Catwoman Speaks to Minds

Hollywood Legend, Julie Newmar, Talks to Minds Behind the Music

Julie Newmar (born August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer and singer, known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her role as Katrin Sveg in the 1958 Broadway production of The Marriage-Go-Round, and reprised the role in the 1961 film version. In the 1960s, she starred for two seasons as Catwoman in the television series Batman (1966–67). Her other stage credits include the Ziegfeld Follies in 1956, and playing Lola in Damn Yankees! (1961) and Irma in Irma la Douce (1965) in regional productions. She appeared in the music video for George Michael's 1992 single "Too Funky", and had a cameo as herself in the 1995 film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar.

My first question is, what would you most like to be remembered for?

My grace.

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what's your opinion of the politics of the world today?

If half the politicians were women our future would be safer.

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?

I'd be fascinated.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

Being the mother of a special needs child.

What has been mankind's greatest achievement?

Language.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?

I love you too.


If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?

Upstairs Downstairs

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?

Yes, it sends out vibrations in the air.

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you do affects society?

Yes.

Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?



Always.

What's your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?

Instead I would listen to : Bottom of Form. Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D Major, BWV 1069, Réjouissance - J. S. Bach

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?

Because words appeal to the left brain and music appeals to the right side of the brain, that's why.

What kind of movies do you watch and why?

Masterpiece theater. I prefer characterization over noise.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?

It saved my life. I do most of my work on the internet.

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?

Even if you don't have the capacity to see great things, it's still true; man is created in the image and likeness of God.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What's your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?

In our quest to understand all that is, the higher aspects of religion comes in handy.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.

Yes. It's cleaner, done like the French.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness?

Yes.

How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?

Yes, The anatomy of consciousness is explained in Dr. David Hawkins book Power Vs. Force.

What would you still like to achieve?

I'm doing it now.

Do you believe in manmade global warming?

Yes. The strongest evidence is carbon dioxide in the air.

Something Special For Mother's Day

Adoring You

More often than not!

(It all starts with mum) 💓

 

From the first to last push, you get your inspiration from someone… it has always been from mum! 

 

Coen Rhys is a positive over-thinker & experimental songwriter. 

His mother worked tirelessly, to give him and others what they thought they wanted. Despite her effort… Coen would have happily given up and forever gives up the “keeping up with the jones” ideology to have his mum here now. Both Coen Rhys and SchizoFranic would give the earth: for a cup of coffee with mum! ☕

 

Coen Rhys mum sadly passed away on 18th September, 2009… a very sad day!

 

This (and below) makes the connection between #mothersday and #motherearth so easy! ✌🏻

 

A note from Coen Rhys: 

My mum’s desire to give to hers, unlike she had herself… is an important idea that motivates and drives me (daily). We all say we will, we all say we won’t… she (my mum) is still working hard now in the memories she created (and she has apparently not existed for 12 Years). 😳

 

What’s changed? What has been done? Where have we been? Who have we loved? How long is there left with Mother Earth? 🌍

 

My response to such questions: I say an experience… most likely a bad one… who learns from the goods or greats? Whatever the experience, I live by “it could be worse” on bad days and “how can we do better” on good days! 

It seems we live in a place that is built on destruction… determined by preconception of the words we created and the concept of a need for wrong and right. What is wrong with this place… just watch the news and consider “who” and “why “. This tells me who is “doing and not losing”. A story of intrigue….

What is right is no truer than the maternal instinct to protect, care, love and hold”. ✌

 

Back to the track: Coen is forever grateful that Fran agreed to work with him on this #demo-collab…  this is just a demo… bring on real life! 3.5k miles will not stop collaboration: Edinburgh. Scotland (Coen) to Tolado, Ohio, US (Fran).

 

Coen finds solace with music. He finds whatever the music gives him. 

To find inner-self he recommends mainly SchizoFranic’s latest album:

 

https://orcd.co/schizofranicvibes

 

This album From SchizoFranic speaks… it makes you want to firstly listen, secondly consider and thirdly… collaborate. 

 

SchizoFranic, the wonderful writer of this track, provides inner peace (A @CoenRhys Review: - https://mindsbehindthemusic.blogspot.com/2022/03/music-review.html?m=1).

 

The overall album and definitely “Adoring You”  allows deep contemplation and can help one find inner pieces of oneself, pieces in the search for peace which we may have thought had died with memories (if it rhymes it’s defo true, right?). 🤔

 

SchizoFranic is an instrumentalist (from Toledo Ohio, USA) that utilizes multiple genres to create a surreal, ethereal sounding music that you can feel. SchizoFranic uses everyday life experiences from environmental issues, animal cruelty, hunger, gang violence, people we have lost,  to homelessness in inner city living for inspiration to create music of empathy, music for change.

 

Adoring You can be listened to and taken many different ways. From loving a lover to loving your mother. SchizoFranic wrote this song for people to explore their inner feelings and go to a place in the past that was dear to them or give hope to people that love is there in the future. This is a song about unconditional love and unbreakable love. A type of love that would last a lifetime. #feellove 💕

 

SchizoFranic inspiration for Adoring You came from that bond of her mother. A woman that was hard but loving and taught her how to love unconditionally. A love between a mother and a daughter that can't be broken. SchizoFranic's mother passed away in 1996 and that love between a mother and daughter still remains to this day. Adoring You was written for just this kind of love, the unbreakable love shared by two people. A bound that never passes away. 😍

 

Kudos to mums’ (everywhere and anywhere) for building the inspiration and giving the meaning  for momentum! 👍🏻 

 

With those we love, with those we’ve lost, with all we can and in us we trust!

 

*********

 

Any Qs, let me know - get me through twitter for a faster response.

 

Peace and Light - CR 

Music by SchizoFranic 

Words and Melodies by Coen Rhys

Video by Coen Rhys

Blog: Co-written (2 sided story agreed between artists).

Mellow Yellow

Mellow Yellow: The Donovan Interview!

If you don't know who this music legend is, then go google him. So without wasting digital ink I will just get straight on with the interview. 

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?

Democracy is better than Tyranny. Pericles Speech to The Athenians set the model. It has been modified of course. I was brought up by a Socialist Father who showed me the great strides for freedom that The Unions achieved. Communism has proved to be flawed . The Brother and Sisterhood of Mankind is only to be realized through Transcendental Awareness.

What's your favourite Monty Python film and why?
Satire is healthy for a Society. The Celtic British are masters of Satire. Satire is good if it is not ridicule. That's why all Monty Python Work I love.

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
I am an alien visiting Planet Earth. I see the situation as I meditate. The source of suffering is ignorance. Knowledge of the inner world of Bliss Consciousness is the answer. I tell the Earthlings to visit the David Lynch Foundation Website, as soon as possible.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
Announcing The Bohemian Manifesto in 1966 with my album Sunshine Superman. An act which unfolds and is not historical.

What has been mankind's greatest achievement?
The invention of lipstick.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
SAVE THE WORLD !

Is it really true that you started the rumour about banana skins and LSD? And if so, kudos, very funny! No ..it was not me. It was Country Joe ( and the Fish ). For 40 years the story confounded me. Then one day I was signing The Psychedelic Exhibition Book at the Cleveland Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Country Joe sat beside me signing also. A long line of fans snaked off into the distance. At one point Joe whispered to me, "It was me man." I turned to Joe, he still wore his khaki 'Flack Jacket' but short hair. " The Mellow Yellow shit Man, it was me". I suddenly knew that the tale that had followed the song Mellow Yellow about smoking dried banana skins would now be revealed. I said, "Joe after we break , you are coming with me".

The signing stopped and I took Joe to a dark and quiet corridor in the museum, and Joe began.

"It was 1966 Man and me an the band needed to advertise our gig, so we put the whole band on a truck and we went down to a spare lot where some old Carnival Shit was dumped, we found a giant banana and put that on the truck too..then we drove through The Haight , playin our stuff really loud!" I stood listening with baited ears . "Then ma girlfriend who was into PR said lets call the radio station an tell them you can get high smoking dried banana skins"Joe paused for effect.

"That prank would have lasted a couple days but that Friday Donovan. You released your single Mellow Yellow!" Joe is a radical and he has done so much to raise consciousness with his work.

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
Are you ill?

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
* No its only you.

The 60's and 70's were a great transitional period in human history aided very much by folk music like your own, is it time for another revolution in the spirit of man?
There is only now, it’s an illusion we call the future past and present. The complete instructions to save the planet are announced in the sixties, Buckminster Fuller wrote the book 'Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth' and I write a song with the same name for 'Bucky'. Don't be foolish and think there is need for another revolution. We in the sixties gave it all to you, use it well and see that even those who questioned the knowledge revealed , now see they need it to survive.

Be cool and prosper. I was the herald with Sunshine Superman album , and soon the Bohemian Manifesto was let loose and invaded popular culture. It is clear is it not?

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
We Poets are in service to the tribes of man .We release the obscure emotions of the heart and lead the way within to The Unified Field.

A good friend of mine, Wes Dolan, is a singer/songwriter that we discovered busking in the streets of a local town. I'm personally paying to get him recorded because of his folk music message and skill as a musician. Apart from the obvious question, how about a duet!, what advice would you give to musicians today? And what's your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?

Forget the industry. Without the singer in the club or street or bedroom of their dreams, no future music can be made. It's all made by beginners. there is no music business with the makers of music .forget that you see the industry as powerful. They are powerless without us.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Poetry and Music are one. They were separated by those who wish to control dreams. Poetry is now returned to the world through the sixties revolution of thought and heart and mind. be cool and prosper.
What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Only classic masterworks and that includes David Lynch.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
We imagined the internet in the sixties and it manifested.

Do you think man is created in the image of God or the other way around?
We create ourselves, and for the first 3 weeks we are all female. Gnosis is knowledge. Knowledge is revealed when you transcend. Why are you asking what you already know ?

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What's your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Religion is a description. Faith is a comfort. Awareness is discovery of the Self. Meditation of a technique lost for millennia in the west, now re-introduced. There is no need for organised faith when all are one.

Is "free will" the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Free Choice is when you realise what you want and know it will manifest.

I understand you once sang backing vocals on an Alice Cooper track. Who else have you worked with, why and who was the biggest pain in the ass?
Kate Bush was brilliant.

You are one of the giants from a period full of giants. Who, from that revolutionary period, do you admire and why, apart from The Monkees, which goes without saying!
Ray Davies for his humour and Music Hall, and Leonard Cohen for his pretended seriousness and famous blue raincoat, Buddy Holly for his 3 chord symphonies and Neil Young for his True Americana.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
Split Wood Not Atoms!

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO's (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
Dimensions exist and other planes. Mushrooms reveal The Matrix which is the whole universe within our consciousness and flowing through our cellular chemistry. From the invisible world to the diamond crystal , all kinds of ghosts and UFO's appear.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
The altering is in fact the wrong word. We are mostly fixated in a complex and brainwashed by school , fear and dogma. When the sacred plants are taken as a sacrament, the real universe reveals itself to us. The only thing that's altered is the conditioning is broken, for often brief periods only, then its back to what we laughingly call reality. This so called reality is a paltry portion of the great and luminous being that we are.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Haven't done it yet.

What would you still like to achieve?
Living in the Evernow

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Never heard of him.

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
Lighting a cigarette then pulling a plastic bag over you head is probably going to heat things up a bit.

And lastly. Please feel free to say anything at all you want to the world of readers.
Sit quietly on your own soon after you wake each day. Breathe easy and slow.

The Never Ending Story

The Limahl Interview

Kagagoogoo was a UK band in the early 1980’s with the best known hit being ‘Too Shy’ which reached No 1 all around the world. The lead Vocalist Limahl eventually left for a solo career where he released the song ‘Never Ending Story’ to the film of the same name. I met up with him to talk Music, Ghosts, Politics and more.

What would you most like to be remembered for?
The Choice is really out of my hands, most people would remember me for the hair and that song, or those two songs.

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as a spawn of Satan, What are your opinions of the politics of the world today?
If I’m brutally honest I think they get a bad rap, I think it’s too easy to knock politicians and think it’s a thankless task and I think there are some genially hard working politicians. You get the odd prat but if you look at the politics around the world, ours ain’t that bad, it’s not perfect but it’s a lot better than Afghanistan or some dreadful parts of Africa.

What’s your Favourite Monty Python Film and Why?
I’m not a big fan of Monty Python so couldn’t tell you really, I have seen Star Wars about 200 times so if the question was on that I could answer it a lot better.

If you were an Alien visiting Earth for the first time, what would you do? Turn away and go back, Help or Conquer?
What a great question..... I would turn away and go back without a doubt!

What is your greatest achievement so far?
Well it really has to be having a number 1 record in the whole of the world, simply because the odds were firmly stacked against me, I was just a boy from Wigan raised on a council estate with no central heating or double glazing, 3 boys had to share the same bedroom and my Dad was a miner, all us boys were expected to go in the mines too. In those day’s no-one really got into show businesses so I think that alone is a fairly big achievement.

If you could speak to every human being on Earth right now, what would your message be?
Don’t forget to eat your crust!

If your life depended on it which soap opera would you do a Cameo in?
Oh god, could of been Sex and the City but that has finished, so would have to be Desperate Housewives, love it to bits, camp as Christmas!

Have you ever felt pressured that what you are singing about effects society?
No, I think Too Shy just has a feel good factor about it, unlike a movie that has a 2 hour commitment to it, you can just be doing your choirs or driving a long in the car and a really good pop song can just make you feel great.

Which brings us nicely onto ‘Too Shy’.... what’s all that about then?
We were in the living room of the bass players flat in Leighton Buzzard, I was living with him and his girlfriend after leaving London, we were just sat writing songs and one of the ideas was this song Too Shy, we were just jamming around, I still have the cassette actually, 30 years ago!! You can hear Stuart in the back ground working on the bridge “DONG DONG DONG” then we eventually put in “Hey Girl, Move a little closer” The phone rings and you can hear the whole 1980ness of it all. There was no deep meaning to it, no we will save the world with it, there were actually 2 demos before the recording and we changed things, moves bits about, we were like movie directors really shooting alternative endings.

That single called ‘1983’, what’s the story about this single?
I did a gig in Norway with Pat Sharp at the beginning of 2011, when we got back he sent me an email saying a couple of guys in Norway are interested in working with me, I contacted them and said, as I do in these situations, send me over 32 bars of music and I’ll play around with it. They sent me a piece with a very retro style to it, I don’t know why but I just started thinking about the early 80’s and then I was singing “I wanna go back in time”. I needed a year and it was so easy to pick a year as 1983 was the year ‘Too Shy’ came out. It was really just another great accident, sent the chorus back to them and they really liked it, I then worked on the verse and sent 2 to 3 ideas back before they really liked it. We sent ideas back and forth, back and forth all using technology, even my vocals recorded here was sent as a downloadable link to their end, very different to 1983!

In 1984 when I was recording the Never Ending Story I had to physically fly to Munich to meet Giorgio Moroder at the studio. It would be nice even today to work with people in the same room but if someone is on the other side of the world and we just throwing ideas around it would take forever.

Do you think Man was created by God or God created Man?
I don’t believe in God, I can’t really say a Yes to either of those really, I just believe in the big bang theory really. One big fat accident! The more problems in the world that are caused by Religion the more I do despise Religion.

A Recent Scientific report stated that Religion would eventually die out completely, what are your thoughts on that, although you may have just answered it, good or bad thing?
WOOHOOOO!!!! Get rid of it!!!

I was on the anti Pope March back in 2010... I love Churches and the Architecture but it is just one big head ache!

You are one of the Giants from a period of Giants, who from that revolutionary period do you most admire?
Oh, I admire lots, Lots and lots.. I’m just totally passionate about music, I was a kid in London with my Sony Walkman and all sorts of dreams running through my head, just as kids do today with their IPods and IPhones, I just had my music on but there was a lot less people doing it then so I felt really different, I had wild hair so I go a lot of looks, I loved it! I had come from the constrains of a small town, I knew I was certainly interested in other things, I don’t know if I had decided I was gay at that point, I had had a lot of girl friends, some nice girl friends and just really into having fun. When you arrive in London it’s like you can be who you wanna be and no-one peering from behind the lace curtain and whispering, you can have more freedom to express yourself.

So back to your question, I was walking round with Don’t Go by Yazoo, the 12” mix of Soft Cells ‘Bedsitter’ which just felt like my life, Human League, Japan... I loved Japan, I walked passed one of their gigs in Hammersmith and thought who are all these weird people outside this place, I was intrigued and wanted to be part of them! I thought they were all weirdo’s but they were just expressing their own art and getting into it.

Duran Duran of course and their first album planet earth was amazing, that was spooky because it was Duran Duran’s keyboard player that took our first cassette into EMI records and produced our first record.

Also Motown stuff, I love the Big Black American, Barry White, I was mad on Barry White!

Do you believe in Ghosts, Ufo’s, Aliens or God?
Obviously I don’t believe in God, I’d like to think there was some all powerful seeing being but I am very sceptical, when I look at the Universe knowing what we now know, I find it hard to believe that there is no other life form out there, what form it takes I don’t know, I doubt we will stumble over another set of humans, I think it would be like Star Trek, there would be mammals with two sets of legs and a brain but a different look, they may breath through a whole in their back! Who knows!

I am not sure that other life forms have been here, I think it is weird that if they came they would want to communicate with us.

Ghosts, never really believed in ghosts but when my Dad died about 9-10 years ago I went home for the funeral to Wigan, it was all very upsetting for my mum as she had been with him for 57 years, I stayed around for 3 days to offer support but then had to go back to London, I was dreading the moment and was slowly putting my bags in my car and felt bad for leaving her on her own. I eventually filled the car up and went into the house to say by to my mum, I was quite tearful as I didn’t want to leave her although she had my brothers with her. I gave her a hug and as I was hugging her I was overwhelmed with a sense of smell, So I was crying, holding my mother and also trying to figure out why I was smelling the same smell as the room Dad had died in! There was just a smell of death or a smell of a spirit; it’s not something you forgot. I said to my mum can you smell that, but she couldn’t. It was just the smell of the hospital room.

What would you still like to achieve?
The is a continuing sense of achievement, Every year poses new challenges, spiritually or mentally you have to deal with these from a new prospective and that in itself is a challenge, keeping a focus and keeping positive is a challenge as I get older. When you have achieved so much, and I have, you talk about a lot in the past sense you wonder what is ahead of you, I have had a few small health issues and so you do have to dig a little dipper to keep positive, so that is the challenge to me. I seem to know so many people that are on some medication for depression or whatever, alcohol or drugs or therapy and so it’s easy to think, look at the cup half empty rather than half full, the bands not happening or my career is over and I will never have another hit record and no label interested in signing me and not do as may gigs, It’s not like it used to be, I am not 23 anymore and I’m not incredibly young and vibrant and quite good looking. And one of the biggest pressures for me is because I’ve not grown up in the public eye and I have been away a while so there is a pressure in not to look like an old man, so I’m at the gym, and swimming and doing the hair. The guy from Flock of seagulls goes out and is now fat and bald, I’m Limahl and if I went out fat and bald people wouldn’t want that. There is genuine affection and I do keep getting calls luckily, there is a temptation just to do nothing and just visit national trust buildings.

That is a very long answer to your question, the challenges are very personal and keeping my head and shit together, looking forward and not looking back to much.

Boney Maizie

The Boney M Interview

Maizie Williams from Boney M talks to Minds Behind the Music in an exclusive interview.
By the Rivers of Babylon, Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring, Mary’s Boy Child, Ma Baker. All these massive hits and more tell a tale of success that is the Boney M story. Compared with Abba, The Beatles and Bee Gees, Boney M are one of the all-time legends of pop.


My first question is, what would you most like to be remembered for? Is it the music or the meaning?
Both of course, but more the meaning.

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?
It is a mess but there are some good ones who are trying to make a difference.

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?
My past was truly blessed thank god, in more ways than I could ever have imagined.

Tell us a little about your kind of music please!
If you are asking about the Boney M music, then obviously it is a type of music that stays throughout the years. Mainly because what it represents - a very melodic music, lyrics that are easy to sing along to and enjoy, for all age groups. But if you mean what kind of music I personally like, then it would be all types of music from times way back, like blues, soul, jazz, classical and gospel.

Which decade was best for music, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s or the 00’s?
The 70’s of course!

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
I think it is such a mess but, if I thought that I could make a difference, then I think I would stay - but that’s a big IF!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
That would be to have been fortunate to be a member of a world famous group - Boney M

What has been mankind’s greatest achievement?
Satellite communication.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
My message would be about salvation. If we don’t have God in our life then we would have nothing.

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
I hope my life wouldn’t have to depend on it – but if I was asked it would be East Enders.

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Yes, it definitely makes a sound! The eye does not have to see it fall for it to make a sound.

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
I have always thought that I am doing the right thing and to do it well and leaving a good impression to society. For me – that’s important.

What advice would you give to musicians today? And what’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
There is some good stuff out there talent wise and music wise, but also some not too good, of course. My advice would be to follow through with your dream and do the best you can, to leave a good impression on society.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Because the music delivers what the words are saying.


What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Movies with a good story lines, and all classical ones. And a good comedy. I do love a good laugh!

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
I personally think it is a great invention, but it also has some bad sides when viewed inappropriately.

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?
God.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
The word of God will never die.

Is “free will” the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?
Free will is not the law, but to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbour as yourself. THAT is the fulfilment of the law.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
I do not back Nuclear power, it is a completely evil invention.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
God.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Running the marathon!

What would you still like to achieve?
That’s hard to say because there is still a lot I would like to do, not just for myself, but for others I would like to say that I have run the race.

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Who knows????

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
It is a little of both.

Corr Blimey

In Conversation with Sharon Corr

The Corrs have gone Platinum four times. They've been awarded honorary MBE's. They've had massive international success with singles such as Runaway. Now Sharon Corr has released her solo album (Dream of You) and here she talks to Minds Behind the Music about her music, life and things that go bump in the night…. Oh, and Johnny Depp.

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?
Started learning violin at 6yrs old, taught myself the piano, went to school- wasn't nuts about it! Ran a record shop at 18. Gigged with Jim as a duet. Corrs as a band formed 1990 to audition for commitments film and it grew from there, wrote songs, recorded, worked our ....s off! Sold 35 Million Albums. Got married, had 2 babies - Cal and Flori .. awwwwwwww. Started writing and recording solo album Dream Of You and here I am! (Of course a shed load of stuff happened in between but that's it in a nutshell)

Tell us a little about your kind of music please!
I have two voices - vocal and violin. I love writing, sometime it's a pop song, sometimes it a classical, sometimes it's trad, sometimes it's a mix of all three that's me! Who knows where it comes from I just let it out!

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?
Considering the state we've got ourselves into - I'd probably - if I were an alien - put the UFO in reverse!

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what's your opinion of the politics of the world today?
Run by humans unfortunately. We could learn a lot by putting more women in positions of power - less ego - more nurture!

So come on, how does it really feel to be desired by millions of blokes around the globe?
No idea! Sounds fab tho!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?
My kids, my music.

What has been mankind's greatest achievement?
Johnny Depp

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?
Don't hurt each other

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?
Dallas, I need me some shoulder pads! Oh and Johnny Depp has to play JR!

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?
Of course it does, funnily enough - it makes the sound a tree makes when it falling. Duh!

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?
Never - that's the beauty of doing what you love and loving what you do. Music has always been my best friend.

What advice would you give to musicians today? And what's your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?
Find your own unique voice, never follow the pack. Learn your craft, know it, own it and never make excuses for who you are. "The industry" - seeks out what its heard before, but the public wants what touches them. If it comes from your heart - it will touch people.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?
Music makes language complete, really it's two languages merging to create a deeper- truer expression of ourselves and our world. Words on their own speak to the mind, music and words combined speak to the spirit and the soul.

What kind of movies do you watch and why?
Love old black and white movies and period films, like- All about Eve/ Remains Of The Day and Dangerous Liaisons. I suppose because they are so removed from today that I can truly escape and experience without prejudice.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?
It's incredible -I love it and I hate it. The access to information is fantastic. But in away I feel it's too fast for us, that really we now have too many options - too many things we can be doing at the one time and therefore to little time to focus on who we are and who we love and what we should be focused on. I wonder also does it ultimately- rather than bring us together - bring us an imagined world of togetherness but lose the actual physical community around us?

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?
I believe man is an animal that has evolved.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What's your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?
Good. Then hopefully we can get back to understanding how similar we are and how similar our needs are without the barriers of religion to tear us apart.
Is "free will" the whole of the law?

Can man ever be truly free? 

We are preconditioned by our genes, we are also evolving - there's the freedom.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.
I feel it is a power beyond our control, it frightens me, our time would be better spent developing natural sources of sustainable energy, like wind and wave.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO's (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?
I believe in people, truth, love and hope. The rest I am open to but I'd much rather rely on what I see and know in my heart.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?
I would recommend that politicians re-introduce themselves to the truth of peoples' lives. Music enhances my consciousness and takes me to a place nothing else can.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Went sailing with my husband round the Whitsunday Islands for a week in a 35ft sloop yacht when neither of us had any sailing experience, which one is port?

What would you still like to achieve?
More!

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?
Absolutely no idea........

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?
I honestly believe it has become a ridiculous "either/ or" debate when it is highly likely to be both.

Music Review

Vibes Review

By Coen Rhys

 

A kaleidoscopic view (for the ears) down memory lane!

A reflective listen: with every turn in the present,  the ears rewrite the past. 

 

From the minute you press play, you will know you’ve had your ticket stamped, you’ve politely squeezed past others to get on, you’ve physically jumped aboard, you are seated. All you need to do now is to let your mind think then you are ready to set sail! Enjoy!

 

Opening track: Adoring you!

 

Leave your past at the door, life starts now, and now will be whenever you are ready! 

 

When I congratulated Schizofranic on her recent release… I asked if she would be interested in a collab based on this track. While simple, full of surprises, tight drums, subtle yet epic repeating riffs with flourishes that give you a sense of journey!

I’ve written some test lyrics with a melody to compliment this outstanding arrangement… think  Stereophonics  (the band) in style of vocal:

 

“I’ll be adoring you,

By me adoring me,

Growing (by) day by day,

Your love waters the seed!?”.

 

Watch this space for potential future release! 

 

Born Free: Gave me vibes of Taylor Swift, the accents and higher frequencies make you intrigued to catch a new sound on each verse. The drums reminds me of someone suffering cards… the message for me: play the cards your dealt but be free. In today’s world we are constantly told when we can be free… let this song help you decide… that’s true freedom! 

 

Every Single Moment: A proper contender for a 80s themed Netflix series, not quite cinematic but feels like a great soundtrack. A modern take on Depeche mode I think… love the vocal echos! 

 

Everything I have: Another solid track, the variation in textures and quirks in production throughout (some skip a heart beat, others glisten in the back of your head) supported by a steady drum track! A lovely collection of sounds!

 

In My Head, In Your’e Eyes: the next 2 tracks… are related I think, that’s how I listened to them. Vibes (In My Head, In Your’e Eyes) is my suggested alternative version of this album as a  release with guest singers Coen Rhys on track 1! 🤣👍🏻

 

I would describe these 2 songs as “a shape-shifting experience to navigate love… painting a serene watercolour landscape of pastel colours at neither dawn or dusk”! You hold the brush, you decide where you show your art! 

 

Both songs move in directions but come together… production is first class. Flashbacks to other instrumentations already used earlier in this collection, echoed again later on these mainly instrumental tracks from the talented Schizofranic.

 

Needing you: Similar idea to Track 2 with vocal echos and would also lend well to a quirky Netflix series. The descending harmony of complementing chords to the steady theme of the song at the end is just sublime! Love how if I was to try and make sense of this album.. I would have a pinboard with connecting string from this track to Every Single Moment and to On the Other Side, the next track. 

 

On the Other Side: Flows so nicely with similar yet different riffs, a reintroduction of deeper drum sounds with a contemplating piano riff and silhouetted guitar and keyboard chime motifs! 

The “chorus” is most cinematic with that epic feeling, but then blends back to jarring conflicting thoughts. So clever!

 

Open Heart: A slight change of direction… the choice of instrumentation keeps the continuity yet with the vocal effects this reminds me of a alternative, subtle cover of the song no-one wants to hear a cover of but then you get a newfound love for whatever this song is. It’s not a cover and I don’t have a song in mind, without lyrics, these tracks are all about the thoughts they convey… 

 

Thoughts of You: Again arcs back to the Taylor Swift style of track 2. The reverse style of the transitions with memorable and familiar vibes… while writing this particular track review on first listen. I imagine Schizofranic with loop pedals in her bare feet (a little like Tash Sultana).

 

Til the End of Time: I have no idea if this track is a nod to or inspired by or written with mutual respect for inspiration as Warriors By @mancient. Mancient recently hung his hat with music, I like many hope he comes back… and this tracks if nothing else should encourage him to continue in his quest to share his music. Warriors is the end track of the first MBTM album in aid of the Born Free Foundation. https://youtu.be/Ggw9mtjfNa4

 

Listen to the first MBTM album here: 

https://orcd.co/mindsbehindthemusic 

Schizofranic is set to feature on album… coming later this year! 

 

End Track: Waves

Harmonic, Trippy, Zen! Wake up, get out of bed and walk down your chosen path, and whatever pace you see fit… but keep going! A real motivational salute to end this great album. “They don’t make albums listen they used to”… to listen in order, to tell a story… well “They” do now! Well done! 

 

While a thought-provoking, experimental and trusted song writer, with the instrumental approach Schizofranic lets the listener take control… providing the backdrop for you to think, feel, remember and  reflect.  She creates a  magical mystique with a reliable promise of relevance. 

 

Like catching up with a friend you’ve not yet met! Listen in full on all major platforms here:

https://orcd.co/schizofranicvibes

Review by Coen Rhys. Follow on Twitter here Coenrhys (@coenrhys) / Twitter 

Oh Boy!

The Boy George Interview

The man needs no introduction, but here’s one anyway. A massive international star. There, nuff said. And I managed to get to speak to him. Wowzer. Now read on.

My first question is, what would you most like to be remembered for?

I really hate that question [oops] but probably for being an amazing lover? I dunno, my musical legacy is very important. I still have work to do to cement that! I'm on it like a far bonnet!

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?

You cannot lead successfully without compassion. I believe in leaders but most have zero compassion. I think greed and commerce have always been more important than fairness & compassion. I joke that 'democracy sells you your life back at a premium rate'. I don't think you can just blame the politicians we all have to look at our role in things. Culpability is the new black!

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?

My past has been colourful and complicated but fun at times. My future is as uncertain as yours but my presence is very present. I am here and I love my life.

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would you turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?

I would hope to have a wealth of wisdom to impart but I might have my own questions to answer!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

Keeping my sense of humour and my friends! All the rest is just drama and while it's important in its own way it does not define me!

What has been mankind’s greatest achievement?

The safety pin? Bread, eyeliner!

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?

Be the light!

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?

Coronation St or Emmerdale. Is the league of gentleman a soap?

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?

It would sound like Armageddon to a slug!

Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?

To be honest I have only started considering this as an older and hopefully wiser man. Yes, now I think constantly about what I do. I consider myself to be much more Conscious these days!

What’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?

There is always great and inspiring music being made. Of course it's all objective and just because something sells bucket lads that doesn't make it sacred in my opinion. I love honesty and sometimes really trashy pop songs have a certain honesty that other bombastic and revered things don't. I like what I like and that's the end of it!

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?

A song about something is always better than vacuous drivel. Even instrumental music can be seriously lyrical. Words are everything!

What kind of movies do you watch and why?

I love Pedro Almodovar who is a quirky Latin genius. Again, honestly, profundity and style are things that set great movies apart. I thought 'The Artist' was a visual Masterpiece but wondered why they didn't do more dancing. The dancing at the end was stunning and worth the ticket.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?

It's a cesspit but it can be a great way to promote and share ideas! I love and hate it in equal measure!

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?

I see God mostly in nature. Those places and things that take your breath away. The creatures that inhabit the ocean are mind blowing and put Gaga to shame when it comes to style and freakishness. God is in the trees.

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?

Religion or faith can provide us with boundaries and that's a good thing. The intention of faith is to unite but sadly many human beings miss the opportunity to use faith as a warm blanket. As I said earlier 'be the light!

Is “free will” the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?

Once you understand that you have choices, especially emotionally then you can approach life from a better perspective. They say if you want to know how to live watch a flower grow. Also, look at people who live with disabilities and you Will learn humility. Be grateful for what you have and know that you are lucky if life provides you with luxuries. You are not special if you are rich and successful. You are lucky.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.

After Japan it's hard to support it. We need to invest in less harmful energy ideas.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?

I believe in my friend Amanda Ghost!

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?

Only on drugs and I would not recommend it to anyone. I no longer believe chopping off your ear leads to enlightenment!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

There are so many things. I try to keep those moments to a minimum.

What would you still like to achieve?

Complete & utter personal happiness!

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?

I don't think we could agree on a song!

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?

We are certainly not helping. I think man has and is continuing to damage the earth.

Jefferson Airplane Legend Speaks to Minds

Jefferson Airplane Enter Our Airspace

An exclusive interview with rock legend, Jorma Kaukonen.

Jorma is a legend in his own lifetime. He is best known for being part of the super bands, Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, scoring up such hits as Somebody to Love and White Rabbit in the 1960’s.

Hi Jorma, thanks for taking time out to answer my questions. My first is, what would you most like to be remembered for? Is it the music or the meaning?

I guess I would first like to be remembered as a good husband to my wife and father to my two wonderful children. After that we get to the music. Music to me these days is nothing without meaning so I guess I'd have to go for the meaning.

We know most politicians were born in the fiery pit of hell as the spawn of Satan, but what’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?

Good one! It seems as if there is really nothing new under the sun. Politicians seem to have been around since recorded history and probably before... sort of like a virus. Thanks to modern technology, they can do more damage with less effort.

Can you tell us all about your past, present and future?

Well... I see myself as an average American Joe who found himself blessed to be able to communicate through music and words. Thanks to the Jefferson Airplane and my pals therein, I have been able to spend my adult life supporting myself doing what I love. Right now I am running a music school in Ohio called the Fur Peace Ranch (check it out) as well as touring extensively both with my mandolin playing buddy, Barry Mitterhoff, and with Hot Tuna... which is Jack Casady, Me, Barry Mitterhoff and Skoota Warner. In 2003 I received a Grammy nomination for a solo project of mine called Blue Country Heart. Jack and my Tuna buddies and I just recorded our first studio album in 20 years for Red House Records. It's call, 'Steady As She Goes,' which sort of reflects our life's mantra. Larry Campbell produced it. As for the future, I would to live long enough to see my thirteen year old son and my five year old daughter graduate from college. Considering I'm seventy years old, this may be asking a lot, but I'm going for it.

Tell us a little about your kind of music please!

I guess blues and spiritual music started out as my muse... but I got infected by Rock and Roll which is certainly seductive. Thanks to the plethora of categories these days, it would seem that what I do now is Americana... whatever that is.

Have you ever heard of a band called Jefferson Airplane? Any good?

No band with a name like Jefferson Airplane is ever going to go anywhere. That said, when I go back and listen to our stuff from back 'in the day,' I have to remark, 'We weren't bad!'

If you were an alien visiting planet earth, what would you do? Would turn around and go back? Or stay and try and help? Or maybe conquer?

Who would want to conquer these barbarians? We humans (and I use the term loosely) are a nasty lot. I think I'd pick up as much good music as I could and head back to the home planet.

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

Boring answer, but I'd have to go with being a good father.

What has been mankind’s greatest achievement?

Music and art.

If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?

Doesn't it make sense to get along better with each other? How hard could that be... really?

If your life depended on it, which Soap Opera would you do a cameo in?


General Hospital

If a tree falls in a forest, and nobody is around to see or hear it, does it make a sound?

If a man is alone in the forest without a woman, is he still wrong?

Have you ever felt pressured by the fact that what you sing about affects society? Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?

I'm not sure 'pressured' is the word I would use... When I was younger I wouldn't have cared. Now, it concerns me. As for question two... 'yes.'

What advice would you give to musicians today? And what’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?

Never mind the marketed music. One has to be true to one's self. There will always be people waiting to share honesty.

Why do you think music and words seems to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?

Somehow music seems to bypass the brain and go directly to the heart.

What kind of movies do you watch and why?

Every now and then I actually watch a 'good' movies... more often than not it's 'forensic dramas,' and the like. Yeah, I know... pure escapism.

What are your opinions about the power of the internet?

Of course, we really have no idea how powerful the internet is going to be. There is now question that it is in my life every day!

Do you think man is created in the image of God (or Goddess) or the other way around?

If indeed we are all children of a higher power why should that power look like us and not a jellyfish?

A recent scientific report stated that religion will eventually die out completely. What’s your opinion on that? A good thing or a bad thing?

I consider myself a spiritual person. I have heard it said that religion is for those afraid of hell, and spirituality is for those of us who have been there. Who knows?

Is "free will" the whole of the law? Can man ever be truly free?

Aleister Crowley had something to say on this subject.... 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law,' or some such nonsense. Of course, depending on where we live, we have many choices to make. If we didn't care about consequences, we could choose any path. If we do
care about consequences, the choices are by definition, limited.

Do you back Nuclear Power? If not, why not.

In the wake of the tsunami in Japan, Nuclear Power seems like a dangerous way to boil water. There must be a better way. We do not have nuclear power in the part of Ohio in which I live. I would oppose it if they tried it here.

Do you believe in Ghosts? UFO’s (i.e. aliens visiting planet earth)? God?

Just because I have never experienced a ghost doesn't mean they don't exist. Same for aliens. Why should we be the only sentient life in universe. Lastly, I believe in a higher power I choose to call G_d.

Have you ever experienced altered states of consciousness? How, why and was it beneficial? And would you recommend it to all politicians, business and religious leaders?

Of course. I grew up in the Sixties. Now this is just my opinion today. I didn't work out so well for me and I wouldn't recommend it to my children. As for politicians, business and religious leaders... if they could just take a good look at themselves in the mirror and start practicing rigorous honesty, this would certainly solve their problems in my opinion.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Gotten into and stayed in the music business.

What would you still like to achieve?

Play some more good music... record some more good music... keep on smiling.

Would you ever record a duet with Justin Bieber?

Good grief. Tough to imagine.

Do you believe in manmade global warming? Or is it natural?

Beyond my expertise.

And lastly please feel free to say anything at all you want to the world of readers and tell us all about what you’re upto these days, plug an album, website or carboot sale.

Thanks for being interested in anything this old guitar picker has to say. Check out:

www.jormakaukonen.com see what I've been up to.... I write stuff too.
www.furpeaceranch.com see our cool little world where peace and music actually reigns full time.
www.hottuna.com see what the old rockers are still pulling off