Thursday, February 22, 2007 Over the next few days...
...I may not be around so much. I'm going back to school after 7 years away. I wonder what will become of me once I enter the life of a University Student? So yeah, this whole further education thing may stop me from blogging for, oh, I don't know, give it a week?
Just until I wrap my head around it, so to speak.
Have a grand weekend folks, see you this time next week. xo
This morning I woke to this Friend Request on MySpazz.
Long time readers of this website will probably know how I feel about Powderfinger. To quote Amy Winehouse, I'd "rather have Cat AIDS" than be a friend of theirs.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007 Van She working with Cassius
Outstanding Synth-rock Sydney boys Van She have announced that they're collaborating with amazing French House act Cassius on some "sweet rockin' music", presumably in time for a new album.
Indeed, it really does feel like this album has been about 26 years in the making, but with the exciting news of French minds getting together with the 'She, it's quite obviously a strong indication that it should only feel like another 26 before we get it.
In all seriousness, this is going to be the Australian release of 2007. Permitting it's actually released in 2007.
The boys will be posting a demo of a track on their MySpace over the next couple weeks. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, take a look at the blog post in which this news has been extracted from (with photos), or just visit their MySpace and listen to the greatest piece of Australian Made music in the year 2005, "Kelly".
In a Valentines Day interview with Sirius Radio, Madonna has confirmed collaborating with Pharrel Williams. Oh yes. You can hear the woman say so herself - along with using the word "whack" (plus talk of how good she thinks the Gnarls Barkley and Justin Timberlake albums are) by popping over to this spot on the Internet.
To be completely honest, this would have to be the best Interview I've heard Madonna give in years. It probably helps that the Interviewer was an actual fan, one who was able to draw his own personal experiences into the chat. She sounded incredibly comfortable through out, even when it was suggested that if she were a vegetable, that it would be broccoli. No mention of Stuart Price's involvement on the upcoming album, but one can only hope he'll be partaking in some sort of final tweekage of the whole thing. I couldn't live with the idea of Madonna working with Pharrel and Stuart not glossing over the work.
Meanwhile, Rufus Wainright has added some fuel to the media fire he burns for Madonna by calling her a "false idol" for French Magazine Tetu. A couple of months earlier he said Mo's Confessions Tour was "dark and humourless", further claiming that she "surpasses even Joan Crawford in terms of megalomania." Good for you mate.
It's been brought to my attention that parts of the site seem to have, er, disappeared. Half of the Archive pages don't work and - strangely enough - for some reason the Archives have not updated past August of last year. All of this will be remedied at some point over the next couple of months. The site's being redesigned as we speak, a logo of sorts is being thrown together, and a new name for the site is being pondered "quite carefully". And by "quite carefully", I mean that I've already thought of it and am mere days away from registering the new domain. The finished result? All in good time, but I'm hoping to have it all complete by late March/early April.
MEANWHILE...
*PING* "You've got 'Guess who? Don't Sue' Mail!"
APPARENTLY... A certain Australasian four piece act who are in the process of losing one of their members, are apparently feuding so terribly with the leaving member, it has resorted to Sugababes v1.0 status, where the other 3 are not even talking with them. Will it only be a matter of time before they begin gibbering in their own made up languages? Then again, two of them are already well skilled at speaking Gorilla, so they'd just have to teach the other one the basics of it.
After my Take That storyfromlast month, I had a couple of emails from people asking me whether I'd ever write such a story aboutMadonna. The thought had crossed my mind a couple of times (just after I watched the life affirming "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" which - as I'll explain later on - changed my life for the better in more ways than you could ever imagine), but I just wasn't sure of how I would relay ALL the moments. I mean, this was Madonna, a woman who is at the very least 50% responsible (oh look, probably more) for the person I am today. But over the last few weeks, I've thought it would at least be a blast to write, even if it ends up being read as a complete mess. I apologise for some of the personal mentions in this - they've not been thrown in as a cry for sympathy - far from it in fact. But more so to demonstrate just HOW much (even in my younger years), the melody of a Madonna song would help me through even the most difficult of times...
With each album, I've felt Madonna's position as the Queen of Pop only gets stronger. If "Like A Prayer" is the greatest album of the first half of her career, than "American Life" takes that title for the second half. "Like A Prayer" was a very personal album, an album of a woman scorned. Just coming out of a very public and very messy divorce to a man she had thought was the world, it was a record in which Madonna was questioning things around her. Yes, "Express Yourself" was a joyous cry for Girl Power long before Girlfriend or the Spice Girls would shout it out in their songs, but "Till Death Do Us Part" - a song which conjures up a ridiculous amount of emotion just talking about it even now - was a raw, heart-wrenching, sad and violently truthful look at a marriage facing its final days. "American Life" saw Madonna asking questions again, this time - disillusioned with the state of the world around her. "American Life" was Madonna having a mid-life crisis on record, basically frustrated with the goings on around her and demanding to know what was going on. For a woman who usually gets what she wants, hearing the passion, the hurt, the pain and the sorrow within some of the moments on "American Life" - Madonna asking the questions there seemed to be no actual answers to - was a deeply telling sign that the woman had finally grown up. It was roughly around this time in Madonna's career when my life began to change too...
If you were to ask any of my close friends what topic I most enjoyed discussing, they would all most definitely say "himself" "Madonna". There's not been an artist who's work has affected me quite the same. Whilst there are countless many musicians, vocalists, actors & actresses whom have embedded their print permanently on my soul, none have managed to acquire a larger amount than that of HRH Queen Madge.
My obsessive passion began for Madonna from an extremely early age. Having quite young parents, I was always around quite 'hip' music of the time. My parents would listen to all the last 7" Releases (which would - ultimately - later become MY 7" vinyls), and many of them were performed by Madonna. According to my Mother (who I had to require some memory recall assistance from for quite a bit of this article), Father and my Aunty, one particular song, "Burning Up", was to be played every time I was being fed. Otherwise, I would close my mouth shut. Once the record finished playing, my trap would shut tight until whoever feeding me went and put the needle back at the start. At this stage, I wasn't even walking yet, but was running about in a stroller. Unfortunately, I had no problem eating with music on later in life, but that's another story for another time.
By about the age of 4, my poor teenage Aunty was putting up with Pin-Up thievery. Whilst she was at school and my mother was visiting my Grandmother, I would go into my Aunt's bedroom and tear down all her Madonna posters. I would then frantically stuff the posters into my little Garfield Back pack, and put them up when I got home. Eventually, my Aunty gave up trying to put the posters higher and higher on her walls (the tall chair in her room was my friend at this point), and ended up surrendering all her Madonna posters to me, along with other cut outs I had not been aware of her owning. It was like a hundred Christmas' came at once. Who says crime doesn't pay?
As a kid I was never one for playing sports, riding my bike or, you know, being a "boy". I was much more concerned with buying (read: making my mother buy) Smash Hits Magazine (at an early age, I would tell people that it was a magazine I would one day write for), sticking up as many 'pin-ups' of Madonna as possible and collecting all of the Songfiles from TV Hits Magazine. I would spend hours listening to music whilst the kids I went to school with were riding around on their BMX Bikes. I wasn't very popular at school because of this very reason. I had a few female friends and maybe one or two male ones (one who is still my best friend today and shared/shares the same passion for music & posters as I), but I mainly spent my Primary School years alone. However, with my trusty cassette walkman and a tape of my favourite Madonna records, every Lunchtime & Recess was a good one with someone I considered a friend. When I got home, the same pattern. Any time I'd spend in my room was devoted to listening to music, mainly that of Madonna.
In 1989 (I was 6 years old), my obsession had grown to an obscenely large scale. I wasn't aware of Madonna's private life at all, I only knew she had 3 albums and hadn't had a new one for a while. Some adverts for Pepsi began to screen on our TV screens. They were going to be airing the world premiere of Madonna's brand new single "Like A Prayer". My mum recalls the absolute joy on my face when she told me about it. So when it happened, naturally, (as most of my Childhood Madonna experiences) my Mother sat with me, watching this amazing song called "Like A Prayer".
Having no one to talk to about it at school, it was my family that copped it. "How's School Adem?" "Yeah good! Did you see that Madonna thing on TV last night?!?!" I would shout excitedly. Sometimes, it was followed with a response of delight, but mostly, with hidden groans. I never understood it - how could people NOT want to hear about Madonna, or talk about her? It puzzled me to no end, and to this day (not a great quality, mind), I've never been able to really, er, "get", anyone who says they hate Madonna. It's a biased way of living, yes, and it most certainly has something to do with my childhood. I'm a Taurus who can be quite stubborn, but I'm more than open to change. I very much doubt my opinions of people who hate Madonna will ever change though, and if that makes me a typically stubborn Taurus then BY GOD I'll wear the title loud and proud. The thought of anyone not seeing Madonna for the Icon that she is, I must admit, still floors me - thought not as much as it did when I was younger. Are they blind? Are they deaf? Do they not have a soul? When I was a kid, I used to think that explaining to people WHY *I* thought she was so amazing would ultimately 'turn' them. It never worked, and I was left in a state of confusion every time. During my Primary School Years, Madonna came to tour Australia for the first time ever. I had front row tickets but - sadly - due to a family issue, I ended up not going. I can't begin to tell you how much - or for how long - I cried.
Years later, whilst in High School, liking Madonna was most certainly not the coolest thing at all. People weren't entirely into music in my year level, and the ones that were all listened to so called "cool" music, sung and performed by Grunge bands or safe-cock-rockers who were in the charts. So I became close with a guy in my year level who was as obsessive about Michael Jackson as I of Madonna. We both copped a lot of shit, I was constantly teased and called a poof (by this point, I was quite used to it from Primary School) & so was he, which is hilarious looking back on because only the one of us ended up being Gay. The taunts, teasing, and downright bullying continued, but I didn't care. Why would I pretend to not like Madonna, just so I wouldn't be teased? Why were these people making fun of me for the music I listened to? Looking back on it, the first 4 years of High School were probably the most disgusting and damaging years of my life. I'd go home, mortified and depressed, and would listen to Madonna and Take That for hours on end. Madonna's music was always there for me - no matter what had happened, whoever I was upset with, whatever friend had back stabbed me today, or whatever happened at school, the minute I walked in through my front door, I knew that in my bedroom, Madonna would be waiting to cheer me up. And every single time she did exactly that.
The Internet was brought into my life in the year of 1997. I flipped out. It was the most spectacular thing I'd ever experienced. I'd only ever used the Internet at High School, and begged my parents for months to get the net. My parents had the Internet all set up upon my return home from a disastrous and viciously cruel High School Camp Excursion (for some reason, no one in the bus on the trip home would talk to me, not even a bulk of my "friends"). All the worries of what had happened instantly escaped my mind, and the first thing I did was do Internet searches on Madonna. I spent hours investigating all the various websites in dedication to her, saving pictures and printing them off. The Internet became just as big an obsession as Madonna did. The two things saved me from what was to happen in the next stage of my life.
As school commenced, people still weren't talking to me. Eventually I'd found out that a supposed female "friend" of mine felt it necessary to - whilst we were all on camp - tell the High School Jocks (whom, oddly enough, I was striking up a friendship with) that I was gay. Their Girlfriends were turned against me, I was thrown up against lockers and had "FAGGOT" spray painted on my locker (quite original considering it was shortly after an episode of "Dawson's Creek" in which the very same incident occurred.) It was an absolute fucking nightmare. I skipped school for days. I'd get dropped off out the front of school by my Mother, convince a friend to skip class with me and we'd head off behind the Milk Bar near our school, sitting there in our uniforms, smoking cigarettes. When I got home, Madonna's music (and the Internet) helped me escape from the horrors of High School. It was a constant hellish battle, but that didn't stop the songs of Madonna from making me forget all about it. Mind you, I had some spectacular friends in high school as well, two of whom I'm still close with (and one of them who - like my friend from Primary School - will be one of the select few Best Friends I'll have for life) who also helped me through the madness. We were just crazy together, all going a bit mental in high school, and leaned on each other for support. There were things we couldn't tell our parents about, or discuss with older people to find out how to deal with things, so we confided in each other. High School is a fucked up experience for most people, but we may have made things slightly worse by drinking, smoking, and taking drugs - not exactly the greatest things to be doing at that time of your life. But we sure did have a lot of fun which - in turn - made us forget about the bad times awaiting us once the weekend was over.
As I grew older, musical trends came along and flew off again. I was still buying Smash Hits & TV Hits well into my Senior High School years, even though Madonna was appearing less and less in them. I stopped buying the teen mags on a regular basis in about 1999, when I'd realised that the content (which I would read word for word, every single issue) had decreased to such a condescending level that it was clear it had all been written to cater to 7 - 10 year old kids only interested in free stickers and pencil cases. Not that I never enjoyed the free gifts, but I was a year away from getting my drivers license, so having a fluro-Pink pencil case with the Smash Hits logo on it wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a pop magazine. Thankfully, the Internet was in full swing by now and I had enough Madonna websites bookmarked to be kept up to date on her happenings and - most importantly - photo shoots.
In early 2006, Madonna's Re-Invention Tour Documentary "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" aired on MTV in the US. Within a few hours, I had downloaded a torrent of the Doco, and by the end of the week I'd watched it about 10 or so times. With each viewing I wanted to change my life and the things around me that little bit more. With each viewing, I discovered something about myself that I wasn't even aware of. As the viewing tally grew larger, my thoughts, dreams, aims, missions in life, they grew higher and higher. I had remembered some of those very dreams I held as a child, and even discovered a few new ones. By the end of 2006, after not being at school for over 6 years, I decided I was ready to apply for a 3 year course, majoring in Media & Communication and Journalism at University. A decision I'd have not made were it not for Madonna's documentary. Watching her visibly changed and grown up on screen, talking about dreams, talking about life, talking about god - things I'd honestly lost sight of well into my teens - it was life affirming. I cry my eyes out every time I watch that documentary, but they're never tears of sadness, it's always tears of joy.
I wouldn't say I've turned into a Hippy. God forbid. But I'm certainly more aware of what's going on around the world now, am more interested in politics and reading about the tragedy of war going on around us. I'm more aware of Global Warming. I'm more aware of Environmental Issues. I'm more aware of the severe water problem we have in Australia - particularly in Melbourne - in which we currently only have 542 days of water stored in our reservoirs. Recycling paper, bottle and can goods is essential. I make note pads out of the scrap paper which would otherwise be thrown away at work. It's astonishing how many note pads I go home with each week. Saving water by cutting your showers down to a 4 or 5 minute time length is essential. Voting at the next Federal and State elections is essential. If I'm going to continue to grow as a person through the next few years, I want to be apart of selecting who's going to run my country. I want my voice heard in that respect. I've never felt that way before, but 2006 was the year in which I began to grow up. I honestly doubt it would have happened so quickly were it not for the visual aid of Madonna in that documentary, in which Madonna puts it brilliantly by stating "I don't miss being an idiot". And I really don't.
Watching the Confessions Tour DVD in full earlier this year is also a moment in which should be discussed. When it was shown over Thanksgiving last year in the US (and ended up as a torrent download on my PC), I watched that edited version countless amounts of times. Since the promo of the DVD release of the full, unedited show, I could probably tell you at exactly which moment the woman does a particular dance move. That's how many times I've watched it. I've probably listened to it more times as well, thanks to the audio recording of it on my work computer. Without any shade of doubt in my mind, her Confessions Tour is by far the best thing she has conducted stage wise in her career. I'm in absolute awe with each screening of it, picking up a new "favourite" thing within it every day.
I'm not one for children. The thought of having my own is not a thought I'd like to put into motion. Maybe when I'm older, but right now, it's a definite no. So you won't see me pushing a stroller with an African baby named David in it. But that hasn't stopped me from trying to help as much as I can. After viewing "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" for the millionth time (and shortly after Madonna adopted baby David), I made enquiries into sponsoring a child in Africa through World Vision. Starting in April, I'll be donating a small amount of money each month in aid of a child in Africa who has dreams, hopes and wishes just as I did at that age. These wishes and dreams may not be the same as mine, but they're his or her dreams - everyone is entitled to seeing all their hopes coming to life, why not this little boy or girl I'll be sponsoring? Hopefully the little amount of money they receive from my pay cheque every week will help them grow into a positive, healthy person. One full of life and filled with dreams of living in a better world... of becoming a better person.
Monday, February 12, 2007 Timbaland & Madonna: Confirmed
Well.
It seems the murmurs of Madonna working with Timbaland ARE true. Mr. Land has confirmed the rumours - along with the news that he's also collaborating with Elton John - on MTV News, reports FMQB.
It's all quite interesting really, what with Madonna just recently saying that the next album would be "more dancing". I for one would be very happy with the idea of Madonna working with ANYONE so long as Stuart Price oversees the whole thing. Surely she's not stupid enough to limit his services on the next album? I guess only time will tell, but this is shaping up to be her most anticipated album release.
And God help us all if there is any form of male rapping involved.
...is another early contender for Album Of The Year. It's the brand new release from Swedish genius Jay Jay Johanson. Stunning production, haunting lyrics and that voice, it all makes for seriously gorgeous music. More on this after the weekend , but in the meantime, why don't you just take my word for it and go buy yourself a copy.
AND while you're at it, that new Tracey Thorn album's pretty fucking amazing. Why not Pre-order a copy then, hrm?
I COME OUT OF MY iMAC LOVE MAKING TO BRING YOU THE NEWS THAT TAKE THAT ARE COMING TO AUSTRALIA IN MARCH FOR A PROMOTIONAL TOUR.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Special thanks to Patrick from PopGoesCanberra for alerting me via text this morning, quite possibly the greatest text message I've awoken to in my entire life.
If there are no updates on the site for the rest of the week, you'll have to forgive me, but I'm picking up my brand new iMac Computer today and, after having a PC for well over 10 years, to say there's going to be some soul searching to be done would be an understatement. I'm excited, nervous, scared, thrilled... it's like losing my virginity all over again.
Anyways, in the meantime, I've been noble enough (!) to provide you with some things to do and places to see, whilst I'm on this brief, 3 day hiatus.
First of all, here is the new video clip for Fergie's "Glamorous".
This is easily the 2nd best song from Fergie's brilliant debut album (SHE SPELLS IN THE SONG. SPELLING IN POP IS MAGNIFICENT!) and the clip lives up to the songs brilliance. The clip features a glamorous 2007 Fergie, and a 1994 slightly-less glamorous Fergie. Genius really.
Also, all over the Internet...
The Hotstuff Files have the brand new Avril Lavigne single for streaming. It's called "Girlfriend". It's so good that it sits comfortably at Number #1 on my chart for 2007 thus far.
Long time commenter and good friend Luke Woodsman has finally opened up his own blog. It's called Billable Units, and it is fabulous.
The guys at Chart Rigger continue to burn their "on-fire" flame higher than anyone else, this time with some Birthday Greetings for everyone's dear friend Rick Astley. Oh Yes.
Bop Pop has news on poor Mark Owen's breaking-of-hand incident, along with some hilarious Cameron Diaz/JustinE Timberlake gossip doing the rounds.
Edward O's amazing Enthusiastic But Mediocre continues to dazzle and, whilst this may be quite an old post, his top 100 singles of 2006 is still the greatest reads you'll ever dive into online.
Girlfriend appreciation month has begun at the newly re-opened CFBGoesPop. There will be an IAR related submission for Girlfriend mania at some point next week...
Emackinations have a delightful photo of a young man on a skateboard.
Over at my sister site, the Australian themed Trang Pak's Burn Book, you'll find the Australian Princess finale write up AND some scribblings on The Biggest Loser.
Speaking of Nicola & Co, the quite wonderful Synth Me Spaghetti have the brand new Girls Aloud vs Sugababes video clip on offer, the Comic Relief aided cover of Aerosmith vs Run DMC's "Walk This Way". The clip turns an ordinary/terrible cover into an all out brilliant affair. "Our" Nic's fringe is quite spectacular in said clip, mind, whilst Sarah seems to have forgotten to change after the "Ooooh..." video clip. Oops.
The gorgeous Jess from Ausculture is in a state since hearing her year old made up word of "Sezbian" is going to be used in a future episode of Neighbours.
Poster Girl has some online goodies in the form of Akcent MP3s. Apparently, they have other songs besides their ode to the otherMinogue, "Kylie". Who knew?!!!
Don't Stop The Pop have the brand new Robyn CD cover, which is quite arty to look at. They also have news on the working title for Kylie's 10th Studio album (as opposed to her 10 greatest hits collections).
See you next week, unless I figure out the iMac before then!!!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007 "...just like that nasty Julia Roberts."
Long time readers will remember quite a while back (like, a year and a half ago) I "allowed" my mother to partake in a couple of exciting stories on this very website. It's been a long time since the lovely woman has been mentioned on here, but one could not help to report the latest hilarious outburst from Mummy Dearest.
This morning, whilst reading her gossip magazines, my mother turned around to me - completely out of the blue - and said "That Lily Allen's a bit of an idiot."
Completely floored, laughing, I asked my mother what had sparked this new display of slight hatred of a woman who - five seconds earlier - was a complete unknown to her. "Was just reading in here that she said people that buy Madonna's albums only buy them because she's famous, and not because the songs are good. She's a cunt, Adem, just like that nasty Julia Roberts."
Former member of now defunct Aussie Girl Band Bardot,and one-time Undercover Angel on Channel 7 Katie Underwood (pictured, right), has become the first high profile (hem hem) Victorian to have her roadside drug testing come back positive. Katie was pulled over in Southbank, Melbourne, on City Road at about 11pm Saturday evening, and has since confirmed that a second test (which goes to the Victorian Police Lab with results returning in two weeks time) had been performed, and that she is not convinced that "anything will happen".
Katie, who the Herald Sun Newspaper labelled a "dance diva" in today's edition, also refused to comment to the media on whether she'd been sucking down a pill or ten, or whether she'd had her drink spiked (which, in this situation, would be the only way to go really, don't you think?), simply stating she had "nothing else to say", before bursting into a chorus of her 'hit' single "Danger".
OK. Maybe that last bit wasn't entirely true. Full story over at the Herald website.
Below are the 2 covers for the upcoming McFly single, "Transylvania", which is by far the greatest single of their ENTIRE career.
And then there's the video clip, which is by far the greatest video of their ENTIRE career.
Absolute genius. This song is completely left-of-centre for McFly and so not the obvious "safe" choice for a single, which makes it all the more enjoyable. Nothing has upset me more in recent months than the publics lack of interest in their most recent album, "Motion In The Ocean" which - without a doubt - is their finest accomplishment. Their first album, whilst still lush to listen to - has not exactly aged very well. "Wonderland" will forever remain as one of the greatest musical flows of all time - if not a little depressing. But the new album truly is a happy medium of the two. It's four young boys slowly growing into young men, who've found their voices, their sound and - hopefully - their clothes.
Friday, February 02, 2007 My Favourite Pop Record : UPDATE
Back in December you might recall I was going on about a TV Show which aired on Australian Television called "My Favourite Album". On that TV show, a panel of judges sat and discussed the alarming Top 10 Albums of all time as voted by the Australian Public. The entire chart was male driven, the entire TOP 100 only had the one black artist, and - alarmingly - there were no entries from Madonna or Kylie. But Anthony Callea got a nod. Right.
So I, in conjunction with some truly fantastic blogs such as Chart Rigger, Bop Pop, The Hotstuff Files, Catchy Tunes Of Sweden, Talent In A Previous Life, #1 Hits From Another Planet, Pop Poster Girl, and Kirkland Ciccone JUST TO NAME A SELECT FEW, have agreed to be on the fabulous judging panel as we rally together to compile - and discuss - the ultimate list of Pop Records - as voted by YOU, readers of various blogs. So far we've had just under 400 votes come in, and to try and get this chart as accurate as possible, the original deadline date of January 26th has been pushed FURTHER to MARCH THE 1ST. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! No, no neither can I.
So make sure you email through your top 10 pop albums of all time to: myfavouritepoprecord@gmail.com and who knows, there may even be a prize give-away for some randomly picked voter at the end of it all.
That email address again is: myfavouritepoprecord@gmail.com, and you have till the 1st of March 2007 to get your votes in.
PS: If you're part of a blog/website, or just plain love pop music, and are keen to be apart of the judging panel, email me asap on: trangpak@gmail.com - I'd love to have you on board.
