Chillin' with Secondhand Serenade

As the first international act to kick-start 2011, Secondhand Serenade definitely set the tone for the rest of the year at the Bentley Music Auditorium. We can safely say that the adoring fans were romanced by John Vesely’s soothing voice at the show. Fans were unmistakably singing along to almost all their songs – a sign that mostly true devotees were in the house.

So while they were here I had the chance ask them some of the questions posted on hot’s Facebook page and Twitter! Placing them in an intimate candle-lit setting, the boys shared their deepest thoughts about marrying a Malaysian girl, how they would romance their Valentine, their darkest ‘Nightmares’ and much more.

Their answers were stripped down and candid and the band came across as unpredictably funny and charming all at once. Yes, predictably so, we got them to serenade us.

hot’s dressing room interview with Deftones

It was a low-key backstage, dressing-room interview with Chino Moreno (Lead Vocalist) and Frank Delgado (Samples/Keys) of the Deftones; but no less enthusiastic on our part. This was hot’s Valentine’s Day date, it can’t possibly get better than this. We plopped down unto the vertically-challenged couches in the middle of the room full of crew members scurrying in and out, attempting to make sure all’s well for the show that was to happen later that evening. The American alternative metal band from Sacramento are sort of legendary (in their own right); having been around since 1988. We salute them for staying this long in a very fickle-minded entertainment industry and proving that they have a boundary-crossing appeal. They have, after all, sold over three million tickets and four million albums to date. The band, consisting of Chino Moreno, Abe Cunningham (drums), Stephen Carpenter (strings), Chi Cheng (bass), have six studio albums; two of which are certified Platinum. Their current album Diamond Eyes, which was released in May of 2010, was named the iTunes Rock Album of the Year. Now, let’s meet the people behind the music… How do you feel being here in Malaysia? Just coming to this part of Asia is incredible, we always talked about coming and we finally made it. We’re so surprised that we have so many fans here and we’re enjoying every minute of it. What would you be doing if you we’re not playing for us on Valentine’s Day? Chino: If I was at home, I’d probably be asleep right now because it’s the middle of the night. But when I woke up, I’d probably spend the day with my family and my dog. Then eat a nice dinner. Frank: Family day [smiles and nods]. How do you prep for the show, with so much screaming? Does it ever get sore? Sometimes, but luckily not recently. I’ve been pretty OK. I should warm up, maybe more. I usually have a glass of wine, scream a little bit and then go out there. I’ve gotten used to it over the years. Luckily, hopefully, cross my fingers...it’s been ok. What do you do for fun while you’re on tour? Chino: Everybody does different things. Some of us play golf, some of us work out. Frank: It’s good to see the city when you have the time. Find some good food, check out the night life. It all varies, depending on where. Chino: A good beer. Let’s talk music...what was the inspiration behindDiamond Eyes? A lot of things... we usually take life in general as an inspiration: friendships, our love for music, nothing in particular really. There are a lot of moods/modes that we go through in everyday life and we put those into our artistic endeavours. Tell us about your vids ‘Sex tapes’, ‘Rocket Skates’ and ‘You’ve Seen the Butcher’... They are all done by different directors. The idea usually comes from the director but we came up with the concept for ‘You’ve Seen the Butcher’. It was really simple, we wanted to make a performance video but not the typical type, so we decided to get a bunch of girls, dress them [sort of] scantily and pour blood on everybody. It was one of the “funnest” video we’ve made. So, What’s ‘You’ve Seen The Butcher’ really about? None of our songs are really particularly about anything other than conveying a mood or a feeling. The visuals reflect the seductiveness of the song itself and the aggression of it. Our music has a fine balance of aggression and sensuality. Those two are quite separate on the emotional scale but we seem to make them work. What other bands would you like to collaborate with? On the top of my head, I’d like to tour with System of the Down. That would be a fun tour as I’ve never played with them before. I think that’d be a good tour. We’re fans of music, we like all kinds of stuff. It could be anything, PJ Harvey... [we interjected with-- Justin Bieber?] Yeah, Justin Bieber! What’s the truth behind the formation of this band? The story is not that crazy. We were kids that grew up in the same neighbourhood...we skateboarded and hung out together. Stephen’s house was a communal place where everyone kind of went and hung out. There was a bunch of equipment and we would try to learn how to play. That was pretty much it. What is the relationship between the members? Do you get into fights? Yeah, sometimes. Not violent fights or anything like that. We get in little tiffs, nothing that crazy. Do you pull pranks on each other? Not so much pranks. We talk a lot of junk [laughs]; we make fun of each other a lot, which is good. What is the best show you’ve ever played? It’s a hard question because we’ve played a lot of great shows. One of the most memorable ones was Rock in Rio in 2000 (a long time ago). It’s probably the biggest show we’ve played too-over 200 thousand people. We flew in on a helicopter, over the crowd. It was pretty awesome. Chino, you’re of Chinese and Spanish descent. Do you have Chinese influences or speak any Chinese? Not at all. The Chinese in my family is very small. My grandfather is half Chinese, he didn’t speak Chinese either. His father did. But he died when I was a little baby, so I did not get to hang out with him too much to be influenced by him. What is the biggest risk you have taken in your life, since one song from your album is ‘Risk’... Chino: The word Risk actually comes from the board game. We used to play that game a lot, a lot, when we were writing the last record. That song is actually an ode to Chi. He probably loved that game more than all of us. He was so into it; that was where the name came from. I think we take risks everyday in our lives...travelling and doing other things. Anything can happen, anytime. Frank: The Diamond Eyes record on a whole was a risk or a chance we took on ourselves, after the accident. We had no clue what to do or how to approach it so we kind of went with our gut. Chino: We went into writing a whole new record after working for a year on another record, not really having the money to do it or anything,[find a new member]. We had to take a chance. We thought positive and made it work. What is your biggest achievement? The longevity of our band. The fact that in 1988 we were little kids, making music... What gives you the edge over the other bands, in terms of staying power? I don’t really know. All I can say is that we’re not like a group that was put together for any other reason than the fact that we enjoy each other’s company. Aside from music, we’re actually friends making music together. There are lots of other bands that don’t really hang out. We have camaraderie. So, that helps. Arcade Fire won a Grammy for album of the year. What do you guys think of them? Chino: Never heard of ‘em. Frank: [Shakes head] Do you think that Justin Bieber was robbed from winning New Artists of the Year? Chino: I wouldn’t say he was robbed. The people that he was up against were probably talented too. But he is a talented kid and has plenty of time to win plenty of things. He’ll be fine. Enlighten us about your very different, image-heavy lyrics and the writing process... Chino: I don’t go in there with a game plan of how to be different. A lot of times, I’m more interested in writing the melody and rhythm and after I get comfortable with that, I start putting words to that. I write it all down, kind of not thinking about it. Then I look back at it and it makes sense to me. A lot of it is imagery. I don’t tell too many stories. I’m not into politics; I don’t have anything to say about how people should think. I don’t think of myself as a lyricist; I write the lyrics but I am not a guy that sits around writing poetry and then say, ‘I want to write a song about this or that’. It just sort of happens. I’m lucky that it works. What are you up to next? After we leave here, we will tour some more. Tour The States and then maybe take some time off and start writing music. *Interview by Felicia Chin For the Deftones show pics and vids at KL LIVE, click here: http://bit.ly/g27114

Flashback interview (Tokio Hotel)

Zooming into Tokio Hotel at MTV World Stage 2010

We’ve discovered first hand from the MTV World Stage show that loving Tokio Hotel is ‘Automatic’. This post is dedicated to all the hardcore fans that eat, sleep and breathe Tokio Hotel. The quartet kick-started their set with ‘Noise’ and the crowd went wild even in the relentless drizzle. Songs in their set included ‘Zoom Into Me’, ‘Dogs Unleashed’, ‘Human Connect to Human’ and several others. Here's my interview with the German boys...

Getting to know THE WANTED boys

With such an imposing name such as The Wanted—they better be wanted, right? Let’s just say they were very desired while they were here in KL. They performed at the Laundry Bar on 20 February 2011 to a young audience-with several parents acting as guardians and supporters in the mix. In case you don’t already know, the five boys that form the boy band hailing from the UK are: Tom Parker, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness and Nathan Sykes. I got a chance to chat with these youngins while with hot magazine and this was the outcome:

Saying that The Wanted boys were all-around nice guys would be a serious understatement. They are more than sweethearts or mere pretty faces. We wanted to know the distinctive personality behind each member, so we taped the interview and even created a video compilation of goofy outtakes. Now, hot understands the massive appeal of this UK pop boy band consisting of: Tom Parker, Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Jay McGuiness, Nathan Sykes. They each have unique characters —not contrived; mind you— which makes them so wanted.

We now present the boys to you; all candid and without frippery. They engaged, teased, and entertained us during the interview. Watch and see! Don’t miss out on their acoustic harmonising at the end when they serenaded hot magazine.

Here are some transcribed bits, but we recommend watching the video to really see these boys in their natural setting when they aren’t performing...

What makes you hot for a girl?

Siva: She is courageous, confident, cute, and has a nice smile.

Nathan: Somebody really cute that doesn't take themselves too seriously. Somebody who isn't arrogant, I don't like arrogance [shakes head].

Max: I like a girl who is funny, outgoing and is very sort of family oriented. I like a girl that looks after her family.

Jay: Someone goofy that won't take herself, or me too seriously, relaxed...and can dance well.

Tom: I like a girl that's really outgoing, very confident and doesn't take herself too seriously. And looks like Angelina Jolie; kinda [shrugs].

Of course the next question would be ...Are you guys single?

Jay: [Puts up both hands] Yes!

Tom: Yes.

Nathan: Yes.

Siva: Noooo... [smiles sheepishly]

Max: No. [shakes head]

Are you guys going to come back for a full show?

The boys answered with a resounding “Yes! 200%”

Siva: We had a good response already [at the Laundry Bar]. We went utterly crazy, it was a controlled crazy. [watch the video for their enthusiactic reaction to the Malaysian fans]

When you guys first heard "Malaysia", what was the first thing that came to mind?

Max: I've got two Malaysian Water monitors at home.

Jay: I thought, we're all gonna go see Siva's family. [laughs]

Tom: I was just looking forward to trying different foods. We're not been anywhere except McDonald's for the last three weeks, so...

What did you guys try?

Max: There was a fish soup thing that was very spicy with noodles...

Siva: We went to Little Penang...

Max: Chinese tea ice...

Nathan: The one that I liked most was...which one was the dish with the chicken and coconut rice?

So you can all do spicy then, huh?

Jay: No...[shakes head]. I'm allergic to dairy as well...I had rice and you know it was pretty spicy, that red thing (I'm not touching that). It still tasted great. So, I gave all my spices to Nate... and he cried like a little girl.

Nathan: Just through a natural reaction, I think.

Jay: Yeah, his eyes watered.

If you could bring back a dead artist to work with, who would it be?

Tom: John Lennon

Jay: Michael Angelo

Max: Elvis

Nate: Luther Vandross

Siva: MJ. I just had to say it.

If you guys had to describe yourself in three words, what would it be?

Tom: Very, very loud.

Jay: Pale, goofy and dumb. I couldn't think of a word so I thought, 'How dumb is that? So, I’m pretty dumb. [laughs]

Max: Not so much in Asia; but short. Some girl came up to me yesterday and said you're so tall [laughs]. [rolls eyes] Yeah, I get told that all the time. [laughs]

Jay: [Interjects] And he was so happy.

Max: [Continues] Short, bald [rubs forehead] and fat. Short, fat and bald [nods head].

Nathan: Fat...

We interrupted: P-H-A-T?

Nathan: [nods in agreement] Yeah, with all these chains [laughs]. Shy... [group teases him and he settles with...] A purple street gangster. There you go. Yeah!

Siva: I’m tall...dark and smelly. [laughs]

You have a song called ‘Weakness’ right; so what is your one weakness?

Max: Mine would have to be anything to do with animal cruelty. Documentaries or films to do with animals just hit me hard. Just films in general; I cry.

Jay: You do cry a lot.

Max: I just weep.

Jay: My weakness is Avatar. Or some will say strength, but most would say weakness. [laughs]

Siva: I’m going to say two. I hate crying girl fans...hate it. It really gets to me. They just want everything from you and you can’t give them everything. My second weakness would be Tom’s smelly feet. That’s my weakness [laughs].

Max: He’s in love with them [laughs].

Tom: I hate child cruelty. I want to try to do something, like a charity...and I also hate my feet! If you smell them, I’m sorry.

Nathan: I’m kind of with Tom; create charities. My weakness is Man United losing.

*Videos and interview by Felicia Chin

Andy Lau unleashes his Shaolin spirit (interview)

Sitting in the same room as Andy Lau was a daunting thought at first because he has been around for eons. He is an actor, a Cantopop veteran, a producer and somewhat of a legend with countless music albums and over 120 movies under his belt. We’re glad to report, that despite his obvious commercial success, there wasn’t a smidgeon of pompousness in the 48-year-old star. In fact, he was busy making sure that we’re comfortably seated before taking a seat himself.

The air was filled with a zen-like quality with Andy around. His answers had depth but above all there was sincerity and earnestness in all his answers. Here’s what we found out from this Hong Kong superstar when he came to Malaysia to promote his new movie Shaolin.

Tell us about your role in Shaolin

It's a complex role because there is a major transformation. The story begins roughly around the 1920s and people/forces are putting forth their best efforts to expand their power in China. My role was one that did whatever possible and necessary to exert and gain that power. Somewhere in between, there was a big change. I was betrayed by the one I truly believed in [and became a wanted man], so I hid myself in [the temple of] Shaolin.

I wanted to fight back initially but my mean-spirited character improved and I moved away from bad and worldly things. Well, at the beginning of the movie I tried to act like an animal, but under the spirit of Shaolin I transformed from an animal to a human being.

Which part did you like more, the animal or the human being?

Both. [laughs]

How is this movie different from the one made previously?

It is totally different from the last one they did in 1982. We focus on the action and we tried to create a better story and made it more dramatic.

Was it hard to play the bad guy because you’re generally a nice guy?

No, no...[laughs] the script was good!

Was doing Kung Fu a tough task?

It was a great display of friendship. Jackie Chan, YuXing and even Nichlos Tse are great fighters and they over-assist me sometimes [laughs]. They spent lots of time practicing with me and they even slowed down a little for me [laughs]. They made me really like the fighting bits. I have them to thank for that.

What was the most difficult thing you had to do for this movie?

I think the most difficult part is trying to convince people that besides Kung Fu and martial arts, we have a very strong message. Some people may think that Shaolin must be a martial arts movie, so they concentrate on the fighting scenes and may therefore miss the most important part of the movie. So the most essential part is promoting Shaolin properly. We’re trying to tell everybody that it’s different, besides the action; we have more!

Which was your favourite action sequence in the movie?

You know that car racing is the rage these days; we also have one in our movie [the one with horses]. It's an amazing idea to have "car chasing" in a period movie. That is the part I really love.

Did you do all the stunts yourself?

Well, most of them. It was very safe because everything was taken care of, they made sure of it. We can also count on computer graphics and special effects to make it look more real. They set up explosives all around but the fire wasn't that strong, we depended on computer graphics to make it look better. The set was very safe.

How did you prepare for this very spiritual and emotional role?

I have been devoted to Buddhism for about 20 years. Within these 20 years, I have been trying to study the spirit of Buddhism. Just half a year ago I stayed in the temple for a week to mingle with the monks, and then we took three months to practice martial arts.

Just after one month the master said, "All you have to learn is over. Now, it is up to you to perform your best because every action comes from your heart”. Whether it is a punch or a kick, it stems from the heart because that determines if it’s weak or intended to kill...so you have to really feel it. The style is merely a posture, how powerful it is comes directly from the heart.

Have you changed spiritually as a person after making the film?

I have learnt how to escape in my life. Sometimes you get stuck or you think too much. Buddism allows you to learn how to escape from your life and try to be reborn again. That is what I feel after making this movie.

Here’s our quick input about the movie:

We’ll keep it generic so that the plotline will not be given away. You’ll be hammered from all sides with a whole range of human emotions and fast-paced action sequences. Devastation and desperation are brilliantly painted in sombre gray tones, so the cinematography is breathtaking.

Moral messages are slotted in almost every scene throughout the movie and there is as much drama as there is action. A delicate balance can be found, you’ll see every nuance of the total brutality humans are capable of but you’ll also notice that it’s nicely contrasted with a softer side – sheer compassion. Be warned: you’ll be laughing, crying and gripping at your seat. Bring some hardy tissues. [3.5 stars]

*Interview and short review by Felicia Chin

Flashback Interview (Boys Like Girls & DURIAN)

My very first celebrity interview ever, during my early days at hot magazine (back in 2009). I decided to break the rules and fed the guys durian pancake...see how the boys react to the "offensive smelling" fruit. Thankfully, there were many more interviews after this brave attempt.

Lead singer, Martin Johnson, likened the experience to Fear Factor.

Hooking up with The Veronicas (interview)

Here's another interview-- The Veronicas. Volkswagen Group Malaysia welcomed Aussie pop-rock duo The Veronicas for the ‘Are You Volkswagen enough’ event; a grand launch of the latest Volkswagen models street party celebration along Changkat Bukit Bintang on 30 October. Multi-platinum selling artiste Leona Lewis was also present for the festivities.

Post as on hot magazine's website:

You asked: ‘Hook Me Up’ with the Veronicas and we did just that! Hotxpress had a little casual chit chat with 24-year-old twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso and asked them questions you gave us on Twitter and Facebook. The ‘Untouched’ sisters were such fun to be around -they were cool and funny at the same time. Watch the video interview and see what they had to say about hooking up with the twins of Tokio Hotel, the naughtiest thing they have done, their resolutions for the new year and more. Oh yea, they also attempted to rap for hot magazine...lol. Check it out!

(Interview by Felicia Chin)