David Fincher

Acclaimed film director, David Fincher, follows up 2010’s Facebook profiler "The Social Network" with action thriller "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo". Returning to the grittier content that first caught our attention in films such as "Se7en" and "Fight Club", Fincher’s vision of celebrated author Stieg Larsson’s crime drama is nail bitingly tense, absorbingly complex and straight out gripping as the main characters, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a journalist, and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) work together to uncover a mystery on a remote Swedish island. Landing an 18 rating for its scenes of violence and rape, Fincher is unapologetic for reflecting real world violence in his work and revels in the dark humour of soundtracking one torture scene with Enya’s "Orinoco Flow". We talk to the filmmaker about his version of the film, his need to portray graphic violence and his failure to get Daniel Craig to gain weight.

What was it that attracted you to this project?
Those two characters, Lisbeth and Mikael. I think that Larrson did a really spectacular job of dramatising the incredibly inhumane things that [Lisbeth] overcomes and I think that Blomkvist appreciates that and can see that. And I like thrillers where the audience is in a slightly resistant place. Their sense of disbelief is much harder because often you put them in a situation that they don’t want to be in and don’t want to experience.

The rape scene of Lisbeth is particularly difficult to digest – why do you think it is important to show that in such graphic detail?
Well, rape is really horrific. I needed people to be horrified and offended by the act itself – so when people say to me “God! The rape in this movie is really upsetting” my attitude is “fuck yeah! It’s supposed to be.” There is a lot of stuff that happens in her back-story that is not part of the first book that informs who she is. So it has to be something that the audience experiences so that you realise that there is so much about her that Mikael doesn’t know and so much that she has experienced first hand so that when she does drops her armour, it’s a real time emotional thing where she allows him into her life and you have experienced what her life has been before that.

For some, listening to Enya has always been a form of torture – do you feel the same way and is this why the song is played during a torture scene?
[Laughs] It was a little sardonic. We were rehearsing the scene and I was explaining that I saw [the torturer] as an audiophile. I like the idea that it was in the late 70s or early 80s that he equipped his dungeon and everything had kind of stayed that way. And when we started talking about the music that should play, it was Daniel Craig who ran to his iPod and scrolled through it and said “This!” and played Orinoco Flow by Enya. We all laughed ourselves silly and thought “we have to do it!” 

We heard that Daniel had to get out of shape to play Mikael Blomkvist – but he still looks ripped!
Well, his idea of out of shape is my idea of 10 years of sit-ups. He literally looks the same as he did in Layer Cake – so it’s ridiculous this notion that he got out of shape for this movie, but I did ask him. I said “[Mikael is] not a guy who runs. You smoke 3 packs of cigarettes a day.” It’s what Steig Larrson was talking about – this is a guy that is much more in his head than in his body. He can engage in the things that have happened with Lisbeth but purely intellectually. I always saw the journey as the story of a guy that says “I know the evil that men can do” and she will look at him square in the eye and say “buddy, you have no idea” and by the end of the movie he is a changed man because he has seen it in a completely different way.

Will you direct the sequel?
Oh god. I don’t know that. Not this week!

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com, December 2011]

Olly Murs

As a former contestant on The X Factor, Olly Murs knows better than most what it is like to perform on that famous stage. As a result, Murs became an inspired choice to present ITV2’s sister show The Xtra Factor this year where – alongside co-presenter Caroline Flack – he delivers irreverent humour, interviews the contestants and provides behind the scenes news. But let’s not forget the reason he appeared on The X Factor in the first place – to make himself a music star. Originally a runner up on the show, he today releases his second album “In Case You Didn’t Know” which has already produced chart topping single “Heart Skips A Beat” (with Rizzle Kicks) and “Dance With Me Tonight” which just missed out on the top spot. We caught up with the double platinum selling Essex lad to discuss his album hopes, single life and crazy fans.

Describe your music in five words
Feel good, cheeky, easy listening

What makes your heart skip a beat?
Seeing a hot girl naked. That makes my heart skip a beat.

For your new album you’ve co-written a lot of your tracks – how was that?
I wrote 10 of the 12 on the first album [the self titled “Olly Murs” released November last year] so that was already under my belt. It was great to get lyrics and stories down and find hits – and I’ve been lucky enough to find a few already on this second album.

How do you feel you’ve developed as an artist over the last year?
I’m just more experienced. Before I did The X Factor I had no experience at all so I’ve really learnt a lot over the last two years and really got to grips with the industry and what I want to do musically. With the writing sessions I got my head down and concentrated on what I want to do and have got my music going in the direction I want it to.

In terms of your career, will the music always come first or do you see yourself as a TV presenter now?
I’m an entertainer and a singer and that’s my main job. I’ve delved into new things – TV presenting – but music is what I want to be taken seriously for.

Did you have concerns that the TV presenting could detract from your music?
Definitely but I think the proof is in the pudding, really. I’ve had success with the singles from the second album and I’ve got to express my personality [on the show]. I think people are liking the show and liking me and hopefully they like the music. So it’s a good balance.

Caroline has been under personal attack – receiving death threats on twitter – from One Direction fans incensed by tabloid speculation that she is dating band member Harry Styles – but which member of One Direction are you dating?
[laughs] They are boys! I’m a woman’s man. I like women.

In seriousness though, how do you feel about Caroline receiving death threats? Are you protective of her?
Caroline is one of my best friends. I always say what goes on behind closed doors is her business and no one elses. We work very closely together and, you know, she’s had a tough time of it lately but obviously the papers will write what they want to write and people don’t know the full story but people tend to believe what they read in the papers.

According to the tabloids last week you have apparently been giving Harry advice on how to woo Caroline – do you want those death threats to be followed out so you can be the sole presenter of The Xtra Factor?
Not at all! Caroline and I get on really well and the show is going really well so it’s all great. Again, it’s a story that was pretty much put together. I said Harry was ping-ing me saying he really fancied Caroline and that was all, but they’ve made it out that I set the guys up which is a load of rubbish.

Have you had any crazy fan experiences?
I’ve had a car chase through Manchester where some fans were chasing me in a car when I was with my parents in a taxi and there was this one experience when a girl walked into my room as I opened it and she sat on my bed and I was like “what are you doing?” and she said that it was her room. But it clearly wasn’t because I’d just opened the door with my key. That was quite weird. But my fans are not that crazy. They are great.

Are you are still single?
Yes. But it’s fine. My career comes first and I’m not hooked up on getting a girlfriend at the moment and I’m happy with how things are going musically and on TV.

Would you want to date a fellow celebrity?
You never know. Obviously the benefits if you meet someone in this industry are that they know roughly what you’re going through and the pressures you go through. But if you meet someone not from the industry then there is a benefit there too as you can keep it much more private. There is a catch 22, really.

Who would you rather Snog, Marry or Avoid between your co-host Caroline and X Factor judges Kelly Rowland and Tulisa?
I would avoid Tulisa because of Dappy and Fazer – I’d be scared of them. I would marry Caroline because we get on so well and I would definitely snog Kelly.

With your duties as an Xtra Factor presenter and with promotional work with your album, are you finding any free time currently?
It is literally work every day – but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’d rather be busy than quiet. I’ve really worked hard this year from January and I have a busy 2012 lined up as well but I have a few weeks off coming up which will be nice as I’ve been working as hard as I can.

[Originally posted on wonderlandmagazine.com, November 2011]

Seth Rogen

Comedian, actor, producer and director Seth Rogen got his first acting gig on the Judd Apatow produced TV show “Freaks and Geeks” back in the 90’s. Going on to star in many of Apatow’s feature films (middle aged chastity outing "The 40 Year Old Virgin" in 2005, pregnancy drama "Knocked Up" in 2007, and stand-up comedy centric "Funny People" in 2009) Rogen has a fair number of Hollywood comedies under his belt, as well as working on TV shows – including staff writing for Sacha Baron Cohen on "Da Ali G Show" when it was broadcast by HBO in the States. Forming a friendship with Ali G producer Will Reiser, Rogen stood by his friend as he suffered from a life threatening form of cancer and the pair have now worked together on comedy-drama, "50/50", about these experiences (played on screen by Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam who fights the disease, and Rogen as Kyle – a finely veiled version of himself). We caught the Canadian funny man as he was on the promotion trail earlier this month to quiz him about comedy, cancer and his on-screen characters.

Cancer is not the most obvious vehicle for a comedy – so how do you make this subject funny?
I think you can’t make cancer funny and we didn’t want to make cancer funny. I think you can make people’s reactions to it funny and that’s what our experience was. I think if Will hadn’t got sick and we hadn’t all been there for it and we hadn’t seen first hand how absurd the stuff that surrounds something as tragic as cancer is then we wouldn’t have even thought to make this movie. But as we were experiencing it we couldn’t reference a movie that felt like what we were going through so it was more like let’s just not be afraid to be funny in telling this cancer story. It always seems other movies that have talked the subject always seem to suck the humour out of them. We’re embracing the fact that funny shit happens sometimes.

Was it difficult to find a balance between the funny side and the tragic side?
Not really. When I think of the challenges that went into making this movie, it was more just making sure it was all good and honest and with real feeling. I was never worried for Will and if it was going to be weird to transition from the humour to the serious stuff. This isn’t the kind of film you can pitch, really [to film studios]. But we knew it was smart to make it cheaply as it’s the type of movie that if you do it right it will make enough money to make sense for [the studio] making it. Plus it was really well written. Even thought we improvised a lot – it started out as a really good script so that was really helpful.

The type of cancer in the film –
Neurofibromatosis?

Yes! One of the other characters is like “I didn’t even know that existed” and I was sitting in the theatre thinking “I didn’t know either” and instantly started freaking out. Is 50/50 a film for hypochondriacs to watch?
[Laughs] Probably because he lives in the end so it’s inspirational! It’s a lot better than most cancer movies!

As this film is based on you and your friends experiences of dealing with his diagnosis and treatment. is your character, Kyle, based on yourself?
I think our dynamic is pretty representative of what our real dynamic was like. He was neurotic and complained a lot and I was an asshole and made fun of him. But, I mean, when I watch it I don’t feel like I’m watching myself. It’s more a representation. For example, we would joke about him using [the disease] to get girls but we never actually did it. And I would make light of it but never as insensitively as in the movie.

For the most part, the roles that you take on are always pretty good guys who seem like they’d make a good friend – are you a good friend to have in real life?
To some people. Maybe not all. It depends on who you ask. What’s interesting about [living in Hollywood - where Rogen has lived for 13 years] is that it’s a city entirely populated by people with similar interests so that kind of makes it easy to make friends because no matter who you speak to, odds are they like movies and television. I’m still friends with the same people I first was friends with when I came here. I definitely got lucky and was working with a group of people who were nice and talented and got on well. But I don’t think it’s any more difficult to make friends in LA than any other city in the world.

Yeah. In London it can be quite tough.
What? There’s pubs everywhere! How can you not?

Well that’s my problem. I get so wasted I don’t remember meeting people.
[laughs] 

So you made a lot of friends working on Da Ali G Show – is it true that is also where you met your wife [actress/producer Lauren Miller]?
No, actually. Will introduced me to my wife – while he was sick – at a bar. We were kind of set up a little. He invited us both and we met.

And you were recently wed – how is married life going? Is the promotional trail part of your honeymoon?
Exactly! It’s going great! She’s in Los Angeles, I’m in London! [Laughs] We’ve been together a really long time. It’s not one of those rushed into situations. We’ve been together six and a half years and it’s really fun to get married and no one tells you that. With all the stuff you associate with getting married no one tells you that your own wedding is really fun. It’s the one time you get to have a huge party and only have people there that you actually like and from all over the country or the world. I have a lot of friends back home in Vancouver and I have friends in LA so it’s very rare all those people are in the same place. I had more fun at my wedding then any other wedding I’ve been to.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com, November 2011]

Worship

The atmospheric sounds of Berkshire band Worship have already garnered attention and praise from national press and Radio 1 – even though they have only released their debut single today. The fourpiece – consisting of Tim Alexander (vocals), James Johnson (guitar), Tom Mayo (drums) and Jordan Fish (bass) – have created a tapestry of moody, haunting and somber tunes that will make the perfect soundtrack to the bleaker moments of winter. We talk to Jordan of the band to find out his inspirations when writing the music and what he enjoys about playing live.

Describe your music in five words
Not right for Children’s Parties

What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of playing music was my primary school Brass band when I was about 9 years old. It was my first experience of performing and I managed to keep it up for a few years before the attraction of being in a rock band took over. The first music I listened to was a bit of a mix, my cousin got me into terrible rap music and my friends at school were listening to metal so I had eclectic but awful taste as a youngster.

How was the band formed?
Three of us are from a town called Newbury and during our teenage years we had quite a strong music scene, we were all playing in each others bands and swapping members so I knew the other guys from that time. I ended up producing music and a couple of years ago I did some work with Tim and James. We thought we could probably do something better together so we ended up writing a few songs which we put online. We met Tom earlier this year through a mutual friend and he instantly moved things forward.

What are the inspirations behind your music?
Generally with a piece of music I’ll set out to try and combine something electronic with something else acoustic in an interesting way. I listen to a lot of electronic music so that is probably a big influence on how I write; lots of loops, samples and gradual variation. Trying to push that into the mould of a conventional ‘band’ is sometimes fun and sometimes horribly frustrating but I think the process is what makes us sound unique. Lyrically Tim tends to spend a lot of time looking for an interesting starting point, either an unusual set of words or an unusual idea and then develop that idea into some kind of narrative. A few of our songs have been about real events or stories, although you might find it hard to pick that out.

Who are your biggest inspirations, musically?
We’re all big fans of Radiohead, Mew, Interpol, but we’re also into some less band-orientated stuff; Four Tet, Autechre, Bibio, Lorn, Bonobo.

Who or what do you worship?
None of us are religious but in life I suppose we’re guilty of worshipping the things that most other people worship – success and alcohol.

Your debut single is called “House of Glass” – as we all know, people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. What is the most hypocritical thing this band has ever done?
That’s a tricky one, we’re not overtly political so I don’t know if we’ve done or said anything particularly hypocritical as of yet.

You’ve supported Dry The River and Everything Everything on tour – what was it like being on the road with these other bands?
Pete and Will from DTR were both around and in bands with us when we were growing up so they’re old friends. The tour was a great opportunity to play some good venues and hang out with them again, so for us it was great. The tour ended at [London night club/ music venue] Scala, it’s a venue I’ve always wanted to play so it was great to be playing with friends somewhere like that. Everything Everything was actually only one show but we really enjoyed it, we share the same management and we were big fans of them before we hooked up. They’ve been really supportive.

What was the wildest thing that happened on tour?
Actually we’re recovering from the last night of our tour with [US band] The Antlers right now, We ended up squeezing 10 people into our tiny van: two [Scottish indie band] Frightened Rabbits, four Antlers and the four of us. I also had my first experience of ‘Buckfast’… it’s a revolting Scottish drink that you should never try.

You’re performing live on December 1st – what has been your best gig to date?
For me personally it was last week supporting Primal Scream at the Electric in Brixton. The PA is ridiculous and the crowd was full of competition winners so the atmosphere was great. I’m really looking forward to the Dec 1st gig, it’s the first event we’ve put on ourselves so it’s great to be able to pick the venue, the lights, and everything.

What do you enjoy about playing live?
It’s mostly about the sound; I enjoy hearing our music as loud as possible! We’re still mostly playing to other people’s crowds as support so it’s satisfying to go out knowing that no-one knows who you are and then feel like you’ve won them over by the end of the set.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com, November 2011]

Pixie Lott

20-year-old Pixie Lott is something of a triple threat having released music (her debut album “Turn It Up” sold in excess of one million copies), starred in a feature film (Fred: The Movie) and designing clothes for Lipsy (now in her second year with the fourth collection out now for Christmas). Returning to the charts earlier this year with number one hit “All About Tonight”, today Lott releases the second single, “What Do You Take Me For” ahead of her second album “Young Foolish Happy”. We ask her about her album’s new sound, her musical collaborations and fall foul of the ultimate spanner in journalistic research – Wikipedia.

Describe your music in five words;
Soulful, fresh, fun, emotional, mature

How Young were you when you first kissed someone?
Maybe 12? We used to go to these under 18 nights which were called Capital VIP and they were all over the place at different venues and I used to love them. There would be loads of under 18s and you would meet each other and kissed. So my first kiss was with one of those Capital VIP boys.

What’s the most Foolish thing you’ve done?
I went on holiday this year with two of my best friends to Greece and one night I tattooed someone’s leg – and it was a permanent tattoo. It actually went really well. I wrote my name. Maybe not so foolish for me but maybe for him.

What makes you Happy?
Lot’s of things. My friends and family, laughing, going on holiday, being on stage, performing, Christmas, sunshine – everything.

Your new album is called Young Foolish Happy and features a number of collaborations – Pusha T (What Do You Take Me For), Marty James (Dancing On My Own), Tinchy Stryder (Bright Lights (Good Life) Part II), John Legend (You Win) and Stevie Wonder (Stevie On The Radio) – that is an amazing mix of people!
It is quite random, but it is amazing. Stevie Wonder is my all time favourite so that was incredible just to meet him so I was really happy. We have a feel good kind of throwback track and he plays harmonica which all happened through a mutual friend – the same with John Legend, really. Marty is an American artist and I wrote and recorded a track with him and Tinchy has a song on his album which I sang on which I really liked and then I wrote my own versus and a chorus and put that on my album.

You’re new single – with Pusha T – is called “What Do You Take Me For” and there is a bit of product placement in the video – a Citron – did you get a free car?
[laughs] No. I can’t actually drive. My new year’s resolution was to pass my test – [sarcastically] it’s going really well– I want to try and do it before the year is out. The Citron has also made an appearance in my Broken Arrow video from last year. I have a love for Citrons.

What is going on with your acting career?
I was in Fred [The Movie] last year, which is family viewing –

And you’re doing something else now, right?
No.

What? But Wikipedia says you’re in a film.
Does it say “Baby Jesus”?

Yes.
Yeah. I’ve been asked about this in loads of interviews but I actually have nothing to do with it. We were in talks with the people but that was it and I don’t think the film is even happening. But the news got out, but I don’t have any info on it.

You were a guest judge on The X Factor last summer, were you considered for the panel of this years’ show?
I don’t think so – at least I wasn’t asked – but I think the panel is really good and it’s spiced the show up a bit and I think it’s very entertaining. As for the contestants, I think Craig is really good and I think Mischa is great – I watched her Rolling in The Deep on YouTube and it’s fantastic. And I liked Johnny! He was so funny.

Which other musicians do you admire?
I went to see Rihanna at the O2 and she was really amazing. I don’t know how she does it! She was out the night before and I was thinking “if I did that, I couldn’t get on stage!” and when she sang “Cheers” she said “cheers and did a shot” and again I was like “if I did that I wouldn’t be able to hit my notes!” She is impressive.


[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Roland Emmerich

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost – for almost 400 years, the works of William Shakespeare have been regarded as the most important in the history of the English language with his ability to capture comedy, drama, tragedy and romance being celebrated the world over. Now, Roland Emmerich – the director most famous for films of alien invasion (Independence Day) and global destruction (The Day After Tomorrow, 2012) – has decided it’s high time Shakespeare was exposed as the fraud that a great deal of historians and commentators believe that he was.
Anonymous (in cinemas today) tells the story of Edward de Verve, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) and explores the idea that he is the true author of Shakespeare’s work – just don’t call the subject matter a consipracy. “Conspiracy is a word I don’t like to hear,” Emmerich says. “I couldn’t stop them putting it on the poster which is annoying. But there are very interesting documents you can read – Mark Rylance and Sir Derek Jacobi [both feature in Anonymous], wrote a Declaration Of Reasonable Doubt – which will help you find out what is really happening.”
With lavish sets, intricate costume and impressive performances from an all star cast (Ifans is joined by Jamie Campbell-Bower as a younger version of Oxford, whilst Vanessa Redgrave and Joely Richardson share the role of Queen Elizabeth – who, it is suggested, may not have been as chaste as we think – while David Thewlis supports as dubious royal adviser William Cecil), Anonymous has enough death, comedy, drama and incest to make it a very Shakespearian affair. We speak to the director about this latest project, and find out how he came to be a director in the first place.

What is your earliest memory of film?
The first time I went to a movie theater was 2001 [A Space Odyssey, 1968], with my older brother and I had no idea what I was watching but I was fascinated. It was kind of what a true good film is – they take you to a place you haven’t been.

When did you decide you wanted to be a director?
It was relatively late. I decided I wanted to do production design for film and heard of the film school in Munich, but they only educated by teaching directing. So I lied and said I wanted to be a director to get in and when I was at film school I told everyone I wanted to be a production designer. I did lots of production for other students but you had to do your own movie there as it was a directing school. But when I did my first film, it was like a virus you can’t get rid of. I managed to wrangle my graduation film to be shown in the Berlin competition – and then I was a director and off I went!

Since then you’ve made a real name for yourself for making big disaster films, and Anonymous is in a completely different direction to that – what was it that attracted you to the project?
It was the script. I couldn’t get it out of my head – it’s always like that with me. It was always about the story and this story really fascinates me – especially after I read a little bit about how much merit it has.

How did you research the period?
What you have to do is just read everything. And then don’t believe anything. That’s something I learnt really quickly. The history books say a lot of words but dance around the subject and the same happens with Shakespeare if you read his biography, it’s a joke! John [Orloff, who wrote the script] and I were trying to come up with solutions to find out what really happened. There was all this proof – the Privy Council at some time in the middle of her reign changed the Act of Succession so that the bastard children of Queen Elizabeth could become the next king if she said so. Why should they have done this if she did not have any children? So it was a precaution. And at that time there was no talk of the king of Scotland – that was a later invention. But whatever you do write or film about history is only guess work. [The Elizabethan Era] was a totalitarian, Stalin-esque state, there’s nearly nothing from the original records that you can believe, and so you kind of have to do your own guess.

You think the time period was like Stalin?
Yeah! It was a totalitarian monarchy. If anyone ever said anything negative about Queen Elizabeth they were immediately thrown in the Tower.

Luckily the laws have changed since then, otherwise you’d be in trouble! How accurate do you think your own interpretation is?
We didn’t want to make a documentary as that would be boring. Looking at other great films that I love – Amadeus, for example, is a story about Mozart and Antonio Salieri and they hardly met in truth. But is it that important? I think it is a great story because you see the difficult life Mozart had at his time – not as a glorified composer – only because someone else was not as talented and became eaten up by jealousy. And that’s how I think historical movies should be – to get the essence of the time or the essence of what happened to them.

Did you factor in what the British reaction might be to this film as you made it?
Well, I knew that I would upset a lot of people, but that goes without saying. And who doesn’t want to upset the English? All the people who yelled the loudest are the ones who have the most to lose – the Shakespeare industry, the Stratford industry – and those who truly love Shakespeare the writer. But to think that finally somebody would say differently, we open up the discussion and everyone can make up their own mind. There shouldn’t be a literary dictatorship here.

You have an incredible cast for this film – how did you go about casting?
I only wanedt an English cast so I went to England with my casting directors and sent the script out to every actor I like and met them and would chat with them and find out what they liked from the script and asked what part would they like to play. Rhys Ifans, who I kind of had in mind for William Shakespeare, came in and said “you probably have me sitting here for the role of William Shakespeare but for me the part I would love to play is Oxford. I feel an affinity to his character. I feel he is eccentric like me and I think I can do something really special here.” And from that moment it made more and more sense so he ended up playing the part. The only two actors I wanted to have from the beginning were Vanessa Redgrave and her daughter Joely [Richardson]. Even in the writing period I was thinking “this is for these two women”. And I know Joely from The Patriot and we always talked about her mother and I was a little nervous when I met Vanessa because she is known for being very, very well read and I knew from her daughter that she always wanted to play Elizabeth – but she also said, “look, mum will only play if she agrees with how you portray Elizabeth” and so I was nervous because how we portrayed Elizabeth is totally different from other versions. But to my great relief, she totally agreed and actually said “we need to make this stronger! Let’s go all the way!” She went for it.

Shakespeare is an integral part to the whole training process for actors in the UK, so did any of the cast question the storyline?
Not at all. The people who knew about it all agreed. David Thewlis is a very well read actor and he said we were right on. And Vanessa believed in it too. And a lot of other people don’t care! They say “as long assomebody wrote it, I’m fine.” Naturally I cast Mark Rylance, who is very outspoken about it, just because he wanted to be in it.

With Anonymous suggesting Shakespeare faked his own success – when was the last time you faked something and got away with it?
[laughs] I do that all the time! If you look at my movies, it’s all fake. But I am of a thinking that whatever you do, you do it for a reason. I try to be as honest as possible in my endeavours but I know sometimes I can’t be too tied to the truth.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Nicolas Winding Refn

Following his projects “Valhalla Rising” and “Bronson”, Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn today releases “Drive” in the UK. Winning the Best Director gong at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year (and just missing out on the Palme d’Or prize), Drive – adapted from James Sallis’s 2005 novel of the same name – is the story of an un-named driver (Ryan Gosling) – Hollywood stunt driver by day, criminal get away driver by night – who embarks on a friendship with next-door neighbour Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son. Set in modern day LA, the film is seeped in 80s nostalgia and plays like an innocent romance story until, roughly half way through, the pace jumps a gear and throttles towards break neck tension and extreme violence when Gosling’s driver finds himself at the centre of a mafia hit job. Catching some time with the film’s director, WONDERLAND quizzes Winding Refn on some of his 80s references and swiftly decide he is a man we would never want to make love to.

What is your earliest memory of film.
It is the combination of a Smurfs movie and “Fat City” by John Huston. I don’t know about the Smurfs going on to be an influence, but “Fat City” has certainly stayed with me ever since. It was the first movie I ever saw in the cinema.

At what point did you decide to be a director?
I never did and I don’t consider myself one. I just consider myself somebody that uses film to express their fetish or indulge their fetish. I just wanted to control the medium, that’s all.

Obviously “Drive” is dripping in 80s references – we wanted to see if we can guess some of the origins. Are the title credits at the beginning of the film a homage to Tom Cruise’s ‘88 outing, “Cocktail”?
No. I stole the credits title design from the font of “Risky Business” [’83 – also a Tom Cruise film]. It looked cool and it was feminine which was always important. It’s always important to counter between the very masculine and feminine.

Is the pulsating electro soundtrack in any way associated with 1986’s “Top Gun”?
No. Although probably, if I think about it, it could have Berlin “Take My Breath Away”, but that’s about it.

And is the scene where the driver takes Irene for a drive down along the LA river with her son a reference to “Grease 2″ (1982)?
Ah, no. But I know they shot there.

What is the whole 80s influence about the movie?
It wasn’t intentional it’s just I realised LA never left the 80s so I was stuck in the 80s. It’s like I went into the Tardis and went back in time.

How did you cast for the film?
I was very fortunate because Ryan had approached me about doing a movie together and that became “Drive” and after that most of the actors got in touch with me essentially offering themselves to be part of the film – which was terrific. I loved every minute of working with the Ryan and Carey and the cast. There was a lot of laughing. And a lot of crying.

Were some scenes difficult to direct?
No. Very easy.

And when it comes to directing violence is that quite easy to direct as well?
It’s all about sex.

Sex?
Yes.

What’s the correlation?
Violence has the same build up as sex.

We try to keep the two separate ourselves... So what are your influences in film making?
In general it depends on what I make. It’s always individual. I start from scratch [with each project]. Ryan and I are doing a movie again at Christmas called “Only God Forgives” which is an action movie. I don’t know if it will be as violent as Drive as I haven’t made it yet.

What is your favourite Mafia Movie?
“The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” [1976, directed by John Cassavetes]. You have to see it to understand it. It’s not particularly violent, but it is brilliant.

Which 80s film do you wish you had directed?
I don’t look at it like that, but “Sixteen Candles” [John Hughes 1984 romantic comedy] made a huge impression on me. It introduced me to cinema love which is the fake and uncomplicated illusion of love.

"Drive" is quite an edge of your seat feature – what do you personally do for an adrenaline kick?
I hang out with my family. That’s pretty much a thrill ride! When you have two kids and wife it’s all very hectic but it’s beautiful. It makes everything else secondary and although it can be tiring, it’s worth the agony.

[Originally published on Wonderlandmagazine.com]

Luke Treadaway

Last weekend saw the official end to this year’s summer of music festivals with Bestival on the Isle Of White. But anyone feeling nostalgic for the last few months of live outdoor music can keep that feeling burning a little bit longer with the release of David Mackenzie’s “You Instead”. Filmed at Scotland’s T In The Park festival last year, the film tells the story of two musicians who are handcuffed together during an argument by an eccentric pastor who wants them to appreciate the unifying aspect of live music. Inevitable high jinks and stirred emotions abound as the pair spend the next few days chained together and are forced to work together to make their stage times. Wonderland favourite Luke Treadway takes the lead role in the festival drama as Adam, the front man of a successful electro two piece headlining the festival, bound to head strong Morello (played by a fiery Natalia Tena), and talks us through the pressure of completing a live action film at one of the UK’s biggest music festivals and brings us up to speed on his projects since he appeared in our pages back in 2009.

Do you go to lots of music festivals?
As much as I can. I went to Latitude a few weeks ago and you get things there that you don’t get at other festivals, like raving in the woods until 7 in the morning with amazing lighting and weird dub step sounds. I had a great time.

Did you enjoy filming You Instead at T In The Park?
Yeah, amazing! There was an amazing party atmosphere, although we were in a different mindset to the other people that were there as we were running around trying to make a 90 minute film. We had 20 minutes to shoot a scene and then you had to move on so we rehearsed every day for three weeks before shooting and then in the evenings went to a studio with Eugene Kelly from The Vascelines who wrote some of the music for [on-screen band Treadway’s character fronted] The Make. Except for the song, “You Instead” which I wrote.

Wow! Had they named the film before you wrote that?
No, it was meant to be called “In The Park” and then they changed the title to that song, which is mental.

In your role, your band plays to a large crowd towards the end of the film – how was that orchestrated? Did you have to stop the festival and make everyone aware and do a quick set?
No, it’s all clever editing. You would need about five hours to set all that up, logistically it would be impossible to do in a half hour set. But also the audience have paid to come and watch bands they want to see and I think morally it would have been slightly questionable had we gone ‘yeah, we’re going to play now and we’re a fake band in a film.’ So we played Thursday night before the festival began and there was the field and a few people down at the front to create the audience so I could walk down to them. But, in my mind there was a fuck load of people.

How was it to work with director David Mackenzie?
I think he is an incredibly brave film maker and has such a creative mind – especially if you look at his other films. He’s not afraid to take risks. And this was definitely a risk. He said to me the first time I met him, “look, I don’t know if this is possible. If you want to come on this journey, well find out.” The fact a film that is watchable has come out of it is quite an achievement. I’d love to work with him again.

You are cuffed to Natalia Tena for most of the film – how was she to work with?
I’d never met her before and she is a force of nature. We bonded on the fact we were about to take on a huge monumental task and I remember we all went out in Glasgow for dinner before we went out to film and realised this isn’t a film you can over-run, you can’t drop a few scenes, you’ve got 18 scenes to do each day. So we got berocca inside us and went out. She’s in a band herself, so she’s a musician and we played around with that and we played music and stuff together and we got on really well.

You’ve done the big Hollywood thing, having been in Clash Of The Titans last year [for which he played the part of mad cult leader Prokopion], which must have had a massive budget and then You Instead must be really small. What’s the main difference?
Catering. Literally a days catering on Clash Of The Titans could have paid for this film. It was crazy. But, bizarrely, I thought I would struggle with Clash Of The Titans because everything else I’ve done has been more independent and lower budget so I thought staring at a tennis ball at the end of a stick in front of green screen would not be for me but I really got into that. And I loved working with the director, Louis Leterrier, and he would let me come in and say “Louis, I’ve re-written this part of this speech in the script” and he’d be like “yeah, cool.” I thought he would have to go and check with 12 producers over the change of a comma, but he would let me gabble on and so I really enjoyed that.

What attracts you to every project?
Every job I want a different colour for my pallet. If it’s something close to me I find it harder. That’s why my first job with my brother [twin, Harry in 2005’s Brothers Of The Head] was amazing as a conjoined twin because it’s a physical thing. Learning to play music for this was great and that’s what I really enjoy – becoming someone else. Doing “Attack The Block” recently where I play a posh stoner, my mum was like “you’re playing yourself!” And I was like, “We’re not posh. We are not a rich family.”

Having now played a rock star and revealing to us that you have a talent with music, do you feel you are at a crossroads where you could go down either route?
I think I want to do it all really! Even in the next six months I plan to record an EP and play some gigs but I’m not trying to take over the music industry. If someone who is really famous as an actor tries to put a single out it can be weird. But I’m not that and I think it can be very separate so if I make songs up and play them in a pub in Camden, people won’t really know. I’ve been lucky I can do it in a film.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Ed Sheeran

We first met Ed Sheeran earlier this year when he took part in our Puma Dream Team feature for our reality issue of Wonderland where he starred alongside the likes of Professor Green and Jameela Jamil in our photo shoot and told us about being abused by a Nazi sympathizer via twitter. Since then he has had a top 3 single with “The A Team”, clocked up millions of views for his music videos on YouTube and has been complimented on his effortless ability to blend folk with hip hop. Releasing his debut album “+” today, we find Sheeran enjoying his success, yet still trying to find a roof to put over his head.

Describe your sound in five words
Acoustic, soul, hip hop, folk and…. Actually, that’s five, isn’t it.

What were the inspirations for your debut album?
Stories.

Where did you record the album?
In Surrey, in a place called Sticky Studios, with my producer Jake Gosling.

What was your favourite part of creating the album?
The songs that came last minute.

Who are your biggest influences when it comes to music?
It changes every day – Foy Vance, Eminem, Damien Rice, Jay-Z…

The track, and accompanying video, “The A Team” tells the story of a young prostitute – have you ever had an encounter with a woman of the night?
Yes – that’s what the song’s about! Not in the way I think you’re referring to though.

What was the story behind that song and video?
I was asked to volunteer in a Crisis homeless shelter one Christmas. There was a girl there who had been running round, causing trouble, so the guys in charge decided to let her ‘police’ the place – so long as she drew up some rules and abided by them herself as well. The shelter was in this big warehouse and it provided homeless people somewhere warm to rest and eat for a week, but after that week they had to close it down and all the residents were back out on the streets. It inspired me to write a song which eventually became The A Team. The video was shot on location in Angel by a young photographer I know called Ruskin Kyle – it cost £20 in total.

Much like Hitchcock, you only make a cameo in that video. Will your future music videos put you more in the spotlight?
Nope!

What other themes are explored in your album?
Life, death, love and sorrow.

Last time we spoke, you weren’t really living anywhere and were sofa surfing on friends couches – has your living arrangement changed since March?
No. I haven’t had any time to look for a flat, so I’m still on couches. For now.

[Originally published on wonerlandmagazine.com]

Nero's New Reality

Londoners Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray are the duo behind dubstep/drum ‘n’ bass outfit Nero, who first came to prominence last year with their single “Me & You”. Swiftly signed to MTA Records – owned by the UK’s other massive Drum and Bass band, Chase & Status – the boys caught the attention of club goers and critics alike, being long-listed for the BBC Sound of 2011 award at the beginning of this year off the strength of “Me & You”, and yesterday hit the top of the singles chart with their most recent track, “Promises”. Today Nero release their debut album, “Welcome Reality”, and we caught the guys for a quick Q+A.


Describe your sound in five words
Joe: Epic. Basey. Drummy.
Dan: Musicy. Nero-y.

Nero, your namesake, was known as a tyrannical ruler in ancient Rome – are you fans of power and extravagance?
Joe: Yeah, he was a dark guy who was known for abusing his power. Which is what we plan to do when we take over the world.
Dan: For us as Nero, it was a short snappy word and memorable and recognisable and Italian for black and dark and has those connotations.

That comes across in your music videos with the video for “Promises” being quite totalitarian state-esque.
Dan: no it’s more a society – we’ve built a universe around the album that it takes place in and it’s dark and influenced by films like blade runner and things like that. It’s a vision of the future where we see our characters and music belonging.

How did you guys get into making music?
Joe: We met when we were about 16 drum and bass kids. So we’d hang out and do our own things independently with bands.

Were any successful?
Both: No.
Dan: Although I guess mine was quite serious but then the bass player became a wealthy investment banker, the singer became a huge model and then Nero happened so I’m doing that. So everyone became more successful.

Chase & Status are your label owners – what is their influence over your music? How did they recruit you?
Dan: We’d been sending them stuff for years and when they wanted to start a label they contacted us and it was a time when we were looking for a label to call home and so it was perfect. It was music to our ears they said they didn’t expect anything from us musically but just to write what we want and we didn’t have to be genre specific. Throughout our album making process we’ve been playing them our ideas and they’re a great sound board and they can advise.

Have they said anything has been shit?
Dan: Yes! [laughs]
Joe: They would say ‘what abut that other thing you were working on’ – so a little more tactful.

You were on the BBC Sound Of 2011 long-list – did that have any impact on the creation of your album? Not bitter about not winning?
Dan: I don’t think we were even top five. But it was great to be nominated. Well done for Jessie J.
Joe: Originally the album was going to be more underground and then “You & Me” was a bit more crossover and it was on mainstream radio and on tv and everywhere and so the label said we’d made some new fans and not just the usual crowd so we wrote a few more tunes to keep those fans there.

Who are your icons of the dubstep genre?
Dan: we’re not influenced so much by dubstep – we look outside a lot. A lot of French music – Daft Punk, Justice, [French record label] Ed Banger– within electronic music that is where a lot of our influence comes from. But then other than that it’s a bit of everything. We both love 80s pop rock.
Joe: We sampled a song of Daryl Hall from Hall & Oates [on the album] – a massive pop star from the 80s – and then it happened we had a mutual contact and he got on board to give vocals.
Dan: He is such a legend!

So 80s pop is basically what “Welcome Reality” is all about?
Dan: There’s a few cheeky samples hidden of Spandu Ballet. It’s cheese, but it’s good cheese.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Making Some Noise - Viva Brother

At the beginning of this year, NME triumphantly declared Viva Brother signaled the “return of the great British guitar band” upon the strength of their first single, Darling Buds Of May. Since then, the band have been dismissed by Liam Gallagher as “little posh boys with tattoos” and have been slapped with a lawsuit by obscure Australian Celtic tribal rock-band, Brother, to challenge them about the copyrite of their band name. Surprisingly, the Australian band came out on top on the name front, and perhaps not surprisingly the spat with Gallagher has done wonders for the bands’ profile. As Viva Brother get stuck into the publicity grind for their debut album, Famous First Words, we rouse lead guitarist Samuel Jackson from a nap to ask a few questions.

First of all your band name – Viva Brother – what happened there?
We didn’t know there was a band from Australia called Brother. [Frontman] Lee [Newell] did actually Google and discovered them but didn’t think anything of it at the time. Then we were playing a show in San Francisco and out of nowhere this guy battled his way through the crowd of the sold out show and slapped this fifty page legal writ at Josh’s [Ward, bass player] feet, and he just kicked it to the ground. None of us knew what was gong on but after the show a few people from our label were milling around with this document and basically they were trying to sue us. So there’s been a bit of a legal battle since, and they’ve managed to keep their name and we’ve changed ours. But I’m not bothered. I’m happy with the new name – it’s like saying Long Live Us! Our twitter name was already Viva Brother and people in crowds at our shows would shout it out anyway and we think it sounds good. So it’s the right decision.

Have you heard actual Brother?
I haven’t actually listened to them. I have no desire to. I’ve heard that it’s quite comedy. Although it’s weird – it’s like they don’t have a single fan in the world but they seem to be able to afford a big case. They can continue playing shows to no-one.

Right. So can you describe the sound of your own music in five words?
Super fast rock n’roll injection.

You guys have been making a bit of a name for yourselves in America – does it feel to be making it big in the USA?
It was a surprise for us. When we did our first trip in March where we did SXSW and some shows in New York – they were only tiny shows, but they were all sold out. It was a really good feeling. American’s like Brits and British stuff, but to have a loud British band come and shake things up, I think they’re ready for that.

You’re from Slough – not the most renowned part of the world for generating engaging music – could Slough become a new cultural hotspot?
We’re not all from Slough. Lee and I were both born there, and Frank was born in Canada but we all spent so much time in and around Slough when it started. We used to rehearse as much as we could and Josh lived with Lee so as a band we started there. I can’t imagine it becoming a cultural hot spot any time soon. It’s so industrial and stuck in the 9-5 mindset that I can’t see it getting out of.

When did you realise you could make it as a band?
For us there wasn’t any other option. We had to make it work as we can’t do anything else. We’re useless. One of the first songs we wrote, Darling Buds Of May, our manager said was a great song. He put so much time and faith in us and we had to make it right and then we put it out and it got picked up almost instantly. Zane Lowe started playing the demo in his show and played it three times in one week. It’s been a rollercoaster since then!

The band have been championed as saviours of the guitar-rock Brit-pop world – how has all the critical praise affected the album writing process?
Um, we were on the cover of NME in January, I think. So we were on the cover before we’d recorded the album, but it still seems now that people judge us before listening to us – purely because of what we say in the press. And I don’t blame them we have said some daft things but I wouldn’t go back on them because we’re being honest but I just hope people still listen to our record because it is bloody good.

The band have made a few derogatory comments about other music acts out there – does the band need a bit of anger management?
We’re not angry boys! I promise. We’re nice and pleasant. When people ask us what we think of other bands and other people, if we like them we say we like them and if we don’t we’ll colourfully tear them apart. We’re being honest, that’s all it is. We’re not doing it for attention.

Lee went as far as to say “I see evil in her eyes” about Jessie J.
[Laughs] Oh yeah. She is quite evil.

So is it a tabloid tactic? Obviously you’ve been compared to Oasis and Blur who famously had spats with each other in the press – is this something the band are trying to create?
We’re not influenced by Oasis at all and all we get is that we’re Oasis wannabies. I wouldn’t want to be like Liam Gallagher and if I ever was I’d hope someone would punch me in the face and tell me to fucking sort myself out. We’re not trying to start anything. We’re just focusing on our own band. That’s what other bands should do. That’s what Liam should do.

Who do you see as your competitors in the music arena?
I don’t really look at anyone as competition. You have to focus on your own thing. But other bands that want the same thing of having rock and roll back in mainstream music would be bands like Vaccines, Wolfgang and Tribes. Those guys are great. They’re really good. And Yuck. They’re great.

How does it feel to be flying the flag for British music?
It feels good. It feels nice. We’re just anxious and eager for our album to be out so people can hear the whole thing. It’ll be nice for everyone to be like “Oh right! They DON’T sound like Oasis.”

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Mike Mills: Beginners

Director Mike Mills, whose previous work includes the feature-length indie classic Thumbsucker as well as music videos for Air, Moby and Yoko Ono, draws from personal experience in his latest feature length film Beginners, starring Ewan Macgregor and Melanie Laurent. Based on the coming out story of Mills’s own father’s, Beginners follows Oliver (McGregor), whose father Hal (Christopher Plumber) drops a bombshell that he is dying of cancer, just as he also reveals that he has a younger male lover. Writing and directing the film threw up questions of love, life and death for Mills, who we quizzed about the new feature.

What is your earliest memory of film?
“Herbie The Love Bug”? I also remember being just the right age for Star Wars initial release, all of us boys counting how many times we went to see it, I remember 10 being a common answer. I also remember seeing Saturday Night Fever that same year, 1977, which I wasn’t really old enough for that. And then of course, first year of art school ,1984,  is where i saw all the films that still influence me, 8½ Hiroshima Mon Amour, etc.

At what point did you decide you wanted to begin creating film?
Late in the game, like 27 or 28. Previously film seemed so difficult and complicated and just the entertainment industry. After seeing Errol Morris’s documentary Thin Blue Line and early Jim Jarmusch films I remember thinking, “Maybe I can do that” and  more importantly, “I really want to communicate with people like that.”

You have made music videos and short films – how did you find the transition to making full length features?
It’s the same and utterly different. You learn a lot about film, and crews and people and editing and how to light and how to work and you learn nothing about telling a story for that long and all the amazing complicated political work that goes into getting a personal, artistic, strange movie made in this day and age.

Beginners takes personal experiences as a main influence for your film. Although part autobiographical, how much fictional element is there there?
There’s a lot of “fiction”, they’re a lot of blurring between the two. Even scenes or moments where I’m really trying to make a true “portrait” of my father or something that happened, by the time you write it, cast it, find the new location, etc, you’ve done so much distillation, abstraction, amalgamation, I’m not sure if it’s “real” or “fiction” anymore.

Do you wish that Christopher Plummer were your real life dad?
No. He’s great, but my dad’s my dad!

Plummer famously portrayed Captain Von Trap in “The Sound Of Music” – with your experience of making music videos, would you ever consider directing a musical?
Yes I’d love to do a dogma musical, where all the sound has to be real and live. I’d be more interesting in the dancing that the singing, but I’d love to do that someday.

The rest of the cast are all strong actors – what was the casting process like for the film?
Your  usual  “running for president”  level of meeting and greeting everyone you can to try to get these kind of people. It’s as close as I’m ever gonna get to being the mayor of a major city, or an astronaut, or an ambassador, or a member of the U.N.

Did you have specific people in mind whilst drafting the script?
No, I don’t have anyone in mind while writing – I just end up doing a very bad imitation of them in their last film.

Which scenes of Beginners did you find the biggest challenge to direct?
Nothing really more challenging than others in a way. I love being a writer director, I love being on set, I love crews and actors and dogs, so I was very, very happy during all the shooting.

What is the meaning of love?
Like I know! Just an amateur over here.

[Originally published at wonderlandmagazine.com]

PUMPED UP KIDS - FOSTER THE PEOPLE

Mark Foster is front man of indie pop band, Foster The People, who – fresh from performing at Glastonbury – today release their debut album, Torches. More than just a front and lead vocalist, Foster also plays keyboards, piano, synths, guitar and percussion for the band, and is joined by drummer Mark Pontius and bassist Cubbie Fink. We Q+A Foster on the bands origins and summer plans.

Describe your music in five words?
Ironic, multi-layered, quirky, intelligent pop

What is the explanation behind the band name?
When we first formed we played a few charities and that really helped define our vision for the band. I think that opened our eyes to the possibility of helping people as a band and not making it a selfish endeavor.

How did you come together as a band?
I was friends with Cubbie Fink and Mark Pontius for a few years and would play together every so often. We were all busy working on other musical projects at the time but eventually we got more serious and made this our priority. Things started to move pretty quick after that.

There are two Mark’s in the band – does this ever cause confusion?
Yeah sometimes. We pretty much go by nicknames now. We call Mark Pontius “Ponsi” or just “Pontius”. People tend to call me Foster.

What are the inspirations behind your music?
I like to write in character a lot. It’s really interesting to see life through other people’s eyes. Parts of the record are autobiographical but most of it is lived out through someone else. I think the overall theme of Torches is “hope for the underdog”.

You’ve been compared to Peter, Bjorn and John, MGMT and The Feeling – but who are your musical influences?
The Beach Boys are the biggest influence on me musically but some other influences are Blur, Aphex Twin, New Order, Stanley Kubrick, Andy Warhol, C.S. Lewis.

You have a track called Houdini – have you ever had any lucky escapes?
Yeah I escaped out of the coffee shop I was working in. I was starting to doubt if it would ever happen.

You have a few summer festival gigs lined up – which are you most looking forward to?
We’ve heard a lot of really amazing things about Sasquatch. We’re looking forward to seeing the Gorge. Also at the top of our list is probably, Splendour in the Grass in Australia, and then a festival in Madrid.

What has been your worst live performance experience to date?
Coachella has probably been the best. That was the first time we played in front of 10,000+ people. The adrenaline when you’re in front of a crowd like that is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. In terms of the worst, we played a gig in Arizona where we had to cram all our gear on a tiny little stage. Things were getting stepped on and unplugged and during parts of our show when band members would have to cross the stage to play on a different synthesizer or whatever, they’d have to walk out into the crowd and go around because there was just no way to get through. On top of it all, a fight broke out during ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ and bouncers broke through the crowd and tossed the guys out.

What else do you have planned for the summer?
We’re basically going to be on the road touring this record until the end of the year. But my main goal right now is to start writing the second record.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog]

THE VACCINES

London band The Vaccines exploded onto the music scene at the tail end of last year with their single, Wreckin' Bar (Ra, Ra, Ra), and released their debut album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines, in March amongst much anticipation. Awards nominations have been lavished upon the boys ranging from the BBC’s Sound of 2011 to MTV’s Best New Band Latest single and this summer they look forward to tearing up the festival circuit. Latest single, All In White, is released today, and we caught lead singer Justin Young for a quick Q+A about the band’s sound, style and summer hopes.

Describe your sound in five words
Simple, direct, referential, fresh, honest

You were given a golden ticket by being praised by seemingly everyone long before you released your album - have you felt pressure to maintain a level of expectation?
I think we felt some pressure. Who wouldn’t? But we were lucky enough to have finished writing our album before it all began. So it never interfered with us creatively. And on a personal level, we were touring pretty heavily. We weren’t sat at home googling people’s predictions, we were sound checking in Middlesborough. Also, we all felt confident that we had a good thing going and I think that helped. Anyway, now the album is out, people are free to celebrate or ignore. I think we all feel good right now.

You lost out in the BBC’s Sound Of 2011 to Jessie J - are you bitter?
No. I’m not sure it’s something bands pay too much attention to. I think just as many people are turned off you by your inclusion in things like this as they are turned on to you. I personally found it quite fun being included in the list. But none of us thought about it much. The Bravery won it a few years ago. I think that tells you all you need to know. I like Jessie J. I like pop music. She is catchy enough. Good voice.

What awards would you want to win?
I’ve always found people awarding creativity slightly strange. It’s a subjective process so adding a competitive element doesn’t seem right. That said, I never won anything as a kid, so I’d probably take anything going.

You’re about to head off round the festival circuit - which festivals do you expect you’ll enjoy?
I’m looking forward to Glastonbury. Ibiza Rocks sounds nice and Lollapalooza in Chicago. We’re playing 45. Hopefully they’ll all be fun.

Which other acts are you looking forward to watching perform while at the festivals?
I haven’t really had a chance to see who is playing. I know we’re playing with Beirut, Arcade Fire and My Morning Jacket. We had to pull out of Primavera. We were all pretty gutted. I think that had the best line-up of the summer.

What has been your most memorable gig to date?
Playing Bowery Ballroom in New York in January. It was Arni’s first time in America and we sold it out. It’s pretty exciting walking on stage in city like New York to a packed out room of people there to listen to your music. It’s always strange when your music precedes you. We had a good gig. And a good party too.

Your new single is All In White - the colour white is very on trend right now. Are The Vaccines particularly fashion conscious?
This is an observation my girlfriend has already made! We are. It’s something I’ve always taken an interest in. I think we’re definitely understated in what we wear. But I think knowing what not to wear is as important as knowing what to wear. I also think that part of being in a pop band is looking good. I want to feel good when I walk on stage or when someone takes my photo but I don’t like feeling like I’m trying too hard. We’re all really into 50s and 60s American fashion.

Where is your favourite place to go for a drink?
We get to go to so many on tour. My friends just opened a great place in Paris called Le Carmen. When I’m in London, I just like the pub. I like the John Snow in Soho.

What has been the most disastrous night of drinking the band have experienced together?
It involved a married couple.

AIMEE TEEGARDEN

The latest live action movie from Disney returns to High School, but this time not for a Musical. Instead turning to the end-of-senior-year formal, Prom is a lighthearted drama/comedy which sets Aimee Teegarden’s Nova Prescott up with notorious school bad boy Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) after an accidental fire destroys the prom decorations and Nova has no-one else to help her. Will they be able to work together and save the day? Will they discover feelings for each other along the way? Well, could those High School Musical kids sing?
Cinemagoers will recognise Teegarden as one of the opening victims in Scream 4 from earlier this year and the 21-year-old actress certainly has playing the high school role down having starred in the critically acclaimed American TV show, Friday Nigh Lights that focused on high school footballers. We Q+A Aimee about this latest film project, her entry into acting and working with Wes Craven.

What is your earliest memory of film?
My earliest memory of film is probably one of the Disney movies, like, Pocahontas or something like that. And no, I’m not contracted to say that! [laughs]

When did you decide you wanted to act?
I grew up watching a lot of I love Lucy and I think around 5 or 6 I knew I wanted to do whatever it was she did. I didn’t understand the concept, obviously, but I wanted to perform and then I finally convinced my parents when I was about 10 to embark on that and take some classes. I think they were thinking I would get bored of it and move on – but here I am! When I was about 15 I got really serious about wanting to make a career out of it and then I got lucky and worked on a TV show for five years and after that got really lucky again and started working in movies.

Your new film Prom sees you falling for ‘the bad guy’ – have you ever been attracted to a bit of rough in your real life?
I think every girl at one point or another is attracted to the off kilter kind of guy. But luckily I’ve never had any stories to tell from dating someone like that. I mean… I suppose I have dated someone who’s not as sweet a person as I had hoped.

What was your experience of Prom when you were younger?
It wasn’t anything quite as exciting as the movie. I wasn’t involved in any of the decorations or the prom committee or anything like that. But it was great. I was with my friends and we had dinner before and went dancing. Nothing crazy!

And what was it that attracted you to this role?
It was very different than anything I had done before and I really enjoyed the complexity of the different characters. It’s not one of those movies where we’ve dumbed down to the lowest common denominator – it’s high school and in reality there are a lot of struggles that go on in daily lives in high school. I thought it was interesting and well portrayed in the script and the director [Joe Nussbaum] was so passionate about how he wanted to shoot it.

It’s a contrast to being murdered in the opening of Scream 4 – what was the experience of being killed on screen like?
It was so much fun! I get to be part of such an iconic franchise and got to work with Wes Craven and seeing ghostface on set – it was such an experience and definitely one of those things you can check off the list. In life I have this determination to try everything once and with my career I want to diversify in every kind of genre and see different sides of movies. Are horror films less scary now I know how they’re made? I don’t think so because even on set it’s actors and you know its all fake blood but it’s still has it’s scary moments!

We have to ask – “what’s your favourite scary movie?”
I’m not a big scary movie person. I enjoy the kind of the classic screamer movies like Friday The 13th and that kind of stuff as opposed to the kind of human mutilation screaming torture thing.

You were also in NBC’s Friday Night Lights – are high school roles something you are attracted to?
I guess I’m at a certain age where I’m limited to the age I can play so I guess high school is where I am right not until I get older. But there is something special about that time in life between high school and college where you are figuring out who you are and making those pivotal decisions that will affect the rest of your life.

What can you tell us about your next projects?
Right now there’s a couple of things I am working on and I’m looking for the next great project – but nothing I want to talk about right now.

What do you hope Prom achieves following its release?
I hope that it is the type of film that teenagers can go to and parents can go to and even someone who went to Prom 40 years ago can watch and have it be relatable. And for me, I wanted to be part of something that will hopefully be my generations Pretty In Pink or Breakfast Club.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog]

ALEX WINSTON

American singer/songwriter Alex Winston released her debut EP earlier this year and has been building up a buzz for her quirky sound that fluctuates between Arcade Fire and Diane Birch. Having recently pushed back live performance dates so she can focus on polishing off her upcoming full length album, we figured it would be a great time to Q+A the musician as she releases her latest single (and title track of her EP), Sister Wife.

Describe your sound in five words
Jangly, gangy, wall of sound.

Your new single is called Sister Wife - there is a TV show called Sister Wives which is about a family of polygamists - is there any correlation with this show and your song?
I’ve seen the show and it’s alright, but honestly, if it were to have been based off of a polygamist television program - which it’s not - it definitely would have been inspired by Big Love. I thought that show was brilliant.

What are your views on marriage in general?
I don’t know, I’m sure I’ll get married, have kids and get fat. I don’t care what anyone else does as long as they are happy and it’s not harming others. I wouldn’t judge you for having two wives.

You’ve worked with production duo The Knocks - how were they to work with?
They are two of my closest friends, so it’s easy.  We have a pretty solid working relationship because they don’t try to change my sound.  They let me take the lead with things.

You’re a fan of a cover song - what’s your favourite track to sing at Karaoke?
Youth Gone Wild by Skid Row

Which artists would you most want to collaborate with?
Little Richard.

Your latest music video is a bit bizarre and features a possessed cat - are you a fan of horror films?
I’m a fan of bad horror films like The Ice Cream Man and Sleep Away Camp. The video was inspired by the Japanese film Hausu. Everyone should check it out.

What is your favourite movie?
American Movie.

You’re off on tour! Where is your favourite place to perform?
I really love Berlin and Frankfurt. I can’t wait to go back.  I’m also looking forward to spending some real time in London.

What have been your best and worst live experiences?
The best experience I’ve had recently was coming back to New York to a sold out show.  I felt like I had been away for so long and it was really refreshing to see my friends come out to support. And I guess when I threw my tambourine into the audience and busted someones lip open…that was the low point.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog]

XAVIER DOLAN

Heartbeats premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival causing quite a stir, not necessarily for it’s ménage à trois storyline, but for the insightful wisdom of the film’s writer, director and star. At 22, Xavier Dolan, has a proven ability of speaking to audiences beyond his years and producing intelligent, captivating films. Who knew he was also once the voice of Stan in the French-Canadian dubbed version of South Park. We Q+A the young artist to hear more about his projects.

What is your earliest memory of film?
Disney movies, I guess. But not necessarily big classics. I remember an excellent one that wasn’t that famous called Once Upon A Forest. And then came Batman Returns, with my major crush on Michelle Pfeiffer, especially for that scene when she walks in a ball or something on Face to Face by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Edgy. I also remember writing fan letters to Mara Wilson for her performances in Matilda and Miracle on the 34th… I was already borderline. And Titanic, The Secret Garden - with Maggie Smith and this wild around-the-fire scene - and The Little Princess. You could already tell, huh? Amazing.

You were an actor as a child, did you always have ambition of making films?
No. I decided I wanted to direct when it became the last resort to act. I was unemployed and feared and loathed the child-actor-turned-anonymous-hobo pattern, and thought that being the director myself, no one would put me aside or cut me off a project because I wasn’t popular or six feet tall.

Having won awards with your directorial debut, J’ai Tue Ma Mere (I Killed My Mother), do you feel pressure to repeat such success?
No. Not really. It’s not pressure, it’s hope. I just hope I won’t disappoint my family, my friends and the public, and the journalists. I could see in people’s eyes that they were less touched by Heartbeats then they were by I Killed My Mother, because there was less emotion, and intensity, and that was sort of tough. But I think Laurence Anyways [his next film project] will be a good film, funny, touching, dramatic, epic. I have great expectations. It will hurt if I fail. So much. I’m getting prepared for that.

You have said that you’re new film, Heartbeats, contains autobiographical elements - do you find inspiration from your own life for all your films?
Yes. Some of them are more personal, some are more fictional. Well some… There are two, so… There is always a foundation, something close to the skin… But there must be drama and fantasy as cinema shouldn’t always be real life. It’s fun to shoot scenes that are hyper realistic, for some reasons it’s always a triumph when people have the illusion that things are so real they feel documentary-like. It’s a goal for me to make people feel it’s real. But in the same time, alongside with this true stuff and cathartic experiments and coming-of-age clichés, there must be some fantasy, some ideas that real life itself wouldn’t have enough imagination to concretize. Hence the style, the aesthetic, etc. That’s important for me. I know it busts some people’s balls, but what do you want. Not everyone is ready for an empathetic talking fox in [the Lars Von Trier film] Antichrist. And I know it feels wrong, but at the same time it’s so free and daring and creative and witty. I love these liberties. They are a sign that cinema still lives, no matter if it’s successful or not. We don’t do things like that anymore. I hate that fox, but I love that fox, symbolically.

Heartbeats is about love and lust - are you successful in relationships yourself?
Absolutely not.

What is the message you hope viewers receive from watching this film?
That love is a bath of blood and that’s exactly why I so rarely shower. Seriously, I dunno. They can receive whatever they want, as long as they’re touched and amused, and entertained. Otherwise I stole two hours of their lives and owe them 10 bucks. I really can’t afford it, though.

According to Wikipedia, you provide the voice of Stan in the French-Canadian version of South Park - is this true?
Yes. It’s a short-lived thing though, because we only dubbed the first season. And then it didn’t air anymore here.

South Park infamously offends… everyone at some point. What in the world are you offended by?
I’m offended by violence, hatred and fascism.

Would you ever aim to create a controversial film yourself?
I wouldn’t want to do a controversial film for the only purpose of controversy. If I ever feel like doing a film to talk about something that would risk creating some kind of polemic, I wouldn’t care about the consequences as the creative process would actually be meaningful, and justified by a need to express something in order to feel better, to change something, to make progress happen in a precise way. I feel free to do whatever I want, however I want, whenever I want, as long as I feel I’m not wasting anyone’s time, and that my work can be profitable and enjoyable to at least someone. And someone, that already is something. When I do films, I usually don’t care about people’s reactions. I ask myself, “oh, are they gonna like this or that”, but again, the only answer I can provide myself with is the answer I get from me. I am the public, too, but in the end, when I worry about people’s reactions, I end up doing what I would like. It’s much later, when watching the final cut, that I start to be really fucking scared about what everyone is going to think.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog]

The Saturdays

The Saturdays are back with a spanking new single titled Notorious. Arguably the only girl band around in the UK right now, the girls have clocked up an impressive 2.5 million album and singles sales in the last three years, have scored eight top ten tracks and livened up the schedules on ITV2 with their fly on the wall documentaries. With a new album due later this year - as well as an Arena tour in the winter - things are only going to get bigger for Frankie, Molly, Una, Vanessa and Rochelle. We were lucky to steal some of Una and Vanessa's time from their hectic schedule for a quick Q+A about the new single and the upcoming album.

Describe your sound in five words
Una: Current?
Vanessa: Naughty.
Una: Dancy, girly –
Vanessa: Fun!

Your new single Notorious has quite a filthy electro edge to it –
Vanessa: I like the word filthy, actually!

Is this sound a good indication of what else will be on the forthcoming album?
Vanessa: It’s a work in progress. We’re going to be writing over the weeks and have writers come over – we want to have a massive bunch and then pick the best from that.
Una: I think every artist needs to, sort of, reinvent themselves and we don’t want any track to sound like it could have been on our previous albums. It’s going to be a step up from the last album but we’ll keep it Saturdays-esque.

What do you want to be Notorious for?
Vanessa: Making good music, hopefully!
Una: We want to be Notorious for putting on a good live show that people enjoy.

You filmed the video in LA – and there’s a nice bit of product placement – are you all using Barry M lip-gloss?
Vanessa: Oh, Yes!
Una: In the online version there is the Barry M lip-gloss and mascara. Our make-up artist has a massive basket with so much make-up. It’s ridiculous!

Do you like going out to LA?
Vanessa: Everyone has asked why did you film it in LA when you didn’t even film it outside, but we really liked the director and stuff so that’s why we went over.
Una: Plus it’s an excuse to go to LA!
Vanessa: We love it out there.

Where’s your favourite place that the band has taken you to?
Vanessa: We’ve been everywhere! We did Aisa and that was cool. We’ve been to LA, we did Norway –
Una: [sounding incredibly excited] We’re going to Germany! We’re releasing the single there. People don’t realise that there is a big market there where they love pop music – and David Hasselhoff. We can take The Hoff on [in the charts] there as well! We’re well up for that.

Have you enjoyed making your latest reality show “What Goes On Tour” for Channel 4?
Vanessa: It’s quite nice to be followed around on tour. No one really gets to see what goes on behind the scenes.
Una: We want our fans to see how it is behind the scenes and to show our friendship – people never believe we actually get on but you can see the banter we have.

And you’re going on tour later this year – what’s the best thing about performing live?
Una: We’re doing an arena tour in December which we’re really excited about.
Vanessa: We like to put on a good show and it’s amazing to go to a different venue every night.

What has been the biggest tour disaster so far?
Una: A few wardrobe malfunctions. Although the first tour we did, on the second night, we were in a place where there were a lot of steps at the back of the stage and it was very dark and Vanessa tripped over a wire and broke her foot!
Vanessa: So I was out for the rest of the tour.
Una: But she was wheeled back on stage half way through the show!
Vanessa: And the embarrassing point is that we were doing a cover of Rihanna’s Shut Up And Drive at the moment I got wheeled back out in a wheelchair [laughs].

That is quite innovative to incorporate it into the performance! So have you heard Tinchy Stryder and Dappy’s track, Spaceship?
Vanessa: It’s been a topic of conversation.
Una: They mention Rochelle! She’s on their list!

We wanted to ask if everyone else is jealous that they didn’t get mentioned?
Both: No! [laugh]

Have you seen the video as well?
Vanessa: Yeah – don’t you think the girl looks a bit like Rochelle? But it’s not her.

If you did have convincing look-a-likes, what would you use them for?
Una: Maybe for when I want to buy a drink I could get my look-a-like in in-case I didn’t have my ID and I get refused – which happens a lot even though I’m 29. It’s so embarrassing.
Vanessa: Erm… I’m not quite sure.
Una: Maybe to come into work when you’ve had a heavy night out?
Vanessa: [laughs] I’m not gonna lie to you – I would love to have that!

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog, May 2011.]