“I’M A big scaredy-cat,” Camille O’Sullivan declares, explaining how she first turned to singing.
Not how one might describe a woman who abandoned a safe career in architecture after a serious car accident to pursue a not so stable life as a singer.
But that’s how the Irish French singer sees herself.
Audiences who witness Camille’s stage antics –being electrocuted and burned after wrapping Christmas lights around herself, stumbling over speakers and landing on glass, teetering on the edge of tables in heels – might disagree.
The Irish-French singer may loosely inhabit the cabaret genre but to confine her to that term would do her a disservice.
She uses her wild, dark, storytelling streak, to interpret the likes of Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Jacques Brel and Arcade Fire by becoming their most vivid characters.
Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody recently wrote a song for her and she’s performed with Shane MacGowan, Tim Robbins and Damien Rice.
Camille is holding a charity Q & A at the Shaw Theatre in aid of Mayor of Camden Jonathan Simpson’s chosen charity the Roundhouse Trust (March 3).
But she fears the idea may suggest she’s an “egomaniac”, saying: “As long as people know I’m not going (affects luvvie voice) “I’ve so many things to tell the theatre” – that would horrify me”. I always hoped someone could’ve guided me and I’m happy to share my experience in what is quite a closed, unstable profession. I still think I’m on that journey, it’s not authority, I spend my time worrying about the next gig.”
Camille loved singing from an early age but it wasn’t until she went to Berlin that she realised she wanted to emulate the types of characters personified in Brecht and Eisler songs.
She said: “It’s good to have good fun but it’s also nice to go to a dark place to make people have a bit of black humour....You’ve got to have a certain amount of obsession to keep singing people’s songs that aren’t your own.”
As an architect, Camille flirted with the idea of becoming a professional singer but it was a terrible accident, which changed her life: “I was on morphine and euphoric to be alive. I was like what are you doing? This is your life. I don’t want to be 80 and look back and think I didn’t try. It took a year to use my hands, walk again and hand in my notice. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing... I placed every obstacle because I was blooming nervous and not confident. I’m a big scaredy cat.”
Her days are a whirlwind of tours and Camille avoids hotels as she drags her life around.
She recently shared a flat in Soho with the rubber man (who can put his body through tennis rackets) and is currently staying in a cottage in Stratford, while working with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She said: “I’m looking at my suitcases because I’m horrified by them. I want globetrotter luggage but I know it’d cost too much. It’s my dream that I would actually look like a cool traveller when I’m going places instead of the wheel that’s falling off the suitcase today.”
Essential items include red lipstick and perfume she said, adding: “I have to get all my costumes in first, then I might bring a candle or a toy from home, a little bear or something. It may sound ridiculous but a friend gave me a little rabbit it’s just a little thing you put on the bed so you start making the place look like it’s yours.”
She added: “I do a lot of my tax and thinking up ideas – they end up on pieces of paper – so I bring a big plastic bag of that to put on my computer. It’s trying to make sense of my life. You know when you’re at home and chaos is in your house, I just take portions of it away with me so I can solve myself when I’m gone.”
Showing posts with label Tom Waits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Waits. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Friday, 21 January 2011
CAMDEN'S ROCK 'N ROLL MAYOR TURNS DJ
TO MANY, the title Mayor evokes images of Mr T jewellery, stuffy occasions, endless ribbon-cutting and a mature figurehead.
Not so in Camden. This year’s mayor Jonathan Simpson is youthful in comparison, spends his spare time on gigs, has 25,000 tracks on his iPod and has just been Camden Barfly’s star DJ.
Jonathan, who spent hours sifting through his collection to narrow down his favourite tracks for the debut DJ set at Barfly’s Casino Royale night’s 12th birthday, shared the decks with his consort, broadcaster Amy Lame.
Speaking to me before the gig, Jonathan said: “I’m scratching my head thinking what on earth I’m going to play. I’m just this music nerd with lots of records but I’ve never played them publicly before. We’ll see if it’s good fun or completely car crash. Amy and my music tastes are fairly similar, she has more French pop records than me but we’re both big Morrissey fans. This will be a first, it may be a last we’ll see.”
Their fee will go to The Roundhouse Trust, the mayor’s chosen charity of the year.
“The Roundhouse is a not for profit venue. It has great gigs and events and money raised goes back into the studio enabling young people to get involved in music and performing arts. It has a really cheap studio space, concerts are recorded live by young people so can be watched around the world, they have a radio station, cheap instruments to hire – it’s a fantastic space for creativity. If there’s one space in Camden to produce the next Amy Winehouse, Madness, future artist, it will definitely be the Roundhouse.”
He chose music as his theme, he said, because: “Other mayors in the past have chosen themes which have not necessarily related to the true spirit of Camden. If you mention Camden round the world, people will probably say first the market and then the music heritage. So many great bands have been born in Camden and while it’s fun to promote, it’s also really important because it creates so many jobs and gives millions of pounds to our local economy.”
He’s not shy to recognise the competition “Everybody who goes out in Camden has a good time, while people who speak to me about going out in Shoreditch say they don’t necessarily, and feel like they were desperately pretending to have a good time, be fashionable, and if anybody broke out into a smile they would be frowned upon.”
While he may be drowning in music, he hasn’t yet got to the point of alphabetising his records (downloads excepted).
He said: “I have too much, it’s a constant bugbear, I occasionally wish I didn’t have so much but when I feel my inner geek coming out, the records come out.”
Where others at school headed for the football pitch, Jonathan, aged 10 – who played accordion at school – was busy organising relatives to drive him to see The Smiths.
He said: “When I have free time I go to concerts and that’s what attracted me to Camden. The best gig was at the height of Suede’s popularity, they were on fire and had a fantastic gig at the Roundhouse. There was this surreal celebrity moment when Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys came out and sang Rent with the band. It was brilliant – the idea of the Pet Shop Boys being a rock band. Lots of great gig memories – also seeing smaller bands at venues like The Dublin Castle and them going on to do really well. You can never judge a band until you’ve seen them live, being able to see something and test your boundaries.”
Bands he champions include Beirut, Sleigh Bells, Best Coast, The Irrepressibles and Jonsi.
He added: “I find most music completely uplifting. I’m listening to loads of Tom Waits which I suppose most people would find like being tortured in Guantanamo Bay. If I need cheering up I tend to grab a Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen album. When I’m getting ready to go out Brigitte Bardot is guaranteed to cheer you up.”
Jonathan's also roped in friend Camille O’Sullivan to do a concert at the Shaw Theatre in March and has convinced Jarvis Cocker to DJ at a charity party at the BT Tower, “it’s not often you can say I’m the mayor of Camden would you like to come play a party at the top of the BT Tower.”
He added: “I’d love to take readers to the pub and talk music for the whole evening and have them leave thinking what a nerd I am.”
Not so in Camden. This year’s mayor Jonathan Simpson is youthful in comparison, spends his spare time on gigs, has 25,000 tracks on his iPod and has just been Camden Barfly’s star DJ.
Speaking to me before the gig, Jonathan said: “I’m scratching my head thinking what on earth I’m going to play. I’m just this music nerd with lots of records but I’ve never played them publicly before. We’ll see if it’s good fun or completely car crash. Amy and my music tastes are fairly similar, she has more French pop records than me but we’re both big Morrissey fans. This will be a first, it may be a last we’ll see.”
Their fee will go to The Roundhouse Trust, the mayor’s chosen charity of the year.
“The Roundhouse is a not for profit venue. It has great gigs and events and money raised goes back into the studio enabling young people to get involved in music and performing arts. It has a really cheap studio space, concerts are recorded live by young people so can be watched around the world, they have a radio station, cheap instruments to hire – it’s a fantastic space for creativity. If there’s one space in Camden to produce the next Amy Winehouse, Madness, future artist, it will definitely be the Roundhouse.”
He chose music as his theme, he said, because: “Other mayors in the past have chosen themes which have not necessarily related to the true spirit of Camden. If you mention Camden round the world, people will probably say first the market and then the music heritage. So many great bands have been born in Camden and while it’s fun to promote, it’s also really important because it creates so many jobs and gives millions of pounds to our local economy.”
He’s not shy to recognise the competition “Everybody who goes out in Camden has a good time, while people who speak to me about going out in Shoreditch say they don’t necessarily, and feel like they were desperately pretending to have a good time, be fashionable, and if anybody broke out into a smile they would be frowned upon.”
While he may be drowning in music, he hasn’t yet got to the point of alphabetising his records (downloads excepted).
He said: “I have too much, it’s a constant bugbear, I occasionally wish I didn’t have so much but when I feel my inner geek coming out, the records come out.”
Where others at school headed for the football pitch, Jonathan, aged 10 – who played accordion at school – was busy organising relatives to drive him to see The Smiths.
He said: “When I have free time I go to concerts and that’s what attracted me to Camden. The best gig was at the height of Suede’s popularity, they were on fire and had a fantastic gig at the Roundhouse. There was this surreal celebrity moment when Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys came out and sang Rent with the band. It was brilliant – the idea of the Pet Shop Boys being a rock band. Lots of great gig memories – also seeing smaller bands at venues like The Dublin Castle and them going on to do really well. You can never judge a band until you’ve seen them live, being able to see something and test your boundaries.”
Bands he champions include Beirut, Sleigh Bells, Best Coast, The Irrepressibles and Jonsi.
He added: “I find most music completely uplifting. I’m listening to loads of Tom Waits which I suppose most people would find like being tortured in Guantanamo Bay. If I need cheering up I tend to grab a Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen album. When I’m getting ready to go out Brigitte Bardot is guaranteed to cheer you up.”
Jonathan's also roped in friend Camille O’Sullivan to do a concert at the Shaw Theatre in March and has convinced Jarvis Cocker to DJ at a charity party at the BT Tower, “it’s not often you can say I’m the mayor of Camden would you like to come play a party at the top of the BT Tower.”
He added: “I’d love to take readers to the pub and talk music for the whole evening and have them leave thinking what a nerd I am.”
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