Prime Time Purple

It's funny about the rule of three, which applies to buses, men and opportunities. For as well as the 5Takes foray into reality tv, and the success of our first Tidy Digital release, an advert I shot back in March is now airing in New Zealand. I've done plenty of appearances over the years, but this is the first time I've been in a prime time TV commercial. I know the 5 Takes show will be seen by more people globally, but as it's not airing here in NZ it doesn't seem as real.

With my bright purple locks I'm used to being stared at, so haven't really noticed much difference. Except that strangers come right out and ask how much I got paid for it which is terribly cheeky. I've started winding them up by saying it paid off my mortgage, and that I'll be wintering from now on in Fiji.

I'd hate to live in the limelight full-time (the preening alone would drive me crazy), but it's fun to have a day in the life of a celebrity. From the moment I reached the set my ego was massaged with a shower of compliments, and I was primped, painted & lighted to create a whole new me. Someone terribly glamorous and a million miles away from the barefaced reality.

I'm really glad I don't have to wear that much slap every day, but putting it on helps me morph from into MsBehaviour. I'm also now living with 'The Hair' alongside Me & MsB, as my locks were referred to on set which was rather weird. The best thing about The Hair is it's more famous than me. With a hat on I simply disappear.

TMet Track Reaches the top of the Tidy Chart

Well we did it. Our debut release on Tidy Digital briefly reached the number one position a mere week after release. It's an amazing acheivement for a young lad from Christchurch but there's plenty more where that came from. We already have more Focus releases in the pipeline and an EP planned. So if you want to support New Zealand dance music then rock on over to Tidy Digital and buy your copy of Existence by Focus today!

Top 5 for Focus & Fun with 5 Takes



It's weeks like these that make keeping a blog worthwhile, so that I can look back later in life and remember the rollercoaster ride. For as well as juggling an international television crew this week, we have also been celebrating our debut release racing up the Tidy Digital dance chart. Existence by Focus went straight in at number 16, and is now at number 5 up there with old hands like Technikal.

It's an incredible acheivement in the first week, and reminds me of the buzz we were on when we released Evil Plans four years ago. In a lovely piece of synchronicity, I had the chance to thank Bomber Bradbury on air during a radio show this week. Bomber played Evil Plans on his Channel Z show in September 2002, and it stayed in the listeners chart for three weeks. It gave us the courage to launch a digital label when most people thought it an insane idea. Now we're celebrating our first international hit, and our music is being featured in a global TV show. I promised Bomber on air that I'd buy him some beers, so am looking forward to meeting him in the next few weeks.

The 5 Takes crew have moved on to Wellington now, but we have a great time hanging with them in Auckland. I met Tony and Gabe on Tuesday night, when I interviewed them on Twisted Radio alongside Dodgy Sam & DJ Blush. Chelfyn taught them some magic tricks in Aotea Square, to give them some busking skills to supplement their $50 a day budget. Apparently their efforts were hilarious, and you can read their take on the experience from Tony and Gabe at their travel blogs.

Tony blogged some really lovely things about us for which we are really touched. He's an awesome guy from inner city DC, who is tons of fun with a big heart. He's also a party animal, so we roped him in to help with our label party on Wednesday night at Bacios. A core crew of NZ Ravers came to celebrate our Tidy success, and had a great time jumping around in front of the Discovery TV cameras. Many thanks to CJ, the Kiss/Bacios crew & Justin Sane for organising the festivities at such short notice.

It was a bit like joining a travelling circus for a week, and I'm very impressed with how quickly they turn the 5 Takes show around. Their three dedicated editors spend hours locked in hotel rooms cutting like crazy, and the only other show with a shorter lead time has a team of twenty six. It's testament to the power of new digital tools & techniques, and fantastic to see at first hand a cutting edge interactive travel show being made. One thing people have been asking me is how real is reality TV, and I can vouch for the fact that 5 Takes is pretty realistic.

The viewers get to vote on where the TJs go, suggest things to do when they are there, and they find their local hosts through the 5 Takes Forums. They do have a support crew to help arrange things, as with only four days shooting per city they need backup to meet the tight deadlines. But they have to stick to their budget of $50 a day and if they run out of money then they really do go hungry.

We took pity on Gabe for his day off on Saturday, as he was the ony TJ who'd not made it out of the Auckland city centre. We took him on a Waitakere bush & beach experience with a roadtrip to Piha, then brought him back to the studios and fed him steak with blue cheese sauce. Gabe is the TJ the 5 Takes viewers voted for, and I think they made a great choice as he's a very special guy. He's really passionate about music and exploring different cultures and was buzzing out on the beauty of where we live. I hope we get to see him again soon for some more Kiwi roadtrips.

I'm glad things are a little quieter this week. I need time to reflect after such an intense experience. Luckily we are surrounded by lovely people in New Zealand, who are too grounded to be fazed by something as silly as television. The TJs and crew have another seven weeks of it and you can follow their adventures at www.5takes.com

You can watch the footage from our Bacios party on 5Takes, Discovery TV, Wednesday 17th May at 21.30 (AUS) & 23.00 (NZ).

5 Takes Go Mad in Auckland



I'm meeting up with Gabe from reality travel show 5 Takes later today. Gabe is one of a posse of five young American Travel Journalists (TJs) currently exploring the Asia Pacific Rim. They have set out with cameras and laptops to post daily blogs and video logs (Vlogs) of their experiences, and to give '5 takes' on the same place.

Over 12 weeks they will be visiting 12 cities across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Cambodia/Thailand. They are currently filming in and around Auckland, before heading off to Wellington and Queenstown. The show will be broadcast worldwide on Dicovery TV, and you can read the TJs' Blogs, watch their Vlogs or post your travel suggestions online here: http://travel.discovery.com/fansites/5takes/pacrim/main.html

I'm hooking up with Gabe later to interview him for Twisted Radio, and if he's up for it we'll see if we can find some live music. Tomorrow night Gabe is checking out the Kiwi club scene with a party at Bacios above Kiss Nightclub on the infamous Karangahape Rd.

So if you're in Auckland tomorrow night and fancy partying with the 5 Takes crew, then head on down to Bacios on K'Rd between 10 and 1 a.m. With DJs Chelfyn, Gargoyle, Justin Sane & Taz, and homegrown Kiwi tunes from TMet Recordings. Lets show the world how Kiwis like to party at Bacios...