Nell

Just to let you know that Radio 2's coverage of the South By South West festival, including Mika as well as many, MANY others, runs from 4.30-9pm this Saturday. 'Fraid I can't be more specific than that - he is mentioned in the 6.30-7.30 and the 7.30-9pm sections of the show, but I guess could well be in the first 2 hours too.

Just started 1st track - Fleetwood Mac.

I think SXSW coverage incl. Mika is this coming Saturday.

Hmm yeah I reckon My Interpretation makes sense as the 3rd one - grab people's attention with Grace Kelly, ride the 'uptempo pop' wave with Love Today, then just when public opinion turns to 'But can he only do uptempo pop?', surprise them with a ballad. God that sounds horribly cynical, but you know what I mean!

Oh great - they must have changed it recently then cos the format used to be: Play track 1 Talk about track 1, leading into - Talk about track 2 Play track 2.

Yep it's two a day, and I have a feeling it's more like 11.30/11.40 than 10.40, unless it's been changed over the last few weeks. I remember it as being the last of the 'features' before the end of the show.

Much as I love Rob, I hope Mika won?!

Yup he's amazing - such a clever, talented pop writer. He was talking about a Willie Nelson song for one of his Tracks, and it was one of those moments where you go 'oh yeah, that really is why that's a good song!' Lucky you for meeting him too!

Yeah I could never decide about that - there are some pretty odd clashes in there but that could just be the effect of 2 different chords at the same time I guess. Still very cool whatever though.

...which I personally think is absolutely inspired, though it does take a bit of getting used to. Still haven't figured out if the two songs are actually in the same key, but hey, the result is soooo very addictive. See what you think!

Wow, Stuck in the Middle was incredible!! Wrote the above before I'd seen it - have literally never heard that song sound better.

Absolutely - he'd make a damn good actor. And we already know he went down a storm as the Emcee in Cabaret at school.

Oooh that's brilliant, I've been hoping for weeks that they'd sign him up for that. It's really interesting when the person is articulate about music - Rob Thomas did it once and it was absolutely riveting.

'Sarcastically sunny' - love that. Sounds like this guy has got closer than many to understanding a lot of what LICM is about?

All of the above, naturally, plus that irresistible little upward flick he sometimes puts at the end of a note, like with 'whole lot more' on Big Girl. (Hopefully someone on here who knows more about singing than me can give this a technical term!) Guess it kinda goes along with the whole issue of switching so easily between falsetto and lower register. Not to mention, and this is a huge one for me cos I will never understand it, the fact that we love him for doing all these things rather than hate him for manipulating our poor defenceless little hearts and minds. How does that work????!