We should be back on stage again at the International Beach Tennis festival in Aruba on June the 1st. See you then?Madonna recently performed at the BBC Radio One's 'Big Weekend', where she was one of the headliners of the 2-day free festival. Anyway, she acted like a bit of a diva, apparently. Whilst all the other artists were happy with the dressing rooms provided, Lady Madonna demanded not only separate dressing rooms stage side, she also demanded a complete compound for herself and her 70 people strong entourage.
She was said to have needed special Kabbalah water for all her hanger-ons, fresh fruit, tons of white roses & a private helicopter. Once the entourage arrived it turned out they had no interest in the fresh fruit or the Kabbalah water and headed straight for the alcohol and fried snacks that the other artists were having.
I have met Madonna two times over the years and I have seen her act not only like a diva, but also like a bit of a 3-year-old. I honestly have never seen another adult throw a wobbler the way like Madonna can (no wait...that's not true...Mark Wahlberg can also throw wonderfully immature wobblers...but he actually ends up destroying things in the process)
So, the first time I got introduced to Madonna I had wanted to say how much I admired and respected her, but she was so unfriendly to me that I just didn't bother. I was most disappointed.
The second time I met Madonna we were in a rather unusual place. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and we were at a candlelit dinner at Donatella Versace's house. I had no idea that that was where I was going, had I known I would not have changed back into my 'everyday clothes' after the MTV Award (I hate being uncomfortable and don't keep designer dresses on any longer than I need to)
I was with the Prodigy and thought that we were going back to the hotel or to some club or something. As we got out of the tourbus I did notice all the paparazzi, but still didn't think too much of it. It was only once I fell into a human statue inside (I was a tat drunk and there were all these half-naked painted people dotted all over the place) that I realized we weren't at the hotel.
It was the most surreal thing you could ever imagine. There were all these super-famous people sitting at candlelit tables, waiting for their 5-course dinner (remember...it was 2 o'clock in the morning!)
I was seated at a table with George Michael and his partner, Donatelle and her partner and some of the Prodigy. Madonna was at the table next to ours together with Jean Paul Gaultier and a few other people. Damon Albarn was at the next table with the guys from Massive Attack, Beyonce was there, the Sugarbabes, oh was just one big crazy celeb feast. I can't even remember half the people there. And I felt totally out of place (not only because I was the only person there wearing a jumper ; )
So anyway, Madonna kept demanding everybody's attention as she kept jumping up and shouting 'Turn the music down, turn the music down, I want to do a speech!'
She did a few of those, one of which was a speech for her bodyguard who was having his birthday. She also had a huge cake brought out for him (I have the picture somewhere, I'll try and upload it in the coming days)
Later on, at the party, I was talking to William Orbit who had just produced her album at that time. Madonna interrupted our discussion by screaming at William. I mean, the woman was throwing a complete wobbler. I don't think anyone could make any sense out of what she was on about. She ended up marching off in a huff. William didn't bat an eyelid throughout the whole thing. When I asked him what on earth that was about, he said: 'Madonna has this weird habit of claiming all the men that she works with as her own. And she hates it when any of these men that are in her circle give attention to another woman'
How freaky is that? I wonder if she is being like that to Justin Timberlake now too. Or maybe she has stopped doing this now that she's with Guy Richie. I don't know.
But anyway, if you had been thinking that she is some kind of Kabbalah-reading, balanced yogi, like a female version of Sting, you are most definitely wrong.
Still, with all she has achieved she can be as crazy as she wants to be, as far as I'm concerned. She has earned the right to be an oddball. But just don't let her fool you that she is now some kind of wholesome earth-momma, because she was already pretending to be 'balanced' when I met her. But it's her obsessive compulsive drive to be the center of the Universe that has made her the successful artist that she is. So good luck to her.
Well, I've made it through my first performance with the band and also my first radio show for Cool FM. As a matter of fact, my next show is on tomorrow morning. This whole week has been filled with learning to use new software, finding out how to convert music files, edit them, etc.
It's such fun working at Cool FM. Everyone is super friendly on the team and there is a certain excitement to the station that I enjoy. That real 'start-up' feeling that MTV Europe had as well when I first joined. I've always functioned better in 'start-up' situations anyhow. Once companies become corporations I usually bail out. I just don't enjoy working for corporations, eventhough the rewards that you receive for that are often high. Give me the excitement of the chase for 'greatness' over actual 'greatness' any time.
And as a great man once said (was it Ghandi by any chance?):
'True success should not be measured by what one receives,
But rather by what one has to give up'
Whenever I've worked for corporations I have felt that I had to give up on many of my ideals and conviction and therefor give up part of who I was. That was definatelly my feeling at MTV once the original vibe had left the company.
So anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that I am enjoying myself very much here in Aruba at Cool FM.
Starting the first of May I will be joining Aruba’s number 1 radio station, called Cool FM.
Of course, this is a small island, so if you compare it to Europe or America, then you'd have to conclude that radio production is still in its infancy in Aruba. But Cool FM is by far the best station the island has. And they are very involved when it comes to live events. These guys are everywhere!
I’ve never done radio before, so it’s actually a nice challenge for me. I’ll be doing a show every Saturday morning from 10 to 12, called the Weekend Express. It will be a ‘standard’ radio show, with some tracks from the Dutch, English and American Charts, the Caribbean & Latin charts, some classic tracks, some dance tunes, some mash-ups…you get the drift.
The thing that’s rather worrying is that I am meant to do the show all by myself & I get very intimidated when I see lots of buttons, computer programs, etc. I just haven’t got a clue how to work these things. Also, I am starting so soon (May the 3rd) that I have no idents yet, no jingles, nothing. Still, I know how to introduce music and as long as the songs are good, the show should be okay. Right?
On the first of May the radio station is hosting a big event here on the island. I’ll be presenting part of the day and also my new cover band (RetroMatic) gets launched on that day. We have never been on a stage yet together & just two weeks ago we got a new drummer. And now our first performance will be in front of 10.000 to 20.000 people, plus be broadcast live on air. How crazy is that? We always envisioned playing our first gig in a smoky old bar somewhere, not in front of such a large audience! Still, we’re pretty confident that it will work out alright. And anyway, it’s just some covers we’re playing.
Wish me luck!
Well, it sounds like he Brits are still busy misbehaving when it comes to Awards ceremonies. It's always been like that, most other nations take their award ceremonies very serious, but the Brits just get hammered and act silly.
The Clash legend Mick Jones was given the 'Inspiration Award' and Jane’s Addiction got honoured with the 'Godlike Genius Award For Services To Music'. So what are some of my favorite videos/tracks from my MTV days? Well, here are two of them. First of all, 'Voodoo Ray' by 'A guy called Gerald'. An absolute dance classic and probably my favorite dance tune of all time. It always brings an instand smile to my face. My God, do I have some good party memories to go with that track.
The video for 'Voodoo Ray' shows one of the problems that we used to face on the Partyzone, namely that record companies refused to spend money on promos/videos for dance tracks. So we were often forced to show crappy videos to amazing tunes. Still, it didn't detere us. We played the tunes that we believed in & continued to put pressure on the labels to give us better quality vids. It just took those dinosaur record- execs years to figure out that dance music had crossed over into the mainstream.
Anyway, enjoy this old-school diamond...
The next video was more of a mini-movie, so it's in two parts. It's the 'Weekender' track from 'Flowered up'. James Hyman (the producer of the Partyzone) and I loved this when it came out. It is absolutely 'spot on' with its depiction of the drug culture in the nineties & especially the little things like those cabbies outside the clubs in the morning made us laugh. I don't know if any other show apart from the Partyzone used to play this video (and we used to play the whole thing), but as far as we were concerned it was a classic. So again, enjoy and let it transport you back to those crazy days ; )
I just read an article on the BBC News website that talks about the same things I mentioned in my earlier posting on MTV's launch in the Middle East: about how it's such a wonderful feeling to be part of history and of the world opening up when you perform in countries that have been 'off limits' up to that point.
Music has the great power to unite and I believe that that is actually the 'higher purpose' (though often unconscious) & the 'spiritual calling' of those that are being a performer/entertainer. They are here to bring a smile to people's faces, to raise their resonance and to express feelings for them that they might not be able to express themselves in any effective way.
The moments mentioned in the following article surely must be amongst the artists' favorite memories once they look back on their careers:
Musicians who changed the world
Rock icon Eric Clapton has been invited to play a concert in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. If he accepts, he would be the first Western rock star to perform in the Communist country.
He would also follow in a long line of performers who have broken down cultural barriers around the world.
BONEY M IN MOSCOW, 1978
Boney M tickets attracted big money on the Russian black market
Boney M were already big names in the USSR when they landed in Moscow in December 1978.
The disco group had already enjoyed smash hits across Europe during the 1970s, and a special Russian version of their album Nightflight to Venus was produced.
More than 100,000 people tried to get tickets to see the disco quartet, whose hits by then included Rasputin, Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon.
Very few Western acts ventured behind the Iron Curtain, although Sir Elton John did so the following year.
Boney M officially split in the mid-1980s into two groups with an original member in each, both bearing the Boney M name.
Last year, the group led by Marcia Barrett performed in South Ossetia, a region trying to break away from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Georgia hoped a Boney M concert might convince the villagers of Tamarasheni to see the brighter side of life under its government.
WHAM! IN CHINA, 1985
Wham! outmanoeuvred Queen to put on the first show in China
Wham! wanted to become the biggest group in the world, but settled for being the first Western stars to perform in China instead.
In 1985 China was a closed communist state and getting it to agree to host an international pop act was a big challenge.
Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell travelled to Beijing and made a continuous stream of phone calls to various government ministers.
He claimed to have lunched a total of 143 contacts, three times each.
Mr Napier-Bell also decided to sabotage rock group Queen's chances of being first.
He made two brochures, one featuring respectable-looking Wham! fans, and the other featuring Freddie Mercury in a flamboyant pose.
The Chinese picked Wham! and George Michael joined Andrew Ridgeley to perform in front of 15,000 fans in the People's Gymnasium in Beijing.
Fans on the upstairs levels were delighted and excited to see them - but partly due to fear of the secret police, those downstairs remained quietly in their seats.
DAVID HASSELHOFF IN BERLIN, 1989
David Hasselhoff remains a major singing star in Germany
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germans in both the East and West wanted to celebrate.
Their choice of star David Hasselhoff - already a soft rock sensation in Germany.
The star of Baywatch and Knight Rider was already big in Austria and Switzerland when he decided to cover a German song in English, called Looking for Freedom.
The song resonated with the mood of the nation and was a number one for several weeks.
When the Berlin Wall fell shortly after, the authorities organised a New Year's Eve party to celebrate.
Hasselhoff was picked to headline the gig in a move reportedly rubber-stamped by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
He said he would never forget the sight of almost a million fans watching him perform at midnight, a moment which led to him being overcome with emotion.
MANIC STREET PREACHERS IN CUBA, 2001
The anti-US government tone of the Manics was a hit in Cuba
When Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, he initially denounced Western music as a "decadent influence".
But that principle could be bent for a group willing to speak out against the US government.
So in February 2001 Welsh band Manic Street Preachers headed to Cuba looking, in their words, for an "adventure".
The Manics show was billed as the biggest rock concert by a Western band in 20 years.
The 5,000 Cubans who filled the Karl Marx Theatre paid just 25 cents a ticket, the then-equivalent of 17 pence.
The band made clear that they supported Cuba because it fought against Americanisation, and the set reflected that.
It included performances from Know Your Enemy, an album whose cover featured a Cuban flag.
Mr Castro stood and applauded after a rendition of Baby Elian, about a boy who was returned to Cuba from the United States.
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IN SYRIA, 2007
Iglesias said Damascus was far less dangerous than portrayed
US President George W Bush's government branded Syria part of an "axis of evil" and imposed sanctions against it, accusing its government of backing terrorism.
But diplomatic rows did not stop Spanish sensation Enrique Iglesias from performing the first Western pop concert there for 30 years in July 2007.
Iglesias - who later said he was unaware of the significance of his visit - perfomed in front of 10,000 fans at an open-air stadium built specifically for the event.
The show was organised by a mixture of private companies and Syrian expatriates, with a promise that revenues would go to charity.
The organisers said they hoped his presence would encourage other performers to follow.
This is a sad moment for Belize and for all world music fans out there as the Belizean musical hero and Garifuna rights activist Andy Palacio passed away last night.
I had the pleasure of meeting Andy last year when we had set up a jamming session with him and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) at Mata Grande Recording Studios on San Pedro. And, just like everyone else who has met him, I am in shock. Andy Palacio was a most vibrant, gentle, yet passionate man, fighting for the recognition of the Garifuna culture and language. Many of the Belizean youths are in dire need of positive rolemodels and with the passing of Andy Palacio they have lost one of their most positive examples and heroes. Rest in peace Andy.
Official press release: Belizean Musician Andy Palacio Passes Away After Heart Attack and Stroke on January 19, 2008.
Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and impassioned spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, was declared dead tonight at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On the 16th of January, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At this point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.
On January 17th, Palacio’s condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile, and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim.
On January 18th, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland. A national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture, news of Palacio’s condition sent shockwaves through the community. At 5pm today, a public service was held in Belize City for Palacio as people prayed for his recovery. Ceremonies were also held by Garifuna spiritual leaders in an effort to help with the situation. Belize is in the midst of a heated election, but the local news was entirely dominated by Palacio’s health crisis.
The reaction has also been strong around the world. Until the recent turn of events, the past year had been one of tremendous accomplishment for Palacio as his album Wátina, which was released at the beginning of 2007, had become one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of the year in any genre. Perhaps the most unanimously revered world music album in recent memory, Wátina appeared on dozens of Best of the Year lists in major media outlets around the globe and was roundly praised in glowing terms.
In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace and won the prestigious WOMEX Award. Wátina was also nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.
At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio’s example. Even in the days since Palacio’s health crisis began, the accolades have continued to pour in for his work.
That Palacio has been struck down at a moment of such international acclaim only increases the sense of shock and tragedy felt at his sudden and untimely death. Andy Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A massive tribute concert is planned in Belize City on Friday, January 25th.
Friends and supporters are invited to post messages in memory of Andy Palacio to his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/andypalacio) as well as to the blog of his international record label Cumbancha (http://cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com/).
Oh, by the way...just wanted to say that since my posting on Britney a little while back, I have changed my opinion on that whole custody battle. I now realize that I don't like either Kevin or herself (guess they deserved each other after all)
Britney doesn't even seem to be trying to turn things around. I would have done anything to get my children back. As a mother I am shocked and outraged. This woman is definitely not fit to be a mother. Until she learns to love her children more than she loves herself I have no hope for her. Poor kids!
I just read about MTV expanding into the Middle East with it’s own Arabic Music Channel. This is great news!
I was in Beirut, Lebanon with MTV in the nineties as MTV Europe launched there. It is one of my best memories as an MTV Veejay. I absolutely fell in love with this vibrant, fun-loving place. As a matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for it’s unstable nature (which is a sad reality), I would have wanted to move there when we left London six years ago. But instead we settled on Belize, Central America.
Anyway…I think that MTV can play a major part in the blending of Eastern and Western society, by joining young people all over the world through music. I think it managed to do that better when it was all still ‘one MTV’ (MTV Europe) & the channel was kind of forced to play music that would appeal to all the different territories & cover news stories from all the territories. But even so, this new Arabic MTV can give the young generation in the Middle East it’s own voice and may be able to help artists from one Arabic country to cross over to other Arabic countries. Music is such a great way to bring people together.
Back in my MTV days we attended Peace Rallies in Israel and Lebanon & we saw that most young people just want to live in peace. They want to go out, have fun, listen to music, dress up nice, meet with their friends, etc, all the normal stuff that everyone wants. They often were telling us that the wars they were forced to fight were the wars of their fathers. So if we want peace in the Middle East we can start by bringing it’s young people together. Make them feel more connected to each other, regardless of which country they were born in.
You know, this kind of stuff was always most important to me. In my 8 years at MTV I often felt like I wasn’t contributing anything to society. But finding ways to give young people a voice where they hadn’t had one before, like when the Soviet Union crumbled and the East joined the West in Europe, those moments made me proud of what I did. I felt that, in my own little way, I was contributing to bringing young people together. And I am still proud and thankful for that opportunity.
So peace! May MTV be with you!
Partying in Beirut. Fun, fun, fun!!!
I've just been made aware of the debut track of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, called 'Dear Honey'. It's a perfect mix of 'quirky' and 'catchy' and I love it!
This unusual and funny video really complements the track & it's the debut from Jurassic Technology, a directing duo from Los Angeles. They apparently spent six months building miniatures, designing mattes and animating characters. Hard work by the sounds of it, but well worth the effort.
'Dear Honey' and Dusty Rhodes and the River Band's album 'First you live' are available on Side One Dummy.
Music Videos - Dear Honey
So Mick Hucknall has announced that Simply Red are to split up. But Mick, you’ve got me confused now, because who are Simply Red anyway? I’m sure I remember you telling me that Simply Red was basically you with some session musicians. And that on one album you tried to make it a more democratic process-like a real band- and that you were very unhappy with the result. So I thought that you had gone back to Simply Red basically being you. Am I wrong?
Anyway, Mick told me all this when he had invited me to his house for lunch one day. He had bought my best friend’s house, a magical country home called Southcroft, which was a place of many happy memories for me (I had always wanted to buy that home myself, but didn’t have the money), so I really wanted to see what he had done to the place. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t done much. Most the furniture was the stuff my friends had left behind, which was funny to see. Mick did make a wonderful games room, complete with old pinball machines (I love those) and tons of signed football shirts on the wall. And he had frescos painted around the indoor pool, making it look like an old Greek bathing house.
Mick made me a lovely lunch telling me that, if he hadn’t been a musician, he would have wanted to be a chef. I think he would have made a pretty good one. Especially his guacamole is phenomenal.
Now, unlike my other ‘old rocker’ friend Brian Adams who has always been a total gentleman & who I have had many lunches and dinners with (many at his house) and who never has hit on me in all the years that I've known him, Mick Hucknall did. He obviously had misread my intentions for coming to his house and when I was leaving he tried to kiss me. Nothing too uncomfortable though, just a normal guy ‘trying it on’ on the off chance. As soon as he realized that I wasn’t interested, he just laughed it off and that was that. I didn’t go back to his house after that though.
Anyway Mick, good luck with being ‘just Mick Hucknall’ now. Even though I have no idea what difference it will make.
People often ask me if I ever had any famous boyfriends in my MTV days & generally I have to disappoint them as I always stayed clear of relationships with rock stars or other men who were in the limelight (too much ego and too many potential problems)
Sir Paul McCartney and lady Heather Mills McCartney are back in court today trying to reach a divorce settlement. Isn't it funny how they have the very royal titles of 'Sir' and 'Lady', yet they are behaving in a less than royal way? Fighting over money...like beggars scrapping over some loose change that has fallen on the floor. I find it all rather distasteful, to be honest with you.
Oh, I do feel for Britney Spears. She's just getting one blow after another. Yes, many of these 'blows' are of her own making, but even so, it's sad. And of course the biggest blow must have been the fact that her children were taken away from her and that Kevin Federline has been given custody.
I actually think that one of the reasons that she's been flying of the rail so much has been the crippling fear of losing her children to K-Fed. Of course, with all this erratic behaviour she has actually ended up creating that what she feared most.
For instance, why did she shave all her hair off? I still believe that the most plausible explanation for that drastic action was her fear of her hair getting tested in the custody battle. That it is possible to conclude whether or not a woman used cocaine during pregnancy by testing her hair.
If that was the reason why she shaved off her hair then we'd have to conclude that yes, she probably did use whilst pregnant. Still, I know of women who used cocaine during early pregnancy as they were unaware of being pregnant. These women all lived in fear throughout their pregnancies, petrified that they may have hurt their baby in some way. As far as I am aware these children were all fine and the women have become good mothers (I'm not condoning this, I am just trying to explain that people do make mistakes)
I do also know of a celebrity who consciously continued to use throughout her pregnancies and the image of her walking around in a nightclub with a huge belly, begging people to please sell her some cocaine is edged on my brain forever (I won't mention any names, she's been through enough already and actually has been clean for years now). I do hope that this is not what Britney was up to.
But what I am trying to say is that maybe Britney took some drugs in the early stages of her pregnancy. And in that case, it wouldn't actually say anything about her capabilities as a mother. Yet K-Fed may have used that knowledge against her and freaked her out about it to the level that she shaved all her hair off.
Anyway, the girl does have some major issues and does not seem to be able to be a steady parent right now. But since when is K-Fed such a great dad?
The consensus seems to be that Britney was initially bringing up the boys mainly by herself whilst her hubby was out partying and spending her money (And who knows? K-Fed may have even have been the person who introduced Britney to drugs in the first place?)
K-Fed left his pregnant wife to get off with Britney (a better catch) and has the air about him of being a complete and utter user. That's my feeling anyway. He gives me the creeps. Britney seems to have been the fool to fallen for his tricks. It all reminds me of Mel B's story with that user of an ex of hers, that Jimmy Culzar. He milked her for all she was worth (But didn't we all see that coming when she announced that they were not going to have a pre-nup?)
Then of course there was the story of another female superstar falling from grace: Whitney Houston. Boy did that Bobby Brown mess her up. From style and grace and success to being a total cokehead. So successful women, be aware of scroungers and drug-users! Don't let them be your downfall.On my way to the studio I was listening to James Morrison's 'Undiscovered' album & throughout the day I kept wondering how it must have felt to have been in that recording studio when James sang his first lines. I'm sure that who ever was present at that first session with him would have been grinning from ear to ear. My God, what a voice! And to think that he used to be out busking! I would have given him whatever I had in my wallet had I ever come across him singing out on the streets somewhere.
I find it funny seeing him on TV occasionally. He seems like such a sweet little boy, yet his voice is so masculine and his songs seem like a window straight into his soul. Beautiful!
Anyway, it's about time he brought out another album. I'm sure it will be great again.
He's just so bloody good, isn't he? That Mark Ronson. 'Versions' is definitely one of my favorite albums ever. So I thought I'd grab some Utube videos of that album and place them here together with the originals. Are the covers better than the originals? You judge!
As I mentioned briefly in my posting about Tina Turner, I used to have a real talent for getting backstage and meeting famous people. And I'm not talking about the time that I worked at MTV, but way before I was part of 'the business'.
Oh and by the way, there never is any need to do anything as desperate as this...licking someones staff/backstage pass ; )
I was eighteen years old, had recently started working for MTV & was about to do my first ever interview. In true MTV style, they had decided to throw me in to the deep end by making me interview Tina Turner. Still, I wasn’t worried. Famous people had never intimidated me. My older sister and her friends had been dragging me along to concerts from when I was about 12 years old, because I had always possessed the uncanny ability to end up backstage where ever we went. Therefore, taking me along to a concert meant an almost guaranteed introduction to the band (I’ll tell you about the system I had developed for that some other time)
Anyway, back to the story…I had spent the first part of the day arguing with my director as to what I could wear for the interview. He thought that all my clothes were inappropriate. He kept saying: “Simone, Tina Turner is an icon. She needs to be treated with the utmost respect. Interviewing her in those crazy patchwork trousers would be an insult to her status”. I had had my heart set on wearing my patchwork trousers and one of my wild multi-colored hats, convinced that Tina would love my crazy style as much as I did. But no, I wasn’t allowed. I was told to wear the plainest item of clothing that I had, which was a black Naughty-by-Nature T-shirt. I tried to add a little of my own personality by wearing a small leopard-print hat with it, but still…the overall affect was rather boring.
In the meantime, everyone else’s nervousness had managed to jump over on me. Maybe they were right? Maybe this was a big deal? Maybe this was like meeting the queen? Damn it, I had felt so good to start with, but now my legs had turned to jelly.
Tina was already positioned on one of the bar stools in the middle of the studio as I walked on to the set. Shy and self-conscious, I stood quietly away from the lit-up area. No one had noticed that I was there. My director was in deep discussions with Tina’s manager/boyfriend (or was he her husband?) & Tina was getting the last touches done to her hair and make-up. There were people fluttering about all over the place. I heard Tina’s husband/manager saying that he wanted to see the script before the interview.
“We don’t like surprises. Tina performs best when she is well-prepared,”
“Of course, not a problem,” the director answered. “Let me get Simone”
I swallowed hard, put a huge smile on my face and walked up to them before anyone had a chance to shout my name.
“Hi, I’m Simone. Nice to meet you” (My strategy of dealing with nervousness was to pretend to be 100% confident at all times. And it generally did the trick. People sometimes even thought that I was over-confident. If only they knew….)
“Hi Simone, Tina needs to see the script so she can prepare her answers”
Tina’s manager reached out for my paperwork.
“Okay, but I may not stick to the script exactly” I said as I handed it over.
My director shot me a dirty look.
“Well…I’ll try. But I may not ask things exactly the way they are written”
“ That’s fine dear. As long as you stick the basic questions that we discuss ahead of time”
“Okay…Tina” he called out as he walked me on to the set, keeping his eyes on the script. “This is the girl who will be interviewing you”
“Oh hi, how nice to meet you. I’m Tina” Her eyes were warm and her smile so welcoming, that it melted my nervousness almost immediately.
“Hi Tina, I’m Simone. Nice to meet you too”
Whilst her manager continued to look at the questions, I whispered to Tina: “This is my first ever interview. I hope it will be okay”
There was that great big smile again. She whispered back: “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun” and winked at me.
Wow, what a lovely lady and what a great presence she had! I was struck by her beauty & couldn’t believe that this glowing, tight-skinned woman was old enough to be my grandmother.
Tina’s husband/manager turned to Tina, told her my first question and how she was to answer it. Before I had too much time to think about the strangeness of that, Tina snapped her fingers and shouted: “Right then, let’s get this show rolling!”
Everybody shot into position. The microphone leads were being pushed inside our clothes, followed by a quick “One two, one two” sound check. Tina’s loose strands of hair were sprayed down one last time & the director called out:
“Simone, don’t forget; Tina is an icon. She deserves to be treated that way,” followed by a “Coming to camera in five, four, three, two,…”
“Hi, you’re watching MTV’s afternoon mix,” I smiled at the camera (Cameras have always had a calming effect on me. When I look at them, I feel like I’m talking to an old friend) “With me today is a rather special woman, who really doesn’t need much of an introduction…”
Tina and I started chatting & the interview flowed well, but the two men next to the camera were kind of bothering me. My director looked pissed off and Tina’s manager was acting rather strangely. He stood by the side of the camera, pouting his lips, playing with his hair, turning his face this way and that and occasionally throwing his head back completely, pretending be laughing, but without any sound. It took me a while to realize what was actually happening; Tina was looking at her manager from the corner of her eyes and was mimicking every move he made whilst answering my questions. And the freakiest thing of all was that she was looking completely natural as she was doing it.
‘So is this what showbiz was all about?’ I wondered to myself, ‘To be a star you have to turn into someone’s puppet?’ I was absolutely baffled by the whole situation. Especially as Tina Turner is known as a former battered wife & had come out on the other end, stronger and more powerful than ever. Well, strong as she might be, here she was acting like she was being controlled by another man yet again.
Now, maybe I was reading the situation wrong. Maybe she wanted his assistance. Maybe she thought that it was easier for him to judge what would look good in any given situation & maybe they were just working as one tight unit.
I really don’t know. I just know that I found the whole situation rather unsettling. And it definitely influenced the way I viewed showbiz from that moment on. I instantly lost my faith in the ‘reality’ of it all & vowed never to become a puppet to anyone, even if it meant losing my career over it.
“Damn it, Simone. Stop interrupting Tina! You need to treat her with more respect. I told you that she is a super star. You don’t interrupt superstars!” The director shouted. His outburst startled me. What was he on about? I didn’t interrupt her. All I had said was the occasional “Right…exactly…Really?” You know, the things one says in any normal conversation.
Tina looked at the director & surprised me once again that day, as she stuck up her middle finger and shouted: “Oh, fuck off! Super star nonsense! We’re just having a nice girly time here” She nearly killed me with that comment. What a woman! My poor director kept quiet for the rest of the interview.
Tina’s manager continued to check each question before it was asked and stopped the interview whenever he wanted to pass on some more answers to Tina.
So anyway, the overall experience was pleasant, strange but pleasant. I had managed to work my way through my first ever interview. And I also got treated with another little gem of a moment as Tina and her entourage walked past my dressing room on their way out. Tina looked inside at the clothes that were piled on to my suitcase and ran straight up to my colorful patchwork trousers with a delighted “Oh my goodness, these are absolutely fabulous!”
As she held the patchwork trousers in front of herself, I turned to my producer and smiled a satisfied smile. It was the last time I ever took fashion advise from anyone who wasn’t a stylist.
So apparently the police are trying to crack down on drug use at the Isle of Wight festival. The local force has worked for months on an operation which will "deter hardened drug addicts and criminals from attending the family event". They will be armed not only with sniffer dogs, but also with social workers who will be giving the drug users on-site counselling straight after their arrest. What a load of crap!
