We're S - H - O - P - P - I - N - G we're...

...shopping, yup.

Rendezvous... Twelve noon... Oxford Circus... outside H&M... okay, on the face of it it doesn't sound too promising, but when the man you are meeting is the stylist, costume designer and wardrobe genius behind the the Rolling Stones (Voodoo Lounge 1984, Bridges of Babylon 1997), Pet Shop Boys (Discovery 1994, Nightlife 2001, Fundamental 2006-7), Tina Turner (Private Dancer 2001), Cyndi Lauper (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 1994) and Duran Duran (2008) then its a whole different manner... this is practically a once in a lifetime event... even for someone like me that really does not enjoy shopping.

Suffice to say that Jeffreeeeey (for that is his name, albeit with less e's) is a gentleman, a scream, a god of fashion and a total and utter star. Want to see the results...?!



Well come down to a gig... ha ha.

Dxxx

P.S. Or look out for the videos after Tuesday's recording.

P.P.S. Okay, perhaps that was too much of a tease, so here is a pic:

DARE8 - The Lullabies Podcast

Okay, here it is, podcast number two. This one features the three songs I recorded for my Lullabies From The Wheels Of The Bus* project. You can download fuller versions of these songs from my website (see link above), and if you like any of the tunes please do spread the word and link to this blog or to the podcast.

DARE8 - The Lullabies Podcast

You can now subscribe to my podcast now by using this RSS link.

Once you have listened, then open your diaries and make a note to come and see me play on 20th March at Finnegan's Wake on Ealing Green.

Daren
xx

* Many thanks to Alex Staiger for the title of this project, and the album artwork.

Random

I have been tagged by (the highly readable, and ever so slightly addictive) Having My Cake to write down seven strange facts about myself...


The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

Okay... not sure any of these are weird, but hopefully they are random.

1) For years I couldn't spell vacuum. I just refused to believe that a word could have two "u"s next to each other.

2) When the book Communion came out I became very scared of aliens invading my house. I couldn't even look at the cover it spooked me out so much, although ever the gluten for punishment I bought the sequel too.

3) I have a (these days mild) phobia about using the phone.

4) I once came second in a fancy dress competition with my brother (in 1977 at a Queen's Silver Jubilee party) dressed as St. George and the dragon.

5) One of my songs has been played on BBC Radio 1 (by DJ Steve Wright). My first band was called Air, we still get confused with the French band of the same name - although since we formed in 1986 we kinda beat them to it.

6) My surname means naive and innocent. In the book of Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is described as a callow youth.

7) I have been onstage with the Pet Shop Boys (in a white forensic suit wheeling a huge wooden cut-out of Neil Tennant's head during a very literal stage show for the song You Were Always On My Mind).

Which leads me nicely on to the fact that I'm recording a new podcast this afternoon... this time featuring the three tunes from Lullabies From The Wheels Of The Bus. Stay tuned - should be on-line by about 5pm.

Oh yeah, and I tag, Peach, Vi, Nobby & Me and Clarrisa - although it's a kinda soft tag, as I don't actually mind if you want to be tagged or not - your choice.

Daren
xx

P.S. My song Vulnerable is play listed on two US radio stations: Radio KWSS 106.7 FM in Arizona, USA and Paridize Radio - do swing by their sites and put in a song request... thanks!!

P.P.S. I hope the photograph is suitably random for you. Hee hee.

From A All The Way Back To A

Many years ago (1987 ish) I was sitting in a pub in Stanmore with my friend Andy Hewitt. I mention this seemingly banal experience because without this event, and my friend talking loudly about the music industry, I would never have met Mike. Mike overheard Andy talking that day and went on to manage my band. We became good friends too. Because I met Mike that day, it was possible two years ago for Mike to think of me when he needed someone to go out on the road with the Pet Shop Boys.

And so the adventure began.

Because of that day I have travelled to something like 100 cities in 25 countries. I've written songs in the back of trucks in Denver; had close encounters with prostitutes in Montreal, a large snake in Miami, party people and pirates in Salt Lake City, drunk Germans in errrr Germany and Stella Artois in Belgium. I've seen where they make Volkswagens in Germany, where they race horses in England and watched the sun come up over an Austro-Hungarian hill fort in Serbia. I've bought coffee for the England football team doctor in Skojpe and ukuleles from the state fair in Phoenix.

I've had dinner and close encounters with popstars, made new friends and (yikes!) started Blogging. I've pushed scenery around, dressed up in white forensic suits, operated follow-spots and got to travel in a tour bus.

I've sold t-shirts to people of most nationalities (except in Macedonia where I didn't sell a single one!!) in tents, stadia, theatres, foyers, swimming pools, corridors and the plain old open air, all over Europe, Canada and the US - as far west as San Francisco, east as Bucharest, north as Bergen and south as Miami.

It's been a blast, and now it's over.

On the plane back from our last gig in Romania the monitor engineer Seamus passed me his iPod Video and urged me to watch an episode of Pets. I did and it was very good ("So you are saying that Gog is a dog, or a hog and Magog is a fog"). As the credits rolled a name flashed by my eyes. I had to do a double-check, but there it was. Clear as daylight.

Sound by Andy Hewitt.

Of all the things in all the places at all the times.

Surreal.

But then that's me all over.

Whatever next?!

Dxxxx

That Was The Week That Was

In no particular order:

1) I was coming off the tube at Aldgate East with Alex when I spotted a familiar face framed by white hair. He was carrying a camera and peering down the Tube tunnel, researching a new book or programme? It was the unmistakable features of Dan Cruickshank, I was almost tempted to ask for an autograph, but decided that TV Presenter-worrying is not really my style. He has the most fantastic voice.

2) I was in the ex-Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street (it's now called something utterly unmemorable) pottering about. I spotted that there was a band setting up in the music store in the basement. I was just pondering sauntering down to check them out when, amidst muted screams they began to play. It was Wet Wet Wet!

I ran out of the store.

3) I went to Paris with Peachy. Despite cold, strikes, a broken train and a very heavy bag (get a wheely case!!!) I had a relaxing and enjoyable time. The champagne was chilled, the hotel trendy, the food wonderful and the company perfect. Paris genuinely feels like a home away from home now, just a small shame that my friend P couldn't join us, despite living in Paris, she was in England for the weekend.

Doh!

4) Went along to the 10th Anniversary of the Blue Acoustic Cafe at The Horn last Wednesday. Strange evening of crazy cheering audience in the first half and crazy cheering table football players in the second half. Had to sneak out early as I didn't feel too good, but great to see Kris, Sean, Bill and plenty of familiar faces in the crowd.

That's the week that was. This weekend features a trip to Bucharest with the Pet Shop Boys. This is definitely, finally, for sure the last gig with them ever. Well alright the last gig this year anyway. I won't be spending my birthday in Moscow after all, so next week there will probably be a big PSB retrospective.

Please check out my tunes (see below) and let me know what you think.

Lots of love,

Dxxx

P.S. Check this out, very silly: http://store.shirtsofhawaii.com/tstefiuk.html

Me And The Monkey King

I had a dream.

I was standing outside The Morrison hotel in Dublin. It was cool and breezy. The popstar Ian Brown was there, he was putting gravel on a light in the floor. He seemed very happy.

Then I was in a nightclub with more popstars and lots of people in sailor uniforms. I meet a guy called Mitch, he's a millionaire clothes store owner. He takes me to a secret place in the club and introduces me to the Irish mafia. I smoke a cigarette. He asks me if I'm gay or straight and then tells me how he cheated on his wife - I'm the only one he can tell.

Then I'm outside and eating a Burger King meal with a Kiwi and a dancer called Swan. It starts to rain heavily. So we walk the other way around the building to stay dry.

I'm back at the door of the hotel. Ian Brown is still there.

I go to bed and fall asleep.

Only...




...it wasn't a dream.

Dxxx

Miss The Train? Who, me?!

Yup, I'm back on tour with the fabulous Pet Shop Boys! Have I missed it? Hell yeah. All the guys on this tour are fantastic, and I'd rather be here than petty much anywhere else... but I nearly wasn't "here".

We flew out to Madrid fine, but then encountered the baggage reclaim at Madrid airport. It's not slow, particularly, but it's a very big airport and it just takes time for the bags to arrive, and we had a train to catch. We split up, NT and the tour manager in one car and the crew in a bus. Guess who got to the station first (and on time), yeah us in the bus. Guess who had the tickets, yeah the tour manager... in the car, which arrived late and we all missed the train. Ho hum, time for tapas and a glass of wine. We'll be on the next train, no doubt. Except the next train is full, so... 8 people get on the 20.08 and the remaining 5 have to get the 21.30... that's me, in case you hadn't guessed. Not a great hardship as it meant a taxi ride to Plaza Major and a meal on the management. I have to say I'm still in awe of having dinner with a world famous popstar... I should be getting used to it by now. Just call me a kid at heart.

Lovely trains in Spain, btw. We passed the journey (at 300 Km/H) doing crosswords and drinking red wine, bus to the hotel, and here I am... blogging again... Suede playing and another vodka calling from the minibar... hard life, huh?

Dxxx
(in Zaragoza, Spain)

I Went To Documenta and All I Got Was This Lousy Mug

Actually I think it's a lovely mug and it's from the 4th Skulptur Projekte in Muenster and not from Documenta at all. But I did go to both last week and had a quite varied time. Documenta is an important (so they say) art exhibition and event which is held every five years in Kassel, Germany. Kassel itself is a very workman-like town in the heart of Germany with very few buildings older than the 50's. I wondered at first if it was a new town, but it turns out in fact that we bombed it flat during the war. Poignant then that the Documenta event is a very political exhibition and, this year at least, quite dark in nature. It didn't help either that the weather was lousy when we were there. After the fun of Berlin and the Kunst-Werke exhibition of Joe Coleman it came as quite a culture shock. We stayed in a business hotel just out of town and got the bus in each day to see the art. We shuffled around all the major galleries and tried to find somewhere to have fun in Kassel, but we failed. I also discovered the the brothers Grimm used to live there, grim was the word alright! So we left as early as we could and went to Muenster.

The Skulptur Projecte in Muenster only happens every ten years, and this is the fourth occurrence, so it's quite a privilege to be there. In contrast to Documenta the only politics seems to be about the interaction between art and public spaces and it's a much more light-hearted affair. I didn't get to see the Bruce Nauman inverted pyramid - Square Depression and the Guillaume Bijl buried church, but we did see some good stuff. Our favourites were the Mike Kelley petting zoo, complete with cow, goats and donkeys!! We also liked a sculpture made from crushed plastic animals, the sort that towns use to promote events. Ironically the hotel we stayed in actually had one of the painted cows in it's lobby!

Muenster is a much more fun place to go out and we managed to find a Mexican bar that served us about 6 cocktails with extra shots along the way and only charged us €28 !! We also found a fun Italian restaurant where everyone in the party gets their own charge card, no arguments about splitting the bill there then!! Now that's my kind of town!

Dxxx

P.S. The Shrinking Violets are reforming, and I'm supporting them at their gig on the 29th Sept at the Trinity in Harrow. Should be a riot!!

P.P.S. The Pet Shop Boys look set to announce more dates in October... hoorah!! I'm not unemployed yet!

Famous, but not in that way...

I've been struck down by some sort of virus, and it's curtailed my recording and mixing efforts. (It's hard to sing or play when it feels like someone is hammering on your head!!!) So instead I've had some time to think and put together a few web pages and the like. The first realisation I came to is that the pieces of music that I'm putting together don't form "albums" in the conventional way, as it's rare that they will actually end up on a CD with a printed cover and so forth, but rather they are projects or collections of songs. They have artwork, they have a (suggested) running order, they have lyrics and other information associated with them, but after that the similarities end, and it gets a lot more exciting.

My "album" artwork doesn't need to be CD friendly (although I will always supply something that works in iTunes and would print on a CD cover), I can include demo versions of songs as well as the finished articles. I can also update or change the order at any time that takes my fancy. If you download the songs or images, you can modify them or change the running order, or remix them or anything you like... it's exciting stuff. As technology allows, I will be able to include videos, interactive chat and even live broadcasts of the music.

It occured to me then that I need a home for the album or project, that is the centre for all this creativity. Fortunately the web is perfect for this, so here are the first two project homepages...

I'm Still Here

Lullabies From The Wheels Of The Bus

Please feel free to interact with these projects either via this Blog or email.

Also, I guess I need a name for this new kind of virtual album... any ideas? Webbum? Webdisc? iAlbum? eAlbum? Answers on a ePostcard please.

Who Me?

Another internet site that's caught my eye recently is YouTube (you can't miss it can you?!) and I was facsinated to discover that not only am I on it (sort of), but my guitar is also on it!! So without further ado, here is my Fender Telecaster being played and then used as a demonstration model by Rick Parfitt of Status Quo no less (it's the one with the Union Jack on at the start, he then produces it from behind the flight case for the demo):

My Guitar Being Facelifted

And me onstage with the Pet Shop Boys:

Heart Live

Okay, okay, you can't actually see me... but I am there. I'm behind the white cube on the right hand side holding on to it to prevent the scenery from moving around and running Neil and Chris over. Which all goes to prove that my guitar is a lot more famous than I am.