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Topic: Mike Oldfield Convention Reading UK 6th July -2013< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Clodomir Offline




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Posted: July 10 2013, 06:06

Quote (Jerome C @ July 09 2013, 18:11)
For those who didn't find it the entire skype is filmed with a very good image quality here (1st out of 4) but the skype sound itself (and image) was terrible, I'm not a native English speaker and it was very hard for me to understand what he said, better said I got probably 20% of what he answered.

The sound is better on some other YouTube videos
see this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA27lTEOFVY or this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNArnXf892Q

The one you found still is the only one I know that shows the very beginning of the Skype conversation.


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ian Offline




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Posted: July 14 2013, 12:51

Quote (Nige @ July 07 2013, 01:35)
In the past, I have been quite critical about Mike Oldfield and his attitude to his fans (I, and a number of others, have on occasion been given short shrift by him and reports on this forum about the treatment of the fan guests at the MOTS premier were not positive) but I have to say that, on this occasion, he went above and beyond what anyone could have expected.

What do you mean by "short shrift"? Was he a grumpy old man ? ;-)

At the end of the day MO should have time for his "fans" (for want of a better word) as they made him wealthy. I think Caroline Monk though is responsible for his recent embracing of  the outside word. Weather it will last is another thing as he seems to chop and change almost every aspect of his life.

From the clips I have seen it looked a good day for everyone. I would have liked to have seen interviews with Phil, Terry, Tom and Barry but it looks like nobody filmed them. Any interesting anecdotes ? Shame Maggie Reilly wasn't there. Was she invited ?
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GusFogle Offline




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Posted: July 14 2013, 17:25

Mike doesn't seem to be embracing the outside world too much. It seems he's regressing back to the hermit he used to be before exegesis in the 70's...never leaving his house, not even to record his new rock album, skyping everything through computers rather than doing it in person.

It is fantastic that Caroline convinced Mike to get on Skype for the convention (I imagine Caroline had some computer techs down there making sure Mike got on at the right time, I can hear them saying "Ok Mike, you just sit here and look at the computer, start talking when we say").

Mike may be getting a little older but he's acting like he's 70 rather than  60.
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maria Offline




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Posted: July 14 2013, 19:35

It was a wonderful day, everyone was open and friendly, same for Mike when skyping. I enjoyed every single minute, I should highlight simply everything, however, it was very special Olracuk’s guided tour in Tr3s Lunas while I was playing on a big screen and amazing sound..  The Q&A section was great.. That, some years ago, would have seemed impossible.. The situation, was strange and exciting.. I’m sure you know what I mean.. :) Then, Mike on Skype.. the big surprise.. I was sure there was no way he was there in any form, but there he was, relaxed and answering questions from the people around.. Weird!! Terry Oldfield and Soraya also contributed to the good atmosphere all through the day.. lovely people and lovely sounds.

Plus... Tubular Bells For Two.. Those two guys play seriously... Such a huge amount of energy!!! I feel so lucky to have finally listened to Tubular Bells live after my first two concerts were Tubular Bells ll and lll in Spain.. I've completed the trilogy :) I do hope they engage on the Amarok For Two project.. Let’s cross fingers!! I would travel back to UK just to see them live!!

And well.. I'm happy to have met old friends and new people there.. Really, it was perfect.. even the weather was!! :)


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Jerome C Offline




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Posted: July 15 2013, 07:08

@GusFogle : there's a huge difference between "living recluse and in anguish in his house not talking to anybody" 70's phase and today's "living the good life relaxed with his wife and 2 kids in his house connected to the world with Internet". Caroline made him participate to a FaceBook account, she didn't teach him how to use a computer and Internet ! He has always been much involved in technology, recording and mixing, fairlight, video computer, virtual reality games (connected via Internet), he probably could teach us much more than the other way !

He was not much interested to interact with fans, most probably because he prefers to go on his boat, play with his kids or play music (wouldn't you ? I would), and Caroline convinced him he had to change that, especially since he wants to release a new record, he has his new remix to sell, etc. Hence the FB appearance, the skype interview.

And the argument "he owes us because we are the fans and we made him wealthy" is just, well, funny. He owes his work, his talent, his genius, mainly.


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Tati The Sentinel Offline




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Posted: July 15 2013, 07:49

The only way to get Mike some sort in the limelight with no upcoming tour for the new album(watch the Skype talk) is to keep him on social media. Caroline's work on how to promote him has been working without him feeling threatened at all.

After a 40+ year old career under his belt + what he's been thru,let the person enjoy life too.If it helps the musician/artist he is,it's a bonus really.Mike's not the typical rock star,I doubt he will feel like one someday.

As for the fan convention...what an absolutely fabulous day! One to remember for the rest of my life for sure.


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"But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014

"I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011
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Nige Offline




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Posted: July 15 2013, 14:37

Quote (ian @ July 14 2013 @ 12:51)
What do you mean by "short shrift"? Was he a grumpy old man ? ;-)
A case of grumpy young man as it was 1980 when he was a mere 27 - waited for 90 minutes with 3 other guys round the back of Wembley Arena for him to emerge.  When he finally came out with Sally Cooper and a very young Molly, asked him if we could have an autograph and his reply was 'errrr no' and he walked off - see also p141 of Chris Dewey's book for a further example.

There again - I can see his point to a degree - after midnight, tired and looking forward to getting home - the last thing on your mind would be an autograph signing session.
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ian Offline




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Posted: July 16 2013, 17:20

Quote (maria @ July 14 2013, 19:35)
Plus... Tubular Bells For Two.. Those two guys play seriously... Such a huge amount of energy!!! I feel so lucky to have finally listened to Tubular Bells live after my first two concerts were Tubular Bells ll and lll in Spain.. I've completed the trilogy :) I do hope they engage on the Amarok For Two project.. Let’s cross fingers!! I would travel back to UK just to see them live!!

I very much doubt even Mike Oldfield would be able to play Amarok live with all instruments. He said it years ago. A lot of studio wizzardry that wouldn't be possible in real time. Gus Fogle on piano (and the guy on bass) do a fine interpretation fair play (no pun intended). Amazing. Tubular Bells is a much tamer beast than Amarok. You would need more than two for sure.
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ian Offline




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Posted: July 16 2013, 17:33

Quote (Jerome C @ July 15 2013, 07:08)
@GusFogle : there's a huge difference between "living recluse and in anguish in his house not talking to anybody" 70's phase and today's "living the good life relaxed with his wife and 2 kids in his house connected to the world with Internet". Caroline made him participate to a FaceBook account, she didn't teach him how to use a computer and Internet ! He has always been much involved in technology, recording and mixing, fairlight, video computer, virtual reality games (connected via Internet), he probably could teach us much more than the other way !

He was not much interested to interact with fans, most probably because he prefers to go on his boat, play with his kids or play music (wouldn't you ? I would), and Caroline convinced him he had to change that, especially since he wants to release a new record, he has his new remix to sell, etc. Hence the FB appearance, the skype interview.

And the argument "he owes us because we are the fans and we made him wealthy" is just, well, funny. He owes his work, his talent, his genius, mainly.

For someone who has done very well for himself he certainly bangs the unhappy childhood drum a lot. I didn't have the best of childhoods, similar things going on but you get on with life. I have never heard Terry Oldfield complain about his childhood once. I think Mike has sometimes played that card as an excuse for his past behavior. A bit of a cop out really. I admire his talent very much but I cringe sometimes at what I have read and heard him say. That said, I myself would hate fame and like my own space, peace and quiet. I do spend a lot of time on my own which I am very happy with. I can certainly empathize with him there. Especially as the world gets more crazy and scary.
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: July 17 2013, 15:46

Quote (Jerome C @ July 15 2013, 11:08)
Caroline made him participate to a FaceBook account, she didn't teach him how to use a computer and Internet ! He has always been much involved in technology, recording and mixing, fairlight, video computer, virtual reality games (connected via Internet), he probably could teach us much more than the other way !

Since at least the days of Music VR, there's been a certain see-sawing in that regard. He posted progress updates and demos on mikeoldfield.com...then there were the online games, where he'd sometimes chat to people...and then there was the mikeoldfield.com forum. Then things went a bit pear shaped and Mike withdrew.

I've seen that basic pattern repeat with other things. It's as if there's a kind of Icarus effect, Mike suddenly feels like he's too close to the sun and he withdraws again.

I remember Torsten Stenzel telling me that Mike "doesn't do video", saying that he feels like he's in a zoo. I wonder if he's not just suppressing that feeling temporarily when he does things like his Skype appearance. Personally, I'm not sure I'd say he really did seem relaxed. There was an odd, slightly manic streak to him that, on reflection, made him seem like he was quite nervous.

We have to assume that Caroline's spotted all of this and knows how to keep Mike comfortable amidst it all - certainly she's known him for long enough. If not, then I'd not be surprised if history repeats and Mike goes back into his shell after a while...
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ian Offline




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Posted: July 17 2013, 19:05

Imagine if his "fans" really did turn up in a boat to see him at his house. I am not so sure he would be so accommodating as he seemed in the Skype.

Around 1987 my friend was walking around Denham and walked past Mike's house. He spotted him in the window sat there as if almost posing saying "I'm Mike Oldfield". He hung around until Mike came out and asked if he could help him. He said he was just visiting this beautiful village. He sensed Mike wasn't too  happy but he did put it to him that he was Mr Oldfield and he confirmed it. he was in fact a fan of his music but played the chance encounter down.
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Nige Offline




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Posted: July 18 2013, 02:58

Quote (ian @ July 17 2013, 19:05)
Around 1987 my friend was walking around Denham and walked past Mike's house. He spotted him in the window sat there as if almost posing saying "I'm Mike Oldfield". He hung around until Mike came out and asked if he could help him. He said he was just visiting this beautiful village. He sensed Mike wasn't too  happy but he did put it to him that he was Mr Oldfield and he confirmed it. he was in fact a fan of his music but played the chance encounter down.

I think this raises a very interesting point - at what stage do the fans overstep the mark?  I've always felt that if someone makes a living through their popularity with the paying public, then they have to accept that a degree of their privacy will be lost.  This means being asked to sign endless autographs, being stared at in public, possibly having more intimate details of private lives being aired in the newspapers etc.  What I don't think it means is having fans hanging round outside your house, intrusions into family life etc.

I have to confess that many years ago, I too drove around Denham and found Oldfield's house.  I recall parking up on the side of the road for a while before driving off.  Not really sure what I was expecting to happen - Oldfield coming out of his house with a big smile on his face, inviting me into his studio and then playing guitars together for several hours?  Clearly that would never have happened so what we're left with is celebrities having to endure starstruck weirdos loitering outside their house with no particular purpose (and, with the knowledge that the said weirdo has already spent time finding out where they live and, probably, a lot of other personal details about them too)!

At the end of the day, celebrities will almost always have two personas - the 'manufactured' public face that we see, enjoy and, at times, hero worship and the private face (or, to put it another way, the real person) that we don't usually see.  These can often be very different and, with respect to those concerned, the private side may not be particularly likeable (take, for example, many comedians who are serious in 'real life' and, for the over 50s in Britain, Hughie Green).

I always tell my kids 'never meet your heroes' (particularly to my 13 year old daughter who thinks she's going to marry Harry from 1D (as do, presumably, millions of other girls her age (although, if newspaper reports are to be believed, he's probably more likely to go for their mothers!)) - if you do, you are starting to see their private side and may be disappointed.

At the end of the day, therefore, I think it's best to sit back,  enjoy the music, be in awe of the talent and leave it there.  Intrusions into private lives, whether loitering outside houses (I think we call it stalking these days!) or trying to dissect the real personality are, both unfair on the person concerned and usually a big let down to the fan as the flaws which everyone has in their personality start to come to the surface.
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ian Offline




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Posted: July 18 2013, 04:38

Hey I remember Hughie Green and I am still in my 40's ;-)

I visited Janet Arnold in 1985 who ran the Mike Oldfield Fan Club. Remember, this was pre internet so we had hardly any info. No Dark Star either. Anyway, I had an afternoon at their home and they told me they had been to see Mike at an invitation at his home being as she was the offical fan club. She told me Mike had recently had Germans camping in his garden (I think while he was away) and tales of folk knocking at his door to talk to him. She said depending on what mood he was in it could go either way. He would either say go away or chat on the doorstep. Nobody ever got invited in though. The best chances were fans bringing a crate of Guinness to his door on his birthday (cringe). That always worked.

It was a good afternoon I spent in hampshire that day. They even fed me at tea time. I was only 18 and quite star struck then about Mike Oldfield. I had my hopes set too high mind when I was expecting her to secretly produce Mike as a surprise visit at her house just for me ha ha. The "surprise" turned out to be a Discovery tour baseball cap and one of the cover proof art proposals for the Discovery album (with the alternative acetate typeface). Oh, and she produced the bass strings that Crises was recorded and let me have a brief feel. They were going to be given to the winner of one of her competitions. Those were the days.
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larstangmark Offline




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Posted: July 18 2013, 11:13

People repeat themselves. It seems Mike has this recurring pattern of agreeing to do things and then having second thoughts all of a sudden.

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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: July 18 2013, 11:49

Quote (ian @ July 18 2013, 08:38)
Oh, and she produced the bass strings that Crises was recorded and let me have a brief feel. They were going to be given to the winner of one of her competitions. Those were the days.

Knowing what strings get like after being used heavily (and also how infrequently bass strings tend to get changed...), I'm not sure that's a prize I'd have wanted ;)

That said, I was once told that Dark Star got asked if they could send someone some of Mike's nail clippings. I guess if plectrums are a rare thing in the Oldfield household, you have to get creative in what you collect...
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Nige Offline




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Posted: July 18 2013, 12:08

Quote (Korgscrew @ July 18 2013, 11:49)
Quote (ian @ July 18 2013, 08:38)
Oh, and she produced the bass strings that Crises was recorded and let me have a brief feel. They were going to be given to the winner of one of her competitions. Those were the days.

Knowing what strings get like after being used heavily (and also how infrequently bass strings tend to get changed...), I'm not sure that's a prize I'd have wanted ;)

That said, I was once told that Dark Star got asked if they could send someone some of Mike's nail clippings. I guess if plectrums are a rare thing in the Oldfield household, you have to get creative in what you collect...

I think you're possibly missing a trick - those strings would have been crawling with Oldfield's DNA so, in truth, the prize wasn't the strings but the opportunity to clone your own Oldfield (or several which could then have been sold on to fans).
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ian Offline




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Posted: July 19 2013, 04:41

MO seems to a person that gets bored very quickly and this is the reason why he doesn't have any consistency in his life or music. Relationships, houses, styles of music, friends, working musicians, hobbies,projects (VR/Video) etc etc. I am not judging the guy, I feel sorry for him as he can't settle. It's a shame really.

Is he really content to have to keep changing things all the time ? Only he knows.
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qjamesfloyd Offline




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Posted: July 19 2013, 04:54

I really enjoyed hearing Mike on the Skype, it seems he was quite happy and jovial. Must be that Bahamas sun :D It's a good thing that Mike has brought Caroline back into the fold, she seems to be doing a good PR job for him, amongst other things.

Even though Mike is not going to be singing lead vocal on the new album, he did say he sang all the demos, so, I wonder if there is a chance we could hear some of them.
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adler Offline




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Posted: Aug. 06 2013, 15:01

Quote (ian @ July 14 2013, 12:51)
Shame Maggie Reilly wasn't there. Was she invited ?

Hum.... I felt, from the interviews, that the relation between Maggie and the others musician at that time were not so good  :)
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: Aug. 06 2013, 18:29

Quote (adler @ Aug. 06 2013, 19:01)
I felt, from the interviews, that the relation between Maggie and the others musician at that time were not so good  :)

You can say that again! From all I can gather, Maggie really doesn't like Mike...
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