Another seasonal question special. This time I asked recent interviewees some festive questions for a Native.tv Christmas special.
Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Native.tv http://www.native.tv in December 2007
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd
CHRISTMAS 2007
Greg Gilbert (vocals, guitar) - Delays
Where were you last Christmas?
In Southampton. It’s a total family time for me. I just love it. I love doing the whole cliché thing, I love being with my family eating dinner and getting drunk and sitting in front of crap TV falling asleep, paper hat on my head.
What’s the best present you received?
I got the James Bond DVD set one Christmas. The trouble is with DVDs is I have to be in the right frame of mind. I channelsurf endlessly. Sometimes I put a DVD on and think oh there must be something great on, but Bond is great comfort on lonely nights.
What’s your best and worst Christmas songs?
Best Christmas song is either Roy Wood or Slade, I’m a big fan of all those glammy Christmas, Life On Mars kind of era. I didn’t like Paul McCartney’s Christmas song. That’s not one of my favourites.
What’s your New Year’s resolution? Or have you not got one yet because we’re asking you this on November 1st?
Let me think of one. My New Year’s resolution is to try and find as many things funny as possible. I think when you find something so funny you belly laugh, there’s absolutely nothing better.
Tom Baxter
What are your favourite and least favourite Christmas songs?
You know what, I really like that George Michael song ‘Last Christmas’, I think that’s a really good song. I always feel sorry for the guys in Slade because they’re just labelled a Christmas band. The Cliff Richard stuff I don’t really like, that just drives me up the wall a little. It’s all a little bit insipid and milky for me.
How did you celebrate New Year last year?
Oh God, where was I? For the life of me, I can’t remember. The last Christmas I did, I had a house party so I was very drunk and then I had to go to Argentina the following day so I was a bit worse for wear.
What’s the worse thing about Christmas?
It’s just like a false sense of family sometimes, and I think that’s a real shame. I think sometimes particularly in this country we don’t make enough effort to just be a family. It’s all so split up. So I think that it can be quite a lonely time for people can’t it, if you haven’t got family and if you don’t get on with your family.
Do you have a New Year’s resolution?
My New Year’s resolution is just like everyone else’s, to get fit actually. I just haven’t been to the gym for so long.
Matt Bowman (vocals) and Oli Main (guitar) – The Pigeon Detectives
Best Christmas present you’ve got?
Oli: A guitar.
Matt: Pair of rollerskates.
What’s your New Year’s resolution?
Matt: Mine’s going to be smoke more. Just to say ‘Fuck you’ to those that are trying to ban it.
Oli: Smoke indoors more.
Matt: That’s for both of us, that.
What’s the worst thing about Christmas?
Matt: Buying Christmas presents. Not made of money.
Oli: I fucking hate Christmas, everything about it.
Best and worst Christmas songs?
Matt: Worst one was that Darkness effort.
Oli: Slade’s is the best one.
Matt: Yeah, obviously Slade.
What did you do last New Year?
Matt: Played a gig at the Faversham in Leeds. It was excellent. Drank lots of beer, got paid, and…
Oli: Fell over a wall.
Matt: Fell over a wall. Probably. [thinks] No, that weren’t then...
Stine Bramson – Alphabeat
Best and worst Christmas songs?
[Favourite] Wham! ‘Last Christmas’. That’s always good. I love that, I love Wham! in general. [Least favourite] That’s probably mostly Danish ones. The silly ones that don’t really have a good melody and sung by kids always.
What do you eat at your Christmas meal?
We have duck at home with everything that comes with that.
Where were you last New Year?
I actually had dinner with the friend who’s over at my place right now. Then we went to a big private party at a friend’s house in Copenhagen.
Greg Churchouse – Scouting For Girls
Where did you spend last Christmas?
Last Christmas, I was pretty much working most of it. Myself and Roy both worked in shops, so Christmas time was always the busiest time of the year. We literally got Christmas Day off, and it was working til 10, 11pm on Christmas Eve and then back to work on Boxing Day. This is going to be the first Christmas we’ve both not been working since we left school which is going to be absolutely lovely stuff.
What’s the best present you received?
Blimey. That’s a tricky one. I’d say when I was like 14 Roy persuaded to get an acoustic guitar for Christmas instead of a Megadrive. Quite lucky he did otherwise who knows what would have happened, I’d have been sitting at home, being a computer geek, as opposed to sitting in the back of a freezing cold tour bus somewhere in Scotland!
What’s your New Years resolution?
I would say I’d like to get fitter. But as I’ve never ever stuck to a New Years resolution in my life for more than, say, a day, I doubt it’s really going to happen.
What are you best and worst Christmas songs?
Best Christmas song would be ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! I don’t know what the worst Christmas song would be actually. [laughs] Roy just said ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! It’s a double-edge sword. I was personally going to go for ‘Mistletoe & Wine’ by Cliff Richard.
David Guetta
I’m going to ask you some cheesy Christmas questions, if that’s all right.
Bring on the cheese!
Where were you last New Year?
I was in Dubai.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
Really classic, you know family, tree, my wife is totally into that, she’s like really excited and we have a boy, he’s three and a half years, so we’re gonna wait for Father Christmas to come and say hello and everything.
What are your best and worst Christmas songs?
I think that is more of a UK thing because we don’t have that so much in France. I’ve seen that you have a lot of that here and it’s all a big deal but we don’t really. ‘Baby When The Light’ is number one on the airplay and it will be for Christmas. We don’t have special Christmas music. I think it’s a good thing!
Have you got a New Year’s resolution?
Yes I do. I’m going to go back to the gym, I’m going to eat healthy, I’m going to start some proper music lessons – harmony, piano lessons, percussion lessons, guitar lessons. Today I’ve done this today, it was a great experience, I’ve done this show for Channel 4 called ‘Freshly Squeezed’ and we’ve done an acoustic version of ‘Baby When The Light’. It was really exciting, I was like I wanna do this more, I need to come back home. I programme so I can play keyboard but not that good, and I want to learn how to play the real thing. That’s my resolution for next year.
Showing posts with label david guetta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label david guetta. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Interview - David Guetta
David Guetta is one of those people where everyone knows his songs, but not necessarily the name behind them. My, I do like a nice French accent down the phone...
Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Native.tv http://www.native.tv in December 2007
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd
DAVID GUETTA
David Guetta still sees himself as an amateur. The best-selling, stylish and popular house DJ still sees his job as a hobby, which is nice work if you can get it. He’s a lively Frenchman, full of energy and zest. We soon depress him (not really) when he rings from London, where he’s doing the promotional rounds for his latest single. Guetta is facing 12 interviews this day, and has just finished filming an acoustic performance for Channel 4’s Freshly Squeezed. He's hoping to have music lessons next year so he can play more in this style - is there a new direction coming about, we wonder.
With the release of album 'Poplife' this summer - which includes last year's massive hit 'Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)', a song which managed to get everyone's cars on the dancefloor, as well as recent smash 'Love Is Gone' - Guetta is much in demand to get club nights really going. Recently playing 2020ROCKS in Bournemouth, he's at home in small clubs as well as enormous, spectacular parties. So, let's begin...
‘Baby When The Light’ – that’s your new single with Cozi. Where did you meet her?
In London. I recorded one of the tracks of the album with Tara McDonald who performed on Armand Van Helden ‘My My My’. They were friends and they had the same management. I was looking for this really emotional voice and I was trying lots of different singers, and she proposed to try it and she was perfect. It’s great, I’m really happy with the result.
Is it hard for you to find singers to work with?
Well not really because I’m not like looking so much. It’s always been finding somebody by accident. I met Chris Willis in a bar, JD Davis just came to me because he wanted to work with me. It’s more like a friendship thing for me to hang out with nice people in the studio. I’m not looking everywhere to get some singers. I’m still amateur. No, still! It happens that I’m selling records which is a kind of miracle to me, but I still do this as a hobby really.
You say you’re 'selling records', you won the World’s Best Selling DJ Award at the 2007 World Music Awards.
Yes, and the album is platinum already. It’s great, and it was a huge show so it was really exciting. It was like being at the Oscars, all those big American artists I was like ‘Whoah…’ [laughs] I was impressed. We had dinner and there was Rihanna and Akon, all these huge artists. And me. It’s good. I’m living my dream in the moment, I have to say.
That’s a nice saying.
Yeah it’s great. And the gigs as a DJ, I crave more everywhere I go. It’s magic. You know, all the artistic activities, they’re great when it works. It’s very difficult when it doesn’t work - but when it works, it’s fantastic, it makes you forget everything else.
I read when you first started out in Ibiza people used to laugh at you, especially the English. Why was that?
Yeah, by saying it was a party but French DJs they were like [groans] and I remember actually booking DJs in the early 90s, they would say ‘Really? There’s a scene in France?’ They think that we live in the disco time or something, you know. The island was rammed by all the UK promoters and the American DJs of the time and I came trying to do something different. It was difficult at the beginning, but we’ve done Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier, Cassius and Bob Sinclar and others. It’s a different situation now.
I was reading about your ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’ CD series, have you got another one coming out soon?
I will have for next summer. Right now I’m really into my album ‘Pop Life’, and this is the most important for me because it took me like 2 ½ years to make it. Actually I produced something like 30 or 40 tracks and then choose only the 12 or 14 best.
It must be quite hard trying to narrow it down.
Oh, that’s the most difficult. The two things I don’t like is choosing because you don’t have enough space on the album, and then choosing the singles. Oh my God, that’s so hard. Because I like all of them, that’s why I put it in the album, but when you have to say okay that’s supposed to be the best, it’s very difficult.
I didn’t know it was you choosing the singles, I thought it was the record company doing that sort of thing.
No because I’m my own producer, so I have my freedom. But they do try, you know. Like they pushed a lot for me to choose ‘Baby When The Light’ as the first single, but I resisted and I’ve done ‘Love Is Gone’ which was a really good move because it was a huge success. But ‘Baby When The Light’ is supposed to be the big one; so, we’ll see.
Good luck with that.
Thank you very much.
Back to your ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’ club night, you once said your wife brings the glamorous people and you bring the crazies. Is that still true?
Yeah, that’s exactly how it goes, and I like it. I like to meet different people. I think clubs are probably the only place where you can meet people that usually don’t mix, rich, poor, famous, not famous, gay, straight, black, white, it’s great. That’s what we’re doing with ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’. It’s great, it’s fun. I love to do different things you know, play a big festival for 20,000 people and play for a small underground club of 300.
I was looking at your tour dates coming up and that looks very glamorous, with places like Singapore and Marrakech.
I go everywhere in the world really. There’s Singapore, there’s Marrakech, there’s Germany, there’s America, there’s South America…
…Nottingham. What do you do to relax?
I make music [laughs]
That’s working!
No really, I see it as a way for me to relax and it’s still my hobby.
Do you still go clubbing when you’re not working in one?
Not really. I do this only in Ibiza actually because every weekend I’m playing so I can’t really go. I do this like going out weekdays in Ibiza, so I love to listen to other DJs.
I was reading you were the first DJ to perform a live set on a commercial plane. Was that something you wanted to do or did someone ask you?
I got this mad proposal from this mad plane company. They said play for us, we’ll do the flight on the day of your party, and you can invite anybody you want. So I was like this is great, I can invite all my friends to the party. It was on 14th July which is our independence day and it was crazy, everybody was dancing in the plane. I was not expecting for it to be so good, to be honest. I had two hostesses being my go-go dancers. Perfect.
I was wondering if it was some new craze of extreme Djing, you know, take Djing to these different places.
I’m open to anything! But this one, inviting friends to a party and being there and dancing in the plane, it’s kind of special.
What have been your favourite songs to listen to this year?
I haven’t listened to a lot of music to be honest ‘cause I was really working on my album. I thought the album of Justice was really good, and I love James Blunt also. There’s like a thousand of electronic tracks, I don’t know if you’re interested in that. I’m a big fan of Swedish house like Axwell and those guys, I really love their production.
Are there any other highlights of your year?
The whole year has been a highlight really, I had a baby, I had a new album, I had a really amazing tour, it’s all perfect. I just wish it would never stop.
Words - Suzy Sims
Previously published on Native.tv http://www.native.tv in December 2007
(c) Niche News & Publishing Ltd
DAVID GUETTA
David Guetta still sees himself as an amateur. The best-selling, stylish and popular house DJ still sees his job as a hobby, which is nice work if you can get it. He’s a lively Frenchman, full of energy and zest. We soon depress him (not really) when he rings from London, where he’s doing the promotional rounds for his latest single. Guetta is facing 12 interviews this day, and has just finished filming an acoustic performance for Channel 4’s Freshly Squeezed. He's hoping to have music lessons next year so he can play more in this style - is there a new direction coming about, we wonder.
With the release of album 'Poplife' this summer - which includes last year's massive hit 'Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)', a song which managed to get everyone's cars on the dancefloor, as well as recent smash 'Love Is Gone' - Guetta is much in demand to get club nights really going. Recently playing 2020ROCKS in Bournemouth, he's at home in small clubs as well as enormous, spectacular parties. So, let's begin...
‘Baby When The Light’ – that’s your new single with Cozi. Where did you meet her?
In London. I recorded one of the tracks of the album with Tara McDonald who performed on Armand Van Helden ‘My My My’. They were friends and they had the same management. I was looking for this really emotional voice and I was trying lots of different singers, and she proposed to try it and she was perfect. It’s great, I’m really happy with the result.
Is it hard for you to find singers to work with?
Well not really because I’m not like looking so much. It’s always been finding somebody by accident. I met Chris Willis in a bar, JD Davis just came to me because he wanted to work with me. It’s more like a friendship thing for me to hang out with nice people in the studio. I’m not looking everywhere to get some singers. I’m still amateur. No, still! It happens that I’m selling records which is a kind of miracle to me, but I still do this as a hobby really.
You say you’re 'selling records', you won the World’s Best Selling DJ Award at the 2007 World Music Awards.
Yes, and the album is platinum already. It’s great, and it was a huge show so it was really exciting. It was like being at the Oscars, all those big American artists I was like ‘Whoah…’ [laughs] I was impressed. We had dinner and there was Rihanna and Akon, all these huge artists. And me. It’s good. I’m living my dream in the moment, I have to say.
That’s a nice saying.
Yeah it’s great. And the gigs as a DJ, I crave more everywhere I go. It’s magic. You know, all the artistic activities, they’re great when it works. It’s very difficult when it doesn’t work - but when it works, it’s fantastic, it makes you forget everything else.
I read when you first started out in Ibiza people used to laugh at you, especially the English. Why was that?
Yeah, by saying it was a party but French DJs they were like [groans] and I remember actually booking DJs in the early 90s, they would say ‘Really? There’s a scene in France?’ They think that we live in the disco time or something, you know. The island was rammed by all the UK promoters and the American DJs of the time and I came trying to do something different. It was difficult at the beginning, but we’ve done Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier, Cassius and Bob Sinclar and others. It’s a different situation now.
I was reading about your ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’ CD series, have you got another one coming out soon?
I will have for next summer. Right now I’m really into my album ‘Pop Life’, and this is the most important for me because it took me like 2 ½ years to make it. Actually I produced something like 30 or 40 tracks and then choose only the 12 or 14 best.
It must be quite hard trying to narrow it down.
Oh, that’s the most difficult. The two things I don’t like is choosing because you don’t have enough space on the album, and then choosing the singles. Oh my God, that’s so hard. Because I like all of them, that’s why I put it in the album, but when you have to say okay that’s supposed to be the best, it’s very difficult.
I didn’t know it was you choosing the singles, I thought it was the record company doing that sort of thing.
No because I’m my own producer, so I have my freedom. But they do try, you know. Like they pushed a lot for me to choose ‘Baby When The Light’ as the first single, but I resisted and I’ve done ‘Love Is Gone’ which was a really good move because it was a huge success. But ‘Baby When The Light’ is supposed to be the big one; so, we’ll see.
Good luck with that.
Thank you very much.
Back to your ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’ club night, you once said your wife brings the glamorous people and you bring the crazies. Is that still true?
Yeah, that’s exactly how it goes, and I like it. I like to meet different people. I think clubs are probably the only place where you can meet people that usually don’t mix, rich, poor, famous, not famous, gay, straight, black, white, it’s great. That’s what we’re doing with ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’. It’s great, it’s fun. I love to do different things you know, play a big festival for 20,000 people and play for a small underground club of 300.
I was looking at your tour dates coming up and that looks very glamorous, with places like Singapore and Marrakech.
I go everywhere in the world really. There’s Singapore, there’s Marrakech, there’s Germany, there’s America, there’s South America…
…Nottingham. What do you do to relax?
I make music [laughs]
That’s working!
No really, I see it as a way for me to relax and it’s still my hobby.
Do you still go clubbing when you’re not working in one?
Not really. I do this only in Ibiza actually because every weekend I’m playing so I can’t really go. I do this like going out weekdays in Ibiza, so I love to listen to other DJs.
I was reading you were the first DJ to perform a live set on a commercial plane. Was that something you wanted to do or did someone ask you?
I got this mad proposal from this mad plane company. They said play for us, we’ll do the flight on the day of your party, and you can invite anybody you want. So I was like this is great, I can invite all my friends to the party. It was on 14th July which is our independence day and it was crazy, everybody was dancing in the plane. I was not expecting for it to be so good, to be honest. I had two hostesses being my go-go dancers. Perfect.
I was wondering if it was some new craze of extreme Djing, you know, take Djing to these different places.
I’m open to anything! But this one, inviting friends to a party and being there and dancing in the plane, it’s kind of special.
What have been your favourite songs to listen to this year?
I haven’t listened to a lot of music to be honest ‘cause I was really working on my album. I thought the album of Justice was really good, and I love James Blunt also. There’s like a thousand of electronic tracks, I don’t know if you’re interested in that. I’m a big fan of Swedish house like Axwell and those guys, I really love their production.
Are there any other highlights of your year?
The whole year has been a highlight really, I had a baby, I had a new album, I had a really amazing tour, it’s all perfect. I just wish it would never stop.
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