thanks to their plummeting popularity with the
7. Hilary Duff – Haters: Not a million miles away in style from The Math, but equally as delectable, this is what you get when you get Hilary mad. Ooo scary! Genius if only for the unintentionally hilarious faux rap breakdown that would just be brilliant if someone like Avenue or Eton Road covered it – “different life forms different species, broken promises and treaties, talk about exterminating, not the haters just the hating…” Political!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Not that we need a reason, but it's relevant this time as I'm continuing to ask the big burning questions about Prison Break that no-one can answer.
Such as: whatever happened to Michael's cream suit? Where are everyone's clothes coming from? And when is Linc going to take off that shirt??
...after one of those days at work which couldn't end quickly enough, I started imagining how different it would be if I could be reinvented as one of the characters in "Heroes" which is possibly my 2nd most fave show of the week, just behind "Prison Break".
Can't decide whether I would want to squeeze my eyes shut and stop time like Hiro, turn completely bonkers-nasty like Niki/Jessica, read minds like Matt or maybe just fly like Nathan and Peter.
In the end I settled for being Claire the cheerleader - she gets everything thrown at her and stays indestructible. Sounds familiar after a day like today!!
Six weeks till we head off to Stockholm and still haven't started learning Swedish yet (too busy doing this blog, ha ha :-)))
Anyway am now thinking about all the things I want to do ..... visit Skansen and get our first moose sighting in 11 years, go a boat trip round the city archipelago, discover if there is life beyond "dagens rätt" and get an affordable meal at night, and of course discover the record shops. In the words of the great philosopher Freddie Mercury (or McFly if you are that way inclined) - "Don't Stop Me Now"!!!
Album Assessment: Sophie Ellis Bextor ~ Tripping The Light Fantastic
0 comments Posted by ai at 2:12 PM
~ Sophie Ellis Bextor, Tripping The Light Fantastic:
THEZAPPING ALBUM REVIEW:
~ The Loungs, We Are The Champ:
It’s been almost a year since The Loungs arrived with horns blaring on their essential debut single I’m Gonna Take Your Girl. Despite the apparent lack of activity, St. Helen’s answer to the Hair Bear Bunch have, in fact been channelling their boundless energy into the recording of corking debut album We Are The Champs. And what an album it is – music filled with colour and sunshine, peppered with trumpets, time changes, made up words and catchy singalong choruses. New single Armageddon Outta Here is a handclapping, head bobbing slice of pop perfection – an exercise in simplicity packed with trumpets, glockenspiel, guitars and an incongruous string arrangement. It’s I Will Survive for dudes! I’m Gonna Take Your Girl is a stomping call to arms for the romantically overlooked and Get Along reads a line between dream like floatiness and demented sea shanty. Dig That Do ponders mental health and women’s hairdressing with Vaudevillian gusto and All Your Love flits from waltz time to party time in the blink of an eye. It’s a fine ambitious and fully realised debut and one that I am going to be playing a lot over the summer...
LINK: The Loungs Official Website
THEZAPPING CHATS WITH THE LOUNGS:
1 - can you start off by telling us how you got into the music industry?
We haven't yet really. We are still dipping our toes in the shallow end and still deciding if we agree with the feel of the water lapping at our 60 collective hairy tootsies.
2 - how important is it for you to write your own stuff? If a great song was offered to you (a la Can't Get You Out Of My Head was offered to Kylie) would you do it?
No. It's pointless. Collaborations would be OK but with 6 of us it's already a collaboration so we'd tell em to pass it on. Unless it was somebody that we loved and then we would con them into letting us record the song, never actually release it and just play it at secret parties and family dos. We struggle getting 6 fat lads onto one stage at the moment as it is without letting anybody else up there to steal our limelight. Whoever it was they would have to stand at the back and they probably would'nt like that.
3 - Which act around at the moment do you think has "it" - you know the songs, the live set, the energy - and who would you aspire to be like
There's not much around at the moment that we all agree on music wise. We would however like to be 6 David Bowies, each at different stages of his career with a big face off for who gets the Goblin King tights from Labyrinth.
4 - Live Lounge on radio one is one of my fave shows where current acts cover songs they wouldn't normally do. What current pop song would you cover if you went on and how would you change it?
We quite fancy having a go at the UK Eurovision's entrant Scooch. We think we could definitely do justice to their colourful stage costumes and not only would we welcome having a set of backing singers off stage in order to pep up our performance, we would actively encourage it. So Scooch it would be...but even camper!
5 - For me image, fashion and pop all seem to go hand in hand - for better or worse. How important is the outfit to you?
About as important as the price of bread in Iceland. If you've got 5 haircuts on one head then you are in trouble and should be asked to leave the band immediately. Any reoccuring themes within The Loungs involving headwear, beards, unkempt heads of hair and the like are purely the product of laziness and unresolved personal hygene issues.
6 - What can people going to see you live expect
Gigs are for getting drunk and having a laugh, not chinstroking, so we pretty much only play upbeat poppy stuff. A nightmare gig is a bunch of people stood with arms folded who politely clap between songs. If you want to have a little dance, a bit of a singalong and a good time before you have to go home to prepare for work the next morning then come and see us because we'll be doing the same and you can be in our club. Come down to one of our album or single launches and you might get a free badge. You can't say fairer than that surely.
7 - what do you think of celeb reality shows like Dancing On Ice, Big Brother and I'm A Celebrity? Do any appeal?
They're shit. It's Dragon's Den all the way when it comes to 'reality' TV. However this does'nt mean that you won't be seeing 'Living with The Loungs' at some point in the future. On Channel 5. After the watershed.
8 - How hard was it choosing the songs for the album - are there any that got left off that you felt was a little like leaving a child at the orphanage
It was fairly straightforward really. As soon as we started to think about the album the songs that are contained immediately lent themselves to inclusion. Other old favourites, new songs etc. were left off not because of their quality but because they did'nt quite fit into the tracklisting and feel of the songs that we had decided upon. We're in this for the long haul so we did'nt see the need to pile everything we had onto the album in case we never get the chance to make another. All our 'little children' will see the light of day at some point, they just have to wait their turn.
9 - Most embarrassing record in your collection?
Non of us own any embarrassing ones. They're all good from Abba through to the Wu-Tang Clan. You should know if something is worth buying in the first place, espacially nowadays with the internet at your disposal to try before you buy. You can go through each of our collections with a fine tooth comb and still find nothing of disrepute. Honestly.
10 - What do you do when you are "off duty" - films, tv, reading, socialising etc.
NTL buys rogue and often worrying items off ebay and the rest of us plead with him to send them back. We are all big fans of films, some of us can read and if by socialising you mean going to the pub first thing on Monday morning and getting back home at some point on a Thursday afternoon then yes, we like a bit of that too.
11 - you are taking thezapping out on a night on the town. What can i expect
A typical Loungs night out would start with a local coffee house in which we would discuss the days newspapers, politics and literature before each presenting a piece of poetry that we had been working on since last week's meeting. Then maybe onto the theatre and later to a nice restaraunt to discuss the show that we had just seen. OR we could pool our money, go to Bargain Booze, find somebody willing to let us into their house, get drunk, laugh at each other and listen to music until the early hours. The choice is yours.
12 - rather randomly, what would your stag night prank on a pal be??
We'd kill him, then take his corpse to the wedding and act out a big charade full off belly-laughs ala Weekend at Bernies.
13 - where do you see yourself in one years time?
We will almost certainly still be alive we would like to think. We should also be knee deep in the recording of our second album with a healthy set of gigs, exeriences and new fans under our belts.
14 - anything else you want to discuss??
Just to plug our lovely set of websites www.theloungs.co.uk, www.myspace.com/theloungs and www.myspace.com/wearethechamp. Come and see us at one of our gigs and see what you think and definitley treat yourself to a copy of our debut album WE ARE THE CHAMP which is released on Akoustik Anarkhy Recordings on 7th May 2007.
Album Launch Events:
· May 18th – The Citadel, St Helens
· May 19th – Brixton Windmill, London
Monday, March 26, 2007
Oh I have been waiting for this moment for about two years or so now. I fell in love with La 5 back in late 2003 when their tune The Sweetest Goodbye was used in my favourite movie of all time, Love, Actually. I quickly checked out the debut album Songs About Jane and became hooked. But not just hooked in an “I quite like this” sort of way. More in the same way I have become hooked on Simon Curtis – with an unfailing belief that this act were the next big thing. And they were. I have written lots about Maroon 5 over on the old school zapping and while I have been (im)patiently waiting for the new album, there have been little gems springing up here and there to keep fans happy. But Makes me Wonder is the real deal and an amazing comeback single at that. While my other 2004 discoveries have had varying successes with the second albums (Keane self destructed, Scissters and Killers were quite good but not as outstanding as their debuts), Adam and the boys are off to a good start. The track has a slighty electro-pop, slightly disco backing beat with their trademark funk guitar sound and Adam’s gorgeous vocal style. An utterly banging chorus features a catchy hook, falsetto and a thrusting beat to it. It’s This Love all over again – yet it’s the same but completely different. Not an easy task to pull off. I am practically kvelling for the album now….
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Remember when this site was all about my passion for music. I got a little distracted from that somehow, but now I’m back and still loving music in all it’s shapes and forms. Remember when I got all excited about The Feeling? Upper Room? Captain? Well trust me when I say that actually (love, actually) Mr Hudson and The Library may very well be one of the most important new acts of 2007. For starters, they commence their rather brilliant debut album with a cover version of On the Street Where You Live (from My Fair Lady). A pretty gutsy move by any accounts, but they manage to put a whole new spin on an old classic and fill it with a feeling of hope, joy and unrequited love. If I tell you that the band’s sound is a mixture of hip-hop, grime and jazz you may run screaming for the door. But trust me when I say that they bring these elements together rather beautifully and the album (A Tale Of Two Cities) deserves to be huge. It’s jam packed with terrifically strong melodies, intricate and insightful lyrics and a love of eclectic beats. Tracks like Too Late Too Late and Bread and Roses positively brim with Bowie overtones, steel drums and a kickass beat that has you off your feet in no time. I’m kind of hoping that XO will have heard of or at least fall in love with this band – as well as lots of other people. Get in now, because come summer – everyone will be writing about them…
Ever since Louis Walsh (brilliantly satirized in Ben Elton’s Chart Throb novel) was sacked from X-Factor, there has been speculation over who would take his place. Rather yawningly, Simon Cowell seems to be going for Randy from American idol and Popjustice fancy that bird from the totally scott-lee record company (which to be fair is an amazing choice!) However, I think they should go with a relatively unknown person and get Jadion (producer of Simon Curtis, Fayden and Candy Coated Chaos) to dish the dirt on the new contestents…and here’s why:
1. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and wouldn’t think twice about slapping Simon Cowell down…
2. We need someone with a genuine love of modern pop music who has his finger on the pulse so to speak…
3. It would be nice to see a bit of bling on the show on someone who doesn’t call everyone “Dawg”
4. We might actually get the contestants covering some cutting edge songs rather than another version of some Elton John track…
5. He could fly Simon Curtis over to give the contestants some pointers and then Simon could perform at G-A-Y…
6. The fame would put him in a position to do something decent with Britney’s recording career…
7. I might get back stage passes
8. We might actually get a decent album out of the winner – case in point: Shayne Ward ~ great voice, rubbish album. Ditto Katherine McPhee; Daughtry, etc, etc.
9. I can’t cope with another choir coming out during a performance – jadion may do something more controversial. I vote for vegas style lap dancers It’s new it’s edgy…
10. Anyone who likes Entourage is ok with us!
Not that we need a reason...!
If Berlin Zoo doesn't want this little baby polar bear cub, we'll take him!
Life On Mars (BBC1, Tuesdays): Enjoyable stuff, particularly for those of us who were in the 70s first time round.
Heroes (Sci-Fi, Mondays): Can't miss an episode, it's so addictive. Hiro is hilarious and Mohinder is hot! We want more Mohinder!
Harry Hill's TV Burp (ITV, Saturdays): there will be a void in my Saturday night when this ends. A true "TV highlight of the week".
Boston Legal (Living, Thursdays): series 3 may not have lived up to previous glories, but it's still a great show. Not enough mentions of Denny Crane though:-(
TV4's "Let's Dance" will soon have a new champion dance pair and it will be either Martin/Cecilia or Tobbe/Annika. The show said goodbye to Erica/Daniel this week. After watching both couples dance I would have to choose TV presenter Tobbe, who looks more relaxed on the dancefloor than his rival, wrestler Martin who still looks too serious and self-conscious at times.
Also this week, series 1 winner Mans Zelmerlow returned to the show but this time not to dance, but to sing "Cara Mia" which is now no.2 in the Swedish singles charts behind "The Worrying Kind" by The Ark.
After last night's BBC3 countdown of the most irritating songs (many of which I actually like, it's all a matter of taste), I decided to think about just what is the worst song of all time, and drew a blank until 5 minutes ago, when one of my favourite French radio stations Kiss FM (www.kissfm.cc) played "No Bravery" by James Blunt. We have a result!!
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The CMONS are fantastic and they have achieved the impossible as they have made car advertising worth watching. Visit www.thecmons.co.uk and you will see the legends in action, along with lots of interactive fun.
What Goes Around - Justin Timberlake: Or, "Cry Me A River - The Sequel". Classy ode to a break-up.
Som Om Himlen Brann - Lizette & Bizazz: flashback to 1992. Forget that Christer Bjorkman ever existed!
Sjunde Himlen - Lena Palsson : principal boy chic meets early 1990s key-change schlager, from 1993.
Here - Christina Undhjem - also-ran at MGP but big this week at EC HQ.
Destination Calabria - Alex Gaudino: what do you get when you mix Crystal Waters with a Pigbag-esque sax refrain? Dance heaven.
See What I See - Dima Bilan: Quality Russian pop.
Relax, Take It Easy - Mika: those on the continent got this instead of Grace Kelly; we should get this instead of Love Today....
What Have You Done - Within Temptation: Don't call them Evanescence clones. Will this be the one that finally brings UK success to the Dutch rockers?
New Shoes - Paolo Nutini: Am I becoming a fan? That’s two of his songs I’ve liked now.
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani: whoo-hoo, yee-hoo. Addictive pop tune which I strangely quite like.
Starlight - Muse: their best song ever, and still worth a listen after all these months.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
· I tried on about 4 different outfits while planning to go out. Looking good is taking longer as the years go by!
· I still managed to catch the Champion of Champions episode of Dancing On Ice. Duncan was quite good, Stefan Booth was disappointingly rubbish and once again Claire and Kyran ruled the ice. Can’t wait for the live show next Sunday.
· I started off the evening on Buck’s Fizz. It was quite fizzy and the bubbles tickled my nose.
· Bernice and mark came round – poor Bernice and I had to gossip and chatter incessantly in the living room while Mark and Darren got all (se)X-Boxed up in the bedroom
· Darren somehow manages to look effortlessly stunning every bloody Saturday. Git.
· We went to the Loft Lounge first which was far too crowded for my liking so we went to Bar Equator instead. The barman undressed me with his eyeballs which I so did not appreciate!
· I may have tried to sing Dancefloor Officer by Digital to Bernice but it really didn’t work too well and she just stared at me with a weird slightly judgemental look in her eye!
· A drunken old man (who Bernice and I christened Like A Stone a while back) was in The Village and had amazing trouble staying vertical.
· Once he fell without bending by where he was sitting and the second time he fell down the stairs taking a table with him. He fell. Like A Stone.
· It’s so wrong that I spent a good five minutes chuckling loudly at his pratfall.
· Knowing all the line dancing moves to the white label mix of Dolly Parton’s 9to5 isn’t going to win you the respect of all around.
Not been around here much this week due to a combination of a heavy cold and the small matter of wallpapering our new kitchen at EC HQ. Mission accomplished and feeling very happy with the end result.
Friday, March 23, 2007
· The past few days have been horribly busy.
· I fell asleep watching last weeks Ugly Betty on my Archos
· When I woke up I was choking to death with my earphones wrapped around my neck
· I probably could have died
· Waking up dead would be totally rubbish.
· I then couldn’t get back to sleep so read some Harry Potter.
· I fell asleep on Harry Potter – and the dorky inappropriate film version, not the hot inappropriate horse lover one. :O
· Work was dead today – not literally, just hardly anyone in the office.
· So while I was in the office I trawled myspace and came across an act that gave me goosebumps. Simon Curtis/Digital goosebumps.
· He is also tres goodlooking. And called Ryan. That is all I am saying now.
· Be prepared for a feature soon…
· I was misquoted in gaytimes! They said i was called a Gaylord in school!! It was actually homopaul J
· Darren looks well foxy today. If he wasn’t struggling with the tail end of the flu I would nob him over the dinner table.
· But then who would ever want to eat off it again??
· I bought some new socks today. They were from the Gap.
· Is it me or is this quite similar to this J
· Good or bad idea – thezapping photo stories coming soon?
Thursday, March 22, 2007
THEZAPPING INTERVIEWS ROBERT O'CONNOR -
Mr O’Connor, thank you for taking the time to do this. Let’s start with the deep and meaningful questions – in between college, a return to rugby, writing pretty darn good pop songs and writing for several online publications, how do you manage to maintain such decent popstar hair??
You’re going to laugh, because in the past year or so I’ve only been to the hairdresser twice. I had it done a while ago at a place called Zoo in Dublin, which has won lots of awards and they chopped it, but I’ve returned to having messy rugger hair now. It’s very easy to style, I just use Hackett wax (Hackett, are you listening?) and sort of run my fingers through it until it looks, as you say, decent. My mummy cuts it for me these days.
Now going back to all those things – first of all, when did you start singing? And when did it become something more than you did in the shower?
Basically I was at stage school but they don’t teach you “how” to sing. There is no coaching on that. I think I was 17 or 18 when I decided I wanted to do it properly, so I went to a coach, that lasted a while, and now I just use those techniques that I learned from my lovely coach Hazel, because I can’t afford to go to her anymore!
Can you talk a little about your first single Spend The Night/Ten Years Time – why one original song and one (albeit fairly obscure) cover? And how does the sound of these two songs work in context of a whole album?
Well, I first recorded Ten Years Time as a demo before a gig in a few hours, and everyone was like “This is a damn good track”, and hardly anyone knew the original Gabrielle version so I sort of thought at that point that the song was perfect for me, I loved the lyric and the I wanted to make it my own stylistically.
I’m happy with the way it turned out. Also at that point I wasn’t writing lyrics and music and so it was all about finding a song that didn’t seem like a cover, because I don’t like that, but I wasn’t ready to write. Around two months later I got the writing bug, and haven’t stopped since.
The album is still a work in progress, I’ve done five tracks with Steve Hogan and my studio band in Dublin and I’ve done a track with another producer, which has a sort of R&B flavour to it. I’m trying to figure if I can merge the two styles together on one album and still have continuity - I don’t want it to be a mess. Spend The Night is like an introduction to the album, the new tracks I’ve done have brought the Soul element of that song to a higher level…that’s a result of listening to lots of Soul and Motown recently.
Are there any other covers you would like to do – either on record or in your live shows? Any really out there pop songs that you would like to transform into a Robert O’Connor classic?
There’s another quite obscure track called “Killin’ Kind” which I would love to record, it’s by a country singer called Shelby Lynne. I actually sang it at my launch in Dublin last year. Perhaps I’ll record it for a b-side someday.
What about musical influences? And how important do you think it is to evolve and grow when carving out a career in the music industry? I think it seems harder for the guys – Michael Jackson hasn’t really pulled it off, Prince has his moments, but Madonna and Kylie excel at it…
Yeah Prince went nuts, he’s great but he doesn’t constantly have the support of the general music-buying public in the way that Madonna does. He takes risks though, which is a good thing in my books. My musical influences…I love George Michael, I think his voice is phenomenal, it’s touching.
I’m loving Arcade Fire at the moment too, and my taste since I started recording has changed a lot, I like to hear real instruments on the albums I listen to, I think you can’t beat real drums, real piano, real brass. At the moment John Mayer is the artist I’m obsessed with. I always want to listen to his albums, and it’s very easy to not listen to anything else.
And Sia, a female singer who recorded a song called “Breathe Me” for the closing scene of Six Feet Under (the best show ever?!) and it’s beautiful, but it makes me sad every time.
Now you write a couple of columns for different publications. How did those come about and what can people expect from you when reading them?
I invented Sex & The Liffey as an exercise for myself, to prove that I could stick to a deadline and produce consistently good writing about a particular topic. I don’t know how that topic ended up being relationships (for the most part), but it’s something that I love to talk about and find interesting. The behaviours of people, the small things that happen in their day, the way relationships are constructed and deconstructed.
It’s fascinating for me. That column usually talks about an experience I’ve had, I write them pretty much off the cuff, there isn’t any planning to it. Planning writing terrifies me. There’s a lot of comparatives too. I have written a few columns for a music site, Lost In Limbo, I was invited to do that and I enjoy it a lot - I find I discuss artists struggles a lot, my writing is much of the time, about negative things that are happening. I don’t know why that is…
Would you like to take writing further? When your music career takes off, will the writing continue – and will it be more Carrie Bradshaw cool (Sex and the City) or Kerry Katona OK column stuff (don’t disappoint me here by going for the latter!)
I’d love to take writing further. Essentially that will happen regardless to which avenue I take career-wise, if I make it with my music then I’ll be writing songs and if it’s a writer I become, I’ll still be very much satisfied. I see myself working for a magazine, maybe music, maybe relationships, maybe something else. I do get the Carrie Bradshaw comment a lot though. I’d never go down the Kerry Katona route. No, that won’t be happening!
Can you see a novel in your future?
Yes.
And what would your autobiography be called?
Well lets just say I won’t be releasing a “My Story” biography after six months like Shayne Ward. That’s outrageous, in my opinion. What gives a singer who has released one album the warranty to write a life-story? If a biography ever happened, it would be a long way down the line, maybe in diary entry form, like “The Diaries of Robert O’Connor”, that could be interesting, depending on what I do between now and then!
I hear you spent St Patrick’s Day watching the rugby in the pub. I was watching Kyran Bracken win Dancing On Ice which is almost very nearly the same. Can you see yourself doing any reality TV in the future? What’s your opinion on things like that?
Yeah I was in the pub for basically the entire day, watching the last of the Six Nations games. I would consider reality TV, previously I said that I wouldn’t but I‘m getting more desperate day by day. I doubt I’d do Big Brother or I’m a Celebrity type shows but I’d definitely be into doing something like Newlyweds but I’m not willing to get married just for the TV coverage. Actually wait, now that I say it, I would be willing to do that if MTV were up for it.
How about X-Factor – never tempted by that route? And would you like to replace Louis as a judge? You couldn’t do a worse job to be honest ;)
No, I won’t do X-Factor. I love music, but am not up for being ridiculed by judges as a form of entertainment. I’d be happy to step in as a judge though!
Louis is just so agreeable on that show. I have spoken with him on a number of occasions and I think he’s a much more likeable person face-to-face, though he told me that I needed to get into a boy band, that as a solo artist, I wouldn’t go anywhere because male solo artists “aren’t getting any record deals”.
That year we had James Blunt, James Morrison, Daniel Powter, and several others. In short, Louis doesn’t have a clue if it’s not straight cut pop music with a key change in the third chorus.
Right, so me and you hit the town for a night out – what sort of thing can I expect?
Great! Well we’ll start out with some food. We’ll set up with dinner and wine, then we’ll go to a bar, and get into the heavy discussion. Afterwards we’ll go to a nice club and either relax with cocktails or dance the night away. The next morning (see what I did there?!), we’ll have coffee, muffins and ridiculous chat for a few hours before my day starts!
Rather randomly, what do you think the ultimate stag night prank would be?
What about telling the dude you’d slept with his wife-to-be, and that you just had to get it off your chest before the wedding? That would be pretty nasty wouldn’t it? I tend to wind people up like that a lot. Sometimes it happens without me even realising it.
Chat up lines – how do you work your mojo??
I have an automatic mojo! Haha! If I see someone I like at a bar I’ll approach them and usually find a talking point or if I’m really drunk I might say something corny like “I’m doing some research, I wonder if I could have five minutes of your time” and then get in there.
I’ve also had incidents where I’ve just kissed the person, and then said like “god, I love anonymity” and never spoken to the person again, but you always know when someone’s open to that kind of behaviour. It’s more the person who’s dancing seductively than the quiet one in the corner.
Biggest lie you’ve ever told to get out of something awkward?
Oh dear. I can’t say this can I? OK I’ve introduced people and given them fake identities with thoughtful details to disguise the fact that I’ve been caught chatting them up by a lover. That was the old Robert though! I’m a very, very good boy now.
Tell me something you have never told anyone else??
I love quality time alone! Being an only child I do very well with keeping myself amused.
Biggest guilty pleasure?
Sunday morning behaviour. Several papers, fresh coffee, Dido in the background.
Most undeserving act currently revelling in chart success?
Just Jack annoys the hell out of me. So does Lily Allen. There, I said it.
Best blog on the internet beginning with z?
I would imagine the Zapping. Yes, that would be the best blog beginning with Z.
OK, wrapping it up now young man… where do you see yourself in one years time??
Well I bloody hope something great happens. I want a new international publishing deal or a recording deal. Even “Indie” artists have major labels behind them now. Trying to compete is making me poor and tired.
Also it would be nice if my album was released, and sold in large quantities.
Thanks so much for your time – be sure to come back and see us again at thezap!
Thank you very much. It’s been real.
* Clearly Robert couldn't get enough of my scintillating interview styling so we hooked up again (in the journalistic sense of the word) and had a natter about some other stuff!! *
Extra questions loaded with cheese, tomato and added innuendo...
You sent me some pictures of you on holiday in Gran Canaria (a fave haunt of mine). Let’s talk about that for a bit – favourite bar there??
God I don’t even remember the names of the bars, but there was a cocktail bar that I really liked. I’m a big fan of anything that you can actually taste the liquor in. What’s the point otherwise?
Worst thing you ever did there?
I couldn’t possibly tell you. I’m a gentleman!
What on earth were you doing in the dunes? You do know they are quite famous for lewd acts don’t you? (er, someone told me about it, you understand!)
I was doing a George Michael. Except for I wasn’t with a male van driver.
If you don’t mind me saying, you have quite decent legs. Do you work out? Have a sport of choice?
Thanks, I think! I work out on and off when I have the time, I have good spells and bad spells, I’ve just started again though because I want to get properly fit, I’m hoping to get back to playing some rugby for a team this summer, so I can’t be half-fit. I run a lot though (internally, on the treadmill in my office at home!) so that keeps me full of energy. As for the sand dunes, well, I was doing research, as I like to say.
So rugby, writing and music? That’s quite a varied selection – how do you balance them all and still get to trawl the sand dunes in Gran Canaria?
Well I somehow manage to be very busy and still have time for everything in my life. I prefer it when I’m busy. After I finished modelling and before the single came out I had a very quiet period - it didn’t work for me, which is why this year is as it is. I set myself up!
Going back to some of the photos you let me have for this article – in the one above you are one of the few people who look quite decent in the morning after a hard night. Didn’t you do some modelling and acting at some point? Any future plans for it?
Morning photo? Anyway, yeah, I won a Fashion Print Male award at IMTA LA two years ago (the modesty!) I should have really taken it further then. I was young and stupid, to be honest, and the modelling end of things requires a strict lifestyle with a lot of dedication.
I would definitely be interested in doing some more photographic modelling, but that means finding new representation. I haven’t had much time with college, the recording of the album and everything else that I’ve taken on, but I believe I will get back to it at some point in the future. Same goes for acting, though I don’t have time to take any further training. If someone wanted me for a role, it would be a “take me as I am” situation!
What would you hate to happen if you were out on your own stag night? (i’m obsessed with stag nights lately as i didn’t get one!)
You really ought to have a belated stag night, otherwise I fear you may never let go. Oh, I don’t know, I’d hate it if the strippers cancelled.
Boxers or briefs?
Briefs for working out or sports and boxers for everything else…well, most everything!
Do you fill them well :P
Well I haven’t had any complaints. You’ll find out when I make my debut online video, which will happen soon if I don’t get attention from the record-buying public!
Are you an equal opportunities flirt? Can you seduce both sexes equally as well if there is a beer in it for you?
I believe the answer to that question is “Yes”. I’m a modern day man, and I’m very much into the art of seduction. Coming from an acting background, role-play and a bit of improvisation tend to fall into my reality sometimes, especially after a few pints.
I’d like to think you have flirted with me during this interview. What has been the highlight for you!
I most likely have. I must say you’re questions have been a lot more entertaining than any interviews I’ve done so far, where it’s all taken from my press release - that was the highlight for me. I also find it quite comical that everything is On The Record.
Well thank you very much Mr OC for your time, flirtatiousness and general amazingosity. I look forward to stalking you for my belated stag night :)
Robert O'Connor's debut single "Spend The Night"/"Ten Years Time" is out now on iTunes, Matchbox Recordings, HMV and all major online outlets. And you can vote for it here! Do it! You know you want to!
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