Friday, January 04, 2008

The revolution will not be televised
Current mood: eh
Category: eh Music

A while ago I just stopped reading tabloids.
I don't mean just the newspapers like the 'Hate' Mail in London or News of the World.
I stopped looking online.
I stopped reading the gossip sites, the paparazzi havens. The juicy chain emails that went around the music and entertainment industry. I stopped being sucked in to it.

It's funny because in the past I would justify it by maybe buying the odd gossip rag when I was on a long haul flight. But never in my home. You'd never see copies of the gossip rags in my house. But I'd read them if someone left them around. Or devour them at a photoshoot out of sheer boredom. And then years later it turned into mindlessly following link after link of bullshit online trash when I couldn't sleep at 3 in the morning.

It wasn't subscribing to the gutter press.
I was just, sorta, a casual bystander, right?

For Lois

I wanted to pay my respects to Lois (Iliada) and her brother Jamie and
send my love and condolences
out to the entire Zois family.

May you both rest and peace.

All my love
Darren Hayes

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

New Year's Eve show
Current mood: Hung Over
Category: Hung Over Music

First of all thanks to all of you who attended thereby making it possible.
Couldn't have done it without you, but I'm sure you're getting that by now!
It was an extraordinary atomosphere in the room and I loved that it felt like a party with you rather than a show.

We did our thing - and it was a long thing (set list at the end of this post).. Afterwards I played my dj mix which I'd been working on for ages. It was such a thrill to see people boogie on down to my choices and I loved popping out and shaking my rumpmaker (what's up with my adjectives here?) when I could.

Got so carried away singing completely forgot to count down to New Years and I think 2008 arrived somewhere in the middle of 'Dress You Up' !
All in all up there with my best New Years Ever.. and I can't thank you all enough for this memory.

The set list..

Friday, December 28, 2007

Getting ready for new years!
Current mood: adventurous

I'm in the studio with Shave - over in East London (a place I rarely go) and we're putting the finishing touches on the band arrangements (surprises) for New Years and he's helping me a little with my mix for my DJ set afters. Don't expect me to be literally 'spinning'. I don't spin. I don't beat match. I do however put together a bloody awesome mix on a laptop so do expect me to be looking at the lap top a lot and possibly getting tipsy.

Now, why don't I go to the East of London much?
It's weird, it's like a North vs South thing. Too hard I say. I have to catch buses and trains and navigate through strange lands to get to the cool part of London that boasts Hoxton and the fab clubs like Boombox at it's fingertips. Me, I'm a West End Boy. Or West London specifically. And it's strange how used to a 'hood you can get thereby encouraging you never to really leave it.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Checking In
Current mood: adventurous
Category: Music

I said I'd check in with you after Christmas so here I am. I just looked and saw it was December 8th the last time I blogged. Wow it has felt longer than 3 weeks since I poured my heart out on my sleeve and into a paper cup and gave it to you. But here I am again.

I'm already over Christmas and New Years wishes (bah humbug! hehe) but I will say it was lovely. We were supposed to go away somewhere schamncy and I got a cold so decided to stay in and have a quiet Christmas. Rich's best friend and his girlfriend came over and we had a traditional dinner at home in Notting Hill. Unexpected but exactly what the doctor ordered.

I've seen 'The Golden Compass' 3 times and I'm obsessed with it. I can't believe some of the negative attention and speculation it received from some of the gutter press around the world. Some of the criticism was entirely based on the fact that it didn't open with record breaking box office numbers, in spite of the fact that it was the number one movie in Europe for 3 weeks. No wonder we don't read reviews! Who needs that kind of poison? I saw the film presuming it would be flawed and loved it so much. I do hope it does well enough to warrant making the subsequent two films. If you haven't read Phillip Pullman's 'Northern Lights' series I do suggest it. There are all sorts of freaky parallels between his world and the one I imagined in 'This Delicate Thing'. I love the idea that our souls are a part of us but of their own free will.

From: Darren Hayes
Date: Dec 24, 2007 7:38 PM
Subject: simply..thank you

not really a christmas message
but a thank you one

it's been the hardest bestest fastest strongest year
the tearful joyful spiteful wonderful thing that was 2007
is coming to an end
thank you for sticking by me through thick and thin

I love you and yours for it

xxD

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Casey video SNEAK PEAK
Current mood: excited
Category: Music

Visit Darren's YouTube Account for a sneak peak at the 'Casey' video coming next year

http://www.youtube.com/darrenhayes

Friday, December 07, 2007

Winding Down - see you in the New Year
Current mood: contemplative
Category: contemplative Music

So I'm sitting in my hotel room in Boston. I'm winding down, unravelling, unwinding.
The body is already doing that thing it does when it knows the coast is clear : it's slumping. I've just watched 'Sleepy Hollow' on T.V
I ate some M and M's.
I am wearing a leopard patterned bath robe (not my fault, it's in the hotel room.. it's hideous but hilarious)
I am detoxing from the stress and craziness that was this year.

I can't believe it's finally end of the 'schedule' for me.
It seems like every second this year I've had something to do and now I can finally shut down until New Year.
I know the album only came out in August, but as many of you know I've been working non stop all year on this. And it's been pretty consuming.

I feel like so much has happened I sort of want to recap it a bit.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Through the wind and snow..
Current mood: homesick
Category: homesick Music

We finally made it to Boston.
The XM performance and recording went amazingly well..
Ron, the DJ who interviewed me and hosted the event was a total gem and gave us a tour of the whole network which was incredible.
Definitely the future of radio there!

It was snowing hard all day..
We had our plane delayed for a couple hours in DC and finally made it to Boston for our last night with the wonderful Steve Young.

Steve had a prior family commitment in London and left today - so last night Brad, William (from Co5) and I took Steve out to dinner to say thanks for such a wonderful job. It was mildly amusing that we'd landed in town the night of the David Gray concert, and because of our accents all the ladeeez thought that we were either David Gray himself or part of his band. In fact, many times fellow diners would come up to the table and ask if William or Steve was 'David Gray'. It was quite funny. Steve pointed out afterwards that there was someone at the table who'd sold quite a few more records than the Mr Gray and yet who remained blissfully unrecognized! Lol.

It's really sad saying goodbye to Steve when we've got one more in store tomorrow in Boston - but we'll be helped by the lovely Tyrone for my final acoustic gig in the US for this year.

Steve, Shave, Pete and I will be rocking it out together for Londoner's on New Years Eve and of course next year we are still flirting around with the idea of some club dates in the UK in Feb and a club tour of the US in March/April 08.

Still early stages but it's being discussed.

Once again, thanks Steve for all your hard work on this run.
For being my friend.
And for being a top bloke.
Love to you and the family and see you soon!!!

xxD

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Almost home..
Current mood: surreal
Category: surreal Music

How can I sum up the past few days?
Blur. I'm tired. I miss Rich. I miss England. It's sorta time.

I don't think a human being should be away from their family as long as I have been really. I am the son of a seafaring man. I guess it's in the blood. But today I realized I haven't slept in my own bed since September 25.

It's not bad. Or sad. Or a drag. But it's a head trip. It sort of makes everything take on a surreal quality. Moments flash by and they involve taxis, train stations and planes. Just things going places.

I wonder if the disconnection makes the performances so full of connection?
You see, the shows have been amazing. Like tonight in Philly. We really made a unique experience. It was hard to top New York - so about ten minutes in I just stopped trying to. And in its place a brand new experience arrived.

The audience were cheeky, attentive, fun and gracious.

I found little bits of other songs coming through - Michael Hutchence was there alongside Prince tonight.

It's amazing how much Steve and I miss our partners and I think that solidarity has brought us closer together.
I described him tonight as one of my best friends and it wasn't just rhetoric.
It was a relief.

I'm off to Washington for a moment tomorrow. Then we fly to Boston.
Almost home now

xxD