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December 31, 2007
THE ROUND UP - HAPPY NEW YEAR
Another year has ripped by in a flash, and I sit here in the desert, reflecting on what actually went down over the last twelve months. Significantly for me, the Circus Diablo album was released and well received. It was a record that took years to form in my head, and less than two months to actually make – and it feels great to have given birth to it at last. The single (and subsequent video) did great stuff and for that we are all proud. The touring was shorter than we would have liked but what we did, we totally enjoyed. The Ozzfest dates were a complete blast. It felt good to be out there playing to audiences that love rock music. Whatever happens next for Circus Diablo, I am proud to have experienced 2007 in that band. Lets see what the new year has in store for V2.0.
Camp Freddy spent another year on the radio (the Podcast is up now, thanks again to Paul), played a few shows, appeared at a couple of benefits and generally had a low profile year due to everyone being extremely busy elsewhere. CF is another band that I am extremely proud of, and by its very nature can have a quiet year and still blow the roof off any venue when we get together. Plans for the record, the book, the bar, the TV show and the lunchbox (not really but you get my drift!) are still all there, in place, and firmly ready to happen when we all end up in the same place, the stars align, and the timing seems right. Until then, I am sure that 2008 will see more live performances from the Camp Freddy brand.
I am a DJ, I am what I play. These words were sung by a certain Mr David Bowie in the 80’s and ring true for me today. I found fun and frolics in a piece of software called Serato, grabbed a couple of turntables, and started reconnecting with the music that made me (and still makes me) want to be creative. DJing has become a fun pastime for me that really does fulfil certain parts of my creative need. I am not, nor ever will be, a performance DJ and have no wish or intention to ever walk an inch in those guys shoes. The AM/Skribble type DJ is a force to behold – what I do is best described by my good friend Mr Navarro. In his own inimitable words, I …….”play a record. Then I play another record” Ha ha!! It’s a little more than that but you get the idea. More of that fo’ sho in 08.
“Is that a dagger I see before me behind your back?” The thespian inside me broke free this year and ran around having a great time in not one, but TWO movies! I cannot tell you how much fun that was, and that I fully intend to continue with the acting. The people I worked with during the productions of “Evilution” and “Basement Jack” were nothing short of amazing. They all encouraged me, treated me as an equal and went above and beyond in making me feel an integral part of each movie. The creative freedom to immerse myself in another person, to play make believe like a kid and really get involved in the stories is second to none. Roll on another role!!!
And so many other things. Five Years. I celebrated five years of marriage. And its nearly six years now. Me. Fuck!!! Anyone who knew me back in London would not have bet on that – at ANY odds!! Who knew that I would not only find love, but figure out what it takes to keep hold of it once you get it?? On a daily basis, my life with Jen gets better than I ever thought possible. For this I am eternally greatful. Sharks. Tons of ‘em. Huge beasts. Filling the water, swirling around. And I got to jump right in amongst them, swim to the bottom of the ocean, surround myself with about 40 of them …..and watch them feed. Oh. My. God. One of the top five most intense things I have ever (and probably will ever) do – swimming with and feeding the sharks in the Bahamas was a huge highlight of 2007.
There were many other events, achievements and occurrences that made 2007 a wonderful year. In the short term, I can get bogged down in how tough a certain business thing is, how hard it is to raise the money for something, how frustrating a particular situation is ….. and then when I look at all these highlights, and the many others that came and went this year, I realize how ridiculously lucky and blessed I am. How my life really is the wonderfully creative, entertainment filled one that I always dreamed of. How I have to truly appreciate and embrace each day as it comes because its happening for me right now, this minute. This is it. This is the life I wanted. This is the life I have. This is my life. And I fucking love it. Thank you to each and every one of you for being a part of it. Happy New Year.
Peace
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 09:11 AM | Comments (12)
December 26, 2007
OBSERVATIONS OVER OPINIONS
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The Christmas Holiday Season. A strange annual festivity. First of all there is some scientific debate around the date of the birth of Jesus – there is an argument that puts it in the middle of summer!! And that’s providing that you even believe in Jesus. But that doesn’t phase us. The millions of people from hundreds of different faiths and religions that DON’T believe in the Birth, the three wise men and an Inn that had no room still hit the Mall with a vengence, along with the good Christian folk. They all grab as much cash as they can get. And they lose touch with any trace of why they are doing it or what its all about. Macy’s, Brookstones, Relax The Back, Footlocker, EB Games and that really annoying store that exists in every Mall in America, Brookstones……every retail outlet rejoices in the fun, the frolics, the festivities and the hundreds of thousands of dollars that pour through their doors every day over the period.
I can honestly say that this year, I enjoyed Christmas more than almost any other year since they broke the news to me that Santa was drunk in a bar in Brixton and wouldn’t be coming to our house. The reason? No presents. Nothing. Not even a pair of socks. This year we all agreed – no presents – and actually stuck to it. Instead we got the fuck outta Dodge and went into the mountains. You want a Christmas tree??…..there are thousands of the fucking things up here! Snow? Tons of it. Lights and decorations? Everywhere you look, there are decorations and lights, on the houses, the bars, the streets, the hotel lobby …. It feels more like Christmas than Melrose Ave ever did (or even Palm Springs!) This is the way forward for me.
Observations. I make them from time to time. And they are very much like opinions, except not quite as rigid. And whereas the old saying rings true about opinions (they are like assholes – everyone has one, and they all stink), it doesn’t so much apply to an observation. So here’s one for you. I notice that when on vacation, people tend to behave differently than when they are at home, or in familiar surroundings. For instance, when a family of five hit a hotel lobby, they allow the three year old to wander off into some corner of the bar and start pulling at the waitress’ apron. The twelve year old B-Rad wannabe gangsta starts yelling ridiculous shit into his cellphone ….(yo T – yeah, so I mash him up good, like an’ I buss im upside is ‘ead) and the 16 year old daughter does that kind of horse-like model walk that they all do on the catwalk ….. but she does it through the hotel lobby, to the elevators, stops, spins around….. and waits for the rest of the family to check in and catch up. Now this is all amusing, but would they all be doing that in their three bedroom detached suburban house in Pasedena? NO. So why do it in the lobby of a hotel in the middle of the fucking mountains!!! I have no point, no opinion and no end to this paragraph. I just thought it was an amusing sight this morning.
That's all I have. Off to go skiing again. This time no camera and some steeper stuff. Hope you all had a great day yesterday. Till the desert.....
Peace
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 09:43 AM | Comments (29)
December 23, 2007
WINTER WONDERLAND
This is just a quickie to check in and wish everyone who has participated in this blog over the last year a HUGE HAPPY HOLIDAYS and a wonderful New Year. A few days ago, we had no plans and were sitting around in LA wondering what we should do for Christmas. Sometimes its Scuba. This year it ended up being skiing!! We literally threw a bunch of stuff into some bags and headed up to Lake Arrowhead. Check out the view from the room below. Its absolutely stunning and it just happens to be 25 miles from Big Bear, and some fun fun in the snow. Yesterday I went up Snow Summit and spent the afternoon skiing by myself. I actually did a couple of runs with the video camera, so trust me when I say I have a fun V-Blog coming soon!
Its one of the joys of living in SoCal - you can take a two hour drive into the snow, and then another hour drive and you are in 100 degree heat in the desert!! I am sure we will end up down there after Xmas - seems a shame not to hit our usual favorites....the spa and the steakhouse! Whatever happens, this year is a low key, low stress effort. Xmas day will be spent here in the hotel, and I can't think of a better way to avoid all the hassle and enjoy someone else's decorations/tree/red hat!!! Well, maybe at 70ft beneath the ocean in a far away Polynesian ocean but thats another year.
Not the most glamorous hairstyle on the slopes, Mr Morrison!! I have to admit that I am OG when it comes to snow - I have boarded a few times, but prefer skiing.... and it was nice to get some practice in before .... Sundance Film Festival - is headed our way, and I will be found at the T-Mobile diner in Park City on Saturday 19th January, DJ'ing with Donovan. And other than that, I am DONE with thinking about work until after the New Year. Its been a fantastic 07 for me, with the whole Circus Diablo album release, a couple of nice enjoyable Camp Freddy outings, the emergence of the whole DJ thing for me (which I TOTALLY enjoy....not the best at it, but I love music, so who cares) and a couple of movies under my belt. I couldn't wish for more.
A couple of quickies before I go .... Anny, I think Dave and I were just talking in gereal about MySpace comments and certain other websites - a lot of comments are just haters, and the web is full of that, because its faceless. Anonymous. We were saying we just avoid all that rubbish. And I also wanna thank everyone who sent ecards and holiday wishes - especially Peebs!! She sent the funniest Video Card to me (check it out below) I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday, and please try and do something, some small thing, for someone less fortunate than yourself. Whatever it may be, you will be helping to spread some happiness. We could all do with a bit more of that, right?? I'll leave you with an exclusive picture of me with Circus Diablo's new trombone player. Lots of trombone all over the next record, and we are gonna take this guy on tour with us. Oh, and by the way - yesterdays CFR is up on the Podcasts page. Merry Christmas and thanks Paul!!. See ya very soon with a cool Winter Wonderland V-Blog. Until then.....
Peace
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 08:36 AM | Comments (13)
December 17, 2007
DIABLO V-BLOG
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Alrighty then ….. here we go with another V-Blog from last weeks shows. And fucking hell ..... I look like I got a ton of Chanel No 5 lipstick on in the first scene! So THATS how I look in the mornings! Both gigs were really good for us, and we played well, sounded pretty rockin and had tons of fun. Its hard to remember to turn the camera on during the show days because I’m too busy with everything else that’s going on. We need to have a videographer like Todd used to do for Camp Freddy. That way I can forget about camera duties and still get good footage. But it is what it is, and I hope you like it. And also, talking of media, Saturdays CFR is now up on the Podcast page, as well as being available for download from I-Tunes by subscribing to my blog. Use the ‘Subscribe’ link on the right hand side of this page.
You will also see that our wonderful Wendybird came to the shows and shot some fantastic pics for us. Huge massive shout out to her for all the help. All the pics in todays post are from either the Gibson Amphitheater show or the following night at The Viper Room. The one next to this paragraph makes me smile!!! The caption HAS to be ...."Dude - where's that Starbucks again??..." Ha ha! Oh yeah, and you guys need to give Patrick Cornell some love cos he will be taking over from Brett Scallions in 08. Brett is deeply involved in being a new dad to Jagger, and has plans with ROTS, so with much love and respect, we will be moving forward with Patrick playing bass guitar. We had TONS of fun in 07 with Brett – he and Abby are beautiful friends – and we wish them much love and success next year. See ya on Tuesday, Brett.
So it now looks as if the DJ gigs that were lined up in Hollywood starting Dec 20th will be moved to 2008. I really should learn not to post shit that hasn’t had EVERY T crossed and locked in!! The guys running the club are changing venues and still figuring stuff out, so I will do the DJ thing for them once they have their end nailed down. But I do seem to be locking in a couple of January bookings which I am looking forward to – and this time I am gonna wait until I get the paperwork before posting details!!
I wanna say a HUGE THANK YOU to NGTV, who collaborated with Circus Diablo on the Loaded video success. Over ONE MILLION views, and it just got reposted, and has nearly another 500,000 – crazy stuff. They are part of the new web TV revolution and I hope we get to work together again in 08. Forward thinking, irreverent – and wonderful guys as well!! Respec’ is due to Benji, Mr Shark Firestone and all at NGTV. Also a big thanks goes out to Koch Records who did a wonderful job with our album and our first single Loaded. Scott, Chuck et al……niceness. Thanks for opening the door to the world of Circus Diablo and helping get our music out there.
Now that all that is out the way, we can get on with 2008. We have started throwing riffs around through cyberspace, and I am collating them, organizing them, and putting the best ones into folders in my studio computer. Over the holidays, I think we’ll see about three or four new Diablo songs start to take shape, and when we reconvene in January, we’ll get some mixes together and start thinking about album number 2. We have also been talking about getting the first album out in the UK (which never happened – kinda silly, seeing as we did get a Japanese, US and Australian release!). All in the works – lets see how it pans out. For now, I am gonna take care of a few things, go to the gym, and spend the afternoon messing about and practicing my skills on the turntables! Paul Oakenfold has NOTHING to worry about!! Oh yeah - and while I love our literary contributor, and our musical quotation genius (one and the same user, actually) could you limit your posts to one or two ...... leave room for other people to speak, and we will love you forever!! See ya.
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 09:27 AM | Comments (10)
December 13, 2007
A ROUND UP OF SORTS
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First things first. I want to thank everyone involved in last nights Gibson Amphitheater show. Matt, Slash, Duff, Dave, Scott and all in the Velvet Revolver camp for having Circus Diablo open the show. Alice In Chains for absolutely blowing my mind!!! All the crew and staff. And everyone who was in the arena when we played. I had a great time, and Diablo had a great show. Its a lot of fun doing what we do, and having a big stage to do it on makes all the difference. We started talking about next year and all that it entails - second album, touring, single, video etc - and we are all enthusiastic to get going.
As you will see, I am just kind of catching up with stuff here. The movie above is the first teaser video from Basement Jack (the most recent movie that I did) and I love the vibe. Can't wait to see some of the footage (cos I still haven't seen a frame!!). Michael (the director) is also shooting a video for Evergreen, the old Doheny song that I have re-sung for the closing credits, so that will also be some cool shit when we shoot that in January. And I have also been sent this movie poster for Evilution - the horror film that I did earlier in the year. SO much blood and guts in this one kids!! Do NOT take your children to see it!! When we get release details, I will let you know. Sometime in 2008 for sure.
Next, I can tell you that I will be DJ'ing at a new club night in Hollywood on December 20th. The club is called CENTRAL (although I'm sure they'll have some slick, hip name for the actual Thursday nights) and I will possibly be doing every Thursday all through January as well. The club will be ALL Rock N Roll and will be a very cool vibe, so anyone expecting the usual Hollywood 'Kayne meets 50 via some really average R+B' need NOT apply!!!. I will be doing a two hour set on that Thursday, so get dressed and come down.
I think thats all I got time for today. Yes, I did take the camera to the Amphitheater yesterday, and we got some great footage. I think what I'll do is film todays events as well, and put together a special Xmas Diablo V-Blog for you all by early next week. Tonight is, of course, our final show of 2007 at The Viper Room on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. Come on down for a night of Rock N Roll. Oh - and you gotta read this!! Slick Rick posted it as a comment and I LOVE it - makes me smile....."There once was a guy named Billy. The Brixton blokes thought he was silly. He formed Circus Diablo. Just look at that boy go! He's the shit in Piccadilly!".....And with that, I am outta here to hit the gym and get some lunch before it all starts going off!!
Peace
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 10:27 AM | Comments (17)
December 10, 2007
AND THE AWARD GOES TO ......
Last night's Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards was a really fun night. It took place at the Henry Fonda Music Box over on Hollywood Blvd, and Donovan and I were asked to present Sam Riley (who played Ian Curtis in the Joy Division movie, Control) with his award. The evening was a blast, with a ton of faces showing up to honor these actors who have really delivered in 2007. I have to say that I was humbled to be asked to do this - the movie Control is one of those rare music films that actually works! It has been made with such love and authenticity for the period, with so many incredible performances (including Sam's eerily accurate portrayal of Ian) that to be asked to participate in last nights Award event was fantastic. Everyone had a good time (thanks to Hollywood Life and all the sponsors for putting on a great night) and congrats to all the Award winners. I am now moving straight into Circus Diablo mode with a couple of days rehearsal before our shows this week. It's gonna be a good way to finish up the year. Get over to The Viper Room on Thursday and come party with us. Use our special password and get in for the discounted price of $10. Just say "GIBSON" when you get to the door and save money on us!!
Peace
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 10:15 AM | Comments (17)
December 03, 2007
DECEMBER ALREADY??
You gotta admit - 2007 has really flown by ..... and although I know we'll do a round up at the end of the year, I can't believe that we are, yet again, in the land of 'do we get a tree, or don't we?', 'do we HAVE to send them a card?', and even more perplexing ... "you gotta be shitting me - MORE Turkey??'. Not exactly my favorite time of year, more because of what it turns into, than what its meant to be, I am resolving to try just a little harder this year. A few cards and presents WILL be bought and sent out. A tree (albeit a fake one) might just make it into my living room. And a colored light or two might even get turned on around the house. Lets see if I can actually FEEL the Xmas spirit this year.
CFR was great fun with Dave last weekend, and I am just waiting on the file being sent so that I can throw it up on our Podcast page. More of the same coming at you this coming Saturday. And then on Sunday, I am presenting an award at the Hollywood Life Breakthrough Awards. Its a star studded movie biz event and I am looking forward to the evening. Should be fun. And before that I have another couple of days on this track in the studio - the last two days of recording. Then we'll take a week break while Circus Diablo rehearse and play a couple of shows, and then we'll mix it before the town shuts down for the Holidays. WHICH REMINDS ME!! Circus Diablo at The Viper Room. Thursday December 13th. Maybe a suprise or two. Make sure you get tickets now and make sure you get there on time!!
Beth - Well I was never too keen on England in the first place. But these days its very oppressive, expensive, claustraphobic and generally crowded. Cold, wet, and windy too. Whats to dislike?? What attracts me to LA? Well, I love this quote from a friend of mine. "Its one of the few places that one can go skiing and surfing in the same day. If you wanted to...." Now I don't surf, and haven't been skiing in years, but it's nice to know you COULD if you wanted!! Seriously, I love the climate, the entertainment, the shopping, the vibe ..... its my home.
Sue - I haven't yet checked the Rock Band game out yet. Might actually steer clear of that one, cos I'll NEVER get anything done. But I did enjoy Guitar Hero for a minute there - presumably Rock Band is the same but more.
Paul - Good question! I am pretty lucky and I don't have a very big list. I have everything I need! But there is ALWAYS room for more Nike Dunks in the closet (although not many more....we're gonna have to move soon if I get too many more pairs of shoes!). And a decent video game is always a good gift.
Also - I couldn't find who asked this question, but I remember a post that basically asked what happened to Billy Duffy in Circus Diablo. Well, unless you have been living under a rock this year, The Cult released a record as well as Circus Diablo. And its kind of impossible for a man to be in two places at once. And considering The Cult has been Billy's band for a little over 20 years, what would YOU expect? Of course he is back in full-on Cult mode, touring and supporting that record. And that is why we now have Rob Patterson in the band, who toured with us on The Ozzfest and stepped in to be the bands lead guitarist. It was great to have had some time with him inbetween Cult albums to write the Diablo record. But he is a busy man. And Rob has been 100% behind CD, stepping up to the plate and rocking with us, so we are writing songs in the rehearsal room at the moment, as a band. Now THERE's a unique concept!
And finally, to all the well known authors currently posting on my site - Good literature never hurt anybody and I love that you are bringing the power of the written word to my small, but perfectly formed website. Play nice with all the others and we welcome you with open arms. Just don't expect me to understand it all!!
Thats it from me right now. Gonna go watch some TV tonight and keep my head low. Love you all.
Billy
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Posted by vivelerock at 08:21 PM | Comments (16)