The Phoenix Remix
I created the Entertainment website The Phoenix Remix as a hobby in 2015, since then it has grown and has an annual readership of 60,000 readers. In that time I have interviewed nearly 400 improv and comedy acts from around the world and a number of musicians as well. Here are a few highlights.
Marianas Trench, This Means Tour, 2019
In 2019 the award winning Canadian Pop Rock band Marianas Trench were returning to the United Kingdom for their biggest tour to date. I caught up with frontman Josh Ramsay to discuss what they have in store, creating the new album and being a producer of Carly Rae Jepson’s massive hit track ‘Call Me Maybe’
Quotes from Interview
“If you are only writing singles it’s like if you are only eating donuts – it’s too sweet.”
“My plan is at the end of my career I want every album to be linked to another one and for them all to be connected at the end…”
“I feel like that’s a job that doesn’t get a lot of glory because everyone wants to be the guy playing the solo…”
“I am constantly grateful for it [producing Call Me Maybe]– it’s sort of surreal being attached to a song like that.”
Richard Vranch, The Comedy Store Players, 2020
At beginning of 2020, I did a strand of features where I focussed solely on the short form genre of Improv Comedy. One of the acts I interviewed was none other then The Comedy Store Players. In this interview Richard Vranch discusses Whose Line Is It Anyway, performing at the Comedy Store in London and how his name ended up in Little Britain.
Quotes From Interview
“I was invited to do the TV pilot in 1988 when it transferred from BBC Radio….Whose Line? brought improv to a global audience and we still get recognised from it.”
“We couldn’t survive without our guests, they keep the show fresh.”
Art Club with Olaf Falafel, 2020
With the United Kingdom being thrown into Lockdown in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, a lot of comedians were looking for ways they can still interact with audiences online. In 2020, Edinburgh Fringe 2019 Winner (for Joke of the Year) started to post a show regularly on Youtube called Art Club which was aimed at teaching children how to draw.
Quotes from Interview
“It was great to win the award but it hasn’t changed me!!! I guess a few more people have heard of me and I’ve been offered gigs and opportunities that weren’t available to me before.”
“It’s been amazing we started at 33 subscribers and we are now at 2,000 – the work I get sent never ceases to amaze me.”
“I wanted Art Club to be more Tiswas than Blue Peter.”