How do I follow the previous blog? I meant to add loads of other blogs about the tour but nothing I could think to say seemed important enough to write about. Its all a little one dimensional. That's how I'm feeling - one dimensional. I could write some witty quip about nothing important, or I could babble on about god or music in an attempt to make people think I have intellect, as a cover up for something deeper. But it all sounds the same to me right now. It's all pretend, all a bit like I'm designing peoples perception of me. I had hoped this blog would be a chance for me to show my colours but to be honest I'm pretty shocked by how shallow it all reads, and all the tricks and repetitive surreal comedy I throw around to cover up something more? or maybe this is it. Maybe it is a true reflection of myself, one I had hoped not to see. baa who cares.
I'm not down. Really, I just feel switched off, on standby, kinda numb. I ought to mention what happened after Asia.
Played Japan which was amazing, watched Prodigy 4 times and loved every minute. Returned to the UK, had a great time in Edinburgh, met some very nice people after the show. V festivals were a little turbulent, Birmingham show was the best. And Paris show was a pile of dog shit. Although Paris as a place was as bourgeois and rad as ever. It rained in Wales (duh) and now I'm back in LA.
BOLLOCKS. I should be maybe keeping some mystique about me and the band right? I shouldn't be writing here as though its some kind of teenage diary. But then whats the point of it at all. It would be all lies and mirrors. like tattoos on the skin telling stories of what i want people to believe, but only skin deep. Others keep their private thoughts, lives detached from this, cover it up with deflecting jokes or adopted rants, create a persona weekly like a copy of kerrang, in order to sell to as many people as possible. Trivial.
I write here the way I do because my Dad reads it. When I was a painter, living in Wales I'd call my Dad about anything and everything...all the time, "what colour should I do the sky? what does this part mean, who am i bla bla bla." Always me doing the talking and him listening. I left all that and joined the band. Best thing in the World for me, never thought much about what a void I must have left in my Dad's days. I use this blog as a chance to talk to my Dad again about all the stuff not important enough to talk about on the phone or in the short times I am home. Or maybe too important, so important I don't have the balls to say out loud.
So, if anyone is thinking I give away too much, F**k you, just don't read it! (not you dad, and sorry for the bad language) If anyone thinks I'm abusing my privilege and being irresponsible and giving the band a bad rep, delete me! If anyone thinks I should put all this in an email instead of a public blog and stop being so f**king narcissistic, get in line behind me. I never said I knew what I was doing. I never promised I would give anything of value. I didn't send out any invites. Take it or Leave it.
p.s. Most of this was aimed at myself. It must be fairly clear that I'm struggling with who I am supposed/allowed to be here. I'm obviously trying to convince myself and justify what I write and say. All I ask is please leave your expectations and judgments at the door on your way in. Diolch yn fawr.
"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to" - The 'Stewart & Gaskin' version 1981
Archive for the ‘Jamie's blog’ Category
my sweet hypocrisies and contradictions!
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The news so far….
Wow, where do I start? I guess I apologise for not doing a day to day blog firstly. Its been a little difficult to get online, and when I have, I've opted to go and see the place I am at instead (selfish I know).
Well, the 17 hour flight from LA to Jakarta was a breeze. Singapore Airlines were amazing, economy was like first class, so much leg room, puts all other airlines to shame! I slept loads and played FF7 Crisis core all the rest of the flight with mikey. They even had metal knives and forks! luxury. We had a short connection flight when we arrived and then onto the hotel.
The first thing I noticed on the drive from the airport was how poor some of the country was. It seemed like a massive divide between the very wealthy and the very poor. There were iron and cardboard shacks all along the waters edge for miles, plastic bottles and rubbish littered the rivers. There was a constant smell of decay and sewage in the air. Then suddenly as though we crossed an invisible line into the city the high rise 
buildings and posh hotels replaced the slums. It was very humid. We asked to be taken to see some sights, and the host drove us to a mall with western stores, we were like "nah mate, can we go see the real Jakarta?" so they drove us to this street and we got out. We walked down this ally, and the security guy with us said to be very careful because it was dangerous. I've never seen anything like it. I was shitting myself. I suddenly felt very embarrassed, I was hoping to take pictures but felt as though I was taking advantage of the people for my own gain. Most people were friendly but you could sense that some couldn't believe that we were there, walking around. I couldn't work out who was looking at/watching who. We kept moving and stuck tightly together for safety, I'm sure if we were in a smaller group we would have found trouble. Thank god 
for the security dude with us. For the most part 
I took photographs off the hip so to keep my camera out of sight and also not to offend anyone. I was nearly brought to tears by some of the children walking and laying around. We were not harassed by people begging because I think people we more surprised to see us in the area, but it was a very, very humbling experience. Even amongst such poverty I could see people smiling and laughing, and the colours were amazing. After we returned to the hotel, I had a hard time readjusting and justifying sleeping in 5 star luxury having just witnessed what I did. I was awash with emotions and guilt and a very strong sense of iniquity. The contrasts I saw and photographed were extreme. I am still confused between pity, sympathy, gratitude, guilt and helplessness and feel I have been changed. I have felt quite mildly depressed since.
The show was amazing, but somehow my mind was not 100% focused and continually returned to the young child without shoes following us around that day. Such tragic beauty.
We left for Singapore, everything since has been a blur. I've been poorly with stomach cramps and find it difficult to get my energy back. Singapore could not have been more opposite to Jakarta. It was very clean and very rich. The hotel was like nothing I had ever seen. I thought they had made a mistake when I entered my room because there was no bed, but I had no idea that it had its own bedroom and 2nd bathroom. The suite was bigger than my home. As amazing as Singapore was, my first impression left feeling cold and dead. I went for an explore to the rain forest at Bukit timah
and found some peace and harmony at the top of the hill, and decided to take a random bus to where ever and walk around the city. I walked for 5 or 6 hours not in a hurry to arrive anywhere. It was very welcome solitude where I was able to tidy up the mess in my head from the past few days. My stomach still hurts and is making my dizzy and disorientated because I can't eat much without spewing.
I would like to add, I have some amazing friends around me and have met some great people. I really do appreciate how lucky I am to do this journey and to share this with very like minded friends. I know your thinking, "what about the shows?" but to be honest, the experience is so much more than simply performing. The Singapore show was fraught with technical problems but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I wouldn't want to disrespect those people who came to see us by allowing technical issues to dominate my memory of being and performing there. It is a privilege to be here and do this so I must take the mistakes, learn from them and apply.
As you can probably see, I'm all a little up and down. I am pretty overwhelmed and I am trying to be positive even though some of my experiences have changed me. Today's show in Hong Kong looks like it will be awesome. I am going to rest up so I can play my best. I don't think I have enough time to fully experience Hong Kong on this journey, maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to come back.
I'll be posting my photos up on my flickr when I have enough time, gotta go sound check now.
....and justice for all
Well, the 17 hour flight from LA to Jakarta was a breeze. Singapore Airlines were amazing, economy was like first class, so much leg room, puts all other airlines to shame! I slept loads and played FF7 Crisis core all the rest of the flight with mikey. They even had metal knives and forks! luxury. We had a short connection flight when we arrived and then onto the hotel.
The first thing I noticed on the drive from the airport was how poor some of the country was. It seemed like a massive divide between the very wealthy and the very poor. There were iron and cardboard shacks all along the waters edge for miles, plastic bottles and rubbish littered the rivers. There was a constant smell of decay and sewage in the air. Then suddenly as though we crossed an invisible line into the city the high rise 
buildings and posh hotels replaced the slums. It was very humid. We asked to be taken to see some sights, and the host drove us to a mall with western stores, we were like "nah mate, can we go see the real Jakarta?" so they drove us to this street and we got out. We walked down this ally, and the security guy with us said to be very careful because it was dangerous. I've never seen anything like it. I was shitting myself. I suddenly felt very embarrassed, I was hoping to take pictures but felt as though I was taking advantage of the people for my own gain. Most people were friendly but you could sense that some couldn't believe that we were there, walking around. I couldn't work out who was looking at/watching who. We kept moving and stuck tightly together for safety, I'm sure if we were in a smaller group we would have found trouble. Thank god 
for the security dude with us. For the most part 
I took photographs off the hip so to keep my camera out of sight and also not to offend anyone. I was nearly brought to tears by some of the children walking and laying around. We were not harassed by people begging because I think people we more surprised to see us in the area, but it was a very, very humbling experience. Even amongst such poverty I could see people smiling and laughing, and the colours were amazing. After we returned to the hotel, I had a hard time readjusting and justifying sleeping in 5 star luxury having just witnessed what I did. I was awash with emotions and guilt and a very strong sense of iniquity. The contrasts I saw and photographed were extreme. I am still confused between pity, sympathy, gratitude, guilt and helplessness and feel I have been changed. I have felt quite mildly depressed since.
The show was amazing, but somehow my mind was not 100% focused and continually returned to the young child without shoes following us around that day. Such tragic beauty.We left for Singapore, everything since has been a blur. I've been poorly with stomach cramps and find it difficult to get my energy back. Singapore could not have been more opposite to Jakarta. It was very clean and very rich. The hotel was like nothing I had ever seen. I thought they had made a mistake when I entered my room because there was no bed, but I had no idea that it had its own bedroom and 2nd bathroom. The suite was bigger than my home. As amazing as Singapore was, my first impression left feeling cold and dead. I went for an explore to the rain forest at Bukit timah
and found some peace and harmony at the top of the hill, and decided to take a random bus to where ever and walk around the city. I walked for 5 or 6 hours not in a hurry to arrive anywhere. It was very welcome solitude where I was able to tidy up the mess in my head from the past few days. My stomach still hurts and is making my dizzy and disorientated because I can't eat much without spewing.I would like to add, I have some amazing friends around me and have met some great people. I really do appreciate how lucky I am to do this journey and to share this with very like minded friends. I know your thinking, "what about the shows?" but to be honest, the experience is so much more than simply performing. The Singapore show was fraught with technical problems but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I wouldn't want to disrespect those people who came to see us by allowing technical issues to dominate my memory of being and performing there. It is a privilege to be here and do this so I must take the mistakes, learn from them and apply.
As you can probably see, I'm all a little up and down. I am pretty overwhelmed and I am trying to be positive even though some of my experiences have changed me. Today's show in Hong Kong looks like it will be awesome. I am going to rest up so I can play my best. I don't think I have enough time to fully experience Hong Kong on this journey, maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to come back.
I'll be posting my photos up on my flickr when I have enough time, gotta go sound check now.
....and justice for all
I’m off to Asia now,
Bye bye!
Stay tuned for tour blog, if I can get onto a computer. fun fun fun.
Stay tuned for tour blog, if I can get onto a computer. fun fun fun.
New car ads……
I just made some rad images. I am pissed off that I can't import my less than a 998cc classic mini into the US because of emission regulations!! haha, you do realise that that's smaller than most motorcycles on the road.
I should use these images as environmental propaganda.
The Slogan:
"What use are they to you now? nevermind..at least you still have your small weener"
or
"..comes with rain tracker rain sensing windshield wipers!"
feel free to come up with some of your own.
Squeaky shoes for those old time blues!
Is it just me, or has anyone else seen the irony (in a Cockney rhyming slang way) of a Portable Toilet (Porta-loo) company in California being called and run by a guy called ANDY GUMP!
"oi oi, govner! I'm off up thee ol' apple and pears to 'ave me an ANDY GUMP!!"
I was talking to mike last night about art and music. The conversation was "how long would it take to put together a collection of work?". I responded with "As with a song, it's not the physical time needed to record or paint a painting that is important. Technically one could record a record in maybe 2 weeks, because its only approx. 45 minutes worth of sounds. And in the same way the physical time to paint 20 paintings isn't very much, It all comes down to the quality of the art."
I could probably paint 20 paintings in 2 months, but there's a high chance that 20 of those would be crap. Maybe, one or two would have a nice naive spontaneous feel, but the majority would be shallow and really not contain much substance (I'm talking about my work). In the same way as a song like Shinobi only took a few minutes to write, that's not the case with all the songs we write, some songs take months to develop, some change for the better, others for the worse (you have to go there to come back). In contrast to Shinobi, Rooftops took almost a year for us to settle on the final mix. So, although it seems like forever for us to write only 12 songs, Its 12 great songs we are looking for, and having written close to 40 songs, in millions of different forms, Its actually quite tricky to make 12 of them great. Especially since (in hindsight) some of the songs don't show their potential until the very last minute.
People can't believe that it takes so long. One person even said "they've made 4 records in the time we have been working on ours". Does that mean that they are good? I feel gone are the days that a band can have the luxury of releasing a record once or twice a year, like a snapshot of where the band was creatively at that point and all the chapters make up a career. People's expectations are so high. The band are stifled, have no room to explore creatively, every chance is the last chance. People, demand quality, there can be no fat. The risks have to be minimised, and as a result is the music becomes obvious and bland. There's a fine line between being predictable (sounding the same, stagnant yet recognisable) and bandwagon jumpers (change, creative development). The first one bores people, the second one confuses them. When a band starts, the have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The hardest thing to do is remain the same when everything else including yourself is changing. The second hardest thing is to realise what you are and be able to gauge how much change you are allowed to make whilst still retaining your own distinguishable sound and identity.
By hard, I don't mean like working in a mine or a hospital. This is not meant as a rant or a moan. Nothing annoys me more than reading about some successful actor or musician moaning about how hard they have it. This is simply a subjective perspective and discourse on the pitfalls of creativity.
The surf has been pretty small. My scooter ain't finished yet. Skated yesterday in a few pools. Fair dues, I am pretty shit. There's 7 year olds pulling 5 foot airs from the deep end, and there's me looking like a zombie on skates (an old slow moving zombie, not like one of those new zombies that bomb around, cause they'd probably rip, an I sure don't). But It'll come back eventually, maybe, if i don't cripple myself first. All those kids need to get jobs and then we'll see how good they are...f*#ckers!
Went to watch the 'Galaxy' football team play the other night. Got ridiculed by some Jock (Manhattan Beach Bro, with the flat peak baseball cap covering the eyebrows....just think OZ fest and raised pickup trucks and you'll get the picture) for looking like Beckham, grabbed me and had photo's with me saying "look everyone Beckham's cousin!!" I responded with "F*#K ME! Its Fred Durst! look people it's William Fredrick Durst!" don't really think anyone remembered who fred durst was, so the joke eventually was on me. Although, I can think of worse people to be compared to...In fact, Beckham is a bit of a heart throb right? you know, the one all the girls like and the dudes hate because all the girls like.
cool. thanks bro!
What else is new. Finally succumbed to an xbox360. booo, there goes my life! good fun. me and mike and ian shooting up the place online instead of writing songs, what could be better?
Fell asleep on the balcony on my rocking bench the other night and for the first time in 4 years, got drained dry by some bug or spider or something. It went to work on my legs and woke up...no legs!! give me hell of a fright! gone! completely eaten all up. Well, not really but close, 16 big ass bites, all of which turned like purple and all messed up. I looked like someone had poured a bag of golf balls down me tights.....picture that!
Right I'm off to got and take the Jet plane for a little ride, turn her over and stuff, then probably go buy a few more houses this afternoon, maybe a hotel or something and then take my nightly bath in pure liquid gold... ta ta for now.
p.s. new photo's up on my flickr...just search richard j oliver in people...thats me, see!
Hi
I'm back. Sorry It's been so long. Been touring and lots of other cool stuff. The shows went very well thank you. All my fears were all for nowt. I had a brilliant time. I've been doing some pictures this week to make some art prints. I was encouraged by some of the comments on here and Ian has been a big time supporter of my art for a long time, and he has pushed me to do it. He said he"ll showcase them on his "made in hell" site. I'm dead excited because the paintings came out Rad. I'm so excited and had so much fun working in a new style and format. If they ever do come out I hope you'll enjoy them too.
Christy: "Loving the fact you're painting again but when I asked you in a Kerrang mag Q&A thingy last year you said you hadn't painted for 6 years, you are committed to the band and if you had time to paint there must be a problem. Stu then said if you picked up a paintbrush you would be thrown outta the band. I assume you are still a Losprophet, not heard otherwise. So why are you still in the band? Is there a problem?"
Good point! Still in the band. Here's to having things I once said come back and bite me in the ass...haha.
It's a weird one, I guess its and age thing, and its more a response to working on new songs for over a year, like a need to express in a different way, so I can re approach music from a different perspective. Stu was kidding I hope. The other guys have also felt the urge to work on other things too, but not as an escape from our own creative song writing but more as a means to bring something new to it. Recently, I have felt that creativity breeds creativity, and by diving deep into it, it inspires and charges all the avenues of my creative output. Focusing too long on just one thing like writing songs can grow stale and tiresome, but I feel that drawing and painting has rekindled my creative flame and that impacts my expressive drive across the board. I get the impression that this is also the case with stu and mike in their producing, they always come back to writing pumped and charged up from working with other bands. So, on the contrary, there's no problem, and my commitment to the band is not wavering, by painting I feel is enhancing what I can offer to the music.
Alex "i recently got an angel tattoo to remember someone close to me who died, and i love it so am thinking of getting more angels, i know your tattoos feature angels...
i did a bit of research and found out you were an atheist...
so are the angels there to represent good versus evil, as opposed to any belief in god?"
The angels are indeed more symbolic than literal. My tattoo of the Pieta, (Mary holding a dead Jesus) is probably the best example of what it all means to me. I've never questioned whether a guy once walked this earth with an amazing ability to communicate some very positive ideas about life and love. I believe Jesus was an outstanding man who was incredibly influential but a man nevertheless. The tattoo is a homage to humanity and respect to how one man can make a difference. It gives me hope that someone could come along and clear up all the mess that we've made of what was he may have said. My problem is less to do with spirituality and more to do with the definitions within religion and the manipulation of power within organised religion. Therefore my Angel tattoos represent, as you said, my issues and ongoing studies of human ethics and morality. Saying this though, I do have a fascination with angels. Mainly because I understand and accept my instinctive desire to believe in something more than me, and immortality. It's a simple and obvious natural desire however its clarity is very much overlooked in most walks of life. So, though I feel the pang to believe in something bigger than all this, I understand from a learned psychological perspective why that desire is in me (us) and how it came about. (see "The god part of the brain" Matthew Alper...a basic read but a good example) Anyhoooo, hope that touches upon an answer....time, gotta go check out a new fly fishing rod now...hehe
laters
Christy: "Loving the fact you're painting again but when I asked you in a Kerrang mag Q&A thingy last year you said you hadn't painted for 6 years, you are committed to the band and if you had time to paint there must be a problem. Stu then said if you picked up a paintbrush you would be thrown outta the band. I assume you are still a Losprophet, not heard otherwise. So why are you still in the band? Is there a problem?"
Good point! Still in the band. Here's to having things I once said come back and bite me in the ass...haha.
It's a weird one, I guess its and age thing, and its more a response to working on new songs for over a year, like a need to express in a different way, so I can re approach music from a different perspective. Stu was kidding I hope. The other guys have also felt the urge to work on other things too, but not as an escape from our own creative song writing but more as a means to bring something new to it. Recently, I have felt that creativity breeds creativity, and by diving deep into it, it inspires and charges all the avenues of my creative output. Focusing too long on just one thing like writing songs can grow stale and tiresome, but I feel that drawing and painting has rekindled my creative flame and that impacts my expressive drive across the board. I get the impression that this is also the case with stu and mike in their producing, they always come back to writing pumped and charged up from working with other bands. So, on the contrary, there's no problem, and my commitment to the band is not wavering, by painting I feel is enhancing what I can offer to the music.
Alex "i recently got an angel tattoo to remember someone close to me who died, and i love it so am thinking of getting more angels, i know your tattoos feature angels...i did a bit of research and found out you were an atheist...
so are the angels there to represent good versus evil, as opposed to any belief in god?"
The angels are indeed more symbolic than literal. My tattoo of the Pieta, (Mary holding a dead Jesus) is probably the best example of what it all means to me. I've never questioned whether a guy once walked this earth with an amazing ability to communicate some very positive ideas about life and love. I believe Jesus was an outstanding man who was incredibly influential but a man nevertheless. The tattoo is a homage to humanity and respect to how one man can make a difference. It gives me hope that someone could come along and clear up all the mess that we've made of what was he may have said. My problem is less to do with spirituality and more to do with the definitions within religion and the manipulation of power within organised religion. Therefore my Angel tattoos represent, as you said, my issues and ongoing studies of human ethics and morality. Saying this though, I do have a fascination with angels. Mainly because I understand and accept my instinctive desire to believe in something more than me, and immortality. It's a simple and obvious natural desire however its clarity is very much overlooked in most walks of life. So, though I feel the pang to believe in something bigger than all this, I understand from a learned psychological perspective why that desire is in me (us) and how it came about. (see "The god part of the brain" Matthew Alper...a basic read but a good example) Anyhoooo, hope that touches upon an answer....time, gotta go check out a new fly fishing rod now...hehe
laters
Was thinking I might just…
...do some limited edition prints of some of my work. Just a thought. Also just sitting here thinking about when I should start thinking about packing some stuff to go on tour. Then thought better of it and poured myself a Coke.
It's been a while since I've had my dusty suitcase out and packed for touring. Last time I was in the UK I got stranded there. US gov wouldn't let me back in to the states. had three weeks with myself sitting in Wales twiddling my thumbs (shivers). I am looking forward to playing some shows again. To be honest I'm more psyched about doing the warm up shows and the European festivals than the higher profile gigs. My arse is going a bit for Download. Kinda can't wait to be on the other side of that show. I'm sure it will be rad, it's just (as always) I don't enjoy being all profession and serious, yet a show of that caliber requires a bit of focus and sensibility. I like the shows where I can have a few bevy's and go piss about and have fun. Who gives a shit if I cock a part up or sing a bum note...but the big shows are recorded and nothing worse than that flat harmony getting repeated on BBC3 every Sunday night for weeks.......gives me nightmares.
Talking of nightmares, my usual pre-performance bad dreams kicked in last night. It was a dream where Mike Chiplin was still in the band, kinda sad cos I haven't seen or heard from him in like years, but we were on stage and I didn't recognise any of the songs the band were playing...not entirely sure if I was fully clothed either. Woke up screaming ..."uuur arrgh... WAKE UP WAKE UP!" (boooooooo hissss not funny).
..I don't know how to follow that now...I've kinda upset myself by that god awful pun, I promise it wasn't pre concieved, it just fell out of my brain onto the keypad. sorta taken the wind out of anything else I was going to say.
um...
so...
yeah.....
Finished another painting today. On the fence right now as to whether I'm stoked on it. I was trying out some new ideas and techniques. bit different for me. It's not shit by any means, I'm just not as blown away as I thought I might be when I was 3/4's of the way through. Ah well.
I think maybe its a grower.
Talking of growers, Bought the new Portishead Album, pretty tasty if I do say so. A little off the wall, right up my street. Reminded me of some of the wacky break beat stuff I used to do. I found a track me and Stu make for a skate movie back in 2003. It was crazy awesome crazy! I wish there was a way I could post it up here. I surprised myself with what I did on the scritchy scratchy decks back in the day. (bighead). Most of the break beat stuff I do now is so left field that I have to be intoxicated to even listen to it. I dug out about 30 odd tracks which I had made over the years. There's no way I could ever release anything like that for 2 very important reasons. Three...three important reasons. 1, most of it is samples from other records...2, some are like 40 second loops, others go on and on for tens of minutes, and 3, they aren't really all that good. Like, when I was doing them I didn't really think about making songs (starts, middles, ends etc.) with them so for the most part they are like a handful of loops that go nowhere. A bit like my blogs I guess. Maybe one day, I'll rework some of them with all this new technology and put it up on the web for free, I'll still probably get sued.
LETS GET THIS RECORD DONE FIRST THOUGH EH?????
damn it!
Oh, here's a subject. xbecx asked "how do you think the internet has positively impacted on the music industry???"
As for any question of this caliber there are always positives and negatives. This is my opinion and not representative of the band in any way before we start.
It is obvious these days what the downsides are to sharing music on the Internet. In order to get some perspective I shall name only a few. Smaller signed bands used to survive not on record sales but on selling merch and touring. In the past these things were out of the reach of the record labels greedy fingers, but since music was being shared and record companies were taking losses, they decided to dip their hands into the touring and merchandise rights of the new bands they were signing, hence making it even more difficult for upcoming bands to survive. Ironically, most people think that sharing/stealing music only hurts the "man" but as you can see, these companies bandage their wounds with the very cloth that used to keep smaller bands afloat. This circle gets worse, as the number of record sales reduce the more bands need to tour, the harder it is to tour when the pie is being cut into smaller and smaller pieces. Also, with this heightened frenzy for bands to tour in order to survive, the touring circuited gets flooded with show after show, the venues are booking band after band, however the scene eventually gets diluted, and with so much available, the apathy grows in the people who usually attend shows and venues get emptier and emptier. I've had experience and heard first hand how much more difficult it has become to tear people from their xbox's and reality shows to step out and dip in pockets to attend shows.
As for a positive angle. The ease of access and presentation of music, levels the playing field so that quality can rise to the surface. Gone are the days where a label has the power to force feed their weak bands down the throats of the buying public. Gone are the days where money dictates the artistic fashions, where once quality was thrown aside and kept in the dark in order that the next dumbest most sugary obvious band can come and clean up only because he/she had the tallest most expensive pedestal to stand on.
Now, music and art can speak for its self, it doesn't require a sugar daddy to push it into the spotlight. It goes straight to the source. The most important source, the listener. And he/she dictates whether something is good or bad. The power has moved from the press and the money lenders who try in vain to tell you who you should like and who you should hate, because they can no longer censor music. It makes no difference whether you have been around for decades or weeks, you can still present your art and if it has quality, it will be recognised and heard. So, even though, the survival of artist is becoming more and more difficult, It seems that the balance is being readdressed and the priority is has moved back to where it should be. Only Quality will survive the test. Music is being seen and heard for what it is. If your music has quality, and this quality can be recognised and appreciated you have a chance of survival. If you're crap, tough shit..no amount of money will make you any less crap (unless you still live in a place where there is no freedom to individually source your information e.g. the Internet, where you can make up your own minds about things, and shit still gets rammed down your throat....believe me, these places still exist) And don't moan about it. It's not the reviews or the record labels or the press (who get your cd's&mp3's for free anyway) that will let you know how good or bad you are. It's the real people would want to or don't want to listen to your art. If you are an honest artist, and you do what you believe in, and this is of your highest standard, people may see the truth, quality and value in your art. This is how it should always be (my opinion). Believe in what you do, cross your fingers and hope that you aren't so different from everyone else and prepare to weather the storm.
disclaimer: I only feel like this today, tomorrow I reserve the right to feel completely different. Please don't bother to comment in opposition to what I have written. It has been my opinion, not a forum and it isn't up for discussion. I will simple block my ears, close my eyes and sing "bla, bla, bla can't hear you, bla" if you do. thanks
It's been a while since I've had my dusty suitcase out and packed for touring. Last time I was in the UK I got stranded there. US gov wouldn't let me back in to the states. had three weeks with myself sitting in Wales twiddling my thumbs (shivers). I am looking forward to playing some shows again. To be honest I'm more psyched about doing the warm up shows and the European festivals than the higher profile gigs. My arse is going a bit for Download. Kinda can't wait to be on the other side of that show. I'm sure it will be rad, it's just (as always) I don't enjoy being all profession and serious, yet a show of that caliber requires a bit of focus and sensibility. I like the shows where I can have a few bevy's and go piss about and have fun. Who gives a shit if I cock a part up or sing a bum note...but the big shows are recorded and nothing worse than that flat harmony getting repeated on BBC3 every Sunday night for weeks.......gives me nightmares.
Talking of nightmares, my usual pre-performance bad dreams kicked in last night. It was a dream where Mike Chiplin was still in the band, kinda sad cos I haven't seen or heard from him in like years, but we were on stage and I didn't recognise any of the songs the band were playing...not entirely sure if I was fully clothed either. Woke up screaming ..."uuur arrgh... WAKE UP WAKE UP!" (boooooooo hissss not funny).
..I don't know how to follow that now...I've kinda upset myself by that god awful pun, I promise it wasn't pre concieved, it just fell out of my brain onto the keypad. sorta taken the wind out of anything else I was going to say.
um...
so...
yeah.....
Finished another painting today. On the fence right now as to whether I'm stoked on it. I was trying out some new ideas and techniques. bit different for me. It's not shit by any means, I'm just not as blown away as I thought I might be when I was 3/4's of the way through. Ah well.I think maybe its a grower.
Talking of growers, Bought the new Portishead Album, pretty tasty if I do say so. A little off the wall, right up my street. Reminded me of some of the wacky break beat stuff I used to do. I found a track me and Stu make for a skate movie back in 2003. It was crazy awesome crazy! I wish there was a way I could post it up here. I surprised myself with what I did on the scritchy scratchy decks back in the day. (bighead). Most of the break beat stuff I do now is so left field that I have to be intoxicated to even listen to it. I dug out about 30 odd tracks which I had made over the years. There's no way I could ever release anything like that for 2 very important reasons. Three...three important reasons. 1, most of it is samples from other records...2, some are like 40 second loops, others go on and on for tens of minutes, and 3, they aren't really all that good. Like, when I was doing them I didn't really think about making songs (starts, middles, ends etc.) with them so for the most part they are like a handful of loops that go nowhere. A bit like my blogs I guess. Maybe one day, I'll rework some of them with all this new technology and put it up on the web for free, I'll still probably get sued.
LETS GET THIS RECORD DONE FIRST THOUGH EH?????
damn it!
Oh, here's a subject. xbecx asked "how do you think the internet has positively impacted on the music industry???"
As for any question of this caliber there are always positives and negatives. This is my opinion and not representative of the band in any way before we start.
It is obvious these days what the downsides are to sharing music on the Internet. In order to get some perspective I shall name only a few. Smaller signed bands used to survive not on record sales but on selling merch and touring. In the past these things were out of the reach of the record labels greedy fingers, but since music was being shared and record companies were taking losses, they decided to dip their hands into the touring and merchandise rights of the new bands they were signing, hence making it even more difficult for upcoming bands to survive. Ironically, most people think that sharing/stealing music only hurts the "man" but as you can see, these companies bandage their wounds with the very cloth that used to keep smaller bands afloat. This circle gets worse, as the number of record sales reduce the more bands need to tour, the harder it is to tour when the pie is being cut into smaller and smaller pieces. Also, with this heightened frenzy for bands to tour in order to survive, the touring circuited gets flooded with show after show, the venues are booking band after band, however the scene eventually gets diluted, and with so much available, the apathy grows in the people who usually attend shows and venues get emptier and emptier. I've had experience and heard first hand how much more difficult it has become to tear people from their xbox's and reality shows to step out and dip in pockets to attend shows.
As for a positive angle. The ease of access and presentation of music, levels the playing field so that quality can rise to the surface. Gone are the days where a label has the power to force feed their weak bands down the throats of the buying public. Gone are the days where money dictates the artistic fashions, where once quality was thrown aside and kept in the dark in order that the next dumbest most sugary obvious band can come and clean up only because he/she had the tallest most expensive pedestal to stand on.
Now, music and art can speak for its self, it doesn't require a sugar daddy to push it into the spotlight. It goes straight to the source. The most important source, the listener. And he/she dictates whether something is good or bad. The power has moved from the press and the money lenders who try in vain to tell you who you should like and who you should hate, because they can no longer censor music. It makes no difference whether you have been around for decades or weeks, you can still present your art and if it has quality, it will be recognised and heard. So, even though, the survival of artist is becoming more and more difficult, It seems that the balance is being readdressed and the priority is has moved back to where it should be. Only Quality will survive the test. Music is being seen and heard for what it is. If your music has quality, and this quality can be recognised and appreciated you have a chance of survival. If you're crap, tough shit..no amount of money will make you any less crap (unless you still live in a place where there is no freedom to individually source your information e.g. the Internet, where you can make up your own minds about things, and shit still gets rammed down your throat....believe me, these places still exist) And don't moan about it. It's not the reviews or the record labels or the press (who get your cd's&mp3's for free anyway) that will let you know how good or bad you are. It's the real people would want to or don't want to listen to your art. If you are an honest artist, and you do what you believe in, and this is of your highest standard, people may see the truth, quality and value in your art. This is how it should always be (my opinion). Believe in what you do, cross your fingers and hope that you aren't so different from everyone else and prepare to weather the storm.
disclaimer: I only feel like this today, tomorrow I reserve the right to feel completely different. Please don't bother to comment in opposition to what I have written. It has been my opinion, not a forum and it isn't up for discussion. I will simple block my ears, close my eyes and sing "bla, bla, bla can't hear you, bla" if you do. thanks
Hey guys and gals!
been busy in t'studio innit.
t'is all going hunky dory!
Don't worry yurselves about pictures of my new blondness, I'm sure when kerrang comes out y'all have plenty to rip into me about, that I am sure of. It was my decision to enter into the world of public property so feel free to tell me how shit it looks as I have no real feelings of my own. (ooooh meeow, check me out! claw trimming time me thinks)kidding.
msannieannie:"is that where you come from? why is this one big building in the middle the center of interest in the painting? what is that? because besides this and the street next to it, all the other buildings create a chaos.."
That's my primary school. I think it started on Aug 15th 1887 (the school of course not my painting of it). It was literally across the road from where I grew up. The reason I painted it the way I did was because as a child the building seemed huge and ominous. The exterior was very dark (maybe due to coal dust) and the windows always reflected the grey clouds above. I tried to give the buildings and streets that I painted personality and character.
Ive never really separated my approach to painting portraits and landscapes, and for the most part I have always considered the environment as an equal to the people, as I believe they are one in the same.ritchie:"PLEASE ANSWER!i know your over turntables but will we ever hear you scratching again????? (on future albums)"
Its not cos I'm over turntables. I was never really into scratching so much, I always wanted to find new more creative ways to use vinyl. I went forward more with sampling off of records and using sounds to compliment the music, and it turned out to be more effective and flexible to play the sounds through a cdj and an akai sampler. Ive basically moved from hardware to software but essentially I do the same thing in the band. I'm not a keyboard player as some imagine. my keyboard is a midi controller that plays the samples which I have made. I had to move up from a 16 pad akai to a 66 key midi because I was participating way more in the songs and I am playing way more than I used to, also that's why I'm pretty much anchored to the ground because unlike before I'm always adding to the sound scape in most songs. I still use vinyl loads when recording but more as samples and less as scritchy scratch. make sense? If it were my band I'd scratch over everything and have no vocalist! ha ha.
Hikari yamino:"And i have been meaning to ask,are all the Lost Prophets album cover designed by you and Ian?" yes..pretty much.
anonymous German:"But honestly, why do Lostprophets booklets, designs and all suck that much? Your pictures and paintings have class, so why not the visual side of your band. Anyway. Just some well-meant criticism."
aaaaah...mmmm. this is awkward....yeah well kinda answered that already....I guess that when I try and do stuff for the band it sucks. Maybe because I'm not used to having to run my images through the filtering machine and have everyone else rip it to shreds. Maybe its because I like to take my time over my art and produce quality, however in the world of design things have to be now!now!now! and for that reason people change their minds every few seconds and its impossible to commit to a painting that could take weeks when people I work with have Attention Deficit Disorder! Maybe. or Maybe what I do in my art doesn't suit the personality of the band. Maybe your wrong. Or as Shania Twain once said "Maybe, just maybe, he'll want to be my baby". Maybe not.
Beth said...:"your blonde hair actually looks ok, I heard about it and was a bit unsure"
Jamie said.... thanks a bunch. I have heard about your hair too but I haven't seen it. I'm sure it actually looks ****, but what does my opinion matter anyway! lol!
x.jay:"Whats the latest TV show you cried at?Random question brought on by me bawling my eyes out at Doctor Who tonight." golden compass...crying because it was sooo shit.
Supertwigg:" am impatiently awaiting your next blog, come on even Ian is doing better than you haha" Ian's doing 3 word blogs. Ian isn't funny. Ian said he'd do them everyday and then went back on his word. I doubt very much that He's doing better than me. Ian gets more comments because he's a hunky dory front man. that's all he has on me!!! everything else is mine! MINE I TELL YOU!
ha.
As you can see I have replied to comments this time. It's not because I haven't anything of my own to be writing. It's because I'm nice.
now piss off!
x
I have way too much time on my hands….
to photoshop me as Dolph Lundgren in Masters of the Universe. I wish! Msannieannie, ITS NOT REAL!!! Chill your boots! I'm still the old pudgy me.
yeah, though the blonde hair is real. I was thinking more along the lines of Patrick Swayze-Point Break.
Its so cool that this blog reaches people all across the globe, makes the world a small place doesn't it? Lee's hair is its natural colour, suits him. I'm afraid we don't have any plans to to visit Sweden this summer. Thanks to Angie for your kind comments on my mural I did up at the Rhondda Heritage park. It was an interesting period of my life. I was pretty broke and had long, long hours on a scaffolding in the freezing cold painting that Mural. It was also hard because the viewer has to be so close to the painting so it had to cater for that. I'm not overly pleased with how it turned out, and neither was the Park I don't think. Basically, I think they were hoping for some bright uplifting image like the rest of my work, but I was so moved by the mining disaster it portrayed, that I was forced to express the pain and loss that it caused. The irony is that, my own village suffered one of the worst mining disasters in Britain on the 23 June 1894 which killed 281 men and boys. The Albion Colliery disaster in Cilfynydd. A young man named Timothy Jones who was 26 when he died in the accident lived at the very house I was born in. My village was a little pissed that I painted a mural about another disaster at Tynewydd where 5 men died, but I stand by it because of the heroism of the rescue involved needed to be recognised. Had I been asked to paint about the Albion I would have.
History lesson over...back to hair........not.
I hope we will come to Australia on this next touring cycle. I'm determined to surf in Brisbane, some of the sharkiest water in the world. The first time I ever surfed was in Australia, little known and pointless fact. Me, Mike and Stu if my memory serves me.
Thomas, yes I have been to Cork many times. I am an avid fly fisherman (catch and release whenever possible) and have fished the South West of Ireland on a number of occasions. For your information the air speed velocity of a swallow, a European swallow (since I am Welsh) I have determined to be in the region of roughly 16 meters per second (15 beats per second * 1.1 meters per beat). The cruising speed, that is. Come over to England cos I don't know when we are going to be back in Ireland as a band and normal toast.
If it were down to me to book lostprophets shows, I'd for sure want to tour Argentina and Mexico. In fact, there's very few places I wouldn't want to visit and play. I hear the weather is good in Afghanistan and Somalia this time of year. And our cd's are flying of the shelves in the western region of Darfur (Sudan). Scary!
Juditta, I haven't forgot Italy. I love Italy. Probably my favourite place on earth that I have visited is Venice. Of course, My love for Venetian art draws me back there time and time again.
Thank you Jessica, Its awesome that you lean on our art to help you through Grad school. It always makes me smile to hear that our music can influence people in a positive way.
I am making an effort to reply to comments now and again, since you guys thought it was cool that I did it in the last blog. I'm sorry in advance if I don't reply to all of your comments. My excuse is that if I did, there wouldn't be enough room for me to talk my usual non cohesive nonsense talk, which is why I started doing this in the first place.
(IDEA!) what I may do is different types of blogs...ones that respond to comments and others that are just me talking balls....Nah, that's way too organised. Lets just keep it fun.
Note to self.."Today is a good day".
Tracks are shaping up nicely here in the studio. Very nicely indeed. today so far has been a day of unkempt excitement and enthusiasm. and a flurry of inspiration and creativity. A brilliant ray of sunshine in and overcast few months. (no storms or rain, just a bit dull). Hopefully more sunshine and warm weather on its way......
That was by far one of the shittiest metaphors I have come up with. And that's saying something from a guy renowned for shit ass metaphors. For those that know me, I'm the king of crap metaphors...Yeah..I know....stick to the day job!
out.
Here’s the photo’s that should have been in the last blog..
Long over due and no real point putting them up now since it was last weeks news but hey, a promise is a promise. I should take this opportunity to address some of the question some of you guys have posted as comments. In order of comments, top to bottom... "thanks, drunk is good..I agree. I thought Ironman was awesome but have yet to decide if it is better than Batman begins. As for exams..I'm afraid I've already done my fair share of exams so no real sympathy, in fact I am on permanent hiatus with my Masters degree so I've still got exams to look forward too. Ciao. I truly doubt your beans on toast could top mine, I've made it at every given opportunity for the past 25 years, at times more than once a day. I tried to change Donington to Derbyshire on myspace, but the powers that be over ruled, not seeing the fun in it. ah well. Your welcome to Ilan where ever whenever. It is a real machine gun. Ilan discovery of radiohead is a recent thing and in his usual obsessive compulsive way, he bought and listened to the whole back catalogue religiously. so gay. Thanks for the tips on adjusting the border..I'm over it already though. but cheers nevertheless. My camera is a Canon rebel xti, and a variety of lenses depending." Thank you all for commenting, a big shout out to my new friends in Chile, Argentina, Derbyshire, Scotland, Japan. I love reading your comments, and I will promise to respond accordingly.
Thanks Guys.
