Same here ahaha My friends are the same except one. He might just be turning into a fan little by little haha took a while I mean about the annoying my family haha I connected to Ben's music super quick haha it is pretty scary how much I can relate to these songs!
The second I heard Insomnia I was hooked. Ever since I have made it my mission to spread the Ben Cooper love around to everyone I know. Managed to hook the new grad at work just yesterday! +1 fan to Ben! And about the whole sexual preference thing, I think Mike Hadreas (Perfume Genius) said it well during an interview for his new record when he said "If 'Rick in Pittsburgh' or whatever isn't going to listen to my music because I'm gay, fuck it." If someone doesn't listen to your music just because of your sexual orientation, then it is no big loss
Yeah, it's nothing I worry over anymore. I'm a long way past caring what people think of me in that regard. And if someone doesn't want to listen because I'm gay, that's fine. I'm not gonna lose sleep over it. But I appreciate folks spreading the word the way you guys and gals have. I've never really been on the radar of most music press, so word of mouth is mostly how I've gotten around. Things have been picked up on a publishing side in the past couple years, which has helped a lot as well, but if I ask most people how they found out about the music it's usually "my friend showed it to me", which is great. Recommendations are still the best advertising around.
That's what I meant by publishing. But that's only been in parts of Europe mostly. The Nikon stuff never aired here in the states.
Ohhhh! haha I thought more on the lines of magazines and articles, silly me haha. Well yea it's a shame though, I would love to come across a commercial and have your work in it. OR one day see your music videos and music on the music channels that I never watch, but surely will if they had your work haha.
I've been hearing quite a few Radical Face songs in series and movie trailers lately. Every time I hear a song I love unexpectedly, my heart skips a beat and I want to shout how much I love the song haha. Maybe I should add that one to the Quirks and Habits topic
I wasn't going to say anything, since you being gay isn't the topic of the thread, but you mentioning this means a lot to me. I've been openly gay for 3 and a half years now, since high school, and while I'm thankful I haven't had to deal with much bigotry or anything (benefit of being from New York) I still find there are very few gay men, either in my life or in popular media, or even in fiction, who I can really look up to. It's kind of a difficult situation, because on the one hand, it's easy to say that sexual orientation doesn't matter, and that you shouldn't make a big deal out of it. And to an extent I agree with that, since there's no reason you should judge someone's character based on their sexuality. But on the other hand, it's still something that I think is meaningful, and plays a major role in my life, and it can be very difficult when no matter where you look, there's almost no one you can relate to who's like you. I absolutely love your music, and that's always what's going to come first for me. But even if sexual orientation really doesn't matter in the long run, knowing you're gay still feels meaningful and makes me happy
Yesterday, spring finally hit Stockholm. Ever since 2007, "Ghost" has been my spring soundtrack (apart from when I lived in Australia, and just listened to the "Touch The Sky EP" all year round), and was bound to musically accompany my walk. And put it in the perspective that for six solid months we basically don't get any daylight and either lock ourselves in or freeze to death if we go out, so spring is kid of a big thing. And seeing the world wake from its slumber, smiles returning to the peoples faces, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world (maybe I'm biased, but still!) to the songs on "Ghost" was truly exceptional. To me it captures the same feelings as Sigur Rós's "Takk", the feeling of grandness and beauty in small things, kind of nostalgically reflecting yet full of life and hope. When "Homesick" had finished playing, I turned on "Always Gold", and watched the ice float away in the glittering water. It was magical. So, to somehow reconnect with the original topic (and I don't mean Ben's sexual orientation), I'm impressed by the fact how you so have captured a feeling I think is very geographically depending. But then again, that was probably never your intended goal with the feel of the music, and maybe I'm the only one who feels like that. I feel like I'm rambling now, I'm horribly sleep deprived. I'll stop talking now
I don't mind it being discussed. Threads naturally shift, and it's something I'm open about. Or I am now. Coming out wasn't easy for me (I definitely didn't grow up in New York ... hahaha), but you get a thick skin eventually. But thank you for the note here. It made me smile. That was part of the point of being more open about it: the idea that it might help someone else along. I had some of the same issues as you, because the only time I ever heard gays mentioned it was as an insult, or for some kind of scandal. Something negative. But by people being open and honest about it and not treating it like a plague, it helps move it away from that stuff, and it helps shrink the topic to, what I feel, is its actual size -- a detail. So I decided I should practice what I preach on this, and if I don't feel it's taboo, then quit treating it as such. I've been open about it since, and I've been happier. Yes homo. High Five!
That's some awesome feedback. Thank you. And I love that record, too. I was listening to Takk while walking down the beach the other day (I sometimes walk on the shore for the few miles north to city hall when I have to pay my electric bill), and it was a perfect fit.
it aired in australia . damn i was like omfg thats radical face fuck yes radical face ... yeah dude im that little teenage groupie you never wanted .. however i forgot to get my photo with you or even a signed record off you in santa monica . its cool im pushing for the australian tour
I may be playing Australia fairly soon, actually. I'm getting more press there, so I might could do some shows and not lose money. Once I get to breaking even, or at least pretty close, I don't mind doing it.
ben i swear i saw the music video for insomnia on mtv back in 2004 (back when i used to watch mtv haha), but i was just a little kid with foggy memories, is it true that your video got on mtv at some point?
after september at least, im going to europe and back to america for another 3-4months let me know if u play any shows round jackson area. me n a buddy will be in FL for a lil while checkin the wakeboard scene and i gotta get to a jaguars game for a mate
I have no idea. I actually don't follow my own career very closely. I don't read press or keep up with it very much. But now that I'm thinking of it ... that record came out January 2006. So it must've been something else.
That'd be funny. I've lived here my whole life and I've never been to a football game. But there's a lot of wakeboarding here. And my little brother is a sponsored skimboarder and there's a bit of a scene for that out here, too. As for shows, I don't play here in Jacksonville, so that's pretty unlikely. Hahaha.
I just never felt like the shows went very well, or that people really wanted to hear them here in town. They always went better basically anywhere else. So I stopped.
