Been a pretty good last few days! The show is going very well this week, easily know the schools are back by the volume of texts! I'm running a really good competition on the show where a listener plus two friends gets to go to the states for a wicked holiday worth 5,000 grand, courtesy of Coors Light Draft! The listeners have to map out their own dream journey starting and ending in New York and we are getting some interesting finalists so far! Denise reckons she might head down route 66 on the back of a Harley with some dude covered in Tattoos while Sandra has dreams of a shotgun wedding in Vegas, a bungee jump off the Golden Gate bridge and a trip down Niagra Falls in a barrell! Nice!
I'm delighted to be back playing footy a few times a week. It's only casual five-a-side stuff but I love it and I'm playing well, though curiously losing nearly every game-It's a bit like Holland in 74 and 78 though, I'm killing it in moral victories! I'm swimming a good lot too so I feel pretty good. I'm a crap swimmer (I only learnt about ten years ago) but it gives me good time to think and clear the head! One of my best buddies has just been diagnosed with a serious illness so visiting him in hospital yesterday gave me a good dose of appreciating the small things we take for granted. He's gonna be okay though, I'm convinced positive thinking is very important.
Today was a big day for me. I normally hate launch's and media junkets but another friend (in PR) told me that I better go to the brand new announcement about the Live at the Marquee gigs this summer at the Showgrounds. When protesting slightly over the phone, she said "No Stevie, YOU, HAVE TO BE THERE, you are gonna love this" It immediatley got me thinking and knowing she knows my music taste, I speculated that it was gonna ne a good hip-hop/r&b addition! I was pretty convinced it was gonna be one of my all time favourites, Mary J Blige, so I went along today very excited!
I walked into town from Ballinloch (I usually do) and took in a relaxing and nice Spring day in Cork. By some weird quirke of fate I met a good old friend of mine on the bridge over the Lee, a friend I was contemplating ringing that day for the first time in about a year! Joe Kelly is one of my most long term friends, and we worked together in both Sir Henrys and the Savoy (He used run it) for years. We had many good times and I can safely say if it wasn't for his vision artists such as Run DMC and the Jungle Brothers wouldn't have played in Cork and guys like me probably wouldn't have had the all important support and encouragement for what we are doing. I had only yesterday met his former promoter partner Denis (who used run our Mor Disco night and the Soul and Disco Weekend with Joe) at his Gusto cafe so It was cool to meet a second person important in my life for the second day in a row! Typically I was in a rush, but we had a good chat and agreed to work together on a few things before we headed our separate ways! Later that night I met yet another of our mutual friends, Mushy, so it was a good day for catching up! I hooked up with RedFM's KC and our prodcution queen Murph (Caroline) and in we went to the restaurant for lunch and the BIG announcement.
I admire successful people who maintain their hard-working credentials and are not at all filled with bullshit. Peter Aiken and myself once crossed paths, when I did a gig for his company at time in my life when I was struggling (2001, myself Greg and Shane had just left Sir Henrys and money was too tight to mention) I did a few gigs for them up in Dublin and was very impressed by their professionalism and smoothness, putting up with cowboys has been part in parcel of my life as a DJ and when you work for proper organisiations you remember. Two seconds after sitting down today Peter Aiken rose up, told us that KANYE WEST was coming to Cork as the latest addition to the Marquee, and barely breaking his stride, asked us to enjoy our lunch! No bullshit, no fireworks, no problem! Respect! I nearly fell off my chair, Kanye was probably the only living artist who could have out done Mary J Blige in my book and my day (not to mention year) was suddenly made!
I enjoyed that lunch and couldn't wait to get back to work and spread the word. This is a huge gig for Cork and as a hip-hop junkee who could barely score my fix of vinyl only 15 years before in a tiny second hand record shop across the road at Leeside records, I couldn't help but thinking how far we have come to be welcoming the biggest and most popular and exciting rapper in the world to our doorstep, less than a mile from my gaff, in only a couple of months time! Back then there was NO hip-hop on the radio and hardly nowhere to hear in clubs or anywhere else. We have come along way since I first started playing records and now every kid in Cork knows Biggie and Kanye and Mary J Blige. Sitting across from Leeside in a highly respected restaurant I couldn't help but think of the times back in the day when I was told that hip-hop wasn't club music and that it was only fit for the back rooms and bars! At parties I wasn't allowed to spin till about 9 in the morning, as everyone was winding down! Now the biggest rapper in the Universe is gonna be playing to 5,000 people outside the ground which has treated us to great moments from the likes of Sean Og and Teddy McCarthy! To paraphrase Biggie himself "I never thought that hip-hop could take us this far"
Kanye West in Cork!!!!!As media partners my chances of getting interviews and maybe even a DJ warm-up are good too, so fingers crossed. I'm trying to help organise an after party too, and am busy setting up a Kanye Special for Saturday night on Black On Red betwen 8 and 9PM. As expected the texts and emails went through the roof later, the general consensus being, is Kanye West really coming to Cork or is this a wind-up! I was delighted that on the some of the national websites people reacted by saying, "Why the fuck is he playing Cork this time-not Dublin and Belfast" Now that makes a change from the norm! Jesus can walk on water and Kanye is taking us higher than ever before-Now I wonder can he clean up that river of ours..............
7 comments:
Thats a great boost for the marquee... the lineup this year was looking slightly dull (despite the quality), as most of the acts have been around for a long time, and we've seen them all before (or chose not to). Do you know if they intend on continuing the marquee as an annual event? I look forward to seeing who they land in the future.
By chance, I heard you announce this news on your show the other night. I think Kanye is great, I love the fact that his ego is bigger than life even though most people think that just makes him arrogant. To be really great, you have to have a big ego I reckon!
I was nearly crying when you were on about the Old Skool Hip Hop days. As someone in their thirties (yikes!), I remember breakdancing in the mid-80's and I was mad into Hip Hop. You couldn't get any Hip Hop music in Cork, I got my first copy of Public Enemy's first album on a tape off some guys from Carrigaline whom I met accidentally in town because they were walking along playing LL Cool J's first album on a massive ghetto blaster. I'd say I was one of the few people in Cork besides them who knew who LL Cool J was back then!
Also, that fecker Greg Dowling stills owes me a copy of EPMD's first album, "Strictly Business". I used to go to Henry's in the late 80's, early 90's and he used to play mostly Hip Hop back then instead of Deep House, which wasn't even around then. One night, I gave him a tape and he said he make me a copy of EPMD's album... I've been waiting ever since! :-)
Speaking of vinyl, I've got two crates of mostly Old School Hip Hop vinyl (LP's and 12inches) that I need to find a good home for. I've gone digital now and I don't even have the decks plugged in any more! For shame, I know. You'd be welcome to take whatever you wanted if you were interested. That said, you'd probably have most of them anyway. Hmmm, I really need to make up a list of what I have, which would be easier.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading the post and good luck with scoring a Kanye interview, after party, etc. Let me know about the vinyl.
I'm from Cork originally, I'm living in the U.S now for years I can't believe Kanye is coming to Cork! When I lived there the only way we got to see someone that famous was on tv. Cork is really coming up in the world, I'm delighted its about time!!
Amanda
Thanks for all the comments peoples. I actually had a detailed reply posted up here last week to the first too but i most have forgot to post :( Yeah, I think the need for a Marquee sized venue is more relevant than ever and more viable too, i think it will be a yearly event James! It's great to have someone at his peak!-PCB they were happy days! I'll have a look at those records and if i have him already i know someone lese who would gladly buy em-Thanks Amanda, they are my thoughts exactly too!
I'll do up a list of the records, I've been meaning to do so for ages. Also, if they end up going to a good home, I'll probably let them go for free...
I know think that he is an arragont c*nt and i know his ego is like way out there, but it is massive for Cork to be hosting such an amazing an well known artist such as Kanye!
I went to Dublin to see him in Febaury and he was unreal to say the least! Im a massive fan of his and nearly cried when i heard he was coming to Dublin, but when i heard that he marquee would be a venue for him this year i did!!! I have my tickets and im ready to go! Kanye West in Cork here we come!!
Elaine.
P.s I love the shows Stevie your some legend!
hey any idea whos kanyes supporting act?
Post a Comment