Post by Taylorholic78 on Jul 24, 2005 14:16:20 GMT -5
* from www.trusttheprocess.com
Throughout the course of 1998 John (the artist formerly known as Nigel) expressed many thoughts, opinions, ideas and insights (or just the ramblings of a madman to some!) through a feature on this website called The Nigel Page. We thought we would bring them all back for those who might have missed them.
January 16, 1998
Have you ever had to write a resume? A biography? Your life history as it pertains to your career and what you have achieved or what you want to achieve? A memoir of your life adventures, a profile of your merits and successes that would convince any living person you were the one for the job, that you were the one to give the bank loan to, that you were the one whose ideas were worth investing in...to the nth degree . Well... If you have then I do not need to tell you, if you have not then I am here to tell you... it's not easy!
Check this out:
"------ ------- is a man on a mission and has been for the past 20 years. Beyond his place in rock history as the founding member of one of the bands that have come to define the 80s decade, ----- ------, -------'s career has undergone a rebirth of sorts that finds the artist, musician, producer not only expanding his talents as singer/songwriter but nurturing and living vicariously through the artists he now works with on his new -- ------ label."
It goes on...
"Driven by music since childhood, ------- formed ----- ----- at 19, skyrocketing to fame and stardom with a succession of triple platinum albums, historic record sales and sold out concerts. They served tenure as MTV's first poster band and were described by Rolling Stone as "the fab five ", comparing their impact in the U.S. to that of the Beatles. During a six month hiatus in 1984, ------ formed another one of the decade's most influential bands, The ------- -------, with -------- -------- and -----. When ------ ------ reunited it was to write and perform the title song for..."
And so it goes on. Unbearable! And yet less than a week ago I thought it was pretty neat, thought it did the trick. Who cares? So much blah blah. Let us look a little closer: "----- -------- is a man on a mission and has been for the past twenty years." What is the mission? Well the mission I was on twenty years ago was quite the same as it is today: To have as good a time, make as much money, and have as much sex as possible. The only thing that is different today is how I get those things. I have a good time on vacation, with my kid, I have a good time with her at the beach, I have a good time making music, studying art or history, seeing a good movie, having sex... Hang on a moment. Not always do I have a good time doing these things today. In fact, I think it's true to say I have to work harder to have a good time today. In my youth, fresh out of school, Birmingham, and my parent's clutches I was a hedonistic little fucker. Yeah, I skyrocketed to fame and stardom ... (aren't they one and the same?) and come to think of it, I had to work hard on having a good time back then. Playing on stage with the best band of it's generation was such a rush, having a good time offstage was a chemical composite, similar in means to being on stage: lightsdrugsmusicchicks. The rest of the time was hangover, convalescence. But I am digressing, the point is, in a resume one cannot afford to be too honest.
"Driven by music since childhood..." Well it's true, my Nan did have an out of tune piano, which I guess it could be true to say "I was drawn towards..." and if I wasn't imitating a concert pianist on the breakfast table I was imitating a drummer in the back seat of the family auto. I loved to sing. I am told the first complete sentence out of my mouth was a rendition of a then popular refrain, "Standing on the corner watching all the girls, watching all the girls go by..." Hmm. The Beatles of course, were very important. An emotional wet nurse to any kid that woke up in his cot during the early sixties to hear his or her mother singing along with the radio: "I wanna be your lover baby..." or "she loves you yeah yeah yeah" or "I want to hold your ha-a-a-aaaand." Exactly. Whoever wrote those songs knew exactly how I, three year old Nigel, felt. In June of 1969 I was nine. The highlight of the year was finding myself in my bedroom, alone with my gorgeous eight years old cousin Andrea. She had a portable record player and a copy of Desmond Dekker's "The Israelites" (On Trojan records, mark you.) And it was at this fateful morning the first stirrings of adolescence were registered. As for Driven by music ... I don't know, more likely driven crazy by the possibilities of what could happen with the right music playing in the background...
Back to the bio, which has incidentally been titled, "How much music can one man make? "
"When ----- ----- reunited it was to write and perform the title track to Ian Fleming's 007 franchise, A View to a Kill., (working with one of the most interesting men I have been blessed to know, John Barry). This in turn lead ---- to a string of side projects that included contributions to the sexually charged 91/2 Weeks (although sadly no collaboration with the film's star Kim Basinger) and composing the score for the critically acclaimed film, Mi Vida Loca . (kudos came for me by way of Quentin Tarantino: "Nice music man")
It goes on:
"Fans would rarely associate T----- as a singer, but he has spent the latter half of his career in D---- D---- and more specifically, the better part of '97 working outside the lines and breaking new personal ground. In 1995, T----- formed the N------- O-------- after a benefit jam session at the Viper Room in L.A. with members of Guns n' Roses and The Sex Pistols, resulting in a contract with Maverick Records."
And on:
"T------- has, throughout his career, had a knack for attracting talented musicians to collaborate with him. What began as the routine morning coffee klatch at an L.A. cafe between T----- and record producer H--- H---- in 1995, turned into the proverbial labor of love. (Read: Made one mistake after the other) After little convincing from H----, the two formed the Internet Only indie label B5 Atomic which produced the first of T-----'s solo albums, "F------- A---G---...A-- O---- L---" and "A--------", as well as co-producing a Roxy Music tribute record entitled "Dream Home Heartaches... Remaking /Remodeling Roxy Music," pulling in talent the likes of Depeche Mode's David Gahan (caught between overdoses) and Goldfinger's John Feldman.
"In 1997, T----- (have you guessed yet?) decided to forge out on his own, finally breaking away from D---- D---- to concentrate on B5 Atomic, turning his drive to finding and working with new talent like B5 artists Three Alarm Fire and Vitamade, nurturing their careers and seeing that they develop and explode the way his did. Intense and serious about the music he creates, the products of T-----'s dynamic energy is evidenced in his current collaborations on B5 and will be the foundations for his future projects."
Phew! There it is. If you don't like the bio you can play Hangman.... Like I said, a week ago it read just fine, did the trick as it were, but today it looks silly. Too much trumpeting. "I'll take the credit for that ... thank you" or "This is my bio and I'll take all the credit if I want to.." Truth is, nothing gets done alone. Picasso could not have been half the painter he was without a stream of vital and fascinating friends and lovers, but he certainly appeared to work alone. No. You are your friends just as you are your enemies.
Nick Rhodes Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy Roger Taylor (no relation) Andy Taylor (no relation) Simon leBon Colin Thurston* Alex Sadkin* Russell Mulcahy Gerry Laffy* Nile Rodgers Tony Thompson* Bernard Edwards Robert Palmer Micheal des Barres Albert "Cubby" Broccolli John Barry Jonathon Elias Steve Ferrone* Chen Kaige Warren Cuccurullo Allen and Lewis Kovac Allison Anders Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five featuring Melle Mel Terry Bozzio Hein Hoven* Steve Jones Matt Sorum "Duff" McKagen Guy Oseary Jerry Harrison Bryan Ferry David Palmer* John Shanks* Dave Gahan John Feldman Xan Cassavettes "Nancy Boy".......Three Alarm Fire, Vitamade, Phantom V.
Notes:
*Colin Thurston engineered and co-produced Iggy Pop, The Human League and Duran Duran's first and second album
*Alex Sadkin, sadly now dead, produced the third Duran Duran album
*Gerry Laffy has remained a close friend and is currently practicing "Some like It Hot"
*Tony Thompson "The biggest right foot in the business" was a founding member of Chic. I met him in France touring with David Bowie and started The Power Station ball a'rolling.
*Steve Ferrone, the drummer from The Average White Band who stayed alive, drummed with me and Duran Duran for several years.
*Hein Hoven worked for years with The Clash and the Stray Cats. I decided to work with him once I knew he had been out front sound engineer at Max's Kansas City.
*David Palmer, who drummed in ABC, is with myself and Culture Club's Roy Hay the founding members of the Los Angeles branch of the Old New Romantic network. Dedicated to the memory of Hairstyles With Way Too Much Hairspray and artificially heightened cheekbones.
*John Shanks brought Melissa Etheridge along to sing when he recorded "To Turn You On" for our Roxy Music tribute album. "Just don't say it was me!" joked the crack songstress.
Next morning...
This morning I feel differently. Sometimes I have to tear something apart just so I can decide to leave things as they were in the first place. G--- says: "Self deprecation doesn't suit you." I say : "All Englishmen are like this, which is probably untrue, but when I am at a loss for something to say, I always find a rash generalization will fill the gap fine. Yesterday I needed to say, "Yes, the resume is mine, and yes, it certainly makes me look very clever, but I could not have done anything without some super friends and artists acting as mentors. I don't think the "Are Friends Electric" bio would get me the bank loan, do you?
Let's just return to the original draft, with one or two small alterations:
John Taylor is a man on a mission and has been for the last twenty years. Beyond his place in rock history as the founding member of the band that perhaps best of all defines the 80's decade, Duran Duran, Taylor's career has undergone a rebirth that finds the musician and producer not only redefining his role as a singer/songwriter, but nurturing and living vicariously through the artists he now works with on his new B5 Atomic label.
Driven by music since childhood, Taylor formed Duran Duran at 19, skyrocketing to stardom with a succession of triple platinum album sales and sold out concerts. They were MTV's first poster band and were described by Rolling Stone as "The Fab Five," comparing their impact in the U.S. to that of The Beatles. During a hiatus in 1984, Taylor recorded another of the decades most defining albums, The Power Station, with members of Chic and Robert Palmer.
When Duran Duran reunited it was to write and record the title song for the James Bond film,"A View to a Kill," with John Barry. The week of the Live Aid performance the song was #1 on the Billboard singles chart. Taylor's interest in film has lead to further projects that include the title song to the sexually charged 91/2 Weeks and providing the score for the critically acclaimed Mi Vida Loca .
Fans would rarely associate John Taylor as a singer, but he has spent the latter half of his career with Duran Duran, specifically the last two years, working outside the lines and breaking new personal ground. In 1995, after a benefit jam session at L.A.'s Viper Room, he formed The Neurotic Outsiders, with Sex Pistol Steve Jones and Matt and Duff from Guns n' Roses, resulting in a contract with Maverick Records.
Taylor has, throughout his career, had a knack for attracting talented musicians to collaborate with. What began as a routine morning coffee klatch between Taylor and producer Hein Hoven quickly turned into the proverbial labor of love. After little convincing from Hoven the two formed the internet only B5 Atomic label, which produced the first of Taylor's solo releases, Feelings are good and other lies and the four song Autodidact . They also produced a Roxy Music tribute record, Dream Home Heartaches..., pulling in talent the likes of Depeche Mode's David Gahan, and Goldfinger's John Feldman.
In 1998, Taylor is forging out on his own, having finally decided to break with Duran Duran last year, to concentrate on B5 Atomic, turning his drive to finding and working with new talent like B5 artists Three Alarm Fire and Vitamade, nurturing their careers and seeing they develop and explode the way his did. Intense and serious about music, the products of Taylor's dynamic energy is evidenced in his current collaborations on B5 and will be the foundations for his future career.
Throughout the course of 1998 John (the artist formerly known as Nigel) expressed many thoughts, opinions, ideas and insights (or just the ramblings of a madman to some!) through a feature on this website called The Nigel Page. We thought we would bring them all back for those who might have missed them.
January 16, 1998
DECONSTRUCTING NIGEL
Have you ever had to write a resume? A biography? Your life history as it pertains to your career and what you have achieved or what you want to achieve? A memoir of your life adventures, a profile of your merits and successes that would convince any living person you were the one for the job, that you were the one to give the bank loan to, that you were the one whose ideas were worth investing in...to the nth degree . Well... If you have then I do not need to tell you, if you have not then I am here to tell you... it's not easy!
Check this out:
"------ ------- is a man on a mission and has been for the past 20 years. Beyond his place in rock history as the founding member of one of the bands that have come to define the 80s decade, ----- ------, -------'s career has undergone a rebirth of sorts that finds the artist, musician, producer not only expanding his talents as singer/songwriter but nurturing and living vicariously through the artists he now works with on his new -- ------ label."
It goes on...
"Driven by music since childhood, ------- formed ----- ----- at 19, skyrocketing to fame and stardom with a succession of triple platinum albums, historic record sales and sold out concerts. They served tenure as MTV's first poster band and were described by Rolling Stone as "the fab five ", comparing their impact in the U.S. to that of the Beatles. During a six month hiatus in 1984, ------ formed another one of the decade's most influential bands, The ------- -------, with -------- -------- and -----. When ------ ------ reunited it was to write and perform the title song for..."
And so it goes on. Unbearable! And yet less than a week ago I thought it was pretty neat, thought it did the trick. Who cares? So much blah blah. Let us look a little closer: "----- -------- is a man on a mission and has been for the past twenty years." What is the mission? Well the mission I was on twenty years ago was quite the same as it is today: To have as good a time, make as much money, and have as much sex as possible. The only thing that is different today is how I get those things. I have a good time on vacation, with my kid, I have a good time with her at the beach, I have a good time making music, studying art or history, seeing a good movie, having sex... Hang on a moment. Not always do I have a good time doing these things today. In fact, I think it's true to say I have to work harder to have a good time today. In my youth, fresh out of school, Birmingham, and my parent's clutches I was a hedonistic little fucker. Yeah, I skyrocketed to fame and stardom ... (aren't they one and the same?) and come to think of it, I had to work hard on having a good time back then. Playing on stage with the best band of it's generation was such a rush, having a good time offstage was a chemical composite, similar in means to being on stage: lightsdrugsmusicchicks. The rest of the time was hangover, convalescence. But I am digressing, the point is, in a resume one cannot afford to be too honest.
"Driven by music since childhood..." Well it's true, my Nan did have an out of tune piano, which I guess it could be true to say "I was drawn towards..." and if I wasn't imitating a concert pianist on the breakfast table I was imitating a drummer in the back seat of the family auto. I loved to sing. I am told the first complete sentence out of my mouth was a rendition of a then popular refrain, "Standing on the corner watching all the girls, watching all the girls go by..." Hmm. The Beatles of course, were very important. An emotional wet nurse to any kid that woke up in his cot during the early sixties to hear his or her mother singing along with the radio: "I wanna be your lover baby..." or "she loves you yeah yeah yeah" or "I want to hold your ha-a-a-aaaand." Exactly. Whoever wrote those songs knew exactly how I, three year old Nigel, felt. In June of 1969 I was nine. The highlight of the year was finding myself in my bedroom, alone with my gorgeous eight years old cousin Andrea. She had a portable record player and a copy of Desmond Dekker's "The Israelites" (On Trojan records, mark you.) And it was at this fateful morning the first stirrings of adolescence were registered. As for Driven by music ... I don't know, more likely driven crazy by the possibilities of what could happen with the right music playing in the background...
Back to the bio, which has incidentally been titled, "How much music can one man make? "
"When ----- ----- reunited it was to write and perform the title track to Ian Fleming's 007 franchise, A View to a Kill., (working with one of the most interesting men I have been blessed to know, John Barry). This in turn lead ---- to a string of side projects that included contributions to the sexually charged 91/2 Weeks (although sadly no collaboration with the film's star Kim Basinger) and composing the score for the critically acclaimed film, Mi Vida Loca . (kudos came for me by way of Quentin Tarantino: "Nice music man")
It goes on:
"Fans would rarely associate T----- as a singer, but he has spent the latter half of his career in D---- D---- and more specifically, the better part of '97 working outside the lines and breaking new personal ground. In 1995, T----- formed the N------- O-------- after a benefit jam session at the Viper Room in L.A. with members of Guns n' Roses and The Sex Pistols, resulting in a contract with Maverick Records."
And on:
"T------- has, throughout his career, had a knack for attracting talented musicians to collaborate with him. What began as the routine morning coffee klatch at an L.A. cafe between T----- and record producer H--- H---- in 1995, turned into the proverbial labor of love. (Read: Made one mistake after the other) After little convincing from H----, the two formed the Internet Only indie label B5 Atomic which produced the first of T-----'s solo albums, "F------- A---G---...A-- O---- L---" and "A--------", as well as co-producing a Roxy Music tribute record entitled "Dream Home Heartaches... Remaking /Remodeling Roxy Music," pulling in talent the likes of Depeche Mode's David Gahan (caught between overdoses) and Goldfinger's John Feldman.
"In 1997, T----- (have you guessed yet?) decided to forge out on his own, finally breaking away from D---- D---- to concentrate on B5 Atomic, turning his drive to finding and working with new talent like B5 artists Three Alarm Fire and Vitamade, nurturing their careers and seeing that they develop and explode the way his did. Intense and serious about the music he creates, the products of T-----'s dynamic energy is evidenced in his current collaborations on B5 and will be the foundations for his future projects."
Phew! There it is. If you don't like the bio you can play Hangman.... Like I said, a week ago it read just fine, did the trick as it were, but today it looks silly. Too much trumpeting. "I'll take the credit for that ... thank you" or "This is my bio and I'll take all the credit if I want to.." Truth is, nothing gets done alone. Picasso could not have been half the painter he was without a stream of vital and fascinating friends and lovers, but he certainly appeared to work alone. No. You are your friends just as you are your enemies.
ARE "FRIENDS" ELECTRIC?
Biography: John Taylor
Biography: John Taylor
Nick Rhodes Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy Roger Taylor (no relation) Andy Taylor (no relation) Simon leBon Colin Thurston* Alex Sadkin* Russell Mulcahy Gerry Laffy* Nile Rodgers Tony Thompson* Bernard Edwards Robert Palmer Micheal des Barres Albert "Cubby" Broccolli John Barry Jonathon Elias Steve Ferrone* Chen Kaige Warren Cuccurullo Allen and Lewis Kovac Allison Anders Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five featuring Melle Mel Terry Bozzio Hein Hoven* Steve Jones Matt Sorum "Duff" McKagen Guy Oseary Jerry Harrison Bryan Ferry David Palmer* John Shanks* Dave Gahan John Feldman Xan Cassavettes "Nancy Boy".......Three Alarm Fire, Vitamade, Phantom V.
Notes:
*Colin Thurston engineered and co-produced Iggy Pop, The Human League and Duran Duran's first and second album
*Alex Sadkin, sadly now dead, produced the third Duran Duran album
*Gerry Laffy has remained a close friend and is currently practicing "Some like It Hot"
*Tony Thompson "The biggest right foot in the business" was a founding member of Chic. I met him in France touring with David Bowie and started The Power Station ball a'rolling.
*Steve Ferrone, the drummer from The Average White Band who stayed alive, drummed with me and Duran Duran for several years.
*Hein Hoven worked for years with The Clash and the Stray Cats. I decided to work with him once I knew he had been out front sound engineer at Max's Kansas City.
*David Palmer, who drummed in ABC, is with myself and Culture Club's Roy Hay the founding members of the Los Angeles branch of the Old New Romantic network. Dedicated to the memory of Hairstyles With Way Too Much Hairspray and artificially heightened cheekbones.
*John Shanks brought Melissa Etheridge along to sing when he recorded "To Turn You On" for our Roxy Music tribute album. "Just don't say it was me!" joked the crack songstress.
Next morning...
This morning I feel differently. Sometimes I have to tear something apart just so I can decide to leave things as they were in the first place. G--- says: "Self deprecation doesn't suit you." I say : "All Englishmen are like this, which is probably untrue, but when I am at a loss for something to say, I always find a rash generalization will fill the gap fine. Yesterday I needed to say, "Yes, the resume is mine, and yes, it certainly makes me look very clever, but I could not have done anything without some super friends and artists acting as mentors. I don't think the "Are Friends Electric" bio would get me the bank loan, do you?
Let's just return to the original draft, with one or two small alterations:
HOW MUCH MUSIC CAN ONE MAN MAKE?
Biography: John Taylor
Biography: John Taylor
John Taylor is a man on a mission and has been for the last twenty years. Beyond his place in rock history as the founding member of the band that perhaps best of all defines the 80's decade, Duran Duran, Taylor's career has undergone a rebirth that finds the musician and producer not only redefining his role as a singer/songwriter, but nurturing and living vicariously through the artists he now works with on his new B5 Atomic label.
Driven by music since childhood, Taylor formed Duran Duran at 19, skyrocketing to stardom with a succession of triple platinum album sales and sold out concerts. They were MTV's first poster band and were described by Rolling Stone as "The Fab Five," comparing their impact in the U.S. to that of The Beatles. During a hiatus in 1984, Taylor recorded another of the decades most defining albums, The Power Station, with members of Chic and Robert Palmer.
When Duran Duran reunited it was to write and record the title song for the James Bond film,"A View to a Kill," with John Barry. The week of the Live Aid performance the song was #1 on the Billboard singles chart. Taylor's interest in film has lead to further projects that include the title song to the sexually charged 91/2 Weeks and providing the score for the critically acclaimed Mi Vida Loca .
Fans would rarely associate John Taylor as a singer, but he has spent the latter half of his career with Duran Duran, specifically the last two years, working outside the lines and breaking new personal ground. In 1995, after a benefit jam session at L.A.'s Viper Room, he formed The Neurotic Outsiders, with Sex Pistol Steve Jones and Matt and Duff from Guns n' Roses, resulting in a contract with Maverick Records.
Taylor has, throughout his career, had a knack for attracting talented musicians to collaborate with. What began as a routine morning coffee klatch between Taylor and producer Hein Hoven quickly turned into the proverbial labor of love. After little convincing from Hoven the two formed the internet only B5 Atomic label, which produced the first of Taylor's solo releases, Feelings are good and other lies and the four song Autodidact . They also produced a Roxy Music tribute record, Dream Home Heartaches..., pulling in talent the likes of Depeche Mode's David Gahan, and Goldfinger's John Feldman.
In 1998, Taylor is forging out on his own, having finally decided to break with Duran Duran last year, to concentrate on B5 Atomic, turning his drive to finding and working with new talent like B5 artists Three Alarm Fire and Vitamade, nurturing their careers and seeing they develop and explode the way his did. Intense and serious about music, the products of Taylor's dynamic energy is evidenced in his current collaborations on B5 and will be the foundations for his future career.
