JON BON JOVI: Ooooh, we're half way there, wooooh ooh, Livin' on a prayer.......!
I'm officially eating and smoking too much. What's wrong with me. Oh well.....
The day started with a court case. But it was a false alarm. We thought that a bunch of thugs, who allegedly beat up a labourer would get charged at the magistrate court. But that did not happen. Expect the bastards to be charged in two days' time.
I had my first cigarette of the day by the time I got back to office. I my second fag and third while reading the papers. And now I'm having a Semporna clove cigarette. Hmmm....I love life, but I love nicotine more.
Last night, I watched a an E! True Hollywood Story documentary about Mariah Carey while puffing on Marlboro Lights. Mariah and Marlboro. Great combination. You should try it. I am officially obsessed with that woman again. I love her older hits, Vision of Love, Love Takes Times, Someday....her first album was kick-ass, man. But the story behind the album and her life is kinda sad. You see, Mariah's boss and ex-husband, Tommy Motolla was a control freak who dictated every expect of her career: songs, album producer, sound style, dressing, bra size (ok, I'm exaggerating). But dressing and style were part of Motolla's marketing strategy for Mariah, who was only 20 when she released her first album. Nyah, you and I loved those syrupy ballads and 'lantang' voice back then, right? We all loved it. But apparently there were some suppression and restriction imposed by Motolla on Mariah Carey. Of course, when you are a new singer and young, you need to be guided by business-minded people like Motolla to push you towards success, right. So really, there was nothing wrong with all that back then. Mariah probably benefitted from Columbia Music's mega marketing drive.
The point is, things are never what they seem. From the outside, Mariah's rise to fame was a Cindarella fairy tale. Mariah slipped her demo tape to Motolla after meeting him at a music industry party in New York. Miss Mariah was all of 19 years, and wearing a cheerleading jacket with hair tied in a pony tail. Motolla was about a decade older than her. He was the newly-appointed president of Columbia Records (part of the Sony Music group) at that time. Their professional relationship blossomed into a romantic one. And three years later Miss Mariah Carey married Tommy Motolla in a lavish star-studded wedding ceremony. The couple separated three years after that.
The most talked about "celebrity" moment for Mariah Carey was her emotional and physical breakdown in 2001. That was when her music and personal life hit rock bottom. At that time, her album Glitter, which was the soundtrack for the film of the same name was a major flop.
The day started with a court case. But it was a false alarm. We thought that a bunch of thugs, who allegedly beat up a labourer would get charged at the magistrate court. But that did not happen. Expect the bastards to be charged in two days' time.
I had my first cigarette of the day by the time I got back to office. I my second fag and third while reading the papers. And now I'm having a Semporna clove cigarette. Hmmm....I love life, but I love nicotine more.
Last night, I watched a an E! True Hollywood Story documentary about Mariah Carey while puffing on Marlboro Lights. Mariah and Marlboro. Great combination. You should try it. I am officially obsessed with that woman again. I love her older hits, Vision of Love, Love Takes Times, Someday....her first album was kick-ass, man. But the story behind the album and her life is kinda sad. You see, Mariah's boss and ex-husband, Tommy Motolla was a control freak who dictated every expect of her career: songs, album producer, sound style, dressing, bra size (ok, I'm exaggerating). But dressing and style were part of Motolla's marketing strategy for Mariah, who was only 20 when she released her first album. Nyah, you and I loved those syrupy ballads and 'lantang' voice back then, right? We all loved it. But apparently there were some suppression and restriction imposed by Motolla on Mariah Carey. Of course, when you are a new singer and young, you need to be guided by business-minded people like Motolla to push you towards success, right. So really, there was nothing wrong with all that back then. Mariah probably benefitted from Columbia Music's mega marketing drive.
The point is, things are never what they seem. From the outside, Mariah's rise to fame was a Cindarella fairy tale. Mariah slipped her demo tape to Motolla after meeting him at a music industry party in New York. Miss Mariah was all of 19 years, and wearing a cheerleading jacket with hair tied in a pony tail. Motolla was about a decade older than her. He was the newly-appointed president of Columbia Records (part of the Sony Music group) at that time. Their professional relationship blossomed into a romantic one. And three years later Miss Mariah Carey married Tommy Motolla in a lavish star-studded wedding ceremony. The couple separated three years after that.
The most talked about "celebrity" moment for Mariah Carey was her emotional and physical breakdown in 2001. That was when her music and personal life hit rock bottom. At that time, her album Glitter, which was the soundtrack for the film of the same name was a major flop.
Mariah continued to promote the projects despite their mediocre response. Mariah's downfall came about during this promotional blitz, which saw her working and travelling non-stop.
Goes to show that working too hard is never a good thing. Especially when you are surviving with only two hours of sleep every night. Dah lah people are talking crap about your work, but Mariah kept going out and promoting and promoting. Last, last, dia checked herself into the hospital for exhaustion.
Oh yeah, did I mention she signed up for a multi-million dollar deal with Virgin Music but was later dropped. And it all happened during the Glitter-era.
But the weird thing was Mariah bounced back pretty fast. By the next year, 2002, she released a new album. She even had a concert tour which included Malaysia.
She worked herself up slowly. She released her following album The Emancipation of Mimi in 2005, after a three-year break, which is the longest hiatus she ever had. I wonder what she did?
Yang pasti, she had a few singles during that three-year break - one notable song was a collabo with rapper Busta Rhymes : Give It To You (or was it called Give It To Me?) in 2003. That song showcases her breathy high-pitched voice which she is famous for.
Whatever she did, Mariah is back like Julia Roberts, Madonna, and Teri Hatcher. All those women were once considered has-beens at one point of their careers. But all of them ended up back on top, thanks to their own perseverance.
But popular culture always loves a comeback story, kan? Comeback Diva could be used to describe some of those performers. But was it really a comeback to begin with? Sometimes it is more about the Machine (the pop culture machine) not liking them at a particular time.
In this respect, I have to salute those who continue to churn out albums despite not being really popular. And I am not being sarcastic about it. I totally totally respect performers, singers and actors who just keep working and working, and not caring about the whole fame thing.
I think Bon Jovi is an underrated band. I was watching their latest video on Channel V last night, and I noticed how Jon Bon Jovi looks: he's so much older now, so much wiser- looking. Their album, Lost Highway was very low-key and came out way beneath the 'pop culture' radar. But you gotta give'em props for trying and making music that they believe in. Personally I love their brand of rock that mixes a bit of country and blues. I'm glad those behind the Grammys Awards still recognise them: Bon Jovi was nominated for the Best Pop Vocal Peformance by a Duo or Group category this year.
My heart goes out to other lesser known bands such as Live. The Pennsylvania band were Rolling Stone magazane's Artiste of the Year in 1995. They have yet to match that feat with their subsequent records. But,heck that hasn't stopped them from making music. Fuck the critics, fuck the record sales and just keep doing what you do, right?
I'm glad 3 Doors Down has a new song now. I saw their new interview on MTV and they looked very happy. The lead singer said the band took a break and came back to studio feeling "hungry to make music". Now that's always a good thing to do, kan? It's always good logic to take a break and then go back to work feeling recharged.
Remember the 3 Doors Down song "Here without You" from late 2003 ? That was a monster mushy hit. But I sooo loved that song. That song reminded me of someone very lovely I once knew. Sigh.....That's the thing about songs, it just brings you back to the moment and all the memories come flooding back to your head.
Sigh , Sigh, sigh...
Remember the 3 Doors Down song "Here without You" from late 2003 ? That was a monster mushy hit. But I sooo loved that song. That song reminded me of someone very lovely I once knew. Sigh.....That's the thing about songs, it just brings you back to the moment and all the memories come flooding back to your head.
Sigh , Sigh, sigh...
So here's to resilient peformers who never give up....My heart goes out to you. I hope that I could someday be as brave and tough as you guys are.
....
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