so_rococo Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 By Marian Liu Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 3:10 pm in Music, Marian Liu, Podcasts-Marian, Podcasts, General, live music. There are few times that I enjoy talking to the artist as much as listening to their music. But this happened with UK singer Mika. Check out my interview with him at this link :http://69.16.238.27/files/mika.mp3 Admittingly, his music is not for everyone. It’s a bit psychedelic, perfect for a Cirque du Soleil soundtrack. But, lately, with all the emo I’ve been listening to, it’s nice to hear something happy. Born Michael Holbrook Penniman, the 23-year-old’s influences range from Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop to Marilyn Manson. He pens songs as character studies: “Most of the interesting characters from everyday life are the underdogs and are the outsiders, and I like to dress them up in these amazing clothes and paint incredible backgrounds behind them…I like to take reality and make it a lot more livable.†When I asked Mika what his Top 40 favorites were, he had to stop a second and look them up. He recognized Rihanna and that was it. This is ironic because I just interviewed chart-topper T-Pain, but refreshing as well, because Mika is different. And he recognizes this difference and attributes it to his success, saying that the worst thing to be is mundance. He performs Saturday and it should be a fun show, a bit like a circus. WHERE: Fillmore, 1805 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, June 9 TICKETS: $25; (408) 998-8497, (415) 421-8497 or http://www.ticketmaster.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherry_baby Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Thanks for posting Never heard this one before x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my_rainbow_radio Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I really like that quote "I like to take reality and make it a lot more livable." He puts things into words so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohwowitsnicka Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 oouuu thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackViolet Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Thank you! God, the interviewer girl is so dull. I'm glad Mika can talk well without her. Ooooh, glad to hear him refute that silly "why don't the gays like me???" quote. --Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_tinydancer Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 oo thank you for posting this!! never heard it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkly1 Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I really like that quote "I like to take reality and make it a lot more livable." He puts things into words so well. That comes from being a song writer I guess eh? Really good interview he's a right chatty 'ol thing wish I could get to ask him just 1 question, I do have one that if I ever meet him I am gonna ask. (no it's NOT that one ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzy Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Loved it so rococo! Thank you! MIKA speaks so very well. Honest. Insightful. Love him, even more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 <Warning! Long, gushy post!> Oh my. I'm literally crying, I'm laughing so hard. Thank you so much for posting that! That was absolutely, freaking amazing. I think I fell in love just a little bit more. "What do you want to know? As oppposed to what editors want to know? If you bumped into me, and both of us were slightly drunk..." ABSOLUTE UTTER GENIUS! Seriously. As a journalist myself, I LOVE the way he hijacks interviews. He'll begin a thought, the interviewer will jump in with some other boring-as-cardboard question, and then he'll interject with some completely outlandish, amazing, colourful quote. He's really a journalist's dream, in terms of how quoteable he is. Interviewing people like that who are so multi-faceted, so animated, is always a highlight. Don't get me wrong - in some small part, I'm still a crazy fangirl who would love to take him back to his Santa Barbara hotel room and do naughty things that I shan't mention - but really, sitting by a pool over a couple cran-tinis and just being able to talk to him would be exhilarating. It would be so amazing to just sit and chat for an hour. I mean, he and I are a year apart in age, but we grew up in utterly different worlds on opposite sides of the globe. And yet there's a commonality - like in a previous interview where he mentioned coming-of-age issues, dealing with money, adjusting to changing relationships with siblings - I totally get that. Wow. *wanders off in a Mika-induced bubble* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackViolet Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Exactly! ABSOLUTE UTTER GENIUS! Seriously. As a journalist myself, I LOVE the way he hijacks interviews. He'll begin a thought, the interviewer will jump in with some other boring-as-cardboard question, and then he'll interject with some completely outlandish, amazing, colourful quote. He's really a journalist's dream, in terms of how quoteable he is. Yes! I love that about him. But this is pretty recent, did you notice? When he first started off giving interviews, he was also very well-spoken of course, and could give great copy, but you'd need to ask him the right questions. In most interviews, being asked the same old stuff, he would just shut off and launch into one of his pre-prepared answers, and would say literally the same thing, word-for-word, in interview after interview, like a little playback machine. They were good answers, funny answers, smart answers--but always the same. I remember being a bit irritated by that, but I also told my friends that I bet as he got more experience with interviews, he would loosen up, figure out how to "play himself" better, and learn how to turn the questions around more. And what he does now is exactly what I hoped he would learn to do--rather than dealing with boring questions, to make them his own and always look for an opportunity to put a new twist on them, deliver a new story. He still has his "soundbites" that he always delivers, but they're not so blatant anymore, and he makes sure to spice them up, make them special for each new interview. It sounds kind of weird to say, but I am so proud of him. He figured it all out so quickly, and all his interviews now are amazing, way better even than I originally expected. He's a clever, clever boy. --Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Exactly! Yes! I love that about him. But this is pretty recent, did you notice? When he first started off giving interviews, he was also very well-spoken of course, and could give great copy, but you'd need to ask him the right questions. In most interviews, being asked the same old stuff, he would just shut off and launch into one of his pre-prepared answers, and would say literally the same thing, word-for-word, in interview after interview, like a little playback machine...He still has his "soundbites" that he always delivers, but they're not so blatant anymore, and he makes sure to spice them up, make them special for each new interview...It sounds kind of weird to say, but I am so proud of him. He figured it all out so quickly, and all his interviews now are amazing, way better even than I originally expected. --Jack Yeah, I think that interview was just this week, since he's calling from California and referes to his whirlwind in Australia. I too had noticed that he had been saying the same responses word-for-word, interview after interview (and in both French and English!). I love the fact that now he seems to be stepping out of that and shaking things up, and this interview is a prime example of that. I really get the whole "I'm proud of him" feeling, too. He is indeed a clever man. I really hope I get to see him live, and I really hope it's before he's playing massive 20,000 seat stadiums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamika Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I really like that quote "I like to take reality and make it a lot more livable." He puts things into words so well. Yep I agree totally. He is very articulate. Did he say something about going to swim?. I thot he said he didnt like water. or was it just sea water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamika Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 I think there was a bit of a confusion about which "Top 40" MIKA was talking about. I think he meant the UK one not the Billboard Top 100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotdlp Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 that was a good interview, the woman was slightly irritating but mika's voice got the better of her god if he was relaxing for 2 days and he had the comp right next to him, he prob came to catch up on some gossip on him in here hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 great interview... thx for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marianne84 Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Wow, he's so smart! I really could listen to him talking for hours! Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikjass Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curly Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Thankyoo i've never heard this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 yeah got it in the mail as well:biggrin2: And ooohh!! I'm so glad Mika loves Marilyn Manson as well!!! I always feel like a freak listening to it since everybody seems to hate/dislike the music/band:boxed: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 ABSOLUTE UTTER GENIUS! Seriously. As a journalist myself, I LOVE the way he hijacks interviews. He'll begin a thought, the interviewer will jump in with some other boring-as-cardboard question, and then he'll interject with some completely outlandish, amazing, colourful quote. He's really a journalist's dream, in terms of how quoteable he is. Interviewing people like that who are so multi-faceted, so animated, is always a highlight. So totally agree with you -- he practically self-interviews, and the only problem with that is, for the interviewer, you might not get to all the questions you wanted to ask. But what a minor complaint, when your subject is so articulate and agreeable! What a deliciously loooooong time she had to speak with him! I've had to create more in-depth articles with a lot less access to a subject before. Lucky woman. Thank you so much for posting this! dcdeb <3 DAYS to MIKA in DC!!!> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariposa Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Loved it so rococo! Thank you! MIKA speaks so very well. Honest. Insightful. Love him, even more. I so agree with you!!! Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherry_baby Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 HAHA, I have just listened again.. Mika types fast x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sofia Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Yeah, it's so cool...He is great! I love his laughing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avoca Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 By Marian LiuFriday, June 8th, 2007 at 3:10 pm in Music, Marian Liu, Podcasts-Marian, Podcasts, General, live music. There are few times that I enjoy talking to the artist as much as listening to their music. But this happened with UK singer Mika. Check out my interview with him at this link :http://69.16.238.27/files/mika.mp3 Admittingly, his music is not for everyone. It’s a bit psychedelic, perfect for a Cirque du Soleil soundtrack. But, lately, with all the emo I’ve been listening to, it’s nice to hear something happy. Born Michael Holbrook Penniman, the 23-year-old’s influences range from Japanese anime Cowboy Bebop to Marilyn Manson. He pens songs as character studies: “Most of the interesting characters from everyday life are the underdogs and are the outsiders, and I like to dress them up in these amazing clothes and paint incredible backgrounds behind them…I like to take reality and make it a lot more livable.†When I asked Mika what his Top 40 favorites were, he had to stop a second and look them up. He recognized Rihanna and that was it. This is ironic because I just interviewed chart-topper T-Pain, but refreshing as well, because Mika is different. And he recognizes this difference and attributes it to his success, saying that the worst thing to be is mundance. He performs Saturday and it should be a fun show, a bit like a circus. WHERE: Fillmore, 1805 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, June 9 TICKETS: $25; (408) 998-8497, (415) 421-8497 or http://www.ticketmaster.com thx, sorococo. Admittingly, his music IS for everyone and Born MICA Penniman: we have heard that from the man himself.. sorry, not to be a pain but those journalists would better stop copying over and over the same thing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUlie Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 Thank you for that new interview. I have downloaded it and can listen to it to my hearts content:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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