Rather than simply write a review of the documentary, Tony [AKA Dan] was able to charm the Sky Arts posse into arranging an email interview with the director, Robert Mugge, allowing him to plumb the creative soul of the veteran filmmaker.
The interview is highly revealing, with Tony [no, you crazy ArtsWom fools, it’s DAN!] asking some very insightful questions – this is clearly a conversation between two people who have a deep love of music. Robert Mugge doesn’t issue any short responses either, making the exchange an enlightening read.
Jump over to From Da Bricks to read the interview.
[ArtsWom’s sincerest apologies to Dan who is getting none of the credit while the mysterious Tony over-rode our usually stringent insanity checks to dominate this article. Although ArtsWom make no efforts to remove our responsibility for this over-sight, the number of Tony-related disturbances across the Internet have dramatically risen over the past four months in a trend that looks set to continue. If you or anyone close to you experience any Tony-based paranormal activity step away from the monitor, put down your mouse and don’t look back… If you are the more courageous type try standing with your friends in front of the computer screen and say Tony five times. I dare you.]
This image was created by miNroCKs and can be found on Deviant Art.
The weird and the wonderful, the outrageous and the downright obsessed are exposed in this superb SkyArts documentary that will leave you all shook up. Concentrating on the impact that The King has had on the lives of so many people, the viewer is introduced to those who love him tender, those who hate him, and even the guy who coiffed the famous locks for the corpse in the open coffin.
With hair a-quiffed, hips a-swivelled and lips a-curled, enjoy this rocky road through the daily lives and suspicious minds of the fans who literally change their entire existences to follow their impossible dreams. If you are one of them, why not tell others about the lengths you have gone to here.
Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues is one of the more intriguing programmes currently showing on Sky Arts, inviting seven famous directors to explore the blues through their own perspectives and styles. As previously mentioned on these pages, the series began last week and continues into October and Sky Arts are running a competition offering you the chance to win one of five boxed sets of the series.
Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for best achievement in directing, in which of the following films?
Now, true Scorsese fans would probably know that answer (or, at least, IMDB will) so we won’t give you the options – we can be a little cruel like that – anyway, follow the link above to enter and let us know if a reader of our humble blog wins!
With a voice powerful and enchanting enough to soothe even the most cantankerous of rampaging barbarian hordes, Ali McGregor’s Opera Burlesque is well-worthy of an addition to the world-renowned (that is, known to some people in the world) ArtsWom showcase.
Ali McGregor experienced an award-winning, five-year spell as a principal soprano for Opera Australia, singing with some of the greatest singers and conductors in the world. Since developing ‘The Opera Burlesque’ show - which was quoted to boast: ‘More high C’s than sleaze but just enough tease to please’ - she has led a tour of some of the hottest venues in her native Australia, selling out every time.
More recently, The Opera Burlesque has made the long journey to the UK – gathering together a British cast and making an appearance at the Edingburgh Fringe Festival. They are currently continuing their UK tour, performing at the Waterford Festival on the 28/29th September. Visit the website for more details.
If you want to hear a sample of Ali McGregor’s enticingly sonorous performances, head across to her MySpace page. Of particular brilliance is her cover of Radiohead’s Creep, which was a fantastic song in the first place and is replicated with arousing flair by the voluptuous vocalist.
‘Inexplicably unsigned’ is how the Metro describes this rock-ska-punk Camden collective, and ArtsWom can wholeheartedly agree. With engaging hooks and bright, intelligent lyrics, the music grabs and shakes you about with an energy and vigour sadly missing from the tunes that seem to get airtime on the radio these days. Akin to the Clash in many ways, apart from maybe the facial hair, the sound is mesmerising and leaves you reaching for the play button straight away. Too punk to be pop, there isn’t a bad track to be found by these soon-to-be giants.
The Bad Robots are gradually gaining the recognition they rightly deserve, being given a play by Mr Music himself, Steve Lamacq, on his 6Music show. In the recent Mobile Act Unsigned competition, Jo Wiley, Alex James and the head of A + R at Universal Records voted to progress the band to the next round, with only Lily Allen bucking the trend (all good then). Things just seem to be going onwards and upwards for this four piece, and it won’t be long before they are dipping their toes in the mainstream, so remember where you heard the name first.
ArtsWom strongly recommends a visit to the website to listen to some of the tunes, and if you’re in the
London area, invest some of your pennies in seeing them rock out.
Poet, Benjamin Zephaniah wrote his first collection of poems, titled Pen Rhythms at the tender age of 22. Now aged 49, the British-Jamaican has emerged as one of this nations most established of black writers and social commentators.
Currently sitting pretty as both Writer in Residence at the Africa Arts Collective in Liverpool and Creative Artist in Residence at Cambridge, Zephaniah was able to find time to take control of your airwaves, featuring as tonight’s guest on Sky Arts’ Friday Night Hijack series.
Usually, ArtsWom would delve into the particular artist’s selection (in our traditionally insightful and witty manner). This time, however, Sky Arts are seemingly trying to trump our efforts through the medium of sheer flashiness - and, interestingly, clicking on lightbulbs. Traverse eagerly over to the Sky Arts website to find out more about the poet with a short interview, bio, his choice of programmes and a chance to discuss his work.
Poetry on the hoof, instant lyrics and clashes of artistic minds are all exposed in this fascinating SkyArts documentary that airs tonight. It takes an in-depth and revealing look at the previously underground improvised hip-hop scene that is gradually surfacing in the main stream. Starting with the history of the genre, the programme goes on to explore the emotions and reasons behind the rise and rise of MC ‘battles’. Anyone who loved 8 Mile will enjoy the rare behind-the-scenes footage of some famous proponents of the improvised form of rap.
A few of the uses of the English language may be debated by some as inappropriate, but imagine if someone had questioned Shakespeare when he started inventing words of his own. Fact is, these young men (and some women) are rapping about their new empowerment, or lack of, as it happens - inventing spontaneous lyrics that have never been uttered and will never be repeated. The artists profiled are gifted, determined and talented, and completely destroy the ‘gangsta’ stereotype that is held by the majority of the population. The New York Times described this show as ‘A joyful and ferocious celebration of…verbal artistry’, a glowing commendation and reason enough to tune in.
This documentary is bound to cause some discussion, so have your say here.
Image used in article taken from HipHopBoard on DeviantArt
They seem to pop-up everywhere. In car boots, amidst jumble sales and (unsurprisingly) nestled in dusty corners of second-hand record shops. Hideous, squirm inducing, what-were-they-thinking, surely-not album covers that just make you want to reach out to the artist and hug them in sympathy. The titles first of all. ‘Let Me Touch Him’ may have sounded OK to The Ministers Quartet reaching out for God, but now just sounds wrong in so many ways ‘Vivacongalongamax – Volume 10’ (note that, Volume 10 is surely one of Max Bygraves’ more memorable discs).
And now to the artwork. Poor photos of bad-looking people in bad-looking jumpers abound, but there are some gems that break this mould. What about Pooh Man’s (yes, he really is called MC Pooh) ‘Funky As I Wanna Be’, which depicts his face between the spread legs of a lady (presumably to show what a player he is). Great, but turn it upside down, and it looks like the woman is actually having a poo. Man.
There are several disturbing images, depicting everything from a naked John and Yoko, to these quite literally jaw dropping examples of ventriloquism records. Think about it.
ArtsWom is having great difficulty choosing between the vast panoply of ridiculous, foolish and downright wrong album covers. Why not try and choose one yourself by visiting the Museum of Bad Album Covers.
Better known for directing some of the most adulated films of the modern era, Scorsese is not as widely known for his love of the blues – though ArtsWom will be patiently awaiting emails from angry fans contending that statement. Regardless, the genius behind such legendary films as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas features in Sky Arts seven-part series titled The Blues.
Every week, The Blues invites a filmic legend to investigate and communicate the spirit of one of the world’s most popular genres of music while studying its growth and influence across the globe. Martin Scorsese stands at the forefront of the list of featured directors - that includes the likes of Charles Burnett, Clint Eastwood and Wim Wenders – taking us on a journey that covers the banks of the Niger River in Mali through to the cotton fields and juke joints of the Mississippi Delta. The documentary features a mix of original performances (featuring artists such as Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner, and Ali Farka Toure) and rare archival footage, including Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker.
Amongst lovers of the blues, this will undoubtedly be a popular series and may help them develop a greater affection for the starring directors, but will it have an equal crossover appeal to the director’s fans? Scorsese worshippers are legion, but will even the most hardcore tune in to Sky Arts tonight? And how many of them will reach the credits with a stronger appreciation of the blues?
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues - Feel Like Going Home is being shown Tue 18 Sep 2007 9:00PM - 10:20PM on Sky Arts channel 267. To read more or discuss some of the questions this documentary raises, follow the link below to the Sky Arts website.
Commencing Monday 17th September in honour of one of the greatest tenors to ever live, Sky Arts will bring you Pavarotti Week.
Dedicated to the talent of Luciano Pavarotti, each night viewers will be able to bear witness to milestones in his career, with a selection of his most famous work including the Italia 90 performances of Nessun Dorma that contributed to making him a household name, and his later shows that merge popular music stars with traditional opera.
The full list of programmes and their broadcast times can be found here. Pavarotti in Concert in China gets things underway on Monday beginning at 8:00PM. For those you can’t wait however, here is a preview of Pavarotti doing what we all remember him for.
With young aspirations to be America’s first black concert pianist, Nina Simone - the High Priestess of Soul - has left an indelible mark not only on the world of jazz, gospel, pop and folk music but also society, being official singer of the Civil Right’s Movement due to her emotive protest songs. To hear some of the artists great tracks, look no further than the blogosphere – and even then don’t look back further than a week. Lester Jonze has recently posted a video of her title, When I Was in My Prime, and Adventures in Babywearing posted the Feeling Good video. It is a testament to Simone’s talent that her music continues to be so popular in the mainstream, decades after their initial release.
By the time of her death at the age of 70 in 2003, Nina had recorded over 40 live and studio albums and notched up an impressive number of live concerts – that were considered to be more akin to ‘happenings’ by her fans – as well as countless, more intimate gigs. One of these, her performance at the legendary London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, is being shown on Sky Arts over the coming weekend, featuring such favourites as My Baby Just Cares For Me, I Loves You, Porgy and Moon Over Alabama.
There is more information over at the Sky Arts website, which you can reach by simply getting click-happy on this here blue text. Those embracing folks over at Sky Arts also provide a space for you to share your thoughts or provide a review of the performance for the benefit of other Simone fans. If you have something to say, head link-wards and say it.
Everything you could possibly want to know about Evelyn Glennie can be found on her MySpace page. A long list of accolades, awards and history-making performances make up the Scottish-born percussionists illustrious and inspirational career but, despite the detailed biography, there is one notable omission from the MySpace page - the fact that Evelyn Glennie is deaf.
Evelyn considers music to be more than sound waves registered by the human ear. In the Thomas Riedelsheimer film, Touch the Sound, Evelyn’s perception of music and sound is explored in wonderfully evocative detail, following the artist as she travels to California, New York and England before returning back to her native Scotland. A clip of this documentary is available from her MySpace page and the full show will be airing on Sky Arts and Sky Arts HD Tuesday 4th September at 9pm.
There’s nothing quite like spending a hazy summer afternoon at a commercial British rock festival, smashing down overpriced pints of weak lager in the sun while the stench of urine, sweat and marijuana permeates every molecule of air around you. And what better example of festival goodness than Reading (and now Leeds) fest – the perfect bank holiday rock festival, with bills topped by megastars, up and coming heroes filling up the smaller stages and the odd performance that takes the breath away. The kind of experience that will leave you dewy-eyed as, with grandchild on your knee, you talk of the time you saw Muse in the Carling Tent in ’99. Great days!
But of all the rock n’ roll legends, partisan individuals and one-hit-wonders ever to grace the stages of arguably England’s most important rock festival, who was the absolute best? The pinnacle of your musical world… Over on the Guardian blog a hatful of classic performances (some of which I was lucky enough to witness) have been brought up. Nirvana in ’92 is an obvious choice, At the Drive In electrifying the Carling Stage in 2000. And who could deny the relative merits of The Fall in 1990, Blur in ’93 or more recently The Arctic Monkeys in 2005.
As for me though, nothing has quite hit the heights of the legendary Stephen Malkmus, who performed on the Radio 1 Stage in 2001 with his band The Jicks. Topping even Elliot Smith (who unleashed a wonderful mix of heart-wrenching indie classics in 1998), Stephen’s brand of alt-indie surf-rock combined lush story-telling vocals, the jangly distort-ifused rock style of former band Pavement and accompanying girl on screams left me feeling like I had reached musical Mecca. Truly the performance of a lifetime! Whether anything can top it this year I doubt, but with the likes of Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Eat World and Artswom favourites I Was A Cub Scout – it’s going to be a blistering bank holiday weekend down in Berkshire!
As Wikipedia reliably informs, Irish comedian Sean Hughes lives alone in London with his cat and two dogs. We trust the three are able to co-exist peacefully without constant supervision as their master will be thoroughly occupied tonight curating this week’s Friday Night Hi-Jack. Granted, Sean Hughes’s links would probably have been filmed days, if not weeks ago, but that is no excuse to avoid sparing a few seconds of thought for the pets of the youngest-ever winner of the Perrier award.
Judging by Sean’s choice of programmes, his love of music as well as animals is clear as two of his three selections are performances or gigs. The first is Johnny Cash in San Quentin and the second sees the return to Sky Arts of The Pixies first ever all-acoustic performance from the Newport Folk Festival. Sean ends our evening on a different note by airing Meantime, Mike Leigh’s 1983 social-realist film about unemployment and the dole, which paints a bleak, yet brilliantly evocative, picture of the Thatcher era’s social economics.
Thu 23 Aug 2007 7:50PM - 9:00PM Fri 24 Aug 2007 2:00PM - 3:10PM Mon 27 Aug 2007 2:50PM - 4:00PM Wed 29 Aug 2007 4:50PM - 6:00PM
The San Francisco based string quartet Kronos Quartet is performing Uniko in collaboration with the Kimmo Pohjonen Kluster. Airing four times in the next six days with the first one tonight at 7:50PM Uniko is a nine movement piece featuring all the instruments that are played by the Finnish duo Kluster and Kronos foursome. This is no mere coincidence because Pohjonen and Kosminen, the two halves of Kluster composed Uniko for Kronos and now lend their mix of accordion and sensational sampling work to the innovative sound styling of the Kronos Quartet.
To get that little bit more about this unique combination of creative musicality, compose yourself and pluck the blue text.
ArtsWom’s rejoicing! Core77 has passed on news that the greatest of all romantic gestures is back-on-board the opening-up-a-loved-ones-heart train - the mix tape!
Updated for the ever-so-relevant present is Mixtape USB, which is basically, a memory stick. Of course, it’s so much more than just a memory stick - it comes with packaging, which is the only reason you’d ever choose to buy this.
The peeps at SuckUK have designed their ‘another word for donkey’s’ off and tapped straight into the nostalgia associated with creating a musical journey on a blank cassette by developing a packaging for the pen drive that remarkably resembles the aforementioned blank cassette. In reality, you’d then give the labour of love to a girl who, while appreciating the gesture, doesn’t like half the bands you have chosen especially for her and has absolute no understanding of all the clever references you have included about the pain of your unrequited devotion.
So if you want to reach the heights of pleasure in the creation of the most individual gift then plunge into the depths only achievable by total rejection, go ahead buy one of these, get them on the SuckUK site.
Presumably, the Mixtape USB has a large capacity, at least 1Gb. This means writing all the track and artist names on the fold out bit of shiny card contained within may be tricky. It was bad enough with 20 odd tracks…The Key, The Secret – Urban Cookie Col…
If you can detect a faint whiff of garlic in the air, it’s because the French Film Festival UK has invaded our shores with the typically-French intention of mocking our dainty, English sensibilities and seducing our spouses. That’s just the price we p
This image was created by miNroCKs and can be found on 
the music grabs and shakes you about with an energy and vigour sadly missing from the tunes that seem to get airtime on the radio these days. Akin to the Clash in many ways, apart from maybe the facial hair, the sound is mesmerising and leaves you reaching for the play button straight away. Too punk to be pop, there isn’t a bad track to be found by these soon-to-be giants. 
Lily Allen bucking the trend (all good then). Things just seem to be going onwards and upwards for this four piece, and it won’t be long before they are dipping their toes in the mainstream, so remember where you heard the name first. 
