Kanye Believe it!
Oh Lordy, 24 hours on and I'm still buzzing from the most amazing concert ever. Rolling Stone sent me tocover an intimate performance for 200ish people at the legendary Abbey Road studios by the one and only Kanye West. I was, and still am, totally blown away.
"Kanye West, Abbey Road Sessions - September 21st, 2005 > > This an event, an historic moment, a once in a lifetime intimate > concert, never done before by kanye. > You're allowed to invite stringers. Please let me know how many you > wish to invite and I'll advise as we're currently gathering all > requests for Intl. > > Kanye West will be performing 11 tracks with a 20 pieces string > Orchestra and some special guests on Sept 21st at the famous Abbey > Road Studios in London. > > > The show will be performed in front a 150 people audience. It will be > recorded and broadcast live on Radio 1 and web cast & broadcast later > on the BBC at the following address: www.bbc.co.uk/radio1 "
...or so said the Universal press office. In my words Kanye was purely and simply amazing. West is the ultimate showman working the usually blase too-cool- for-school industry crowd into a frenzy throwing their 'diamonds in the air' during the opening track 'Diamonds are Forever' and hollering back the lyrics of songs from his first album which have already become classics.
A twenty piece string orchestra, surprise appearance by John Legend, swanky as hell lighting and stage design meant that this event definitely wouldn't be forgotten.
The cherry on the cake? Power couple of the decade Beyoncee and Jazz giving their red-hot seal of approval to Kanye's performance, clapping away and singing along to each and every song like nobody's business. God bless BBC Radio 1!
Rejections ad nauseum
So I'm finally begining to overdose on the freelance lifestyle. Yeah, during the summer months its fun being king of your own hill and it sure does feel wonderfull falling asleep in the wee hours of Sunday knowing that you aren't obliged to be sitting in an office on Monday morning but after a while a steady job seems so nice and cushy.
But a good job, just like a good man, is hard to find. It is so draining selling yourself non-stop and having to try and maintain upbeat in the face of rejection. Today I decided to take a more proactive approach. Although I'd always dreamt of starting at a regional or national paper I thought I'd 'lower my sights' and cold-call editors of local papers ( the level where I started out ten years ago).
One response was particularly dejecting. It's from Mike Ferris, the charming man who edits East London's
Hackney GazetteFrom: Me Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 15:42 PM To: michael.ferris Subject: Reporter vacancy File: ZLS CV.pdf Dear Mike, I've just spoken to one of your colleagues and would like to apple for the Junior reporter position at your paper. I graduated in journalism from City University last year and have recently returned from Milan where I have been freelancing for various publications for the past year. I spent three months at the Observer on their internship scheme and my work has also been published in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Independent and The Herald. I'm very keen to get into full time journalism so if you require any further information or cuttings, please do not hesitate to contact me. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1544113,00.html http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1307871,00.html Best wishes, Me From: "Ferris, Mick" mick.ferrisTo: 'Me' Subject: RE: Reporter vacancy Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2005 15:47:34 +0100 You, Thank you for your e-mail. However, you do not appear to have the NCTJ pre-entry qualification which is a pre-requisite for this vacancy. Consequently I am unable to proceed with your application. Mick Ferris From: Me Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 16:22 PM To: Mick.Ferris Subject: Qualifications Hi Mick, Thanks for getting back to me. Do you think it will be difficult to find a reporting job without this NCTJ qualification? I've spent the past ten years doing work experience, three of which were spent doing a NCTJ recognised BA in journalism. I'm lost as to where to go next in terms of finding a job if it turns out I don't have enough experience or qualifications. Any tips or advice you might have would be much appreciated. Best wishes, Me To: YouFrom : Ferris, Mick I certainly don't employ reporters without this qualification. Mick FerrisOuch!
Turns out my 3 year degree is apparently worth less than a 1 year qualification. Ho hum
My picture show
Up in the eaves of the Duomo
my old boudoir
Coar Blimey its been a while since my fingers stroked these keys and to be honest i'm feeling a little bit rusty and to be honest overwhelmed with not knowing where to start. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words so here are some photos of shot during my last week as a resident in Milan.
Oh Lordy, 24 hours on and I'm still buzzing from the most amazing concert ever. Rolling Stone sent me tocover an intimate performance for 200ish people at the legendary Abbey Road studios by the one and only Kanye West. I was, and still am, totally blown away.
