Peter Gabriel Declines Opportunity To Perform At Academy Awards Over New Format
Reportedly, Peter Gabriel has written a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences notifying them that he will not be performing his nominated song “Down To Earth” as part of the Academy Awards show this year. Gabriel has allegedly stated that the new format, which performs all of the nominated songs in a single medley, doesn’t allow enough time to pay proper respect to the song writers and performers, with Gabriel’s excerpt of that medley allegedly being approximately 65 seconds. Peter Gabriel’s full letter to the Academy reads as follows: “I was delighted when “Down to Earth” was nominated for an Oscar. I was also pleased to have been asked to perform the song in the Oscar ceremony. However, in recent discussions with the Producers, it became clear that despite there being only three nominees, only 60-65 seconds was being offered, and that was also in a medley of the three songs. I don’t feel that is sufficient time to do the song justice, and have decided to withdraw from performing. I fully respect and look forward to the Producers’ right to revamp the show. Even though song writers are small players in the film making process, they are just as committed and work just as hard as the rest of the team and I regret that this new version of the ceremony is being
”Peter Gabriel sings Biko at Davos (via thomascrampton)
2 years agoPeter Gabriel & Lord Jamar - X Games Without Frontiers
3 years agoPeter Gabriel & Lord Jamar to Re-Mix “X Games Without Frontiers”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2009
Exclusively for Winter X Games 13 and X Games 15 1980 Hit Single Re-Recorded to be Theme Song for Winter X Games 13 and X Games 15 Telecast; Sony Music Entertainment to be Exclusive Music Provider for All Other Music at the Event
ESPN will debut “X Games Without Frontiers,” a new, re-recorded song based on the original 1980s hit single “Games Without Frontiers” by renowned artist Peter Gabriel. Adding a hip hop component, Gabriel worked with Winter X Games announcer and Brand Nubian rapper Lord Jamar to re-record the track. It will serve as the theme song in the Winter X Games 13 telecasts currently airing through Sunday, as well as this summer’s X Games 15 telecasts. It will also be heard onsite at both events. Gabriel will preserve the original rock ‘n roll sound while Lord Jamar will modify the original lyrics to reflect the Winter X Games and rap updates unique to each day of the event
”Winter X 13 Rollout Video from ESPN - Yidio Video Search
Peter Gabriel & Lord Jamar to Re-Mix “X Games Without Frontiers”
3 years agoGregorian - Masters Of Chant.VI 06 - Mercy Street
3 years agoHot Chip & Peter Gabriel - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
“It feels so unnatural to sing your own name “
3 years agoThe Creator: Inside the Collaborative World and Visionary Mind of Peter Gabriel
by Nevin Martell; Photos by Arnold Newman & Stephen
Lovell-Davis | 12.29.2008
To be a musician; that’s one thing.
To be a visionary—well, that’s quite another.
Peter Gabriel is a quintessential visionary because his notable works transcend his numerous contributions to music. Since the late ’60s, he has continually reinvented himself by embracing sonic evolution through worldwide collaboration, the art of the music video, the power of social action and the creative expansion afforded by emerging technologies. He’s one of the few people on the planet who can get Bono, Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela on the phone, and unlike other celebrity musicians who merely lend their image to a new project, Gabriel is an active brainstormer, overseer and executor of his myriad endeavors. The 58-year-old Englishman enjoys experimentation, creation and innovation in large doses, thriving on them the same way Hunter S. Thompson flourished on a steady diet of illicit substances. Combining the mesmerizing showmanship of Houdini, the unbounded imagination of Walt Disney, and Asimov’s futurism, Gabriel is incessantly trying to make things happen—all sorts of things, with all sorts of people, in all sorts of places. And he was doing it years before Al Gore invented the Internet, before cellular technol
Unveiling Britain’s ‘Secret’
Unveiling Britain’s ‘Secret’ | homemediamagazine.com
By John Latchem | Posted: 05 Dec 2008
jlatchem@questex.com
Sometimes the performance is its own reward. For years, the top names in British comedy and music have teamed to stage semi-annual shows to benefit Amnesty International. The results often yield classic performances and unexpected laughs.
Shout! Factory will release five of these vintage specials on DVD Jan. 27, 2009, (prebook Dec. 23) as the three-DVD set The Secret Policeman’s Balls at $39.99.
The Amnesty shows began in 1976 with a three-day festival known as A Poke in the Eye (With a Sharp Stick).
“John Cleese called some friends to perform for three nights to benefit Amnesty International,” said Jordan Fields, director of acquisitions for Shout! Factory. “It was a fantastic experience that grew to a larger series over the years.”
The stage shows were then edited into 90-minute television specials. The early specials also were released theatrically and on VHS. The first benefit show was edited into a special called Pleasure at Her Majesty’s. This was followed by The Mermaid Frolics in 1977, and The Secret Policeman’s Ball in 1979.
“At the time I believe Amnesty was not well known,” Fields said. “The public awareness grew in no small part to the success of these stage shows and this collection of talent doing these shows for this wonderful organization that fights for human rights.”
The Secret Policeman’s Balls includes Pleasure at Her Majesty’s and The Secret Policeman’s Ball, plus 1981’s The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, 1987’s The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball and 1989’s The Secret Policeman’s Biggest Ball.
“These are the vintage shows that are most familiar to North American audiences,” Fields said. “The more recent shows use exclusively British talent that many American audiences wouldn’t know.”
Fields said footage had been taken out of Pleasure at Her Majesty’s over the years, so Shout! Factory reconstructed the special for the DVD.
The DVDs include comedy performances by Monty Python members John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin; Beyond the Fringe members Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller; plus individual talent such as Rowan Atkinson (“Mr. Bean, “Black Adder”); a pre-“House” Hugh Laurie; and Jennifer Saunders of “Absolutely Fabulous.”
“You get to see mentors perform with their protégés,” Fields said. “John Cleese performs with Peter Cook, then later with Rowan Atkinson. You see the torch being passed.”
Not to be outdone is the assemblage of musical talent, Fields said.
“The remarkable music performances are the other side of the story,” Fields said. “This is really the beginning of the unplugged phenomenon.”
Included are musical performances from Pete Townshend, Sting, Phil Collins, Bob Geldof, Peter Gabriel, Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading, plus rare duets from Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, and Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins.
“These are raw, intimate performances people will really enjoy,” Fields said.
For fans of these performers, the DVDs offer some valuable historical insights, according to Fields.
“For people familiar with these performers, to watch them in this setting is a revelation,” Fields said. “You see them perform with silly abandon. There’s a pure joy for what they are doing. They are genuinely spirited about the way they’re contributing to this cause.”
Fields said that as a Monty Python fan, he was especially excited to work on these DVDs.
“It’s not easy to find footage of Monty Python in their vintage years doing their classic sketches in live settings,” Fields said. “It’s really funny to watch them crack each other up.”
The set also includes the 2004 BBC documentary Remember The Secret Policeman’s Ball, which celebrates the third Amnesty show’s 25th anniversary.
The DVD also includes rare performances from other shows not included in the set, such as The Mermaid Frolics, and introductions and commentaries from executive producer Martin Lewis, who also provided the liner notes.
Fields said Shout! Factory is also planning a separate single-DVD release of the best comedy performance from the specials on the DVD set, and a single-DVD of the best musical performances.
Peter Gabriel backs human rights website
PG on The Hub on Human Right Day
Whilst Peter Gabriel was in New York for the Witness Gala Dinner he gave an interview to BBC News explaining the rationale behind The Hub.
The Hub is now out of it’s beta testing phase and officially launched to coincide with the Human Rights Day, which today marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Peter Gabriel backs human rights website
Veteran rock star Peter Gabriel is backing a website which aims to tackle some of the worst cases of human rights abuses around the world.
Matthew Price reports from New York.
3 years ago