KEVIN CUMMINS - Let me take your picture !

I don’t know if there’s a perfect “shot” or a perfect moment in time. But, definitely there’s what we can call coincidence. I have this interview with Kevin to post for about three weeks and I’ve scheduled for this weekend. The same weekend that saw Oasis split.

So, now that the Manchester spirit is everywhere, it’s my pleasure to present bellow the words from Kevin Cummins, the legendary photographer that captured some great and unique moments for all of us, music fans. We’ve talked from legends to football from Morrissey to Bowie from art to drugs and above all, about work.

Hope you enjoy this work of ours. Don’t forget to take a look at the relevant links to Kevin’s work at the end of this post.

Cheers,

KL

KING_LEER (KL):

Kevin,

I’ve chosen this one (NME 40^th birthday issue) with Morrissey since he’s one the most influent figures of our times – my opinion. If you had to choose or to make a top 5 of the people you think are ones that “best fit” your camera Who would they be?

KEVIN CUMMINS (KC):

Morrissey, Bowie, Courtney Love, Liam Gallagher, Ian Curtis.

KL:

Who was the artist that you liked the most to get his picture, and the worst?

KC:

The best people to photograph are the ones who are aware of the way they look. Having said that, It’s a challenge to get a photograph of someone who’s painfully shy. The worst people to photograph are the ones who’ve been shot thousands of times. They only give you their ‘photograph face’. They don’t let you into their world.

KL:

Since with this post i want the blog readers to better understand what is a chief photographer job when he is connected with the relevant media, can you tell us what was your typical day to day working for a magazine like the NME?

KC:

Weed for breakfast, JD and Coke for lunch and Champagne and Cocaine for dinner, er obviously …

KL:

I believe every record sleeve has history. Can you choose two of them and then explain to us what was behind that particular tiny moment in time?

KC:

This photograph is an urban landscape. The band is incidental – although crucial – to the composition. I
’m interested in the way photography can tell a story. This bleakness explained the essence of Joy Division’s music more eloquently than 1000 words would have done …


MORRISSEY: another urban landscape but the subject is more prominent. It has a reflective quality that I felt Morrissey’s lyrics had at that time …

KL:

Please share with us what Kevin Cummins - the “man behind the invisible mirror” for so many people - is doing besides the photography?

KC:

I still take photos. I have a book coming out on 3 Sept. Check Faber and Faber website for details. I have an exhibition in Manchester from 3 Sept too for a month. Check Richard Goodall Gallery website. I'm also appearing at Crossing Border festival in Den Hague and Antwerp. This is in Nov.

KL:

Is this world of ours a better world to take a picture? This is of course a social question. Feel free to answer in the way you want, regarding social problems, crisis, politics, etc (and in UK like here in Portugal you have many and actual political issues to discuss).

KC:

It becomes more and more difficult to take photos in the UK. We have surveillance cameras everywhere. We have a jack-booted Police force. We have a world population who think they are so media-aware that they assume photographers earn millions of Euros from their work – so consequently they will rarely allow us to photograph them – without asking us for money. I often take travel photographs and it’s becoming very difficult to get natural photos of people. What’s wrong with all you J … Let me take your picture J

KL:

Manchester City – You are a huge supporter, right? Are you anti- MU? What do you think about the 94M€ Ronaldo? Good photo or bad photo?

KC:

I have no interest in Ronaldo. He has no personality in his face.

I don’t like Man U . I’ve always supported Manchester City – the true Manchester club.

KL:

Diego Maradona and Juliette Lewis - a marriage made in er hell... – Can you explain that?

KC:

I was asked who I’d like to meet. They were two people I wanted to meet. Then I imagined them as a couple … I’ve recently met Juliette Lewis. She’s lovely.

KL:

Manchester is probably one of the cities in the world that has more great bands per square inch.

What are the major differences between 80’s Manchester and the actual one?

KC:

80s Manchester had a lot of council accommodation. And a lot of student accommodation. The low rents and the subsidized rents allowed young people to spend their time smoking weed and playing music – or dabbling in other creative arts, where it wasn’t necessary to earn a lot of money to survive. Now, all that has gone. If you are young and want to be a musician you need a private income these days. The sound of the working class in Britain is a very faint one.

KL/KC:

I’ll give you a “Manc” name you give me your thoughts on him:

a) Ian Brown: One Love
b) Morrissey: I Wanna be Adored
c) Oasis: Good Times
d) Ian Curtis: Where Angels Play
e) Kevin Cummins: Don’t Stop
f) Vini Reilly: Your Star Will Shine

THE END.

Links:

Personal info:

http://www.kevincummins.co.uk/

http://www.myspace.com/kevin_cummins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Cummins_(photographer)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-Cummins/39124219564?v=info

Events & Publications:

http://www.richardgoodallgallery.com/

http://www.faber.co.uk/work/manchester-looking-for-light-through-pouring-rain/9780571233755/

MIKE "MOONSPELL" interview...."Metal Forever!!".

Well, here’s one short but very interesting interview with Mike Gaspar, Moonspell’s drummer.

It took place right before the beginning of their US Tour – end of July.

Mike is an excellent partner to this kind of conversations since he is a natural born communicator. He’s a good example on the communication between musicians, fans, journalists, etc.

Moonspell continue to have their legion of fans – always growing – like I had the opportunity to check on their recent gig at the city of Maia at the north of Portugal - where I live at the moment.

I hope you enjoy it like i did.

P.s: Regarding the photo, it’s not usual for me to appear on them but, this one has a story and it’s one of the best shots i have. I was at Lisbon by Moonspell’s 2007 Halloween gig at the local Coliseum. I had left the bank after a meeting and headed right to the concert with my “unusual” Halloween costume!!!!

KING_LEER (KL):

Dear Mike,

If we Google the word “Moonspell” and see inside Wikipedia your band is tagged with the genre “black metal/gothic metal”. What’s the most correct definition, the one that among yourselves you use?

MIKE “MOONSPELL” (MM):

Well, that was one interesting question in the past with so many names that were applied to our music. Obviously, the black metal and the gothic were major influences on the beginning of out career but, we always had our very own style and sometimes far from the genres people would apply on us. That was mainly due to our origins and costumes taken from the south of Europe. So, that’s why i like call our music only….Moonspell. The possibilities and the nature of our music are infinitive so, with that, the barriers in our music understanding are few and the composition earned with that. I feel very proud for that!

KL:

For Moonspell this will be a “killer” Summer- mainly right after this couple of home-country gigs you’ll head for the US Tour. Tell us what is the importance of being connected to a foreign label with the bookings also being held by also a foreign booker? Is the difference so high? For the readers fully understanding please explain us the advantages of this connection.

MM:

This connection is mainly due to this movement we were involved at the time.

The bands we liked were all in foreign labels and touring worldwide. It’d be very difficult not to do so, because the coverage and attention to the kind of music we make was almost none here in Portugal and the depth of the market was also very tiny. Only American bands were aloud to have a career in their home country but always with the help of the European audiences and their support.

From that time, things have changed and happily we can have a market here in Portugal but our goal was always to take our message to a broader audience. For that reason we work with a foreign label. So, that is the main difference between us and the National artists. Our foreign knowledge helped us to be this great super band. That’s why we sometimes feel like we are beyond the reality until it’s necessary. Take this as an example: We are very relaxed before a gig, as nothing is happening. So, for us to be on a gig or travelling in our bus is like being in our own beds (he he!) – It’s our natural environment.

KL:

What’s the meaning of the figure on the sleeve of your last record (released both in Europe and US), Night Eternal?

MM:

That image represents the feminine strength. She is a Madonna of our Universe.

This work was done by Seth – Septic Flesh bass player. He is Greek so, understands perfectly the connection and the importance of the women in our lives. At the same time, the frustration on being a woman in the south of Europe with all our “Alpha-male” presence. There’s a huge difference between southern and the North within this subject. I believe this is one of our best sleeves. The beauty and mystery of that picture with its religious touch is perfect! This represents our fully commitment for the power of the Woman.

KL:

Usually, i study and talk about song lyrics. I know it’s Fernando’s task but the song “At Tragic Heights” quotes “The book of the revelations” on its chapter 16:2 that talks about the last seven plagues launched by the seven Angels. Who is “She” in “She hangs from the sky”?

MM:

I am really sorry but that one you must ask to Fernando himself.

KL:

Last question. What can we expect from the gig in Maia (North of Portugal)?

Any surprises at all? It’ll be one of your last gigs before the American tour right?

MM:

We still have the Caos Emergente (Emergent Chaos) gig in September.

The Maia one starts to be a yearly ritual for us due to our last presence there.

The amount of people that came to see us was amazing. It was gig to remember, very similar to the ones we gave at the south of Portugal in Cascais by the 80’s and the beginning of the 90’s with bands like Iron Maiden where the audience was in perfect sintony with the band. That was the spirit in last year’s gig at Maia and it’s not easy to feel so. For that reason we have the obligation to give that audience another great show with everything they deserve.

We’ll have projections on the show, rarely used in our homeland gigs until now!

The presence of the Crystal Mountain always brings a magical touch to our shows.

Without doubt, you can count with the band’s fully commitment to perform a massive show since we’ve been playing a lot but we feel a little homesick.

The last gig at Amadora (South of Portugal) was excellent and I barely can wait to the Maia one. We are going to blow out the audience!!! He he.

Stay well and,

“Metal forever”,

Links:

http://www.moonspell.com/

http://www.myspace.com/21620219

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonspell

http://www.septicflesh.net/

THE END.

NADEAH MIRANDA - "Wild at Heart", on the stage and that voice...!

Now that we are at the festival season and every media are focused on them, seems a goof timing to chill out a little and publish this conversation with one of the Nouvelle Vague singers. I saw Nadeah performing here in my hometown last month at a local festival also. Probably not the best environment (stadium, and facing the Depeche Mode sudden cancelation for the same night) but this lady brought fire to a place more used to local football derbies between FC Porto and Boavista FC.

I can synthesize her performance in two words: Presence and Voice.

I believe we’ll hear from her very soon since she’ll be back in Porto and Lisbon by the end of the year.

From my side, just a great Thanks for the time, photos that I’m publishing and the mp3 file from your song “At the moment” that the blog readers can hear in the player.

Bellow, some of the relevant links to follow Nadeah’s work:

http://nadeah.com/

http://www.nouvellesvagues.com/BAND_nadeah.html

http://www.hollywoodmonamour.com/info

KING_LEER (KL):

Nadeah,

First of all let me congratulate you for the astonishing performance at the Super Bock Super Rock Festival here in Porto, last week. It was the first time I saw you and Nouvelle Vague live and although the audience was very quiet in the beginning you brought the fire into the crowd.

NADEAH MIRANDA (NM):

Cheers Oh great King Leerful one. I think it’s normal for an audience who perhaps don’t know you or your music to be quiet at the beginning of a show. A lot of the people at the festival would have been there to see depeche mode , so perhaps they did not know what to expect from us. Personally I thought they were a great crowd, very attentive but a lot of fun when we got going.

(KL):

Are you always that comfortable with this kind of approach with the audience? You literally went into the middle of them!

(NM):

Yes …the most important thing about a concert for me is to make a connection with the audience…if that means going into the audience, or pulling people onstage or saying or doing something funny or silly to make that connection, then so be it. There’s nothing worse than feeling like the audience are not with you so I do my best to make friends fast s since we’re all choosing to spend the night together. As a performer I think you have to put yourself out there…make the first move since the people in the audience have already done that by coming to hear your show.

(KL):

Your past is full of projects and collaborations. Tell us a little more about your roots. When did you start to sing?

(NM):

I was about three years old when I realized I wanted to be a singer. But since I was far too shy to tell anyone and I had good grades, I just told people I wanted to be a doctor because I thought it sounded good. I was twelve when I first performed onstage. It was to represent my class in a song competition. You see, at my high school they had an annual singing audition which all the first form students had to do. This audition was the first time I had ever sung in public and I remember feeling like I was flying and it was probably the first time anyone in my class paid any attention to me. Before the audition I had about two friends… but after I that, the whole class wanted to be my friend… for at least a week anyway.

As for my own projects, I wrote my first song at 13 years old… about a boy of course. .At the time I was more involved with musical comedies but at sixteen I stopped doing these shows, learned the guitar, and started writing songs again with people from school etc.

At 18 I moved to Europe and busted my way around France and Britain and since then I have always had my own band…the loveGods, being the main one prior to now, an alternative rock collaboration with French guitarist Art Menuteau.

On moving to Paris I started singing for various other projects including..Marc Collin’s Hollywood mon amour, Katia Labeque’s B for Bang and of course Nouvelle Vague

(KL):

You have joined Nouvelle Vague last year. How was your reaction?

(NM):

Absolutely ecstatic. At the time I was studying French for as I figured I probably needed to g speak the language in order to get a proper job living in Paris. I had just about given up on music as a full time job. So when Marc asked me to join NV ( he heard me sing at a club in Paris after being invited by a friend from school) I really felt like THE luckiest singer in the world….saved by the proverbial bell I suppose.

(KL):

What is Nouvelle’s work method? Since we are talking about versions, the musical arrangements are written and then you and the other singers add the vocals? Do you take part on the arrangements side?

(NM):

The arrangements are 100%Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux’s. The singers can propose songs they think would be good to include, but since New Wave really wasn’t my thing and since Nouvelle Vague is after all, Marc and Olivier’s baby , I prefer to leave them to do the choosing.

As for recording NV3 I don’t know how it worked for the other singers, but with me I was given half a dozen original versions of songs to learn and then Marc, Olivier and I jammed through the songs trying various musical styles and interpretations. Once we were all down with a key and a vibe the boys got working on recorded arrangements and then I just came in, sang my parts and left them to do their magic. All very easy.

(KL):

About your future projects:

Venus Gets Even – What’s behind the name of your solo project?

(NM):

The name has multiple meanings- I prefer to let people interpret the name how they want without me imposing all my personal interpretations…I am sure yours are much more interesting anyway. But even if it meant nothing, I like the sound of Venus Gets Even -I also like the image of the planet of love getting even with the world… an oxymoron I suppose.

Besides that, I think it’s more fun to have an alias rather than using your real name.

(KL):

“Song I just wrote” is a demo but i have been listening to its full of sorrow and sadness with lines like “..I stare at the right side of my double bed, books and medicines instead of you…”. On the other hand, “At the moment”, a more bluesy meets cabaret tune that catches in a more wide range your excellent vocal performance in high and low tones.

What can we expect for the full album?

(NM):

A very bi-polar mix of songs and styles and emotions and characters… I’d get bored otherwise and I think all of us humans are so multi dimentional it’d be crazy to expect someone to replicate the same sound and vibe and emotion in every song . Also since the lyrical inspiration was taken from a rather intense and surreal two month period of my life, the music had to really support that . The rich musical arrangements are thanks to Nicola Tescari , the producer and pianist in Venus gets Even, who is a trained orchestra conductor , piano virtuoso and classical arranger/composer ..I could never have made such an intricate tapestry of sound by myself…and having a kicking band of musicians also helps.

(KL):

Finally: Yesterday was the “man meets the moon in person” 40^th anniversary. From all the songs inspired by the moon tell us one that you can say it’s your favorite.

(NM):

I would have to be cliché and say Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the moon.. I am a sucker for Pink Floyd.

THE END