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Paloma Πίστη
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Northern School of Contemporary Dance? Κεντρική Κολέγιο St Martins of Art & Design

Τέχνες του θεάματος? Σκηνογραφία

Είμαι από Hackney και τη μαμά μου ήταν ανένδοτη I πρέπει να αφήσει το Λονδίνο για λίγα χρόνια και να μάθουν να είναι ανεξάρτητοι, οπότε ήμουν πραγματικά ενθουσιασμένος για να πάρετε μια θέση στο Northern School, ειδικά επειδή only 50 άτομα δεκτές από 2.000 αιτούντες , έτσι ώστε όλοι αισθανθήκαμε πραγματικά ξεχωριστό.

Δεν ήταν το κανονικό τρόπο ζωής των φοιτητών. Έχουμε παρακολουθήσει μαθήματα όλη την ημέρα, πέντε ημέρες την εβδομάδα, και γιατί είναι όλα σχετικά με την προσωπική εκπαίδευση σας, δεν μπορείτε να έχετε ένα ρεπό. Στη συνέχεια εργάστηκα ως χορεύτρια μια νύχτα την εβδομάδα και σε μια παμπ τρεις νύχτες την εβδομάδα, γι 'αυτό πέρασε το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της φοιτητικής ζωής μου έχει εξαντληθεί. Όπως χορευτές δεν είχαμε αυτό το πράγμα booze - θα ήθελα να είναι έως και σε επτά για να πάει στο σταυρό-εκπαιδευτής πριν το μάθημα. Δεν νομίζω ότι θα μπορούσα να έχω το γλέντι, καθώς? Θα είχα ένα νευρικό κλονισμό.

Όλοι ζούσαν σε διαμερίσματα προς συγκατοίκηση. Όπως οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι, θα ήταν επίσης εντελώς ανίκανη να φροντίζουν τον εαυτό μου κατά το πρώτο έτος. Θυμάμαι ξυπνήσει μια μέρα με επιπεφυκίτιδα και μόνο ξαπλωμένη στο κρεβάτι μου, φωνάζοντας «είμαι τυφλός! Είμαι τυφλός! "Τελικά flatmates μου ήρθε και με πήρε στο νοσοκομείο, ευτυχώς.

Δεν ήμουν πολύ ανήσυχη για την παραγωγή των φίλων - Έκανα φίλους με τους άλλους weirdos. Είμαι αρκετά κοινωνικός, αλλά έχω πάντα έλκονται από έξω. Russella η βασίλισσα έλξης ήταν στην πορεία μου και είμαστε ακόμα φίλοι.

Αλλά δεν είχα ένα καταπληκτικό χρόνο για την πορεία μου, αν είμαι ειλικρινής. Ακαδημαϊκά, δεν ήταν αυτό που περίμενα. Το βρήκα αρκετά περιοριστικός και ναρκισσιστική γιατί πέρασα όλη την ημέρα σε δωμάτια γεμάτα καθρέφτες με επίκεντρο ατέλειές σου - ήμουν prpretty περίεργο albumed και έσπρωξε πολύ, αλλά δεν είχα πολύ χρόνο για να καλλιεργούν το μυαλό μου ή τη δημιουργικότητά μου.

Ήθελα να σταματήσει και να κάνω κάτι άλλο, αλλά ένιωθα πως χρειάζεται να αποδείξει σε όλους ότι θα μπορούσα να το κάνω. Είμαι πεισματάρης όπως κόλαση. Που φαίνεται γελοίο τώρα, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα αυτό μου έμαθε τι ήμουν ικανός.

Όταν αποφοίτησα, ήξερα ότι έπρεπε να έχουμε μια ακόμη ευκαιρία στην εκπαίδευση. Να κάνει μεταπτυχιακό στο St Martins ήταν το καλύτερο πράγμα. Άνοιξε το μυαλό μου σε τόσα πολλά πράγματα. Η πορεία ήταν γεμάτο από ανθρώπους από διαφορετικούς επιστημονικούς κλάδους, οι οποίοι ήταν όλοι ενδιαφέρονται για τις επιδόσεις, γι 'αυτό συνεργάστηκε με ηθοποιούς, αρχιτέκτονες, σκηνοθέτες και σχεδιαστές από όλο τον κόσμο, η οποία ήταν μαζικά εμπνέει. Άνοιξε έναν κόσμο του βιβλίου, του θεάτρου και του κινηματογράφου, και πήρα για να περάσετε όλο το έτος σκέψης για την ανθρώπινη συνθήκη, και βγήκε αίσθηση που είχα κάτι να πω.

Κοιτάζοντας πίσω σε αυτό, δεν ξέρω αν θα έπρεπε να είχα αλλάξει από το χορό ή όχι. Εάν είστε δυστυχισμένοι στην πορεία σας, υπάρχουν τόσα άλλα καταπληκτικά πράγματα που θα μπορούσατε να κάνετε. Αλλά από την άλλη πλευρά δεν πιστεύω σε εγκατάλειψη, και αισθάνομαι πτυχίο χορός μου δίδαξε τα πράγματα ως ερμηνευτής. Αισθάνομαι πραγματικά σίγουροι πάνω στη σκηνή, και ξέρω τι σχήματα το σώμα μου έχει κάνει - και ό, τι προέρχεται από την εκπαίδευση του χορού.

Top tip: Θα πρέπει να δώσουμε τα πράγματα του χρόνου. Η μαμά μου συνήθιζε να λέει πρέπει να πάτε σε πέντε ημερομηνίες με κάποιον επειδή δεν μπορείτε να πείτε αν σας αρέσουν μετά από ένα, και αυτό ισχύει για το πανεπιστήμιο.

το νέο άλμπουμ Paloma Πίστη, "Θέλετε την αλήθεια ή κάτι όμορφο;" είναι έξω τώρα. Περιοδεύει η Βρετανία τον Οκτώβριο και τον Νοέμβριο.

Ο Δρ Christian Jessen
Ο γιατρός και παρουσιαστής ενοχλητικό Φορείς

UCL 1996 - 2001

Ιατρική, Pass

Ήμουν αρκετά τρομαγμένος την πρώτη μου μέρα. Είχαμε μια εισαγωγική διάλεξη, η οποία ήταν για το πώς θα επρόκειτο να πρέπει να δουλέψουμε σκληρά - δεν υπήρξε πίεση εκεί - και στη συνέχεια το μεγαλύτερο ιατρικό φοιτητές έπαιξε πολλά κόλπα, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της μας λέει ότι επρόκειτο να πρέπει να πίνουν ούρα.

Έζησα στις αίθουσες το δικαίωμα βάσει πύργος της BT (στο Λονδίνο), στην πρώτη μου χρονιά, πράγμα που σήμαινε ποτέ δεν έχεις χαθεί. Ήμουν στο ίδιο μπλοκ, ως ομάδα, παιδιά που ήταν σε μια μπάντα. Συνηθίζαμε να πάρει πραγματικά ενοχλημένος επειδή ήταν πάντοτε στο διάδρομο, παίζοντας κιθάρες τους. Αν γνώριζα μόνο αυτοί θα πάνε για να Coldplay!

Απόλαυσα πραγματικά πορεία μου, αλλά ήμουν πολύ κακό - δεν είχα πάει πραγματικά να διαλέξεις. Στην πραγματικότητα, εγώ συνήθιζα να πηγαίνω ημέρες δεν πρόκειται να διαλέξεις, εν μέρει επειδή πήρα πολύ πιο έξω από την ανάγνωση ενός βιβλίου. Έκανα επίσης πολλές μη γιατρού πράγματα - ήμουν στην ορχήστρα UCL, και σε πολλά θεατρικά έργα.

Νομίζω ότι σπουδάζει ιατρική είναι επιπλέον τρομακτικό. Είναι τόσο μεγάλη δέσμευση, και ξέρετε βαθιά κάτω από αυτό θα είναι δύσκολο να φύγουν, αν δεν είναι ό, τι θέλετε να κάνετε. Και πράγματι, αυτό που μαθαίνετε είναι συχνά πολύ οδυνηρή - μόλις φτάσετε, θα σας δοθεί πρώτα το σώμα σας να κοπεί, και να αρχίζουν να μαθαίνουν πώς να πουν οι ασθενείς πεθαίνουν.

Top tip: Αυτό πρόκειται να ήχος λίγο nerdy - αλλά τότε είμαι γιατρός. Υπάρχει ένα φοβερό μέρος της πίεσης για να πιει φορτία και έχουν τα μέρη του σεξ, αλλά μαθαίνοντας να πει "όχι" είναι ένα πραγματικά σημαντικό μέρος της «εβδομάδας freshers.

Μπορώ Ρωτήστε; από τον Δρ Christian Jessen (Hay House, £ 12.99), θα δημοσιευθούν την 1η Νοεμβρίου.

Jessica Ennis
Heptathlete

Sheffield, 2004 - 2007

Ψυχολογία, 2,2

Πήγα στο πανεπιστήμιο στην πόλη μου, ώστε να μπορέσω να συνεχίσω την εκπαίδευσή μου χωρίς να τίθεται σε κίνδυνο την εκπαίδευσή μου. Στίβος ήταν η κύρια προτεραιότητά μου, αλλά νομίζω ότι ο προπονητής μου ήταν ανήσυχος, ξέροντας τι οι μαθητές μπορούν να είναι όπως! Αλλά οι γονείς μου ήταν πραγματικά ευτυχής που είχα βρει έναν τρόπο να συνδυάσει και τα δύο.

Αν και έμενα στο Σέφιλντ, εγώ ακόμα ήθελε να φύγει από το σπίτι. Αποφάσισα ότι ζουν σε αίθουσες θα ήταν πάρα πολύ από έναν αντιπερισπασμό, έτσι ζούσα σε ένα σπίτι με δύο φίλους από τον στίβο. Νομίζω ότι ίσως έπρεπε εβδομάδα ένα πολύ διαφορετικό freshers »από τους περισσότερους ανθρώπους - εγώ δεν περνούν όλη την εβδομάδα βγαίνει και η μέθη, επειδή έπρεπε ακόμα να σηκωθώ να πάω κατάρτιση. Αλλά είχα απολάμβανε πάρα πολλά κατά τη διάρκεια της έκτης μορφή, έτσι με έναν τρόπο αισθάνθηκα είχα κάνει ήδη. Και ακόμα κι αν δεν επρόκειτο έξω κάθε βράδυ ήταν πραγματικά εύκολο να συναντηθούν οι άνθρωποι για την πορεία μου, η οποία ήταν μεγάλη.

Θα ήταν μάλλον πολύ πιο οργανωμένη και πειθαρχημένη σχετικά με το χρονοδιάγραμμα μου από τον μέσο όρο των φοιτητών, αλλά το χειρότερο κομμάτι για μένα ήταν να κάνει παρουσιάσεις. Παίρνω νευρικός όταν ανταγωνίζονται, αλλά στέκεται μπροστά από ένα δωμάτιο με ανθρώπους να εκφωνήσει ομιλία ήταν πολύ πιο τρομακτικό.

Απόλαυσα πραγματικά την ψυχολογία και σε έναν ιδανικό κόσμο, θα ήταν καλό να είχαν περισσότερο χρόνο για να συγκεντρωθούν στις σπουδές μου καθώς έπρεπε οπωσδήποτε να κάνουν θυσίες, λείπουν διαλέξεις και τις προθεσμίες για να ανταγωνιστεί. Αλλά ήταν πολύ ωραίο να κάνουμε κάτι διαφορετικό και όχι να επικεντρωθεί στον αθλητισμό όλη την ώρα. Και όταν είχα εξετάσεις, θα μπορούσα να το σπάσει από συνεχή εκπαίδευση.

Top tip: Πάρτε τα χέρια σας σε ένα χάρτη. Sheffield είναι η πόλη μου και εξακολουθώ να έχεις χάσει!

Jessica Ennis είναι ο κόσμος και η πρωταθλήτρια Ευρώπης και κόσμου Έπταθλο εσωτερικούς πρωταθλητής πένταθλο

Katie Derham
Ραδιοτηλεοπτικός

Cambridge 1988 - 1991

Οικονομικά, 2,2

Το πιο σημαντικό πράγμα για την εβδομάδα freshers »στο Magdalene College, το 1988 ήταν από τις πρώτες γυναίκες χρόνια έγιναν δεκτοί στο Magdalene College - ήταν το τελευταίο από τα κολέγια να πάει μικτή. Είχα ανέβει μια εβδομάδα νωρίς για να κάνουμε μια οντισιόν, αλλά αυτό σήμαινε ότι για τις πέντε πρώτες ημέρες ήμουν το μόνο κορίτσι εκεί. Είχα μια κανονική ροή των ατόμων που κτυπούν την πόρτα ανακοινώνοντας ότι είχαν "έρχονται να δουν το κορίτσι Μαγδαληνή"!

Δεν ήξερα ότι η οικονομία θα είναι τόσο τα μαθηματικά που βασίζονται - Ήμουν σοκαρισμένος από τον αριθμό των διδασκόντων μίλησε στις γραφικές παραστάσεις, αντί των ποινών. Αλλά το έκανα απολαύσετε πραγματικά το πτυχίο μου. Βρήκα την αυτοπειθαρχία προκλητική (δεν πάτε να διαλέξεις ... και στη συνέχεια να υλοποιήσει κατά το χρόνο εξέτασης που θα μπορούσαν να είναι πολύ χρήσιμη) και η συντριπτική τους καταλόγους ανάγνωσης, αλλά θα μάθει γρήγορα να διαβάσουν μόνο τα πράγματα που χρειαζόμουν.

Εγώ δεν πληρούν όλες τις πιό στενούς φίλους μου αμέσως. Εγώ ο ίδιος έριξε σε πιθανώς πάρα πολλά, εξ ου και η 2.2. Πήρα που συμμετέχουν σε επιτροπές και το Φως Entertainment κοινωνία, και έκανε το τραγούδι κολλεγίων και τα φορτία του αθλητισμού. Εγώ δεν λάμπει σε τίποτα, αλλά είχα πάει σε όλα.

Top tip: Βεβαιωθείτε ότι σας μπισκότα πλήρη - όταν ανταποκρίνονται yvour νέους καλύτερους φίλους ή άνδρας των ονείρων σας μπορεί να πει: "Έλα πίσω στο δωμάτιό μου για καφέ - Έχω μπισκότα!"

Κέιτι Derham, θα παρουσιάσουν live από το Proms για το BBC2 και Radio3

Huw Williams
Τραγουδιστής, μελόντικα, Melody and Me

Leeds, 2006 - 2009

Φιλοσοφία και την ιστορία της φιλοσοφίας της επιστήμης, 2.1

Έφτασα σε αίθουσες μου αρκετά αργά την πρώτη ημέρα, οπότε ήταν πολύ μανιακή, όπου ο καθένας σαφώς πολύ νευρικός και τα μέρη των ανθρώπων που έχουν ήδη φιλικός με το άλλο. Έχετε την ίδια κουβέντα ξανά και ξανά, λέει από πού είσαι και τι αντικείμενο που κάνετε.

συμβουλή του αδελφού μου ήταν "Πηγαίνετε σε ό, τι συμβαίνει και θα γνωρίσεις άλλους ανθρώπους που δεν του αρέσει». Έτσι για την πρώτη νύχτα μου πήγα σε ένα νυχτερινό κέντρο που ονομάζεται I Love Sex. Όταν πήρα εκεί, βρήκα ότι ήταν η μόνη που στέκεται στη γωνία, δεν το απολαμβάνει. Μου πήρε μια καλή λίγους μήνες να βρουν τους ανθρώπους που μου άρεσε. Εκ των υστέρων, αν είχα εντάχθηκαν κοινωνίες, θα το είχα βρεθεί ομοϊδεάτες τους ανθρώπους πολύ πιο γρήγορα.

Μουσική ήταν ένα μεγάλο μέρος του χρόνου μου. Ξεκινήσαμε το συγκρότημα στο σχολείο, αλλά όλα πήγαν σε διάφορα πανεπιστήμια, έτσι φτάσαμε να εκτελέσει σε πολλές διαφορετικές πόλεις.

Το καλύτερο bits ήταν τα πράγματα που δεν μπορείτε να σχεδίου για. Στο δεύτερο έτος μου, έζησα σε ένα μεγάλο σπίτι με ένα ceilidh μπάντα - βάζουμε σε ανοικτές mikes και έμαθα πολλά για την παραδοσιακή λαϊκή μουσική και την ιρλανδική jigs. Άρχισα να συμμετάσχετε σε εκστρατείες, και έτρεξα η διανομή με ένα φίλο στο πλαίσιο της Leeds Φοιτητών Πράσινη Ενέργεια.

Top tip: Οι συμβουλές που ο αδελφός μου, μου έδωσε ήταν καλό - να διατηρούν μαζί της, και θα συναντήσει ανθρώπους σας αρέσει.

Μελόντικα, Melody and Me ντεμπούτο single, "Piece Me Back Μαζί», είναι τώρα

Mark Watson
Κωμικός

Cambridge, 1998-2001, Αγγλικά, First

Σχεδόν κάθε εντύπωση που είχα στην εβδομάδα freshers »ήταν αρνητική. Δεν είχα καμία απολύτως εμπιστοσύνη που μου επρόκειτο να είναι εντάξει. Σκέφτηκα ότι θα συναντήσει ανθρώπους σαν κι εμένα στο πανεπιστήμιο, αλλά οι άνθρωποι που γνώρισα, δεν ήταν κάτι σαν κι εμένα. Ήταν μόνο αργότερα, όταν κατάλαβα οι άνθρωποι σαν εμένα ήταν στα δωμάτιά τους brooding - δεν είναι περίεργο που δεν μπορούσα να τα βρω.

Κατά τη freshers «δίκαιης θα υπογράψει για τα φορτία των πραγμάτων (όπως έγραφα το όνομά μου θα ήθελα να πιάνω τον εαυτό μου σκέψη" Δεν θα ήθελα να το κάνουμε αυτό "). Γύρισα μέχρι τη γερμανική κοινωνία, ελπίζοντας να γερμανική πρακτική μου. Ήταν περίεργο που εξηγούν στα γερμανικά ότι δεν ήμουν στην πραγματικότητα η γερμανική. Μετά από δύο πίντες και μια ώρα να μιλήσει από τους Γερμανούς το είδος, έφυγα. Αν και ποτέ δεν είχα το θάρρος να διαγραφείτε από τα ηλεκτρονικά ταχυδρομεία.

Το άλλο πράγμα για την εβδομάδα freshers »είναι ο τρόπος που εκθέτει την απουσία σας από τα ατομικά προσόντα. Γύρισα μέχρι την πρώτη εποπτεία μου καλυμμένο με αίμα, σαν να είχα έρθει κατευθείαν από το πεδίο της μάχης. Στην πραγματικότητα, είχα είχε αιμορραγία από τη μύτη στο δρόμο, δεν είχα καμία ιστοί και δεν είχε καμία ιδέα για το πού το πλησιέστερο κατάστημα ήταν. Κατά τη στιγμή νόμισα ότι πρόκειται να πρέπει να εγκαταλείψουν την πόλη, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα ήταν κάτι καταλήξαμε γελάτε.

Τελικά έκανα φίλους, πήρα το θάρρος να οντισιόν για Footlights και άρχισαν να απολαμβάνουν το πτυχίο μου. Αλλά εβδομάδα freshers »ήταν πραγματικά πολύ περίεργο άλμπουμ - συμβουλή μου είναι να αγνοεί σχεδόν όλα όσα συμβαίνουν.

Top tip: Μια σημείωση για τοστ-κατασκευαστές: η έξοδος από τη σάντουιτς να κρυώσει πριν το φάτε. Και κάνουμε τον καθαρισμό του τοστιέρα ή θα πρέπει να αγοράσετε ένα καινούργιο, στο τέλος του έτους.

Mark θα είναι στην περιοδεία σε όλη την Βρετανία από τον Οκτώβριο? Www.markwatsonthecomedian.com

Jimmy Doherty
Γεωργός

University of East Anglia 1995 - 1998

Ζωολογία, 2.1

Είχα εμμονή με τα έντομα, οπότε ο βαθμός ήταν ένα πραγματικό πάθος. Το ένα περιστατικό που μένει στο μυαλό μου ήταν ένα πολύ αυστηρός καθηγητής που μισούσε κανείς τρώει τα μαθήματα του. Ήμουν munching μια πίτα χοιρινού κρέατος, όταν ήρθε in. Πανικοβλήθηκα και γεμιστό την πίτα στην κορυφή του προβολέα. Δύο λεπτά αργότερα, ο προβολέας συνέχεια και υπήρξε αυτή η τεράστια πίτα χοιρινού κρέατος στην οθόνη.

Η οικογένειά μου έζησε στο Essex και θα ήθελα να συνεχίσει να εργάζεται στο πάρκο άγριων ζώων που είχα εργαστεί από τότε που ήμουν 13, έτσι έζησα μισά στο σπίτι και κατά το ήμισυ σε UEA.

Top tip: Κάντε ένα προϋπολογισμό. Όταν έκανα το διδακτορικό μου έχω ζήσει με έναν Γάλλο και θα πηγαίνουν πάντα στην αγορά και να μαγειρέψουν από το μηδέν. Εμείς ψωμί δικό μας και αυτό μας έσωσε μια περιουσία.

Jimmy θα φιλοξενεί φεστιβάλ Τζίμι του Συλλέγονται τα σε αγρόκτημα του στις 11 - 12 Σεπτέμβριος? Www.harvestatjimmys.com

Bridget Phillipson
MP για Houghton και Νότιο Σάντερλαντ

Oxford 2002-2005

Ιστορία, 2,1

Ένα από τα πρώτα πράγματα που έμαθα στην Οξφόρδη ήταν ότι αν έχετε χάσει το δείπνο στην αίθουσα ήσασταν λίγο πολύ snookered - αν και θα μπορούσατε να χρησιμοποιείτε πάντα την τοστιέρα στο κοινό δωμάτιο. Κατά τον πρώτο μήνα, επέστρεψα αργά το βράδυ και να καίγονται τοστ μου, ο συμψηφισμός των συναγερμός καπνού και να πάρει ο καθένας από το κρεβάτι.

Συμμετείχα στην Οξφόρδη Εργασίας Club στο πρώτο week.I πραγματικά απολαμβάνουν τη συνεδρίασή τους ανθρώπους από ένα ευρύ φάσμα των υποβάθρων - και από την Ένωση Συντηρητικών. Που πραγματικά με βοήθησε να ακονίσουν τα επιχειρήματά μου. Υπάρχουν σίγουρα ομοιότητες μεταξύ εβδομάδες freshers »και την πρώτη εβδομάδα σας ως βουλευτής, δεν - τουλάχιστον ότι ο καθένας ζητά το όνομά σας, στην περιφέρειά σας και η πλειοψηφία σας. Θα πρέπει πιθανώς να ρωτήσω ποια είναι η A-επίπεδα ο καθένας πήρε!

Top tip: Πάρτε την και να ενταχθούν τα πράγματα. Έπαιξα το ράγκμπι των γυναικών για δύο χρόνια - αυτό ήταν μια μεγάλη δέσμευση, αλλά ήταν καλή διασκέδαση και γνώρισα ανθρώπους από άλλες σχολές.

Η μυστική ζωή των κοριτσιών

20 Αυγούστου 2010

Fabiola Carletti

ΠΡΟΣΩΠΙΚΟ REPORTER

Θα απολαύσετε έχοντας ένα ακροατήριο. Θα παρακολουθείτε κάθε αγορά, ντύσιμο και το κουτάβι-love υπόθεση. Το δέρμα τους είναι παχύ. Καλώς ήλθατε στη ζωή, όπως τη βλέπει εφήβων bloggers κορίτσι

Δεν χρειάζεται να είσαι σφυρίζω μαθηματικά να γνωρίζουν ότι το 13 είναι ένα πολύ περίεργο κάτι τέτοιο αριθμό άλμπουμ. Μερικοί μάλιστα το ονομάσουμε "άτυχος μία. Αλλά σε αντίθεση με τους ιδιοκτήτες των κτιρίων προληπτικός, τα κορίτσια που εισέρχονται εφηβεία τους δεν μπορεί να υπερπηδήσει το 13ο όροφο.

Πληκτρολογήστε το blog: ο ισχυρός πλατφόρμα που μπορεί να είναι ένα ημερολόγιο ή λευκώματος ή άλμπουμ φωτογραφιών ή ... τίποτα, φαίνεται. Ένα κορίτσι μπορεί να εγγράφου τώρα δοκιμές και τους θριάμβους της, σε αντίστροφη χρονολογική σειρά, καθιστώντας μεγαλώνουν μια πολύ δημόσια διαδικασία.

Tavi Gevinson, 13, ξέρει όλα τα σχετικά με το blogging. Ο αυτοαποκαλούμενος Style Rookie είναι ίσως το υψηλότερο προφίλ παράδειγμα ενός παιδιού που δεν φοβάται να αυξηθεί ή να ισοπεδώσει, από το παγκόσμιο χωριό.

Ξεκίνησε το blog της το Μάρτιο του 2008, όταν νευρώδης κορνίζα της ήταν ακόμα πάρα πολύ αυτό ενός 11-χρονών παιδί και η φωτογραφία μόδας της βλαστοί έμοιαζε περισσότερο με φόρεμα-up παιχνίδια. Tavi για την πρώτη θέση blog φαίνεται να υπόσχονται ένα είδος μαλθακός άλμπουμ αυτοκόλλητο, αλλά αργότερα θα πρέπει να περιλαμβάνει καταχωρήσεις εκκολαπτόμενοι της φεμινιστικής ιδανικά και κρίσιμες επιστολές σε περιοδικά με τα στενά τους ορισμούς της ομορφιάς.

"Σε κάποιο σημείο κατά τη διάρκεια του δευτέρου εξαμήνου του 8η τάξη, έγινα πιό λυπημένη και angrier», έγραψε Tavi τον Ιούλιο του 2010. "Για το σκοπό αυτό δεν μου teenagerdom πίστωσης, ή άγχος ή οποιαδήποτε ορμονική οτιδήποτε άλλο, απλά μάθηση, και όχι το είδος που θα έπρεπε να πάρει από το σχολείο."

Έχει δεκαετίες από τότε που ο Σαίξπηρ ανατίθεται 13-year-old Ιουλιέτα με τέτοιες δραματικές διάλογο. Τώρα, πολλοί από τους bloggers νεότερη γυναίκα, μόλις και μετά βίας μπορούν να θέτουν και ένα έφηβος με την ηλικία τους, σκέφτονται φωναχτά και τη δημιουργία υβριδίων ημερολόγιο-λεύκωμα διαβαστεί από ανθρώπους σε όλο τον κόσμο.

Η μητρική Σικάγο, τώρα 14, έχει γεμίσει το blog της με τις μαρτυρίες, που κυμαίνονται από το σκυθρωπός στην πανέμορφη. Η πρώιμη συγγραφέας κάνει τολμηρές δηλώσεις και τις πολιτιστικές αναφορές που είναι παλαιότερα από ό, τι είναι. Στην πραγματικότητα, ορισμένοι κυνικοί θεωρούν ότι είναι δύσκολο να πιστέψουμε ότι το κάνει από μόνη της.

Αλλά και άλλες 13-year-old bloggers να ακούγεται σαν την φλυαρία τους εφήβους που σχίζει μέσω σιωπές στο λεωφορείο.

Στο ενδιάμεσο διάστημα μεταξύ του παιδιού και των νέων ενηλίκων, τα κορίτσια αρχίζουν να γνωρίζουν καλύτερα τον εαυτό τους. Ξαφνικά, δεν είναι πλέον επιλέξιμες για τις εκπτώσεις του παιδιού, αλλά μπορεί να δει ταινίες θεωρήθηκαν ακατάλληλες για 12-ετών. Η γοητεία με τα σώματά τους αλλάζει τα μυαλά και έχει συμβάλει στην αύξηση τα πάντα, από υγιεινά σειρά βιβλίων, όπως η μπέιμπι σίτερ λέσχη Η , με αμφιλεγόμενες ταινίες όπως η δημοκρατία δράμα Δεκατρείς .

Σε μία ακανόνιστη θέση blog , Lourdes "Λόλα" Λέων γράφει: «Πολλοί από εσάς με ρώτησε τι χρώμα μου πέθαινε τα μαλλιά μου και είναι πραγματικά πρόκειται να είναι σαν ένα είδος κερασιού υπομέλανες thingy bobbie. OH MY DAIZ. "Από εκεί, Λόλα αγγίζει το γαϊδούρι του Σρεκ (" just soooo friggin θρυλικό haaaaaaa "), η British αργκό (" var var LOL ") και της Ισπανίας με ποδοσφαιριστές οι οποίοι είναι" PFH (αρκετά freakin ζεστό). "

Πολλοί αναγνώστες να σημειώσετε ότι, Λόλα, ο οποίος τυγχάνει να είναι κόρη της Madonna, φαίνεται σαν ένα συνηθισμένο κορίτσι. Και αν και η φωνή της διαφέρει ριζικά από Tavi, και οι δύο έχουν μοιραστεί τις ίδιες μεταβλητές: το γυμνάσιο, την εφηβεία, το στυλ συνείδηση. Το υλικό κορίτσι μίνι μόλις ξεκίνησε το blogging, τον Ιούνιο.

Είτε θέλετε να βρείτε προσφιλής ή ενοχλητικό, ίσως δεν περίμενε να βρει τέτοια unselfconscious γραπτώς εκτός του υψηλού επετηρίδες σχολείο.

Alyson Lewis, καθηγητής αγγλικών σε Pleasant View γυμνάσιο του Τορόντο, έχει συνηθίσει τον τρόπο με πολλά 13-ετών γράφουν.

"Μου πήρε μια στιγμή για να αγκαλιάσει αυτό το χάος και να συνειδητοποιήσουμε ότι αυτό που βάζουν στη σελίδα απεικονίζεται ακριβώς τι συνέβαινε στο μυαλό τους κατά τη στιγμή», είπε, «νομίζω ότι υπάρχει μια πραγματική ωμότητα στο γράψιμο σε αυτήν την ηλικία, και Δεν είμαι απλά μιλάμε για την υποχρεωτική ορθογραφικά και γραμματικά λάθη, ούτε τα τεράστια κενά στη λογική. "

Lewis προσθέτει, "αυτό το είδος της ειλικρίνειας - πριν μάθει να καναπέ λόγια τους στην μεταφορά, διατυπώσεις και συναισθηματική απόσταση - είναι πραγματικά ξεχωριστό."

Αλλά, όπως ήταν φυσικό, κάποια μεγάλα αναγνώστες προτιμούν μητρική παρά επαίνους αυτούς τους νέους συγγραφείς.

Με έδρα το Λονδίνο Camilla Ackley έλαβε ανώνυμα σχόλια σχετικά με τη μόδα της, το blog " Into the Πάσο ". Η πλέον 14 χρονών ξεκίνησε το blog της, τον Ιούλιο του 2009.

"Θεέ μου, δεν θέλω να επανέλθει με την ηλίθια, όταν-Ι-ήταν--την ηλικία σου επιχείρημα, αλλά πραγματικά, όταν ήμουν δεκατριών, τη μαμά μου θα έχω σκοτώσει για την εν λόγω ντύνοντας», έγραψε ο αναγνώστης. "Φυσικά, είστε όλοι πολύ κομψή, πολύ όμορφη και τα πάντα, αλλά αυτό δεν είναι ό, τι παιδική ηλικία (ναι, είστε ακόμα παιδιά) είναι το θέμα."

Ο σχολιαστής θα ήταν πιο πιθανό σχετίζονται με New York Magazine »της Εμιλι Nussbaum, οι οποίοι χρησιμοποιούνται για τη σφράγιση ημερολόγιό της με τη γραμματική κλειδαριά και παραδέχεται ότι είναι δύσκολη με την έκθεση των άλλων εαυτό. Ακόμα, σε ένα χαρακτηριστικό τίτλο " Say Everything ", Nussbaum έρχεται σε τρία συμπεράσματα γι 'αυτήν ανεμπόδιστη διαδόχους: σκέφτονται τον εαυτό τους ως ένα ακροατήριο? έχουν αρχειοθετηθεί εφηβεία τους? και, το πιο ενδιαφέρον, το δέρμα τους είναι παχύτερο από τη δική σας.

"Διαφορετικά τα παιδιά επιλέγουν να έχουν διαφορετικά childhoods. Κάποιοι επιλέγουν τον αθλητισμό, άλλοι θα προτιμήσουν τη μουσική, άλλοι θα προτιμήσουν τη μόδα, "Camilla εξήγησε. "Μια παιδική ηλικία δεν πρέπει να είναι σχετικά με την εκτέλεση περίπου 24 / 7? Είναι για να ανακαλύψει ποιος είσαι."

Camilla είπε ότι το Star έφηβος bloggers μπορεί να είναι πιο επιρρεπείς σε υποτιμητικά σχόλια, αλλά εκείνη παίρνει στο διασκελισμό.

"Αν bloggers έλαβε κάθε προσβολή για την καρδιά, δεν θα υπήρχε καμία από εμάς», σημείωσε, «Είναι εύκολο να πει τη διαφορά μεταξύ εποικοδομητική κριτική και τον εκφοβισμό».

Συχνά ξεχνάμε πόσο ανθεκτικά στους νέους μπορεί να είναι - ακριβώς το όνομα χρόνο και τον τόπο σας.

Μάγια Αγγέλου άρχισε να μιλάει σε 13, μετά από έξι χρόνια σιωπής ωθούμενη από ένα τραυματικό γεγονός παιδική ηλικία. Ιωάννα της Λωραίνης ήταν 13 όταν ξεκίνησε ακρόαση ουράνια φωνές. Anne Frank, οι οποίοι έλαβαν εικονικό ημερολόγιο της στην ηλικία των 13, περιέφραξε ένα από τα πιο διάσημα προσωπικούς λογαριασμούς του Ολοκαυτώματος.

Πιο πρόσφατα παραδείγματα περιλαμβάνουν Lady Gaga, ο οποίος έγραψε το πρώτο της πιάνο μπαλάντα σε 13, και της κόρης Severn Suzuki David ο οποίος ντροπιάσει των Ηνωμένων Εθνών αντιπρόσωποι για λογαριασμό των παιδιών της ομάδας του περιβάλλοντος.

Παρά τις διαφορετικές φωνές τους, όλα τα κορίτσια έχουν κάτι να πουν στον κόσμο με δικά τους λόγια.

Κορίτσι bloggers από όλο τον κόσμο

• Το Style Rookie από Tavi

• Material Girl Συλλογή blog που χαρακτηρίζει Λούρδη "Λόλα"

• Μέσα στο Πάσο με Camilla Ackley

• Η γραφή Σελίδες με Meghna

• το Scrapbook Fallie από Fallie

• Ravn Maja από Maja

• PaulinaBelle με Paulina

• Το Stylish περιπλανώμενος από anonymous

• Πλαστικά εγκεφάλου από Eleonara

sFabiola Carletti

του επιλογές Editor

Δύο κοστούμια της μεσαιωνικής πανοπλία κυριαρχούν είσοδο του κάστρου στην κορυφή του λόφου που Rachelle Spector κλήσεις στο σπίτι. Κάποιος στέκεται απέναντι από μια ελαιογραφία των Beatles, του οποίου το τελικό άλμπουμ, Let it Be, παρήχθη από απουσιάζει το σύζυγό της, Phil, το 1969. Η άλλη, λίγα μέτρα προς τα δεξιά του, κλίνει σε μεγάλο σπαθί. Δεδομένου ότι η γοητεία του Phil μαζί με επικίνδυνα όπλα τον προσγειώθηκε πρόσφατα στη φυλακή, ίσως να αναρωτιούνται αν κάνουν για απολύτως ενδεδειγμένη στολίδια. Αλλά, σε λίγες ώρες μου περνούν με την Rachelle, μαζί με μια δυο φορές όταν μιλάμε μέσω τηλεφώνου, έχω έρθει να συνειδητοποιήσω ότι πανοπλίες ποσό το οποίο πράγματι μέχρι πολύ καλά: αυτή είναι μια σκληρή cookie, και χοντρόπετσος, πάρα πολύ.

Rachelle με χαιρετά στην πόρτα, όπου έχω θαυμάζοντας την εξατομικευμένη
αριθμό κυκλοφορίας του Lexus SUV της (που έχει ως εξής: "I Ν Phil"). Στο
Εκ πρώτης όψεως, μοιάζει εκπληκτικά ξανθιά μαλλιά, μπλε μάτια και αφρώδη?
κατά τη δεύτερη ματιά, η ξανθιά έρχεται από ένα μπουκάλι, και αυτή είναι φοράει φωτεινά
φακούς επαφής τυρκουάζ. Αλλά η πομφολυγώδης bit είναι γνήσιο. Ενώ η ίδια ΕΕΠ για
την κουζίνα για να φέρω ένα ποτό, κοιτάζω γύρω τεράστια τραπεζαρία της. Είναι
διακοσμημένα με το στυλ της Berni Inn: όλα σκούρο ξύλο και ευμετάβλητος φωτισμός. Σε
στη γωνία κάθεται ένα τεράστιο κομμάτι χαρτί στο οποίο Rachelle, ίσως στο
εντολής της ψυχιάτρου, συνέταξε ένα διάγραμμα ροής χαρτογράφηση »γκολ της ζωής».
Περιστρέφονται γύρω από δύο ξεκάθαρα μεταξύ συναφών επιχειρήσεων. Ο ένας είναι ο Phil? Το
άλλων, την καριέρα της ποπ.

Αυτοί είναι, όπως συμβαίνει, η ακριβής θέματα που ελπίζω να μιλήσω. Για
χρόνια, αυτό το περίφημο 30-room σπίτι, το οποίο ονομάζεται Κάστρο Πυρηναία, και
βρίσκεται σε Alhambra, ένα χωρίς χάρη προάστιο της ανατολικής Λος Άντζελες, έχει αντέξει ως
νεογοτθικό μνημείο των εκκεντρικότητες του μεγάλου Phil Spector. Ήταν,
σύμφωνα με το rock'n'roll λαογραφία, ένα Xanadu-όπως αρχοντικό, όπου η
εξαιρετικά πλούσιος παραγωγός δίσκων, ο οποίος είχε κάνει μια απόκλιση από τις πιο
uplifting ποπ τραγούδια στην ιστορία της (από το "Da Doo Ron Ron» από την
Κρύσταλλα, με το "Be My Baby" από την Ronettes), αλλά υπέφερε από την
κατάθλιψη που πλήττει πολλές ιδιοφυία, είχε συνταξιοδοτηθεί από το ρεκόρ
επιχειρήσεις να βυθιζόμαστε σε ένα λυκόφως κόσμο του σκοταδιού και παράνοια.

Αυτή ήταν η φήμη του Κάστρου, τουλάχιστον. Αλλά τον τελευταίο καιρό, τους παλιούς φίλους του Spector
(Και ακόμη και τους εχθρούς του) έχουν τον περιγράφουν ως έναν άνθρωπο μεταμορφωθεί. Ο
λόγο: Rachelle. Bright, δεκτική, και το ένα τρίτο την ηλικία του, εκείνη σκάσει για να
η σκηνή κάποια στιγμή το 2003, και τον έκανε από μια έμμονη απομονωμένος, των οποίων η
τον έλεγχο της φύσης πυροδότησε μία φορά άσχημο μήνυση μετά από άσχημο δίκη, σε μια
απαλή γέρος με ανανεωμένη όρεξη για ζωή, την αγάπη, και το παιχνίδι ποπ. Εγώ
θέλετε να μάθετε πως Rachelle διαχειρίζεται αυτή. Και για να φτάσουμε στο κάτω μέρος του
αν έφτασε στη σκηνή πολύ αργά για να αποφευχθεί η τραγωδία που μπορεί να
Τώρα επισκιάσει το υπόλοιπο της φυσικής ζωής του.

Rachelle αποδόσεις. Να διακόψουμε την ξύλινη επένδυση τραπεζαρία, και να καθίσει σε μια
μεγάλη αντίκα τραπέζι, μπροστά σε περίπου πλαισιώνεται φωτογραφίες του γάμου τους, η οποία
πραγματοποιήθηκε στο φουαγιέ του Κάστρου, το Σεπτέμβριο του 2006. Ήταν 24, και
φορούσε ένα παραδοσιακό λευκό φόρεμα. Phil, ο οποίος ήταν τότε 66 και παντρεύονται για την
τρίτη φορά, επέλεξε μια κιτρινωπός περούκα, συνεργάστηκε με ένα μαύρο μεταξωτό πουκάμισο,
σκούρο κοστούμι και μια διαβολικός χαμόγελο. «Φίλιππος και εγώ πολλές γενιές
χώρια, αλλά έχουμε ένα απίστευτο ποσό στο κοινό », λέει Rachelle. "Είμαστε
τόσο ήθελε ακριβώς το ίδιο πράγμα: μια μικρή τελετή, στο σπίτι, με ένα
υπουργός και μόνο δυο άτομα. Αυτό είναι το πώς κατέληξε. Τέλειος. "

Σήμερα, η πρεσβεύουν Spectors να παραμείνει όσο πιο βαθειά στην αγάπη όπως ήταν εκείνη την ημέρα,
και αν κάνει μια αρκετά περίεργη άλμπουμ στο μέλλον ηλικίας, δεν έχω κανένα λόγο να αμφιβάλλω.
Αλλά η ζωή δεν είναι πια και τόσο τέλεια. Από τον Απρίλιο του 2009, ο Phil έχει αποτελέσει
τρόφιμος στο California State Prison στο Corcoran, βόρεια δίσκο τριών ωρών από
Λος Άντζελες. Σύμφωνα με την Rachelle, είναι «αηδιαστική». Περνά
23 ώρες την ημέρα, σε ένα κοινό κελί μέτρησης πέντε πόδια από εννέα πόδια, και έχει
ελάχιστη σχέση έχουν με το χρόνο του, εκτός διαβάσει, και τον ιδρώτα. "Πρόσφατα,» αυτή
λέει, «η φυλακή έχει κόβοντας τροφοδοτικού του, και τον αέρα, για
μία ημέρα την εβδομάδα, για να εξοικονομήσουν χρήματα. Θερμοκρασίες μέχρι να φτάσει εκεί 120F. Είναι 70
ετών. Είναι ακαθάριστο. "

Phil έγινε νύν ή πρώην κατάδικος λόγω μιας τώρα-διαβόητη εκδήλωση που έλαβε χώρα μόλις
λίγα μέτρα από όπου καθόμαστε. Στις 3 Φεβρουαρίου 2003, ένα μήνα πριν
συναντήθηκαν για πρώτη φορά Rachelle, Lana Clarkson, ένας ηθοποιός B-movie οποίους είχα προφανώς
συναντήθηκαν σε ένα νυχτερινό κέντρο διασκέδασης Χόλιγουντ και να λαμβάνονται στο σπίτι, για ποτά, πυροβολήθηκε στο πρόσωπο
στο διάδρομο του Κάστρου. Πέθανε αμέσως. Phil, ο οποίος μπορεί ή δεν μπορεί να έχει
παρακολουθήσαμε την εκδήλωση, και που είναι σίγουρα το μόνο που ζουν πρόσωπο που μπορεί να
γνωρίζουμε τι πραγματικά συνέβη, αρνήθηκε τραβώντας τη σκανδάλη. Αλλά μια κριτική επιτροπή στο Los
Άντζελες Ανώτατο Δικαστήριο είδε τα πράγματα διαφορετικά. Τον Απρίλιο του 2009, ήταν
ομόφωνα καταδικαστεί για φόνο δεύτερου βαθμού και δεδομένης 19 χρόνια στη ζωή.

Η πρόταση έχει αφήσει Rachelle υπεύθυνος της ζωής Phil Spector, και κληρονομιά.
Έχει διευθύνει το σπίτι του, πίσω κατάλογό του, καθώς και πολλών εκατομμυρίων δολαρίων την επιχείρησή του
συμφέροντα. Σήμερα είναι masterminding έφεση κατά της δολοφονίας του
πεποίθηση, αλλά και παρέχει περίπου μόνον οι τακτικές οικογενειακό δεσμό του με τον
έξω κόσμο: από τα τρία παιδιά που εγκρίθηκε στη δεκαετία του 1970, δύο είναι
αποξενωμένος (έναν γιο, Donte, κρατά σε επαφή). μοναχοκόρη επιζών του,
Νικόλ, που είναι περίπου η ίδια ηλικία με Rachelle, επισκέπτεται περιστασιακά. Αλλά
Ζει στη Νέα Υόρκη, ταξίδι μίας ημέρας και τρεις χρονικές ζώνες μακριά.

Για Rachelle, αυτό το κάνει για μια ενίοτε θλιβερή ύπαρξη, χαρακτηρίστηκαν από μικρό
τονίζει. Ένας έρχεται λίγο μετά την 14:00 τις καθημερινές, όταν ο Phil έχει το δικαίωμα να
κάνει σε 15 λεπτά με τηλεφωνική κλήση (όταν καλεί, BlackBerry Rachelle του φυσητήρα: "Philip
καλώντας! "). Το άλλο συμβαίνει κάθε Σάββατο, όταν αυξάνεται κατά μία και
οδηγεί στο Corcoran να είναι η πρώτη στην ουρά για να αποκτήσουν πρόσβαση στους επισκέπτες,
περιοχή. Είναι ταινία-έρευνα, και λαμβάνεται σε μια καντίνα Σπαρτιάτης. Εκεί, Phil
είναι συνήθως το δικαίωμα να φιλάω μια φορά και να της δώσει μια ενιαία αγκαλιά? μετά από αυτό,
μιλάνε για ώρες.

άλλες τονίζουν Rachelle, και αυτό που με βοήθησε τσάντα πρόσκληση
το Κάστρο, περιστρέφεται γύρω από τη μουσική. Περιγράφοντας τον εαυτό της ως τραγουδίστρια,
τραγουδοποιός και παίκτης τρομπόνι, έχει μόλις κυκλοφόρησε ένα CD ντεμπούτο. Ο τίτλος του
Είναι έξω από Chelle μου », ενώ κατέχει ήδη μια ενδιαφέρουσα θέση στην ποπ
Ιστορία: έχει παραχθεί από τον Phil, πριν πήγε σε chokey, και είναι
Συνεπώς, το πρώτο άλμπουμ ότι του ήταν απολύτως υπεύθυνη για το όχι λιγότερο
από 30 χρόνια. τελευταία του πριν είχε τέλος του αιώνα, από τον
Ramones, το οποίο βγήκε το 1980.

Παρά το γεγονός ότι σηματοδοτεί την επιστροφή ενός από τους μεγαλύτερους ποπ του
ιμπρεσάριοι, κριτικοί δεν έχουν εντελώς είδος σχετικά με την εγγραφή. Η Νέα
York Post μεταγλωττίζονται αυτό "ένα ποπ ανοησίες έργο ματαιοδοξία που δεν έχει καμία σχέση
σε τίποτα το θρυλικό παραγωγό βοήθησε ποτέ σκάφος "και είπε ότι
μουσική του Phil είναι τώρα τόσο ποινικά όσο αυτός. Έχει κανένας το λιγότερο έκανε ένα μικρό
εντύπωση στα charts των ΗΠΑ. "Το υψηλότερο έχουμε μέχρι στιγμής είναι 46,"
λέει Rachelle. «Θα έλεγα ότι του κάνει αρκετά καλά, ειδικά για
κάτι από ένα νέο καλλιτέχνη, η οποία δεν διαθέτει μια μεγάλη ετικέτα, που σπρώχνεται ».

Συγκινητικά, πρώτο κομμάτι του άλμπουμ, "Εδώ στην Καρδιά μου", είναι μια αγάπη
τραγούδι για τον Phil και μεγάλων αποστάσεων σχέσης Rachelle του. Είναι ρυθμισμένη σε
1980-style synthesizer-pop beat, και περιέχει μερικά λαμπρά-εξωφρενικές
στίχοι που δεν θα έχουν θέση στο διαγωνισμό τραγουδιού της Eurovision. «Είσαι
εδώ μαζί μου νύχτα και μέρα, ακόμη και όταν είστε μακριά », πηγαίνει ένα τυπικό
γραμμή. "Για κάποιον του τραγουδιού που αγαπάς, που είναι πάντα στην καρδιά σας,
έστω και αν δεν είσαι στην αγκαλιά σου », προσθέτει Rachelle. «Για μένα, ότι
πρόσωπο θα είναι πάντα Φιλίππου. Είναι λαμπρό φως μου, και μέρος του να τον έχει
καταστεί ένα μέρος μου, έτσι του συνεχώς εδώ μαζί μου. "

Phil έχει εν τω μεταξύ εξίσου μουσκεμένος τη συζήτηση του σχεδίου. «Είμαι όπως
ενθουσιασμένοι για αυτό το album, όπως όταν συνάντησα τον Elvis ή τους Stones ", είπε,
σε μια συνέντευξη φυλακή που συμπίπτει με την κυκλοφορία του. «Για να γίνει η εγγραφή
με Rachelle ήταν μία από τις μεγαλύτερες εμπειρίες της ζωής μου. "
Όσον αφορά τη γυναίκα του, είπε το Associated Press: «Η φυλακή είναι πολύ
δύσκολη. Είμαι εδώ με ψυχοπαθείς και misfits ... [αλλά] έρχεται κάθε
εβδομάδα για να με δει, και βλέπω ρουκέτες ουρανό κάθε φορά που την βλέπω. "Τότε
προστεθεί, χωρίς ίχνος ειρωνείας: «Είναι η πριγκίπισσα νεράιδα στον κόσμο μου».
Και να καταλάβουμε ότι ο κόσμος, ίσως χρειάζεται να ακούσω την ιστορία της Rachelle.

Υπήρξε, όπως συμβαίνει, πολλές παραμύθι για ένα ταξίδι που μετέτρεψε
Rachelle στο μοναδικό ένοικο του 30-room Πυρηναίων Κάστρο, που ήταν
χτίστηκε το 1920 ως το ένα τρίτο σε μέγεθος ρεπλίκα κλίμακα ενός γαλλικού πύργου.
Μεγαλωμένος στο Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, με μια ανύπαντρη μητέρα, έμαθε
τρομπόνι στο σχολείο και αναπαράγονται με την μπάντα. Μετά την αποχώρησή του, και
ανακαλύπτουν ότι θα μπορούσε να ζει από το τραγούδι και μοντελοποίηση θέσεις εργασίας,
αυτή καθορίζεται από την καθιέρωση trpretty δρόμο περίεργο ασπράδι αυγού από πολλά όμορφα κορίτσια από μικρής πόλης
Αμερική, και οδήγησε στην LA. Σε ηλικία 20 ετών, έφθασε το 2002, με μόλις 150 $
τσέπη της.

A year later, Rachelle Short, to use her maiden name, was performing live gigs
(she had won a gong for Best Indy Pop Performer at the LA Music Awards). One
night, she found herself dining at Dan Tana's, an old-school Hollywood
restaurant. Phil Spector, who was also there, asked her to sit at his table.
And Cupid's dart struck. “I learnt more that night about religion and
politics than I knew in my entire life,” she recalls. “We ended up
talking until six in the morning. When it was time to go, he looked at me
and said, 'May I kiss you?' I said, 'No!'. But he got my phone number.”
The old devil called the next day. “I've always been attracted to older
guys,” she says.

The romance blossomed during visits to the local Starbucks, dinner outings,
and trips to LA Lakers basketball games. But it wasn't all plain sailing. Α
few weeks in, Rachelle heard about Lana Clarkson, who had died a few weeks
before their meeting. But Rachelle didn't for one moment doubt Phil's
innocence. Never has, never will. “When you meet him, you get no sense
of danger whatsoever. He's tiny. I'm bigger than him now, and he wouldn't
hurt a fly. He couldn't murder someone. He's too kind, and caring and giving
and genuine.” They duly became engaged in 2005.

Η σχέση τους ήταν η πρώτη έσυραν στο δημόσιο χώρο, όταν η πρώτη Phil
δίκη για τη δολοφονία μεταδόθηκε, στα τέλη του 2006. Το θέαμα της Rachelle στο δικαστήριο
αρχικά πυροδότησε ίντριγκες και γελοιοποίηση. Κοίταξε ύποπτα όπως
Clarkson, και snarky σχολιαστές αναρωτήθηκε τι την είχε προσελκύσει την
διάσημος πολυεκατομμυριούχος. Αλλά με την πάροδο του χρόνου, γύρισε γνώμη. "Ακόμη και εκείνοι
που σιχαίνομαι Spector, και υπάρχουν πολλά στο Χόλιγουντ, έκπληξη οι ίδιοι
από το αίσθημα προστασίας του παρόντος αμέσως συμπαθής γυναίκα, "σημείωσε η Los
Angeles Times, σε ένα προφίλ του Φιλ. “They praise her unswerving
loyalty to Spector. Men in particular fall under her spell.”

By the time Phil's first trial had been abandoned in 2007 (the jury was unable
to reach the required unanimous verdict), Rachelle had become Mrs Spector.
Then, during downtime from the retrial, Out of My 'Chelle was conceived. “One
day I was going through old home movies of me singing. Phil walked in, and
said 'That's you?'. He didn't know what my vocal capabilities were, up until
that point, since I had put my career on hold to help him with the court
case.”

To release the record, Rachelle recently founded her own label, Genius Forever
(named after Phil, of course) and cut a distribution deal with Sony. Είναι
also about to go back into the studio to make a Rachelle Unplugged version
of the record, which her husband will be unavailable to produce. “People
say that Phil Spector can make anyone sound good, and I want to prove that I
can actually sing,” she says. Allegations that Phil used auto-tune and
other dark arts of his trade to paper over holes in her musical ability are “totally
untrue”.

The other thing that often angers Rachelle, and we can't beat around the bush
here, are allegations that she's a gold-digger. The reality of her
existence, she says, is quite the opposite: she says her favourite shop is
Target, a sort of American Argos. She doesn't loaf around. When we tour the
downstairs bar area and pool room, I notice that a layer of dust has
gathered on Phil's collection of Grammy trophies.

It must, I suppose, be a lonely existence. She shares the vast home with six
dogs, some cats, and two iguanas. A maid comes twice a week. Her other
regular visitor is Esmerelda, her gardener's six-year-old daughter. Ο
lawns of the Castle are brown and parched (she recently turned off the
sprinklers, to save money and the environment), and even Phil's collection
of garden gnomes could use a lick of paint. This is hardly the high life,
she says.

“My life is hard. It's a lot of work. It's so emotionally, physically and
mentally draining. I work seven days a week. I've started the record label,
I'm trying to promote the album, manage Phil's estate and also look after
the appeal to get him out. If I were a gold-digger, I wouldn't be here,
doing all that. I'd be by some pool, on an exotic island, counting my money.”

Rachelle's priority, these days, is to free Phil. Having sat through the two
trials, which together lasted more than a year, and reviewed 40,000 pages of
evidence, she has applied for (and got) a licence to practice as a private
investigator in California. This allowed her to be closely involved in
drafting the lengthy appeal against his murder conviction which was filed
earlier this year.

The case against Spector was by no means cut-and-dried. It revolved around
inconclusive forensic evidence, with conflicting interpretations of blood
spatter patterns and gunpowder residue, which left experts divided as to
whether the famous defendant was anywhere near Ms Clarkson when she died.
The supposed murder weapon did not carry any of his fingerprints, and no one
is sure of the identity of its owner. Officially, it was registered to a
pawnshop in Texas.

In attempting to prove Spector guilty, prosecutors therefore relied on
testimony from his driver, who told the court his boss had confessed to
Clarkson's killing. They also persuaded the judge to allow evidence from
five former female acquaintances of Spector, who claimed that at various
times in the past 30 years, he had threatened them with guns. This, the jury
said in its explanation of the sentence, tipped the balance in favour of
conviction.

It certainly worked into a well-established narrative. Spector, who had
produced his first number one hit, “To Know Him is To Love Him”,
in 1958, at the age of 18, had never enjoyed what you might call a normal
ζωή. A millionaire by the age of 22 (during the early 1960s, his hits
included “You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling”, the most extensively
played record in history), he was always volatile. When creating his famous “Wall
of Sound”, which involved vast armies of backing musicians and singers,
he lorded over recording studios like a mad dictator.

Stories also abound of Spector's fascination with firearms. He once fired a
pistol into the roof when losing his temper while working with John Lennon.
Some years later, when apparently drunk, he wandered up to Leonard Cohen,
and stuck a loaded pistol in his neck, saying, “Leonard, I love you!”
(Cohen is said to have casually replied, “I hope you do, Phil”).
In the 1980s, his mental state deteriorated further when his only son,
Philip Junior, contracted leukaemia. Phil retired from music to nurse him,
only for the child to die, in 1992. Soon afterwards, he began taking vast
quantities of anti-depressants, and for most of the next decade, made only
occasional forays into the recording studio. He had also become paranoid
about being left alone at the Castle; visitors spoke of him locking doors
and gates to prevent them from leaving.

After talking the jury through this biography, the prosecution was able to
construct a compelling narrative: Lana Clarkson, a down-on-her-luck actress
who also suffered from depression, had met him at the House of Blues
nightclub in Hollywood. She returned to his house, and shared some drinks.
But when Ms Clarkson got up to leave, Spector lost his cool. By accident or
design, he fired the gun. Given Spector's personality, they argued – it was
in any case an accident waiting to happen.

There is, however, a problem with this theory: it relies on circumstantial
evidence. In his defence, Spector's “dream team” of highly-paid
lawyers have advanced an alternative: that Clarkson, who'd had roles in
Scarface and the cult fantasy flick Barbarian Queen during the 1980s, but
whose career had since tanked, actually committed suicide. “She had
consumed a bottle of tequila, she had Vicodin [a pain-relief drug] in her
system, and was broke and about to be evicted from her apartment,” is
how Rachelle puts it.

The appeal will highlight the lack of forensic evidence, and also argue that
the judge shouldn't have allowed the five women to give character statements
against Phil, since they were prejudicial. “This whole hatred towards
women thing … I don't understand where it came from. Because if you know
anything about Phil's career you'll know that he helped women, especially
women of colour, achieve success, people like Tina Turner and Ronnie Spector
[his second wife]. There is no greater misconception than that Phil hates
women.”

αδελφή Clarkson, το ελαφάκι, και ο δικηγόρος της οικογένειάς της, Roderick Lindblom, δεν
ανταποκρίνονται στα αιτήματα για ένα σχόλιο σχετικά με την έκκληση για αυτό το άρθρο.
Rachelle, με μισή μάτι για τα συναισθήματά τους, λέει ότι η υπόθεση »ήταν μια
τραγωδία για τους εμπλεκόμενους όλους. Αλλά δεν ήταν μια δολοφονία ». Clarkson ήταν
έξι πόδια ψηλό, και να σταθμίζονται £ 160, η οποία είναι πολύ περισσότερα από Spector. «Είναι
προσπαθούσε να μου πει άφησε να περπατήσει μέχρι και να θέσει ένα πυροβόλο όπλο στο στόμα της; Ήταν δύο
ίντσες πίσω από τα δόντια της όταν εκπυρσοκρότησε. Πώς θα μπορούσε να κάνει, ενδεχομένως, αυτό; "

Ο χρόνος, βέβαια, θα δείξει κατά πόσο Rachelle εξασφαλίζει την ημέρα τους στο δικαστήριο. Αλλά
οι τροχοί του κινούνται δικαιοσύνης απίστευτα αργά. Ακόμη και αν η προσφυγή γίνει δεκτή,
θα μπορούσε να είναι έτη προτού Phil Spector είναι ελεύθερη για μια ακόμη φορά να χτίζεις ένα τοίχο του
ήχου. "Έχω χάσει τον άντρα μου και ο καλύτερος φίλος μου», λέει,
επιστρέφουν και πάλι στο θέμα του άλμπουμ της. "Το όλο θέμα είναι
ήταν να μετατρέψει το αρνητικό της υπόθεσης σε μια θετική και έδωσαν έμφαση πίσω
για τη μουσική Phil Spector, όπου και ανήκει. Ό, τι συμβαίνει, ελπίζω να
υπενθυμίσω ότι είναι ακόμα ο παραγωγός ιδιοφυΐα που είναι τρόπος πέρα του
χρόνο, και που κανείς δεν θα μπορέσει ποτέ να μιμηθεί. "

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[ Editor's Note: The views of this column do not necessarily reflect those of SOHH.com ]

1. King Me

D*mn, doggies, this year's Forbes' Cash Kings list is ridiculously funny. Not so much because we see Jay-Z and Diddy in the list but that Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and DRAKE made more $$$ than 5-0 Cent? LMFAO!!! This has to be a clerical error, right? LMFAO!!! Before we see who made the cut, let's just analyze a few things. In 2008 , when those numbers came out, 5-0 held his ground at No. 1 with Jay and Puffy looking in the rearview, right? Then this clown caught feelings when he got booted to No. 4 last year, getting edged out by Kanye West . OK. But now, to get tossed all the way to No. 15? SMFH. There's no excuse doggies, especially with as much as this clown says he's WORKING . Those tours? Those straight-to-DVD movies that he claims are where the REAL $$$ is at? Or how about all those iTunes sales G-Unit is raking in? SMH. It's over, doggies, admit it :

# 1. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter – $63m

# 2. Sean “Diddy” Combs – $30M
# 3. Aliuane “Akon” Thiam – $21M [that Lady Gaga money is no joke...]
# 4. Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter – $20M
# 5. Andre “Dr. Dre” Young – $17M
#6. Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges – $16M
#7. Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus – $15M
#8. Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley – $14M
#9. Pharrell Williams – $13M
#10 Kanye West – $12M
#11. Aubrey “Drake” Graham – $10M
#12. Clifford “TI” Harris – $9M (tie)
#12. Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean – $9M (tie)
#14. Marshall “Eminem” Mathers – $8M (tie)
#14 Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson – $8M (tie)

^ LOL. Good looks @ NahRight for that list. Some things ain't adding up, doggies. We can understand how Jay got $63 million from Roc Nation ( J. Cole, Wale , Blueprint III Tour, etc.) and Diddy's a** was all over those informercials and let's not forget that Lady Gaga money ain'ta joke for Akon along with Dr. Dre 's dope BEATS. But Ludacris? F*cking Drake!?!? TI ??? Wait……how the h*ll did TI make more $$$ than 5-0 when he was LOCKED UP for 6-8 months!?!?! SMH…… Look at those numbers doggies, this post is short but the comments should be long. Feeling sad about 5-0′s numbers? Maybe it's just me, but something tells me he had this coming……………

“I'm on deck,” 50 said in an interview in JULY 2009 . “I'm loaded. Call me 'four' this year, and then you call me 'one' next year , because I'm really preparing for my cycle . They're fine…What kind of person would be upset at what position they fall when they're on the Forbes list . That person would be a complete idiot. Ask me to show you a person who's happy, and I'll show you someone who's content. And if you ask me to show you a guy who's piss-poor with really nice things around him, I'll show you the guy that's on that list that's worried about being number one. And [the person] won't stay there , trust me.”

^ …..”call me 'one' next year….” Really 5-0? REALLLLY? And yeah, I hear your issue about the accomplishment to be on the FORBES list, but that's like saying what doggy would be mad to get SIGNED to Interscope? Call Wale, Charles Hamilton and the rest of those other doggies. And I pulled that quote, doggies, to say this. If you really believe everything coming out of this Gorilla-Doggy's mouth, then why when you have the PROOF right in front of your eyes that he's speaking bullsh*t, do you continue to DEFEND and VOUCH for this clown? SMH………

2. The New Def Jam Records

Go ahead doggies, consider my words “STFU” Honors material, but at least hear me out first. Baby is the NEW Russell Simmons. Whether y'all want to admit it or just skip over this to peep this week's Mrs. Butterworth (she's juicy, too!), you cannot deny how powerful Cash Money Records is becoming. And let's stop lying, we all KNOW Young Money is the same company, don't get sh*t twisted thinking Nicki Minaj is not technically a Cash Money Records artist. Everybody, and I do mean everybody, wants to be Cash Money affiliated more than ever right now. But first up, Shyne ?

“I might do that. I'm not sure,” Shyne said about possibly releasing an album on Cash Money. “We're still finishing the fine points and negotiating that . Maybe I'll come with something six months later, [maybe] every six months. I've got so much to say, you dig? I don't think I can answer all the questions on one album. So I definitely think we can put out two different albums on the same day at the end of the year, then come back with a third one or another double set six months later. Get all this sh*it off my chest.”

^ So this doggy wants to drop an album on Def Jam AND Cash Money Records. SMFH…even though we think he has turned into straight a** since getting out of prison, especially after 5-0 pranked the h*ll out of him last week, you can't lie, having Shyne drop something on Cash Money would be a GOOD LOOK. Let's be honest, doggies, Bow Wow and Jay Sean are cool but haven't even an ounce of street credibility to their names. Shyne on CM would be like when 5-0 recruited Game to G-Unit. Just to add another element. But even bigger than that? Recruiting Bizzy Bone ? WTF;

“ Cash Money , Young Money and such labels as this know how to treat a artist ,” Bizzy said in a statement. “Whether the artist has been in the industry for a decade or brand new to the system. They (Cash Money, Young Money, G Unit etc.) respect the artist position and know how to market and promote a top caliber artist(s) .”

^ Whether Bizzy Bone is just kissing a** to get Baby's attention or really feels like Cash Money is a hot label, this is f*cking amazing that he's upping a company that has been publicly sh*tted on by producers like Jim Jonsin and Bangladesh .

Need an explanation for all this, doggies? Well, even though I planned on featuring this in the “STFU” Honors section, Baby pretty much lays out the formula for why CMB is out-doing the industry:

“I look at that sh*t as we went through war and we sustained the weather and we stood in the fog ,” Baby said in an interview. “Even when muthaf*ckas counted us out, we stood up and we manned up. We did everything we had to , to get where we're at today. I think God gives it to ya when he feels you're ready for it. It took us a long time ; we had to go through a lot of changes. A lot of obstacles, losses, gains . I just think right now we're so great at this sh*t. We got so many young n*ggas who look at me andWayne and what we've accomplished. You see the hunger [that] Drake and all the rest of those little n*ggas [have] because they're reaching for those stories . We work like n*ggas who never made a dollar and I think that's impressive to them. That makes them go harder. Those little n*ggas got promising futures.”

^ D*mn, hate it or love it, Baby has a point. No other label has hotter artists, mainstream artists and, most importantly, SELLING artists. Not familiar with the Def Jam/Russell Simmons' 1990′s days? Just think DMX , Jay-Z, EPMD, Ja Rule, Redman, Method Man and all those other motherf*ckers from Def Jam Vendetta . LOL. The list runs long, doggies, for CM going with Lil Wayne, Cool & Dre, Bow Wow, possibly Shyne/Bizzy Bone/ Sean Garrett / Freeway / DJ Khaled, Jay Sean, Kevin Rudolph and the Young Money roster…so don't sleep on this squad.

3. The Day The Earth Stood Still

Doggies and b*tches (female dogs, doggies) alike, it is true. Nicki Minaj is the hottest artist out. When Kanye West said it, I kinda shrugged but when the f*cking Associated Press interviews rap doggies about what THEY think about her? SMFH. It's bigger than her just being a “good” female rapper. She is THE rapper out right now. Doggies might shrug too but her buzz is bigger than Drake. Her following is bigger than Drake. (Do the math doggies, she hit that million follower mark weeks before Frogger). Even though I hate her album title, Pink Friday , she has even given herself months to do whatever changes she feels necessary. Anyway, getting to the point at hand, here's why your favorite artists are f*cking with this Barbie :

Pharrell

“I think since Nicki came out there's going to be a lot of new girls coming out. There's always one that paves the way and opens the door [and] I think she reopened the door to hip-hop for females.”

Ludacris

“Now that you have somebody that has pretty much her own style and does her own thing, people are gravitating toward it, so I think that makes her stick out 'cause she's so different.”

5-0 Cent

“There's not as many female rappers because there's not as many emerging crews. When those new crews come up, there's a potential for a female artist when the head of that crew sees the idea of bringing someone to speak from a female perspective.”

Εύα

“Even though Nicki is representing for females period, she's not representing for every female. She's a specific type of entertainer. There are a lot of different kind of men out there representing for the males, and you need a lot of different females that represent for the different kinds of females. … Honestly, between [Lauryn Hill] and me and Nicki being out there, hopefully a lot of other females will be coming up.”

Queen Latifah

“Part of the reason hip-hop was dead is because there weren't any female emcees out, really like in the forefront of hip-hop, playing on the radio, in the daytime, every day.”

SMFH. F*ck it doggies, “It's Butters Barbie, b*ttttttttch!!!!” CO-SIGNED.

4. Mrs. Butterworth: Dela Monet

Doggies, I have yet to fail y'all at this point and once again Bulldog Butters has come through with the most juicy Mrs. Butterworth we have seen thus far, Dela Monet. Now she is on the come-up, so there isn'ta rack of pics out there for us, but we got a solid stack to peep this week. Even though some complain that a** and t*ts don't get more exposure here, I would hope that y'all could at least find some dark corner of your parent's basement and find something worthy of posting in here. F*ck it, why do I bother to type, here's what y'all have been waiting for:

Bonus Video, Doggies:

5. “STFU” Honors

LMFAO! D*mn, sometimes it's even hard for me to begin this section doggies b/c I know what is going to be said. Easily the most hilarious “Shut The F*ck Up” Honors material of the week but even better is when you take away my bolded font and really look at what these doggies are saying. SMFH. Comparing a Little Weasel to the best pop singer of all-time? Or what about saying rappers need second chances after their careers are completely destroyed, and actually comparing your horrible a** sales today to someone out-selling you. SMFH. Not impressed? Well, then imagine some fat rapper not including the TWO BEST MC'S OF ALL-TIME in their top five list or a lying a** wannabe groupie thinking a rap magazine feature is the equivalent of getting tossed up in a TIME piece. SMFH. Doggies, it's that time. Feast your eyes:

1. Μωρό

“When Wayne comes home he lifts everybody's spirits, he lifts everybody's value, he lifts the brand, he lifts everything. Wayne is gonna be the biggest artist in music, not just in hip-hop; in music. It's some Michael Jackson sh*t right here goin' on right before our eyes…He's a beast; he went back to that raw rappin'. That n*gga still be impressin' me with his music.”

2. Ja Rule

“Yeah, I'm starting to now see people that may have hated on me in the beginning are not rooting for me and want to see me win,” Rule explained in an interview. “That to me is big. The best part about it is I'm humbled by it all. I feel like everybody deserves a second chance to do whatever. Really, I feel that my situation was an unfair situation. A very unique, very pretty odd album situation. Nobody ever seen anything like that in hip-hop, you know? I laugh when I see people say sh*t like, ' Yo, [50 Cent] kilt Rule , but he didn't kill [Rick] Ross.' No disrespect to Ross, but he did 180-something [first week sales of Teflon Don]. I went platinum with [2004's] RULE after I made [2003's] Blood In My Eye. I look at sh*t like that and… I don't know, take it how you want to take it. I was a much bigger selling artist than just platinum so I guess that's why people felt I took a hit. But the music industry was taking a hit at that time, too. You can't really judge it or try to make an issue out of it, or an excuse. It just is what it is.”

3. Fat Joe

“That's a hard question to answer,” Joe told DJ Vlad when asked who his top five favorite artists were. “I would say Big Pun , I would say KRS-One , umm, I would say Kanye West. Yeah, I would say Kanye West, umm, it changes every day. I can't really answer that question you told me. I would go with Lil Wayne . That's four. Then I like this combination, Dr. Dre and Snoop [Dogg] combination. If I could put them as one, that would be like, my top five and half. Big and Pac are up there too, a million percent but when you ask somebody who's their top five, they gotta tell you who 'their' top five is. You can't always say Big and Pac. We know they're the greatest, we know they're the best, we know all that. And listen, it changes every day, my favorite rappers of all-time and my favorite rappers now.”

4. TI

“I pushed the album back so I can completely focus my attention to the rollout and release of this film Takers ,” he said. “I feel it wouldn't be fair to the film or the album if I was splitting my attention span amongst the two, so I hit pause on the album to completely focus my attention to rolling out this here film. And once we prayerfully debut No. 1–25-plus, 20-plus million–then after those bottles have been popped and that celebration [is] underway, I will completely resubmerge myself back into the music, fully on album mode.”

5. Kat Stacks

“When I first made the Internet blog, I regretted it, because everybody stopped talking to me ,” Stacks revealed in the interview. “But as I got bigger in time , bigger names and muthaf*ckas in the game, they all started getting at me . It just upgraded my career . Now I don't gotta go work . I don't gotta do sh*t. All I gotta do is show up at a [club] and get paid [for appearances] I don't regret it anymore . The first time I did it, I was like, 'D*mn, why the f*ck I did this sh*t? Because I was drunk? Just to embarrass muthaf*ckas?' I didn't expect to get money out of it. Now these muthaf*ckas keep f*ckin' with me, so I'm gonna continue to do Kat Stacks. “

^ Just for you Kat:

***D*mn doggies, final weeks of summer, can y'all believe it? F*ck it though, I like that NY cold weather and the hoody's out. Turns out all that rap beef sh*t just died out, with Waka Flocka/Gucci Mane, Rick Ross/Young Jeezy and Nelly/The Mask. LOL. No hot albums out, no blockbuster movies out…nah doggies, “The Lottery” doesn't count, and no more rap b*tches going after Nicki Minaj anymore. Any excuses/reasons? Well, it's dark and h*'ll's hot, so I'm hopping in the pool bathtub doggies. See y'all on Tuesday with that Waka Flocka Flame/LeBron James sh*t! LOL!!!!!!!! -BB***

Kenny Chesney 's new album “Hemingway's Whiskey” isn't out until Sept. 28, but the Country chart-topper gave Billboard an in-depth preview, discussing the record's 11 songs track by track, and in the process revealing how he sees himself in his fans, his thoughts on being like a “modern day pirate,” finding inspiration in the dentist's chair, and why duet partner Grace Potter is “a hell of a singer.”

The Kenny Chesney Billboard Cover Story

1. “Boys Of Fall”
(Casey Beathard/Dave Turnbull)

Kenny Chesney: “Boys Of Fall” is a perfect description of how I grew up and where I grew up. That song meant so much to me and I thought, 'Wow, there's a lot of kids out there and a lot of people that have that feeling in their lives.' There's a line in the song that says, “In little towns like mine, that's all we got.” And that's the way it was in East Tennessee, and still is. I've got a lot of guys from East Tennessee out on the road [with me] that grew up the same way, and I played them that song when [writer] Casey Beathard gave me the CD of just him on a guitar playing it. I made everybody come on the bus and said “listen to this.” I knew we had something that was very common.  A lot of people that listen to my music and that are passionate about what we do out on the road… I've been pretty perceptive over the years, and I think that we kind of grew up the same way. I see myself a lot in my fans, and I think vice versa. I hope so anyway.”

2. “Live A Little (Love A Lot)”
(Shane Minor/David Lee Murphy)

Chesney: “That song is what I try to live by. When I heard 'Live A Little (Love A Lot),' that's pretty much the definitive sound we create out on the road. If there's a predictable song on the record, for me, this might be it. And I don't think that's a negative, either. I think this song is going to be awesome in concert. I think it defines me — anybody out there that gives to anything — a lot. I work really hard, I give everything to this, I've given my life to this. But so does the guy that's a CEO for some company. I'm addicted to 'Deadliest Catch.' Those guys, they don't have a life; that's what they do. They can relate to that, 'I've got to get off this boat and live a little.' That's why I think that song matters.”

3. “Coastal”
(Michael Mobley/Wendell Mobley/Neil Thrasher)

Chesney: “When I was a kid we were very lower-middle class. We weren't poor, but we didn't have a lot of extra money to go places. So when we went on vacation, we packed the car up and we drove to Myrtle Beach. Or we drove to Daytona. Or we went to the Redneck Riviera: Panama City, Gulf Shores or Destin. And I still love that. That song is for everybody that grew up like I did. It's a beach song, but it's a Redneck Kenny song. These people work for a living. Like he says in the song, 'No more building transmissions, he's going deep sea fishin'.' I love that line. That's my family, that's my friends. That's my cousins. That's my audience.”

4. “You And Tequila” (featuring Grace Potter)
(Matraca Berg/Deana Carter)

Chesney: “This song makes me believe in music even more. I'd never met Grace Potter until she came into the studio. She grew up in the woods in Vermont. I grew up in the woods in East Tennessee. We come from completely worlds, different backgrounds, probably religious beliefs, we haven't talked about it. I don't know what her political beliefs are, I don't know nothing about any of that. I know she's a great person and I know that she is a hell of a singer. I heard her voice and I knew I would love to sing with her one day. I didn't know it would be on this, or this soon.

“At the end of 2007, I rented a house North of Malibu, Calif., for about two months. I was exhausted, I didn't want to talk to anybody, I didn't want to listen to music, I just wanted to be still for a minute. Every day I would drive close in to Santa Monica, meet some friends, eat dinner, and I'd drive back up the PCH with the windows down. That time of year is really chilly, I'd watch the sun set. It's beautiful, I loved it. I would turn on the radio every now and then and I would hear these songs. I heard an Eagles song, I don't even remember what the song was. But I remember thinking, 'Wow, I think I like music again.'

“When I heard 'You and Tequila,' it put me in that spot. That's when I thought of Grace, because I listened to her music a lot on the boat, a lot on the bus, her live record especially. She has a song called 'Apology' that still kills me. I got in touch with her and sent her the song, I had already recorded it. She called back the next day and said “I want to make this happen.” When she came in and we put our voices together, wow.  I love the song, Matraca and Deana wrote it, but, boy, it's relatable, so universal. To have Grace on it, that will be with me forever.”

5. “Seven Days A Thousand Times”
(Lee Brice/Billy Montana/Jon Stone)

Chesney: “To me, when I heard that song it was like 'Anything But Mine,' chapter two. It was like the next phase of that guy's life. I know I have that person in my life, and I think everybody's got that person in their life, that they were with a short time and had no idea the impact that short time would have on them. No matter how you live, no matter where you go in your life, no matter who you're with later on, those seven days or that little time frame that you're with them made more of an impact than you even knew at the time. I think that's very powerful and that's what this song's about.”

6. “Small Ya'll” (duet with George Jones )
(Bobby Braddock)

Chesney: “Here's what happened on 'Small Ya'll': George Jones cut that song a long time ago. I had his version in my truck for about three years and it never came out of my six-CD changer. I got into a little routine where I'd fly home after shows and fly back out the next day because I thought it was giving me more rest, until I realized it was only exhausting me more. But, I would land about 1:30-2 o'clock in the morning, depending on where I was playing, and I had about a 30-minute drive home. It would be the middle of summer and I'd roll down the windows to keep me awake and I'd crank up 'Small Ya'll' as loud as I could. No matter how tired I was or if I was in a bad mood or whatever, that song always brought me to center, mentally. It made me smile.

“And as fun-sounding as that song is, it's got an incredible message to it. What Bobby wrote about makes you think, it really does. It's a very well-written, deep lyric. I love that song, and the fact George is on it with me. I really do believe that there's a generation out there now that doesn't realize the genius of George Jones. And I felt like I had the opportunity to educate them just a little bit. It's as country of a song as I've cut in a while, too. It felt good, to be honest with you. It felt natural.”

7. “Where I Grew Up”
(Ashley Gorley/Kelley Lovelace/Neil Thrasher)

Chesney: “I haven't had one of these songs in a while. 'Where I Grew Up' is a song that you really look for, you hope you get three or four of them in a career. And I've been lucky to have three or four of them. This is me. I've been in every scenario in this song. I remember as a kid writing in one of my buddy's yearbook, “I hope we never grow up.” And I try in lots of ways to make that philosophy come true, but then again you realize in some ways I already had. My grandfather died when I was a kid, and I grew  up a little bit. I think this song teaches us that there are things in our lives that force us to grow up.

8. “Reality”
(Kenny Chesney/Brett James)

Chesney: “I got the idea to write 'Reality' in the dentist's chair. I'm sitting there with a gas mask on. There were a couple of years that I was so busy on the road I was kinda numb. I wasn't really tired, I wasn't really not tired, I wasn't really happy, I was just kind of numb. So I'd go to the dentist to have something done and they'd put that gas mask on me and I'd be like, 'Wow, that's as relaxed as I've been in years!' I thought to myself, 'This is why people smoke pot right here! This is it!' I don't smoke pot, but this is why people do it, I guarantee you. Because it gets them away from reality. I even asked my dentist, 'I just want to come over here and sit some time, can you guys do that?' He said, 'We can't do that, we'd get in trouble.' I swear, I started writing that song on the way home. But then I related it to everybody that comes to see us. That's what live music is. It's an escape from reality. That's why as a kid I loved it. I still love going to shows, I love live music. That's where I got the idea to write the song, it's my message to the fans that it's OK to break free and escape reality, with us.”

9. “Round And Round”
(Scotty Emerick/Paul Overstreet/Even Stevens)

Chesney: “'Round and Round' is very different for me, melodically and production-wise. I think everybody, whether it's your job or your love life, whatever it is, there's a certain complacency that we get, the internal voice saying it might be better somewhere else, or I'm kinda sick of what I'm doing now I might want to try this or that. This song is telling us we should enjoy the right now, enjoy the moment. I think everybody searches for that certain balance and tries to quiet those thoughts in their head that they've got to be constantly moving, need to go somewhere, do this, be with somebody else. It's like all those characters in the song. The guy that lives in the mountains wants to go to the beach and the guy on the beach wants to live in the mountains. The message of the song is you've got to enjoy the moment as much as you possible can.”

10. “Somewhere With You”
(JT Harding/Shane McAnally)

Chesney: “This song killed me when I heard it. This is a tortured soul song. If you get going with somebody, you've been in a relationship and for whatever reason she's gone or you're gone. And you're not necessarily in another relationship, but you're with somebody else, just starting something with somebody else. Trying to balance both those worlds is tough. I've done it a lot, where you're with somebody and you're thinking this isn't necessarily bad, but wow, man it would be really great to be with you. That can be a lot of mental baggage.”

11. “Hemingway's Whiskey”
(Guy Clark/Ray Stephenson/Joe Leathers)

Chesney: “My favorite book ever is “The Old Man and the Sea.” Those two characters in that book remind me of the relationship I had with my grandfather. It was an important one. I've been asked many times, on many different occasions, if there was one person you'd want to sit and have a beer with, living or dead, who would it be? And it would probably be Ernest Hemingway. He's traveled, he's met all these wonderful characters, he's written about them, he's loved, he's lost love, he's lived with regret, he's lived with depression, he's lived with so much stuff. Why wouldn't you want to have a beer and pick his brain… on a good day? And he loved life.

“When I saw the title on a Guy Clark record, I was curious. I wonder what that means, wonder what he's talking about? And I listened to it, and it's a celebration of how he kind of walked between the raindrops. I do that a lot. I've spent a lot of time on my boat down in the Keys and over in Bimini and the Bahamas, and those are all places where he hung out. I haven't been to Cuba yet. But when I heard this song, it just took me to those places. It took me to a state of mind. I love that part of the song where it says, “Sail away, sail away, three sheets to the wind/live hard, die hard, this one's for him.” Because I do, I live a pretty fast life. Even though I'm very healthy and regimented in my diet and everything, we live hard. We don't live as hard as the guys on “Deadliest Catch,” now they live hard. But we're in a different place every day, we're a lot like modern day pirates. So I get what that line is. It's not about being drunk at all. It's about being pedal to the metal. When I heard that line, it about killed me. I felt this pretty odd album kinship to that song.

“I don't know what I'd ask Hemingway if I had a beer with him. We'd have to have whiskey, I guess.”

A Conversation with eels' Mark Oliver Everett (E)

Mike Ragogna : What have you been up to since Hombre Lobo ?

Mark Oliver Everett : It's funny, we last spoke before Hombre Lobo came out, and that was only last April or May. That's weird to me because it seems like it must have been five years ago.

MR : Yeah, it seems like a long time.

MOE : I've been so busy. The fun thing about my life is that I immerse myself every year or so into a new musical world, and this time, I expedited how many times I was going to do that in a much shorter period of time. So, last year feels like several years to me.

MR : It should because you have had three albums in what, a little over a year?

MOE : Yeah, that's right.

MR : End Times was this past January's release, right?

MOE : That's right, a wintry record.

MR : And now you're capping off your run of Hombre Lobo and End Times with this third record that we're talking about today, Tomorrow Morning .

MOE : Right.

MR : Well, in some respects, Tomorrow Morning seems like a finale for the trio. On the other hand, it seems like you're opening another chapter.

MOE : Well, yeah. I guess that's the point. It was important for me to follow a title called End Times with the title Tomorrow Morning because then it changes the meaning of the title End Times . How could it be the end if there's a morning coming tomorrow?

MR : (laughs) Very clever. And it's interestingly sequenced.

MOE : Actually, the beginning is at the end of the story, and the end is in the middle.

MR : I've been a fan since E, and you had me at “Nowheresville” and A Man Called (E) .

MOE : You're showing your age.

MR : Somebody has to. You know, I've been following your career since your “E” days and when you became the eels that dabbled with even more experimental pop melodies and lyrics. With this album, did you have an overall mission with Tomorrow Morning ?

MOE : Well, I wanted to make a warm, celebratory album that was celebrating life and all of the good things in life. You know, as you get older, you start to look around, and you start to notice that there are things that you should be appreciating.

MR : Yeah, including love. There are a couple of great “love” songs on your latest. “I Like The Way This Is Going” is a really simple song with you on electric guitar…

MOE : …it's just guitar and bass and nothing else.

MR : Right, and it's a real joy to me. “Mystery Of Life” is probably my favorite, your “la la” chorus all but poking the eye of pop music.

MOE : Oh, cool.

MR : There are a few songs on this record that seem pretty complicated topically such as “I'm A Hummingbird.” Terrific lyrics and sentiment.

MOE : That's very nice to hear because I wasn't sure what anyone was going to make of that one. I felt like it was pretty pretty odd album, and so far, it seems like people are liking it, which is nice because I didn't know what to expect.

MR : From your perspective, which song was the most complicated from any perspective?

MOE : Well, a lot of them are deceptively complicated, but you wouldn't think it. The one called “Looking Up” is my favorite probably because I had the most fun I've ever had in the recording studio making it. But a lot of these songs are very complicated because they're multi-layered. Literally, there is just layer after layer, adding and subtracting as the songs go on. In the case of “Looking Up,” that applies to all the different percussion that keeps piling up on it, so it just keeps building. It's a different way to do a song, rather than the traditional verse, chorus, bridge, outro. Instead, you can also build songs by layering different percussive elements in and out.

MR : Looking at Hombre Lobo , End Times , and Tomorrow Morning , might this one be the most personal?

MOE : Well, End Times was pretty darn personal.

MR : True. What's your tour going to be like?

MOE : Yeah, we're about to start a fifty-show world tour.

MR : Where are you headed?

MOE : Japan, Australia, Europe, and America.

MR : Where in America?

MOE : They're on the website. I'm on a need to know basis, and I only know within the next twenty-four hours.

MR : (laughs) I may have asked you this question when I spoke with you last, but what advice do you have for new acts?

MOE : Well, I think the best advice I could give a young act is to try not to be tentative about anything that you do. Even if you're unsure about yourself or what you're doing, do it like you know what you're doing. That right there is half the battle. Do what you're doing with authority, and you'll be amazed at how much it works just by having that attitude.

MR : Nice. No one else has ever answered the question that way.

MOE : It's actually hands on, very useful advice.

MR : Yeah, it goes beyond just self-confidence, it's just about believing in yourself and what you're doing.

MOE : Exactly. Even if you don't believe what you're doing, lie to yourself that you believe what you're doing as a start, and eventually, you might start believing what you're doing.

MR : (laughs) From your days of making “E” albums through now, what are some of the most significant changes that you think you've gone through?

MOE : Artistically?

MR : Artistically, and maybe personally.

MOE : So much. I've had so many experiences, and I've been through so much since then. I wish someone could have told me back then how things would be for me twenty years later because things are really nice for me now, and I never would have guessed that things could have turned out this nice. So, good to know, and I hope that can serve as a little bit of hope. If a schmuck like me can get happy, anybody can.

Tracks :
1. In Gratitude For This Magnificent Day
2. I'ma Hummingbird
3. The Morning
4. Baby Loves Me
5. Spectacular Girl
6. What I Have to Offer
7. This Is Where It Gets Good
8. After The Earthquake
9. Oh So Lovely
10. The Man
11. Looking Up
12. That's Not Her Way
13. I Like The Way This Is Going
14. Mystery Of Life

(transcribed by Ryan Gaffney)

A Conversation with Ellis Paul

Mike Ragogna: With more and more artists taking responsibility for the marketing and distribution of their projects, fan funding has become a more obvious route. For The Day After Everything Changed , you raised over $100,000, right?

Ellis Paul : Yes.

MR : How did you do it?

EP : Well, we set up a tier system on the website where people can go get goods and services that they bought into. The top end is for $10,000 and in exchange, you get a guitar and a house concert, and I write a song for you with hand written lyrics to whatever song you like. On the lower end, a $15 dollar scale would get you a pre-ordered CD that is signed and numbered and on like that.

MR : Didn't your first albums came out on Newbury Comics?

EP : Yes. Newbury Comics hooked up with my manager and myself and we started a label called Black Wolf. We put the first two records out with them, and that went well. It gave me confidence to really do this.

MR : Was the first one also fan funded?

EP : Nope, I funded it myself. The management company basically put it out themselves. I have a good team right now put together for this kind of project.

MR : So, you've had songs in movies such as Jim Carrey's Me, Myself & Irene as well as music in the final scene of Ed .

EP : More and more of that kind of stuff is happening, and I'm starting to get calls from Nashville about covering my material. I had two cuts on a Sugarland record, and other commercial stuff coming my way which has been good. But I'm trying to write songs that I'm proud of having written, I don't want to write strictly for commercial means. I am just trying to write good songs.

MR : You mentioned Nashville which is perfect since your material is so cover worthy. “Annalee” sounds like it should be somebody's hit if not your own.

EP : That would be great, I like that song a lot. Well, that's part of the writing. Writing it for accessibility makes it universal, so a lot of people can be covering songs that are on this record as opposed to my other records which are based more on my personal experiences and personal take on things. My personal voice is maybe a little bit stronger on other records than the universal voice that is on this one.

MR : This album reminds me a lot of Stories .

EP : You know, it has more of that story kind of theme in a lot of ways. It's like a sister record.

MR : There is an intimacy to it that circles back to your earlier career and even the way you are phrasing things seems like Say Anything and Stories , that era.

EP : Glad you picked up on that as the writing is more like that era than the stuff that I have done in between.

MR : On the other hand, this batch of songs seems very emotional, the opposite of your earlier, concept-driven material.

EP : These songs seem to be more from the neck down rather than the neck up. The lyrics are more accessible right from the first listen. I think it was more country style writing where you just say what you mean, what you feel rather than trying to politicize everything. So, it just immediately connects emotionally and the production doesn't get in the way or distract, it supports whatever the mood of the song is in a great way. I am with you. It's my best record to date.

MR : Yeah, I also think The Day After Everything Changed is your best as well as your most “commercial” album to date.

EP : Yeah and I think that has to do with the immediate impact of the songs. It only takes a listen or two to get pulled into what the songs are about. It's partially the writing and partially making the right choices production-wise to hook people. “Commercial” production can be very hokey.

MR : Yes. Also, the packaging is beautiful with some real attention to detail.

EP : I don't want people to think that this was done on a shoestring or that I was begging people for money on the Internet. It's really more money than anyone has ever spent on me, we didn't cut any corners. I spent more on the recording, spent more on the artwork, and spent more on the marketing than I have ever spent on any other project. So, it's not a shoestring thing at all. It's a move up in a lot of ways.

MR : And due to your taking your career into your own hands–not becoming behoovin' to a label but going the fan funding route–you have the mandate to express yourself any way you need to artistically.

EP : Yeah. They are always trying to think of the bottom line and not actually what the actual product looks like. They give you deadlines that you have to be done by, you have to spend this much money, you can't go over budget.

All of those things are bypassed. We spent as much as we needed to make a record right, and we hired the right people for the design who could express who I am and what I want rather than what the record label wants. It feels more real, more me, more artful, more creative.

MR : It's always nice when the album concept is supported by its artwork. As we head towards CDs retirement, I guess it's logical that artwork will be the biggest casualty.

EP : I think people are dogging CD artwork because it's so small and it's fading out as more and more records are getting smaller and smaller and going to digital. So, we decided to maximize what the artwork would say. We really took our time with the artwork and the designer did a great job. There was sort of a theme of baptism and renewal in all of the photo shots of the water.

MR : Though my favorite shot is the one of you in the room with the guitar in the corner with the sunset through the bay window.

EP : That was in a little bed and breakfast mansion in Orange, Virginia, that we found on the Internet. We thought about each location and figuring out how to make the drama of the artwork work with the drama that was going on in the songs.

MR : How are you making this the best online experience for your fans?

EP : Well, I am trying to learn more about YouTube and Facebook interactions with people.

MR : And the website?

EP : I want it to be like a little garden. I want it to be filled with cool looking things rather than weeds. I think a lot of people just throw out weeds on their websites. They just let their gardens go entirely, let it go stagnant for years and throw garbage up on it that doesn't have any value. These are things that can stay up for years and years to come after we are all long gone, so it will be a website that will support high quality. I think that is why the artwork is so important. I just want to stick it out.

MR : Earlier, I brought up “Annalee,” but “Rose Tattoo” also is a pretty catchy song complete with a sing-a-long vibe at the end.

EP : With “Rose Tattoo,” I took a lot of that Jim Croce stuff with two guitars panned left and right. I'm happy with that one. But you know, I'm happy with all of them.

MR : You ended the album with the intense “Nothing Left To Take” which is a very unusual song. Can you discuss it a bit?

EP : I had heard a story about a couple that broke up and there was alcohol involved. One of the parties was an alcoholic and got into a car accident. So, I tried to dress up that story, and a lot of the specific details kind of came down to the bottle while he was driving. There was a time frame as to how the break up happened. Fifteen seconds, a minute, an hour–like a clock ticking as the song is going on.

MR : Which song are you closest to?

EP : “Hurricane Angel” seems to be one that I gravitate to the most, even though it's not a song about me. It's about a Katrina victim and the crossroads after the storm that happened, and trying to figure out how to get help. He's reaching out to the insurance companies, the President, and God looking for some help and relief.

MR : It's years later and the aftermath of Katrina and there's damage still remaining.

EP : I wrote that after all of the Katrina victims were in the FEMA trailers and were kicked out of them because of formaldehyde poisoning, nearly 40,000 people got their trailers taken away from them. I guess they were getting poisoned from the formaldehyde that was in the walls, and it just spurred me to write it. There is just no way that those people can win down there. It's just speed bump after speed bump after speed bump.

MR : You were a social worker at some point, right?

EP : Yeah, in my early twenties after college for about four or five years.

MR : Do you find yourself wanting to jump into specific social causes?

EP : Yeah. I want to write about those things, but often times, you can't force the subject matter. You start doing that and then a song comes out (that's) a piece of s**t. I try and wrap my head around these problems, but I'm just waiting for the right story to come to me. It's a challenge for me being self-employed to afford health insurance I need in order to cover my family. So, its going to be a social issue that addresses my life in some way, and then I need to find a story that I can address the emotions of, so it took me five years to write the Katrina song.

MR : A balance of sentiment and constructive engagement. Interestingly, it takes a while to know what to be talking about when you're talking about it.

EP : When (Katrina) happened, there were a thousand songs written in the weeks after that. It was too big of an event for me to ever get objective about for me to write about. There were some beautiful songs written, but I have to say, though a lot of songs were written out of that moment, I couldn't do it. It was just too big of a thing.

MR : This project's overall statement seems to be, “Okay, everything has changed and now it's time to start life.” Was that intentional?

EP : I have kids now and I'm looking back at the last 20 years of my life and what am I going to do with the next 20 years of my life, so it seems like, “What am I going to do now?” I'm at the halftime of the super bowl of my life and I'm reflective. I'm looking back, and a lot of these songs are about people who are about, you know, a guy who just got laid off and is at home, and in the first song, there is a guy who is going back to college and wondering what the future holds for him. So, every one of the characters are approaching some kind of major crossroads and are trying to make decisions about what their future is going to look like and which road to take. I guess I am sort of in that place in my own life being at a halfway point too.

MR: At this halfway point, are there things you haven't done musically that might be explored over the next few projects?

EP : I think so. If I can do the next four or five records with the same batch of people and approach the songwriting in the same way, I really feel like we could get locked into something that is like a sweet spot. I feel more centered with my production and writing style. It feels kind of like I found my thing. If I can write out of this place and write the next four or five records this well, even without any commercial success, I would be thrilled just to put out records that are this good every time.

Tracks :
1. Annalee
2. Rose Tattoo
3. River Road
4. The Day After Everything Changed
5. The Lights Of Vegas
6. Hurricane Angel
7. Heaven's Wherever You Are
8. Dragonfly
9. Sometime, Someplace
10. Once Upon A Summertime
11. Waking Up To Me
12. Walking After Midnight / Change
13. The Cotton's Burning
14. Paper Dolls
15. Nothing Left To Take

(transcribed by Erika Richards)

PRESS RELEASE :

DISTURBED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated hard rock band Disturbed have released the video for their #1 single “Another Way to Die.”
The video, shot by Roboshobo (Mastodon, Metallica), is a hard-hitting, unsettling look at the dangers of not taking care of our environment. Examples of global warming, pollution, deforestation and overflowing landfills are intercut with a post-apocalyptic narrative. “Thematically, the song's about global warming and how the choices we make affect the planet,” explains guitarist Dan Donegan. “It's a new topic for us, and it'll hopefully raise a little awareness.” Front man David Draiman continues, “It definitely is meant to draw the effects of the indulgent life that most people lead. It is meant to draw a contrast to things and to show the effects of the abuse we are causing to our planet.”
The track itself is already a #1 hit at Active Rock Radio. “Another Way to Die” is the highest Billboard Active Rock debut in Disturbed's history and the fastest #1 for the band on Billboard's Active Rock chart, getting to #1 in just 4 weeks. It is also the fastest # 1 on Billboard's Active Rock chart in over 3 years and is the band's 7th # 1 single on Billboard's Active Rock chart: they are tied with Metallica for the 3rd most #1′s on the Active Rock chart.

“Another Way To Die” by Disturbed

Follow Mike Ragogna on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/ragz2008

They Might Be Giants won a Grammy Award in 2002 for their half-finished song “Boss of Me,” which served as the theme song for the hit show “Malcolm in the Middle,” said John Flansburgh, one of the founders of the Brooklyn-born band.

“We had no idea that song would be a hit,” he said. “The success of that song really illustrates how you just can't tell how something is going to work out.”

TMBG, who will perform at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz on Friday, has a way of making things that work out.

TMBG, founded in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell — often referred to as the two Johns — started out somewhere in between alternative rock and performance art, Flansburgh said. Flansburgh played the guitar, Linnell played the accordion and saxophone and, true to 1980s dance culture, they rock a drum machine.

“Our stuff was kind of pretty odd album,” Flansburgh said. “We weren't accepted as a real band,' but at these performance art places we were the rock guys,' so we were kind of caught in between.”

But TMBG, born in the era of free form radio and punk rock, didn't care where they played, just so long as they played, he said.

“We're not virtuosos,” Flansburgh said. “When you're not a virtuoso, it's kind of a humbler. I don't know what it would be like to go through the world thinking I'm totally hot stuff. Our skill set is a little bit more willful. We actually have to work at what we achieve, and I think we get a lot out of the work that

we do.”

But, what TMBG lacked in virtuosity, they made up for with creativity.

For example, for their performance of their song, “Number Three,” they put down their instruments and wore giant, hot pink, papier-mache hands, crafted by Flansburgh, and did a choreographed dance, he said.

In the late '80s, their project, “Dial-a-Song,” set them aside from other bands.

They recorded their songs onto a phone answering machine so that when people called in they would hear TMBG on the recording, Flansburgh said. They changed the song daily and advertised the phone number in the New York weekly newspaper the Village Voice.

“It was quite the phenomenon,” he said. “It made us different from any other band and it was, uniquely, our own.”

The Two Johns began performing in the East Village New York club scene, where they gathered a local following, he said.

“The East Village scene pushed us into the national spotlight,” Flansburgh said. “It was pretty freaky in the mid '80s. There was a really hardcore night club scene, there were a lot of drugs and everything was hyper-sexualized. Stylistically, we were kind of the opposite of dance floor music but I think the fact that we worked with a drum machine helped bridge us into that world.”

TMBG found success and produced four albums as a duo, and in the early '90s they expanded into a full band, he said. Though they still used a drum machine and pre-recorded music, they took on a keyboardist, a drummer and a bassist.

TMBG's unconventional style, unusual subject matter and low budget but wild MTV videos, shot by television producer Adam Bernstein, gained them wide spread recognition and a big fan following, Flansburgh said.

Their music videos, which were adapted from their stage performances, often featured off-the-wall ideas, Flansburgh said.

“I think one of the reasons our videos did so well, besides our incredibly handsome faces, was that they were shot on film,” he said. “Even though they were very low budget, they looked more authentic than the video in 1986. It gave us more of an artistic value and that was a lucky break for us.”

In 2002, TMBG did a kids' record called “No!” which was very warmly received, Flansburgh said. After that, writing kids' music became a parallel industry for them.

TMBG's most recent, 2009 album for kids, “Here Comes Science,” uses catchy alternative rock to introduce listeners to applied sciences, according to their Web site. Songs such as, “Meet the Elements,” “What Is a Shooting Star” and “My Brother the Ape,” entertain as well as teach. The group is working on additional children's music but is also due to release another grown-up album in 2010.

“We're just trying to find a way to make a song that's a little more unexpected,” Flansburgh said. “We're were just trying to find our own voice in a “” well “” a really crazy world.”

Over the years, rock-star side projects have not fared particularly well. More often than not they are a self-indulgent mess or an ill-advised ego-trip, having little worth to anyone other than devoted disciples. So what to make of the news that Philip Selway, the unassuming Radiohead drummer, is to release his first solo album nearly 20 years into the band's celebrated career?

For such a hugely successful group, the members of Radiohead are among the most publicity shy in modern music. They aren't, however, adverse to the pretty odd album stunt, as the no-singles-to-be-released-from-”Kid A” furor and the pay-what-you-want experiment for their last album, “In Rainbows,” prove.

Selway is perhaps the band's most innocuous member, having little creative input into Radiohead's tunes, and being just as well known for his charity work as any kind of musical prowess.

It makes his decision to launch a solo career a surprising one, yet here he is with a world tour to coincide with the release of his “Familial” album. Of his motivation for this new project, Selway says, “When you're the same age as the prime minister, you think 'I'd better get on with this.' "

Produced by Ian Davenport of Radiohead's Courtyard Studios at their Oxfordshire base, “Familial” will shock many. That's not just because the emotional resonance of the sparse folk and haunting melodies inspired by the death of his mother in 2006 is genuinely moving, but because it is actually pretty good.

Japanese fans should be particularly excited, not to mention privileged, as Selway's whistle-stop tour — a date in Tokyo followed by one in Osaka — are his debut live shows. Not even British fans will have had the chance to see what are surely going to be, at the very least, some intriguing shows with Radiohead's unsung talent.

The Crowded House frontman has been busy with, of all things, a radio show about flowers

By George Varga , UNION-TRIBUNE

Originally published August 19, 2010 at 9:49 am, updated August 19, 2010 at 10:56 am

Music fans around the world know Neil Finn as the talented leader of Crowded House, New Zealand's most successful pop-rock band ever, and as a former member of Split Enz, New Zealand's most quirky band ever. Fans also know that Neil's older brother, Tim, founded Split Enz (which Neil joined in 1977 at age 18), that Tim joined Crowded House in 1991 for a few years, and that both are pals with ex-San Diegan Eddie Vedder, who attended Split Enz's memorable 1981 gig here at the State Theater.

But here are some things you may not know about Neil Finn, who performs here Sunday with the revamped Crowded House at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay, in support of “Intriguer,” the group's arresting new album.

Fresh bloom: This veteran singer-songwriter and band leader now hosts a radio show in New Zealand, “Neil Finn's Cornucopia of Flowers.” Thus far, he has used the show to explore the allure of sunflowers, daffodils, gardenias, hyacinths, poppies, lotuses and peonies. (You can hear “Cornucopia” online at 95bfm.com/index.sm) . But what, exactly, qualifies him to discuss blooms and blossoms?

Finn: “I don't want to give you any illusion I have any real depth of knowledge. I got asked to do the show. It was the most unusual thing I've ever been asked, especially given my lack of knowledge. But I thought: 'I'll never be asked that again, so I should do it.' ”

Pedal pusher: An avid bicyclist, Finn has discovered that honing his song lyrics comes easy when he's pedaling away or when he's simply walking. Thankfully, he's never had an accident while mulling a tricky couplet or chorus on his bike.

Finn: “I ride about 6 to 10 kilometers and it's a great place to go over lyrics, on your bike, or walking as well. If you're searching for a few lines, you can get it. The rhythm of those activities things is quite good for songwriting.”

Fruits & nuts: While some bands take great delight in demanding that colorful (and sometimes outrageous) items be provided in their backstage dressing rooms, Crowded House is not one of them.

Finn: “I would think we're fairly easy to please. We ask for avocados, salt-and-pepper potato chips, tamarind-almonds, fruit and some nice bottles of red wine. That's the extent of it, really. We don't take delight in making (concert) promoters find pretty odd album things. We don't even ask for M&Ms!”

Sugar rush: Finn does admit to having a sweet tooth, although, he notes: “I don't eat as much I used to.” Does he have any favorite sweet treats from his native New Zealand?

Finn: “As far as confectioneries go, I'm very fond of Chocolate Fish, which is just exactly what it sounds like: a chocolate marshmallow, shaped like a fish. And Pineapple Lumps are pretty good as well. Do we ever ask for Chocolate Fish and Pineapple Lumps to be stocked in our dressing rooms? No, that would be really problematical for promoters in America to find, which — hmm — is tempting!”

Rob Sheffield's new book, Talking To Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut must have been titled by the publisher rather than the author. There was no questing for true love. Yearning and pining, perhaps, but no discernable actions were taken by the author to actually acquire a girlfriend. Despite having the advantage of three outgoing sisters who gamely attempted to transform him into a babe magnet and generally school him on the subtleties of elusive, mysterious minds and hearts of teenage girls, Sheffield was too paralyzed by fear and anxiety to talk to most girls, let alone bust a move. This is understandable for an awkward, gawky 15-16 year-old. But his neurosis extended throughout the entire decade of the 80s, well into his early 20s. It certainly takes balls to admit that, and makes me feel a little better that I at least managed to conquer my own fears just shy of 19.

So it's not really about talking to girls, nor questing for love, and not even much about Duran Duran. Instead, it's an episodic series of 25 impressionist vignettes using pop songs to talk about his life, which mainly involved listening to music, driving ice cream trucks, staying with his grandfather, thinking about religion, hanging around some girls and thinking about talking to them, but mostly not. Those looking for a compelling, heartbreaking narrative arc like his first book, Love Is A Mix Tape , will be left wanting. This book will appeal more to music trainspotter types who love the 80s. Really, really love the 80s. One of the most admirable things about the book is that Sheffield manages to be funny without using the crutch of irony. There's very little irony, only sincere love letters to 80s pop as it coincides with his hapless adolescence and early adulthood. I enjoyed Sheffield's enthusiasm for long-forgotten artifacts like Haysi Fantayzee, despite the fact that I hated the 80s. At least that aspect of it.

I was particularly struck with how he made 1986 seem particularly dreary, despite his enthusiasm. It seemed like a year that nothing really significant happened in music. And it does coincide with the conventional wisdom that the mid-eighties were a cultural wasteland. Sheffield characterized that era with Rambo and Top Gun, sources of repeated hilarity and guilty pleasures at the time, but best forgotten. Of course it was also the year of Aliens, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, One Crazy Summer, Blue Velvet, The Name Of The Rose, Down By Law, The Big Easy, Matador, Something Wild, Sid And Nancy, Nine 1/2 Weeks and Pretty In Pink. By now you're realizing this isn't really a review of Talking To Girls About Duran Duran , just like the book wasn't really about girls or Duran Duran. Let's talk more about 1986.

1986 was when MTV started to royally suck. Hit videos were repeated so often they would often appear twice in the same hour, including the likes of Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Heart, Bon Jovi, Bruce Hornsby, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Billy Idol, Mr. Mister, Lionel Richie, Billy Ocean, Starship, Robert Palmer, Genesis, Steve Winwood, Huey Lewis & The News, The Bangles, Falco and Wang Chung. Not all of it was horrible, but just for the indignity of being force-fed the stuff so repetitively, every single one of them made me want to drive nails into my raging, sexually frustrated teenage skull. Or better yet, their skulls. Bon Jovi particularly irked me at the time, because I thought at first he sounded alright, a kind of metallized Bruce Springsteen. But then I saw the videos with his ridiculousy poofed hair and cheesy preening that was blatantly aimed toward an audience of screaming tweener girls, and I somehow felt betrayed. Similarly, the tunes from Madonna's first album made me think she was like a former tough New York punk chick who discovered dance music, like Blondie. But her later hits like “Like A Virgin,” “Papa Don't Preach” and “True Blue” drove me insane with their obviously, cynically calculated, cold feel. Feh, sellout.

1986 felt uneventful for some as it was an pretty odd album limbo between the blockbusters of Thriller, Purple Rain, Born In The USA, , and later hits like Faith, The Joshua Tree, Bad, Hysteria and, erm, Dirty Dancing . Other major post-punk and indie bands like The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Replacements, The Pogues, Tom Waits, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Naked Raygun and Dinosaur Jr. also took a breather that year, when it was still common to put out albums every year.

1986 was pretty uneventful for me personally too. It spanned the spring of my junior year and the fall of my senior year in high school. I ran track and cross country, applied to colleges but didn't know where I was going yet, and needless to say I had no girlfriend. But my relationship with rock 'n' roll was getting pretty dang mature, if you count our first date when I bought my first album, Gary Numan's The Pleasure Principle in 1979. I had quickly graduated from buying 45s to albums that year, and I was hooked. I was always about the album. A single was over way too quickly, then you had to get up and flip it or put on something else. It was like a commercial or a movie preview. Listening to an album was more like the main event, or like reading a good book. It gave me time to read or do homework during the 16 to 20 minute sides. I was addicted, shoveling snowdrifts bigger than me at age 9-12 during the winter and raiding trash cans after summer house parties for beer and pop cans with 5 cent refunds to support my habit.

The liberating factor that easied my financial restrictions was the acquisition in the end of 1985, of my Aiwa double cassette deck mini stereo with graphic equalizer. It was not quite a real stereo, but it was bigger than a boombox, with detachable speakers. It was my sweet baby that allowed me to horde ten times the amount of music than I had previously. A local rock station would play new albums in their entirety on Sunday nights, and I could tape them. But most importantly, whenever I or my small group of friends would get tapes via the Columbia and RCA clubs, local stores The Asteroid or Musicland, or Target's $5.99 sales, we could dub them for each other. At 16 I had a fair collection of 100 or so records and tapes. And a want list of another 500. When college/public radio station KUNI would play something enticing, I'd take notes. I had a long-standing ritual of scouring reviews in CREEM, Trouser Press, Rolling Stone and RECORD magazine, which was bought out at the end of 1985 by SPIN . I was well equipped to side-step the tyranny of MTV and top 40 radio and find out what else the world of music had to offer. By the time 1986 rolled around, I was 5'9″ and barely 100 lbs (with 4 more inches and 60 lbs of growth ahead) of quivering, twitchy teenage music obsession, ready to rock.

[More on music from 1986 with some videos. Click on my dorky picture at the end for the soundtrack, which I kindly matched the sound levels for you with Adobe Soundbooth.] Continue…