Check out my daughter's TV ad.

There is total excitement in my household.

My daughter, Louisa, was picked in a 900 audition to be the new 'face of AXA'.  She is in a management position with that huge Insurance Company.  They premiered the ad. on Monday in a preview theatre in Rupert Street, London.  Press launch today and the first showing will be on Sunday during 'Coronation Street' the biggest TV Soap in the UK and the biggest advert slot time...good eh? 

That means the whole of my family is now involved completely in Show Biz.  And I tried to stop them?  Well, let's put it this way...I didn't encourage them.  It's a tough career.

The song for the Irish Girl Project?

You may remember that I asked subscribers and members of The Serious Writers Guild to submit songs for a hot girl singer project in Ireland.  She has just launched a solo career after being part of a chart topping girl band in that country.

Wow, have you guys come up with the goods.  Everyone in the office was in total shock at the quality and Hi Potential of the material.  The stuff from Members of The Serious Writers Guild was exceptional.  I would reckon I am looking at 6 Top ten tracks sitting on the floor of the studio waiting to be copied to one CD and sent to the production team involved....

All I can say is WELL DONE !!!! [sounds like a school teacher?]  Shall we have another Serious Writers Guild member at Number One?

The quality of 'Demo Consultation' material

Likewise, the standard of the stuff I am getting from Members for Demo Consultation [ www.makehits.co.uk/demo.htm ] has really gone through the roof.  One CD we got this week simply stopped the office dead!  If you haven't sent material in yet then you should.  The quickest way forward in the music industry.  You find out, not only the bits you are getting wrong, but the bits you are getting right...that way you can improve your percentage chance of success dramatically.  What is it worth to know what to improve and what to discard?

The latest 'talent show' to hit our screens started this week in the UK.  With Simon Cowell at the helm.  It really has proved that this is a TV show...nothing more, nothing less.  All the auditions that were shown had pure 'audience enjoyment factor' stitched right through them....from an 81 year old being selected for the second round, to the young, pretty girl with a great voice being turned down....just so the viewing audience could see her distressed and in floods of tears pleading and begging for a chance.  She certainly had the 'have to' attitude so essential for success in our business...but Hey!  This is a TV show...remember?

A sage thought from a good mentor:

You will know that I like to mix with, and follow, great business thinkers....here is a thought I got from one of them this week.

"A dream written down with a date becomes a goal.
A goal broken down becomes a plan.
A plan backed by action makes your dream come true.
 

Gregory Scott Reid"

"If at first you don't succeed, shouldn't you try doing it like your wife told you to do it?" 

 anonymous

A warning re. joining 'tribute' and former chart bands:

You will know that I am dogged by tribute and lookalike bands passing off as 'The Bachelors'.  My brother and I made, and released, every one of our hits, world wide.  Just released our 63rd album.  Although the law is somewhat vague in the UK, still, we have now been told that major action has been taken this week to stop this wholesale misleading of the public.  About time!

I advised a girl some time ago re. getting involved in this sort of situation...sadly she didn't take my advice and has now got back to me with this sad story.  Names have been deleted...."no names, no pack drill".

"Dec -  I never got round to telling you this, but a couple of years ago I sent you an E-mail telling you that me and my partner S**** had joined The A********* and had all these big theatre dates in the pipeline we were really excited about it, but you offered a word of caution that things weren't often what they seemed.

Well - you were dead right. Over a period of weeks, while we were rehearsing, things kept getting said that made me suspicious about the whole set up and to cut a long story short the person who recruited us, and who we believed was an original member of the band, was, in fact, a replacement of the replacement of the original singer of The A*********.

He had us forking out money for group pics and even tried to get us to stump up quite an amount for a session in a recording studio which we had been told was all being paid for by the manager and then suddenly, after we'd done the recording, wasn't.

All the theatre gigs that were in the diary, that we had been forced to pulled out our duo gigs to do, fell through.

We did two "warm up" gigs with the band, which I have to say were good fun, but, in truth, were really awful and after the second one we never heard from them again.

It was a very peculiar time. As far as I know they have never done another gig and we were left trying to pick up the pieces with the agents that we upset by pulling out our duo work.

We did however, learn a very valuable lesson and we are now back on track with our own show and if we ever decide to move from a duo to a band it will be our band, doing our music.

                                      Hope to hear from you soon,
                                             S** P******"
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 I'm starting to form a name for myself around Huddersfield and Leeds - and this Autumn I'll be playing at various Freshers' Week events around the country, including live gigs, radio sessions and interviews. ALEX SIMPSON
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I will be ringing you later regarding The Art Of Live Performing, Dec once again thank you for you valuable help and advice.
 
Regards Ray Ritchie
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Thanks again as always for your quick and incisive response, you ALWAYS have something to offer and more often than not say it in the most concise and understandable language, you're brilliant.   [I** N*******]
 
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Thanks for all your wonderful help thus far.  All the best to you,

Tim Duce
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 Thanks so much for your help, I am on grade 7 this month and I have to say that you have kept every promise and more. I am so ready to get that release; I look forward to seeing my account being charged for it. Because I know it is coming soon. That's so funny I never really looked forward to seeing a charge in there. But anyway, I just thought you should know. I don't what else I could possibly learn from you, you've taught me so much.
 
Thanks ever so much, and have an astonishing day!

Quincy Ellis [University Of Alabama At Birmingham]

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UK

1) NELLY -  'MY PLACE/FLAP YOUR WINGS'
2)  JOJO -  'LEAVE (GET OUT)'
3)  TWISTA -  'SUNSHINE'

USA

2) "Lean Back" ..... Terror Squad

3) "Sunshine"...... Lil' Flip Featuring Lea Sucka Free

Chart Comments:

Crazy situation?  The top three in the UK change completely and the three at the top of the USA chart stay exactly the same?

Nelly proves that he has uniqueness and novelty etched right through him....get the single and analyse it....could it help you?  Nice to see Bjork back again in the album chart....I'm not impressed with the material...what do you think?
 .

" In Winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in Summer when we complained about the heat? "

phil evans

Subscribers Section:

My Reply

Hi G*****

>>>>>>>simply mime and dance/act to that lead vocal, therefore not exhausting my voice.<<<<<<<

You will be found out very quickly, especially in smaller venues...where you almost always have to start! Those close to the stage will actually hear your normal voice...they will also notice any tiny imperfection in your miming....disastrous.  One of the Members of The Serious Writers Guild was almost booed off stage while miming guitar.  He made the mistake of not understanding miming...he should have played along with the track....a much better option.  That's what the 'big boys' do.  If you mime it has to be 'perfect'.

It is impossible to exhaust a voice...a voice is a muscle which gets better and better with exercise.

>>>>>>>>>is starting a show with a cover a good idea, prior to then launching into my own album tracks whose CD I'll have for sale at the show? <<<<<<<<<

Absolutely ... I give all the stunning tricks and ways of starting a show in 'The Art of Live Performing'  www.liveperforming.com .  The opening is probably the most important part of any show....shows whether you have 'star' quality or not.  I don't know how many supposed acts I see shamble onto a stage with the essential 'water bottle' [why?] and talk for three minutes before even singing or playing one note.

But...

Make sure that it is a 'known' cover...the song you mention is not known...you like it!  It happens to be a favourite of yours not the whole audience!  The criterion is whether 100% of the audience know it and jump to it.  BUT make sure it is not just a 'cover'...it has to have your individual stamp on it!  It has to be in your unique and innovative superstar style......keep well away from imitation...you then become a 'tribute'.

Regards

DEC [Cluskey] dec@makehits.co.uk

"Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly"  

Dec

Get in touch personally to discuss what you want to achieve in music dec@makehits.com

web: www.makehits.com or call +44 (0)1323.728005

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The gags:

Three engineering students were gathered together discussing the possible designers of the human body.

One said, "It was a mechanical engineer. Just look at all the joints."

Another said, "No, it was an electrical engineer. The nervous system has many thousands of electrical connections."

The last said, "Actually it was a civil engineer. Who else would run a toxic waste pipeline through a recreational area?"

[Excuse me!  I read Civil engineering at Dublin!]

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