From http://www.myspace.com/darrenhayes

I think when the tour ended I was so tired I didn't even think about anything other than wanting to run away and sleep. Or hide maybe. But certainly I wanted to take a step out of the spotlight. I also thought that I would take a much longer time being silent. But after a while I thawed out and wanted to post a thought, so I did (about Anthony Minghella) and then today, I saw images from a show that just debuted and I got so excited I wanted to talk about it. Hence me writing.

In a lot of ways, I think that the climate we live in encourages a culture of constant connection. And that can be exhausting. We live so much in front of our computers now that we forget to live. Just blogging every day for the last album built up an expectation that I would continue on doing the same even after the album was finished. Obviously that's not possible and had I done that, I would have been completely spent creatively. I think it's much easier to involve the outside world in your journey when you're on it. But when you're planning it, I think sometimes that has to be in private. So I've decided that in terms of what I plan to do next musically I'm not going to start writing about until I'm in the thick of it.

That leaves me open to being able to write about other things on here if I feel like it. Things I'm thinking, watching or feeling. It won't be anywhere near as frequently as before - but it's actually a cool outlet for me and hopefully it might inspire other questions or discussions on your end. Just as long as you don't expect me to be working on a new album any time soon! I can pretty much assure you I won't be making a new record any time this year. A few people have been overly dramatic and sent me messages or left comments on myspace thinking I'm retiring from music.
That's absurd. I could never stop making music or performing. I'm just changing the way it gets to you and I'm certainly going to take as long as it takes to want to write more music. I want to make some changes in my life as well in terms of disconnecting from the rat race of this industry. I keep harping on about it but it's true - the older I get the less I want to fit into the mainstream.

In the mean time I've got a couple of DVD's to oversee and I continue exploring other writing opportunities. More than anything I'd like to just blab on when I feel like it and if I find inspiration in things. The one thing I have decided to do is keep the messages turned off on myspace - until I'm ready to start being one on one. It's a tiny thing that lets me feel like I'm unaccountable and I like that. There was a while there where I started to feel a little bit like I was rude if I didn't read or answer every single note and that's not what I want to be connecting about. So for the time being, blogs it is!


The picture above is of  Katy Perry.
Which brings me to the things that got me excited.
There's two really.
The first is the dog kisser above. She's going to be huge so she doesn't need my help but I'll tell you a funny story. I heard this song 'You're so gay' and I was mildly offended by the use of the word 'gay'. i.e. gay as an insult. Then I listened to the lyrics and realized in fact in the context of the song she actually wasn't being insulting, but taking the piss out of an emo ex boyfriend. Moving on I checked out her site. And heard the song 'I kissed a girl' And I was obsessed. OBSESSED do you hear me? Then I looked at some footage of Katy and realized I'd met her.

Years ago I wrote some songs with Glen Ballard (Alanis Morrisette). The songs never saw the light of day ('I've Been There' was one of them and 'The Wrong Way' was the other) as they didn't really fit on my albums but I had immense admiration and a wonderful time working with him. On one of the nights during dinner break this hurricane breezed into the studio in the form of a woman and introduced herself as Katy. She was honestly someone who had such a presence that I was simultaneously afraid and in awe. She struck me as a sort of raven haired Cyndi Lauper really. Anyway she talked about how she was signed to Columbia (someone give me a bucket!)
and Glen talked about how she was going to be a big star.

A year passed and then I went in to record 'So Beautiful' and blah blah and then another tour and then another year and then 'Delicate'..
You get the picture.

But as I was looking at her picture it all came flooding back to me.
Turns out she'd been dropped by Columbia records (honestly, such wankers!) and then gone on to become someone that just last week Madonna mentioned on national radio as the person she was listening to on her iPod. I just felt so happy and spent hours checking out Katy's video blogs and getting up to date on her music and I felt so happy that amongst the usual drivel of manufactured crud we had finally unearthed a genuine 21st century pop star.

Now the other thing that made me happy this week. Kanye West launched his 'Glow in the Dark Tour'. Here's a man who lost his mother last year and had an epiphany about what really matters in life - i.e. happiness. He consequently spent a wad of cash on a fanfuckingtastic tour and stage design for a show that is essentially a concept show (erhem I DID just do this recently btw..but it made me feel like I was on the right path!). His show involves a creature from Jim Henson's muppet factory and a stage that looks like a chunk of Mars.

I'm somewhat obsessed with Kanye's style and taste. It's not even really about the music for me but his choices. I love that he is an intelligent man making bold statements in a world full of cliche's.

Anyway just those two artists this week inspired me and reminded me to stay true to my boldness too.

Here's some snaps form the Kanye show.







If anyone finds any decent YouTube clips of the opening of the show, I wouldn't mind it if they perhaps posted them somewhere. Not that I approve of that kind of thing. Anyhoo I'm off to get some schleep.
Bye!

xD