AnnaMariaPetra Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 (edited) I found this on the internet: http://8weekly.nl/artikel/7728/mika-the-boy-who-knew-too-much.html I don't have time to translate at the moment, perhaps some other dutchie? If not, I will try later. edit: I have tranlated it: Sweet Pie Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much By Imco Lanting October 6 2009 How he managed to do it two years ago, God only knows. Suddenly there was this dark curled boy from England with the strange name Mika who stormed the charts with smooth but original glamdance. And it didn’t just happen once, but actually all of 2007 was his year. Almost all the songs of his debut album Life in Cartoon Motion became hits and that gave expectations for the sophomore album. Which is out now, but sadly the bubblegum transformed into almost indigestible sweetness. Ofcourse almost everyone knew his hits. You just couldn’t miss them. To begin with there was Grace Kelly, followed by number 1 hit Relax, Take it Easy and Big Girl (You are Beautiful). Piece by piece sticky songs whick keep getting stuck in your mind as soon as they had been played on radio. And that is exactly what Mika wanted as a goal he told in an interview lately. “I want something by which you either hate me, even something which makes you dislike my songs, so that you cannot get the songs out of your head.” And to finish with this: “That is my power.” Mika aims straight for his goal, even if it is only a shallow goal. It is forgiven. Lots of people thought the above named songs were listenable (?). The songs were fun, original, dansable. The young Libanese-British singer sold more then 5,5 millio copies of LICM and became worldfamous. Not only for his uncomplicated music, but also for his looks –handsome-. And also for his performance –the bravoury of Freddie Mercury- and the striking resemblance with the Scissor Sisters. Cold shivers With this sophomore album of his megasucces from 2007, it is complety different. Already after a quarter of an hour the irritation starts. Soon it becomes clear that this record is now way as good as the last one. No follow-up for Grace Kelly, noequivalent for Big Girl. Nothing of it all. Mika now tries it with sensitive songs, which would do good business at SkyRadio, but it will give a bit more than a normal musiclover the cold shivers. It’s a shame for that beautiful voice, cause it is wonderful and actually fits better with catchy songs like the hit We Are Golden and Rain. Slighty histerical and with large uithalen (?) it is Mika on his best. But you can have a really beautiful voice, if your compositions are weak you still are nowhere. And that’s the manco of TBWKTM, you can hear that he tried, but it absolutely didn’t work. Is it lazyness? Has the inspiritation disappeared after the first success? And the contents of Mika’s songs aren’t worth mentioning either. There is not much left this way. Our hope is aimed at the gigs. On stage Mika is a strong entertainer and there are no signals that that has changed. Exhibitionisme without gene was and is his most important trademark. We shall see it when he performs next year on March 10 in the Heineken Music Hall. Calculated coming-out Mika’s new record came in the album charts at no4. Mika is hot. Lots of fans will have bought the cd blind, probably thinking of the hits from 2 years ago, and inspired by the glamhit We Are Golden. In the video we see Mika in his boxers dancing hysterically for minutes in his adolences boys room. That made me think of a recent interview in which Mika admitted being bisexual. Real musicfans know what that means. Lots of artists before Mika had such a calculated comingout. Mika’s statement again seems to be an attempt not to hurt the tender souls of his teenagergirlsfans; everybody happy. Mika needs the criticless fancrowd too much if it comes on buying his record. But undoubtedly he knows the story of George Michael. And this goodlooking singer also knows that there only has to be one public toilet and one paying-good-attention cop to throw his life upsidedown. With the consequence of making his best record ever, even better then LICM. The inbetween called TBWKTM can be forgotten quickly. We are counting on you, Mika! Edited October 7, 2009 by AnnaMariaPetra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't agree with the review but I'm afraid I tend to agree, rightly or wrongly, with what the article is suggesting about Mika's comments on his 'bisexuality' Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Still, criticless fancrowd? They should visit MFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzie Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't think the review itself is worth commenting, so let me just state how much I despise people who make such homophobic and pitiful comments suggesting that the shadow of being caught in a public toilet with their pants down is hanging over each and every gay man in this planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droopsy Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't think the review itself is worth commenting, so let me just state how much I despise people who make such homophobic and pitiful comments suggesting that the shadow of being caught in a public toilet with their pants down is hanging over each and every gay man in this planet. That was my first thought as well when reading that part. I couldn't believe they said that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Ohh lord these fans critique him Hmmmmmmm They are right , we need him live to get these songs out to people , hes strong there One public toilet ... surely he has more class than that:sneaky2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't think the review itself is worth commenting, so let me just state how much I despise people who make such homophobic and pitiful comments suggesting that the shadow of being caught in a public toilet with their pants down is hanging over each and every gay man in this planet. Yeah wow, it's pretty outrageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FOUCHONNERET Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 thanks to share One public toilet ... surely he has more class than that:sneaky2: i'm totally agree,if some don't want to give it to him the crown of " the prince of pop",he's surely the prince of the class:wink2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDDIESDOUBLE Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 thanks to share i'm totally agree,if some don't want to give it to him the crown of " the prince of pop",he's surely the prince of the class:wink2: He is !! class and smart and talented and yummy and funny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't agree with the review but I'm afraid I tend to agree, rightly or wrongly, with what the article is suggesting about Mika's comments on his 'bisexuality' Thanks for posting! I disagree with that , actually. If I remember rightly, the exchange was something like "Are you Bisexual" "You may call me that but I don't label myself" ie Mika didn't "come out" as anything - Mika is still saying "think what you like, I'm not telling" which is consistent with what he said for LICM. I still believe Mika is not going to use his sexuality or private life cynically for professional purposes. I think it annoys him that he has to deal with intrusive questions, and that his reticence and realtively low profile in the tabloids is thought to be damaging to his career - he mentioned this in the Radio 4 interview, and sounded slightly bitter about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindemfc Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 quite ironic it's a dutch review but amsterdam is sold out first:teehee: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatagordinha Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I agree that the bit about the public toilet is really out of order. REALLY I disagree with that , actually. If I remember rightly, the exchange was something like "Are you Bisexual" "You may call me that but I don't label myself" ie Mika didn't "come out" as anything - Mika is still saying "think what you like, I'm not telling" which is consistent with what he said for LICM. I still believe Mika is not going to use his sexuality or private life cynically for professional purposes. I think it annoys him that he has to deal with intrusive questions, and that his reticence and realtively low profile in the tabloids is thought to be damaging to his career - he mentioned this in the Radio 4 interview, and sounded slightly bitter about it. I know he hasn't 'come out' and that when he said 'they' could label him bisexual if 'they' wanted to it was not tantamount to an admission of bisexuality. What I was tending to agree with was that being seen to be 'open to all possibilities' can do Mika's career no harm at the moment. Maybe I am just a little bit cynical about it all. I have always respected his stance on not discussing his sexual orientation, and I still do, but the fact is that this air of mystery and ambiguity over his sexuality still does sell his records. Whether he consciously decides this or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I don't think the review itself is worth commenting, so let me just state how much I despise people who make such homophobic and pitiful comments suggesting that the shadow of being caught in a public toilet with their pants down is hanging over each and every gay man in this planet. The review will be panned by any sane and rational people, for the homophobic bull**** it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I agree that the bit about the public toilet is really out of order. REALLY I know he hasn't 'come out' and that when he said 'they' could label him bisexual if 'they' wanted to it was not tantamount to an admission of bisexuality. What I was tending to agree with was that being seen to be 'open to all possibilities' can do Mika's career no harm at the moment. Maybe I am just a little bit cynical about it all. I have always respected his stance on not discussing his sexual orientation, and I still do, but the fact is that this air of mystery and ambiguity over his sexuality still does sell his records. Whether he consciously decides this or not. I don't think he can win with the press - if he says nothing, or lets them label him as bi, then he is criticised for not telling. If he says he's straight, no-one will believe him even if it's true, if he says he's gay he gets to be "Gay Popstar Mika" which limits him in so many ways - it is still a homophobic world, after all. It's a shame that it is sex that sells newspapers, and newspaper coverage is required to "sell" Mika to the public who will buy his music. Amy Winehouse was good in her way, but it is the car-crash tabloid spectacle that catapulted her into the eye of the general public, who then got curious about her music. The music on it's own wasn't enough - only a limited number of people follow music that closely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I think it annoys him that he has to deal with intrusive questions, and that his reticence and realtively low profile in the tabloids is thought to be damaging to his career - he mentioned this in the Radio 4 interview, and sounded slightly bitter about it. I think the sexuality questions and the low tabloid profile are two separate issues and to me he doesn't appear bothered about the sexuality questions. As he pointed out, no one made much of a fuss when the bisexuality statement came out. I think the bitterness comes from the fact that in order to stay in the public consciousness he would have to be causing controversy all the time or making an ass of himself which would result in him sacrificing his privacy the way Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse have. I don't think this is related to intrusive questions about his private life and even if he were openly straight he still wouldn't want to have paps chasing him everywhere he goes and ruining any semblance of a normal life that he has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I hate this review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I think the sexuality questions and the low tabloid profile are two separate issues and to me he doesn't appear bothered about the sexuality questions. As he pointed out, no one made much of a fuss when the bisexuality statement came out. I think the bitterness comes from the fact that in order to stay in the public consciousness he would have to be causing controversy all the time or making an ass of himself which would result in him sacrificing his privacy the way Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse have. I don't think this is related to intrusive questions about his private life and even if he were openly straight he still wouldn't want to have paps chasing him everywhere he goes and ruining any semblance of a normal life that he has. I see your point, although the few times he does get in the UK tabloids, they often focus on sexuality (like this one) Just a Little Brit camp Are we Gaydees ... from left, Mika, Graham Norton, Matt Lucas, Sir Ian McKellen and David Walliams HERE'S the picture that nearly broke The Sun's gay-o-meter. I suspect he would rather just have the music do the work for him, without all the "celebrity" stuff that goes with it these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Simpson Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I see your point, although the few times he does get in the UK tabloids, they often focus on sexuality (like this one) I suspect he would rather just have the music do the work for him, without all the "celebrity" stuff that goes with it these days. But the music isn't doing the work for him- he has so little musical credibility in the UK that getting into the tabloids probably wouldn't help him much- it might even hinder him. I'm not sure how much they're helping Lily Allen- she's getting pictures in Heat and Grazia etc, but I don't know how much of a link there is between wanting to read about her and wanting to listen to her music- most of the people I know that enjoy that sort of stuff would buy a chatty biography about her rather than listen to her CD. With Amy it's different- she HAS got musical credibility (and an old fashioned easy listening style), and if you're thinking of buying her album at some point, seeing her in the press reminds you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngievV Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Funny, that also serious critics follow the brainless fans by saying the album is in fact very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 You're right, that's not a kind write-up. I don't know if The Boy is as good as LiCM. I am unable to be unbiased. Mika made it; it's lovely is my opinion..... ......But I had kind of wondered about the bi stuff. When he was reported as 'gay' it was not unexpected at all but a little bit of me wasn't 100% sure. The 'bi' thing rang more true with me. And then I wondered if he was trying to keep everyone happy. Though i) what would I know and can anyone ever label another? ii) does it matter and is it any of my business? However, if as this reporter is implying, it's only a matter of time before someone does a 'kiss and tell', I'm suddenly surprised that it hasn't already happened. Mika makes a big thing of having close trusted people around him. So they wouldn't go to the press, but these jilted ex's that litter his lyrics??? They know who they are and yet don't seem to have been to the tabloids. (GOOD) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 But the music isn't doing the work for him- he has so little musical credibility in the UK that getting into the tabloids probably wouldn't help him much- it might even hinder him. I'm not sure how much they're helping Lily Allen- she's getting pictures in Heat and Grazia etc, but I don't know how much of a link there is between wanting to read about her and wanting to listen to her music- most of the people I know that enjoy that sort of stuff would buy a chatty biography about her rather than listen to her CD. With Amy it's different- she HAS got musical credibility (and an old fashioned easy listening style), and if you're thinking of buying her album at some point, seeing her in the press reminds you. You have a point about Lily Allen - but I always feel that she doesn't like what she does much - she just likes being noticed I don't really understand the concept of musical credibility - it seems to be something only miserable music has It isn't synonymous with talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I see your point, although the few times he does get in the UK tabloids, they often focus on sexuality (like this one) I suspect he would rather just have the music do the work for him, without all the "celebrity" stuff that goes with it these days. He said in the Fearne Cotton interview that he should have been more in the papers. But I hope he didn't mean it. I certainly don't agree. Keep away from the pap. Mika! I was uneasy about him climbing metaphorically into bed with the Sun for the free gig last month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naectegale Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 You're right, that's not a kind write-up. I don't know if The Boy is as good as LiCM. I am unable to be unbiased. Mika made it; it's lovely is my opinion..... ......But I had kind of wondered about the bi stuff. When he was reported as 'gay' it was not unexpected at all but a little bit of me wasn't 100% sure. The 'bi' thing rang more true with me. And then I wondered if he was trying to keep everyone happy. Though i) what would I know and can anyone ever label another? ii) does it matter and is it any of my business? However, if as this reporter is implying, it's only a matter of time before someone does a 'kiss and tell', I'm suddenly surprised that it hasn't already happened. Mika makes a big thing of having close trusted people around him. So they wouldn't go to the press, but these jilted ex's that litter his lyrics??? They know who they are and yet don't seem to have been to the tabloids. (GOOD) I've often wondered about that. Perhaps they have their own reasons to keep quiet (eg good enough careers of their own, and family they don't want to embarass) I often suspect the "kiss & tell" types are on the look out for people to kiss and tell about - it's certainly true with the girls who hang out in nightclubs with footballers. alternatively, the "relationship" may have stayed in Mika's head (I see you -style ) and they are blissfully unaware Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Simpson Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 You have a point about Lily Allen - but I always feel that she doesn't like what she does much - she just likes being noticed I don't really understand the concept of musical credibility - it seems to be something only miserable music has It isn't synonymous with talent I think that's the whole of the problem for Mika- it's assumed that if you smile or sound you must be pretty shallow. It's not just a music thing either- it's literature, movies everything (I did a talk on this for my masters, so maybe I'd better leave it there). I think that's how the fans and the serious music critics agree that he's good (because both groups listen attentively and can see he's interesting) while most people just assume he's not. Otherwise I think there is a general link between credibility and talent, there's just some short-circuits I actually like Lily Allen's music- and I like Grazia and Look when I can afford them- I'm just not sure there's a link between the two, its from talking on here that I got interested in her music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kodes100 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 I am a fan of Mika's. I really like LICM & TBWKTM. But - I have read enough reviews now that I can at least understand where the authour is coming from whether I agree or not. Imco Lanting - the authour of this scathing critique - doesn't like Mika's music & doesn't like Mika. He/She should excuse her/himself from writing a review for that very reason. The dislike also reveals itself when talking about Mika's "approach" to sexuallity. What I really admire about Mika's real, sincere & strong stance on sexuallity is the belief in "No labels." Mika has put it out there - why label & limit yourself?? He has said "Don't! Reading this review by this authour was a waste of time. I didn't learn anything other than the dislike for Mika everything Mika by this sad person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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