Hannah Pool - Access Interviews

Ekua McMorris

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

The Royal College of Art is trying to reinvent itself as a beacon of diversity â€“ with a show of work by its black students. Hannah Pool enters a world of wigs, furniture and whirlwindsWhen Ekua McMorris received her letter of acceptance from the Royal College of Art in 2007, she was intimidated by the thought of attending such a pillar of the establishment. How, she wondered, was "someone like her" going to fit in? "I was brought up as a Rastafarian, which is anti-imperialism. And here I am, a single parent living in Hackney with no money, about to attend the Royal College of Art."Fast forward to the present and McMorris, now a photographer, is the co-curator of RCA Black, an exhibition celebrating the work of African and African-Caribbean artists. "There have only been 85 black students at the RCA in the last five years," she says. "That's out of a body of over 800 per year. We wanted to showcase these hidden people." Each artist had to be either an RCA student or graduate, of African or African-Caribbean heritage, and producing work of a high standard. "It didn't have to be new work," says McMorris. "It just had to be good."The term RCA Black refers to the artists rather than their subject matter: the work doesn't have to speak of race, skin colour or ethnicity. "It could just be work," says McMorris. "Not every black person is making work about blackness."RCA Black is not just about celebrating hidden talent, though: it's also meant to send a message to any students who might think the RCA is a "whites only" place.The exhibition, which includes work by 23 artists, features everything from fine art, photography and sculpture to product design, jewellery and metal work. Catherine Anyango, a Swedish-Kenyan artist and RCA tutor, is showing the original illustrations from her 2010 graphic novel version of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Written with David Zane Mairowitz, it was described as "extraordinarily beautiful" by Rachel Cooke in the Observer. "I don't have any other work to do with being black," says Anyango. "I grew up in Kenya, so I have a different perspective from people who grew up here."On a lighter note, work by contemporary artist Harold Offeh is also included: Hairography, a photographic self-portrait, shows him in blond wig and red lipstick, whipping his hair about. And, as well as a painting by Chris Ofili, there will be two beautiful pieces of furniture by Simone Brewster: Negress Lounge and Mammy Table. Made from stained tulip wood, the pieces are a far cry from the sort of thing you would find in the average living room. "I wanted to ask: what if you have furniture inspired by the black female form?" says Brewster. "I looked at representations of the black female form in art, particularly Wilfredo Lam's The Murmur, which is a disturbing picture of a woman with lopsided breasts."Brewster, the other co-curator, says of the show's concept: "We're not the same. But we are a group of individuals who have gone through similar experiences, gone through the same institute."But is there such a thing as black art? Isn't it a rather reductive, limiting notion? "I tend to shy away from things that ask me to exhibit because I'm black and because I'm a woman," says Anyango. "I don't feel either is an achievement. But in the context of the RCA and the design world, they are both very white, so I understand the reasoning for this show."The term "black art" is only reductive if you choose to see it as such, says McMorris. "Black art can be anything. It can be a landscape without any reference to colour or culture."The curators agree the concept can be problematic, though. "We never refer to art as white art," says Brewster. "It is just art. Why would it need to be known as something else? I wouldn't imagine the processes I would go through would be any different if I were a white artist. Only my references would change."Frank Bowling, whose painting The Abortion features in the show, is more direct. "There's no such thing as black art," says Bowling, who was the first black artist to be elected a member of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2005. "Black faces don't make black art."Asked what advice he has for aspiring black artists, Bowling, now in his 70s, says: "Go to the museums and make art that can measure up to the museums. Make art better than anything you've ever seen before."ArtChris OfiliRoyal College of ArtHannah Poolguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Djo Tunda Wa Munga

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Hannah Pool meets a director turning African cinema on its headThere is a scene in Djo Tunda Wa Munga's Congolese thriller Viva Riva! where one gangster says to another: "Kinshasa the beautiful, Kinshasa the garbage." It's a typical line: more pulpy than preachy, Munga's film is a pacy 90-minute adrenaline rush through the streets of the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital. Art house this isn't."I wanted to make a genre film, because that made it easier for the audience to get into," Munga explains. "Also, the genre film or the noir film has the advantage that you can talk about the social context, you can raise political issues, but at the same time I'm not preaching." Straight off the plane from Kinshasa, Africa's third largest city, he sips coffee and asks if I mind if he eats a Snickers bar. Did he feel any pressure shooting one of the first features in the Lingala language, to make something a little more serious? "I wanted to fight this idea. Unfortunately, people have a really poor image of African film, that it's boring. Making it a thriller was a strategy against that."Right from the start there is violence, corruption and a rapidly climbing body count. The film follows eponymous hero Riva as he returns home after a stint in neighbouring Angola, with a truckload of oil which he has liberated from his gangster boss. He hits the town, falls for the local gangster's girlfriend: chaos ensues.Virtually all his female characters suffer domestic violence, while the male lead is an enthusiastic user of prostitutes. What is Munga saying about Congolese women? "My biggest concern was how to represent women. You don't want to miss the point, or, even if you make the point, you don't want to have others miss it. It's very difficult to do without being accused of being a misogynist," says Munga. What is his point? "To be able to say: 'My society is very macho, my society has a problem with prostitution, the family has collapsed.' Once we are able to look at a problem we can start fixing it."Viva Riva! has already won six African Movie Academy Awards (including best film and best director); earlier this month it was named Best African Movie at the MTV movie awards â€“ a big achievement for a non-English language film. It went down well in Kinshasa, too. Munga believes the film's success reflects a real hunger for a different kind of African cinema.Born in Kinshasa, and from a relatively well-off family, Munga was sent to boarding school in Belgium when he was nine. "The education system of what was then Zaire was crumbling. My father was doing quite well, so it was easier to send children abroad." It was over a decade before he returned to Congo, in 1995, initially for holidays (he went on to study film-making in Belgium). In 2000, he moved back to Kinshasa. "Belgium in the 80s and 90s was not a fun place. No one wants to be a second-class citizen. The police are so into you!"The new DRC was in terrible shape. "There was the war, the economy had collapsed, it was misery. But it was still better to try to go back there than stay in a place where I feel so uncomfortable," he says. How has the experience of being a diaspora African informed his work? "Things that you found cool, because they were part of your family, you realise it's just because the country is poor. Your point of view changes." Of course, there is a tension between diaspora Africans and the Congolese who never left. "You start to challenge things and the first reaction is 'Ah, you've been travelling, you're not from here any more.' What does that mean? It's ridiculous."The diaspora has a crucial role to play in Africa's future, he believes, and not everyone is stepping up to the mark. "I'm not saying everybody should return, that's up to you. But people who have travelled grasp new things more easily, they have access to a lot of possibilities, and I don't think they use them properly."For this reason, his film company is based in Kinshasa. "My staff are Congolese. They made the film a success. The question is, how to create opportunities for them so they don't leave."Action and adventureHannah Poolguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Annie Lennox

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Annie Lennox talks to Hannah Pool about celebrity and charityHannah Pool

Bill Bailey

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Bill Bailey talks to Hannah Pool about his new tour with an orchestraHannah Pool

Clarissa Dickson Wright

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

The celebrity chef on her alcoholism, Tony Blair and why she would be prepared to go to prison for her right to huntYour book, which is a diary of a year in your life, is a bit of a love letter to the countryside. It's generally not very fashionable to be in favour of things such as hunting.Well, you say it's not very fashionable but it depends where you're sitting. I've always found that even in London there are an awful lot of people who hunt and shoot and fish and generally do country things.You were recently found guilty of illegal hare coursing. Why?I pleaded guilty to a technicality. It's very difficult to explain to people who have never been hare coursing, because you get these terrifying pictures, which are all fakes. The object is not to kill the hare â€“ the hare gets away 95% of the time. [The object is] to watch the greyhounds work. Since coursing has been banned, estates are just shooting out their hares. The joy to me is the beauty of watching the greyhounds run, watching the hares twist â€“ it's just a beautiful thing to watch.Are you sorry you did it?No, I don't regret doing it in the least. We had legal advice, which turned out to be wrong, that what we were doing was within the Hunting Act. I signed the hunt declaration many years ago that said I would go to prison for hunting. It would be quite peaceful in prison â€“ I wouldn't have to do interviews and I could write the prison cookbook.Is it true that you receive regular death threats from the anti-hunt lobby?Yes. But I get fewer postal ones since I said I would have an exhibition of my death-threat mail to raise money for hunting. I get mysterious telephone calls. I never have an email account because it gets trashed so quickly.What kind of things do they say?Telling me I will die horribly. That they are sending me parcels of infected needles with dried Aids blood on them. They forget that I come from a medical family and I know they wouldn't be infected. If I had had a different upbringing from the one I had had, I might actually be frightened of them.You say in the book, "We must get rid of this Labour government." You knew a lot of them when you were a barrister. Any fond memories?Tony Blair was really a rather horrid person you never thought was going to get anywhere. Cherie, although bright, was deeply needy in every sense of the word. Jack Straw was a very clever man but he never struck me as a clever lawyer.Are you looking forward to the prospect of a Conservative government?I am in the sense that I know that David Cameron understands the countryside.Your father was an alcoholic, and you later became an alcoholic. Is it hereditary?I did and I became very like him. All the evidence is that there is a strong hereditary gene in it. It doesn't mean that if your father or mother is an alcoholic you will automatically become one, but it means that the gene is there and it may spark up in you.You talk a lot in this book about going to Alcoholics Anonymous.During that time I was home for 13 weeks in 13 months â€“ the AA meetings were the only home I had. You'd go there and you'd know they would be pleased to see you without wanting anything from you. And that you could talk about the stresses in your life. To me it's very important to go to AA. It helps with the serenity levels.Did you do the 12 steps?Of course I did them. I continue to do a lot of them on a regular basis. If I don't go to meetings and if I don't focus on the programme of the 12 steps, I'm not tempted to pick up a drink, but I just become not very nice.You exist in this world where food and booze go together. That must be quite difficult.I don't mind people drinking. I keep a very good cellar for my friends in my house â€“ it's only me who doesn't drink.Do you ever wish your first show had been called something other than Two Fat Ladies?No. If you're fat you're fat. I hate this modern-day political correctness, that you don't call things by their proper name.What do you think of Jamie Oliver?Jamie Oliver is a very good cook. I get so angry about him because he could have been such a force for good, and he's sold out to the supermarkets.Gordon Ramsay? Pity he didn't stick to football.Nigella?Nigella's great. She's always had a very real love for food.Delia?I'm a great fan of Delia's. She has given more people the confidence to cook than any other single celebrity cook. Her recipes are almost impossible to fail with.Clarissa Dickson WrightCelebrityFood TVTelevisionFood & drinkAlcoholHuntingHannah Poolguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Jack Dee

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Hannah Pool talks to Jack Dee about depression and being a comicHannah Pool

Dwight Yorke

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Dwight Yorke on dealing with fame, upsetting Alex Ferguson â€“ and his bitter feud with JordanYou describe your beginnings in Tobago as humble. Your mother was aÂ cleaner and your father a binman who was, at times, full of rage and violence. Has he ever apologised forÂ hitting you?No, never. My dad's cool now, he's a bit older and more mellow, his rage is not as vicious as it used to be. In those days it was traditional to get a beating. Not so today, and maybe that's why kids aren't as disciplined as they used to be. I'm not saying beating is the right way to go about it, but it certainly put me into my place. I still love my dad and appreciate what he's done for me, but I despise some of the things he has done to the family and certainly to my mum.You came to Aston Villa from Tobago while still a teenager. That must have been a shock. I used to play football on the streets, kicking breadfruits or oranges. This was like a dream.A year later Ron Atkinson became Villa's manager. You describe him as "a raging bull". I found his style of management difficult, I didn't understand it. It was a bad time in my career, it looked like I wasn't going to make it. But I stuck with it, and Ron stuck with me, and I'm grateful to him for that.Were you surprised by his racist outburst [on ITV] in 2004?Yes, it took us all by surprise â€“ he was the first British manager to have any black players in his team. But as much as I would like to say he's been good to me, I can't condone what he said; I've got to be truthful to myself and not try to protect him.Did he use language like that when you played for him?Looking back, yeah, maybe he did, but I never thought anything of it because I had a vision, I knew where I wanted to go â€“ so little remarks here or there wouldn't faze me. He might have done things in the past that maybe were a little bit out of order, but it didn't bother me because I knew I wanted something bigger â€“ so I wasn't going to upset the boss.At the height of your career, what was the most you were paid?I was on 23 grand a week in 1998, that was phenomenal. And before I signed to Manchester United, there was a Â£27-28,000 a week offer on the table from Aston Villa.Were you worth it?I like to think so. I came here wanting to play football but also to help my family back home. When you convert that money into Trinidad and Tobago dollars, you feel like a millionaire. I've spent it all now, though.Moving to Man United in 1998, you encountered Alex Ferguson and his "whiplash tongue" . . .My first three years at United were pretty much flawless. In the first we won the treble and I finished top scorer: I was walking on cloud nine. I came back the next year and scored 26 goals. But in the third year I took my eye off the football, things were happening off the pitch â€“ everywhere I went the media was talking about me, and no one had taught me how to deal with those things. It took me a while to realise I'd done some wrong, and by the time I tried to change it around it was too late. Sir Alex Ferguson is quite intimidating; he can make your life very difficult.Did your lifestyle and reputation off the pitch ruin your career?I wouldn't say it ruined my career. People have seen me party and having a good time with beautiful women, I'm not disputing that, but I don't think anybody out there has a better work ethic than me. I'm full-on with everything I do: if I party, I party; if I train, I train hard.In your book you ask: "Making love and scoring a couple of goals; is there a better way to spend your time on the planet?" . . .Did I actually say that? But yes, when you're a footballer that's the ultimate thing: if you play a fantastic game, score a couple of goals and then go home and make love to a beautiful woman, what more can a man ask for?The first dedication in your book, to Harvey [the son he has with Jordan], reads: "So he may know the truth." What do you mean by that?I've tried in the past to get to know my son. But his mum has made my life hell for a long period of time with some of the allegations she's made against me. My advisers and legal team tried so many times to make it work, yet this woman constantly tarnished my name out there, [saying] I'm a bad person, that I'm not caring. So I wanted to let Harvey know that I'm always here for him.Do you think you've been a good dad?I'd like to think so. I'm not saying I haven't made mistakes along the way, but I can say that I genuinely make an effort. And yet it was made to sound like I was never there.When did you last see Harvey?I haven't seen him for nearly nine months.Do you feel guilty about not seeing more of him?Yes, of course. I'd love to have an input in his upbringing, I'd love him to know the other side of his family, but it wasn't allowed. I can take some blame for not being able to contribute a little bit more, but not all of the blame.Jordan has recently said that she was raped. Did she confide to you about it?That's news to me. I know nothing about it.Is there still a lot of bad feeling between you and Jordan?Yes â€“ but it didn't stem from me. I've defended her to my friends, I've tried to be as nice as possible, but over the years you can only take so much pounding. If I saw her on the street now, I'd walk straight past her. I don't want to say it because she's the mother of my child, but she is constantly making me feel like I'm such a bad person; she's got this bitterness towards me.â€¢ Born To Score by Dwight Yorke is published by Macmillan at Â£17.99. To order a copy for Â£16.99 with free UK p&p go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846Celebrityguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Dwight Yorke

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Dwight Yorke talks to Hannah Pool about football and JordanHannah Pool

Ian Brown

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Ian Brown on Liam Gallagher, the Stone Roses, and why people think he's a crackheadYou split up with the Stone Roses in 1996. Do you get tired of still being asked about a reunion? It doesn't eat me up, but it's not my favourite subject. I've been solo for 11 years now. My Way is my sixth album. Some of the kids who discovered me from my F.E.A.R. record, or one of the U.N.K.L.E. tunes, have said, "I don't even like the Roses; I love your solo stuff." I buzz off that. I'm happy about the Roses, I'm happy I did it. I'm happy about that album, that 20 years later it still gets lauded.So why do you veto the thought of a reunion? All good things come to an end. At the time, it was about the spirit of the band, that gang mentality, you against the world. How can we recreate that 13, 14 years later when most of us haven't seen each other for that time?Have you forgiven John Squire for quitting the band by phone? It's all way in the past. He made a big mistake and he probably knows that. I don't think he needs me to rub his nose into the dirt. He probably thought, "I'll go and form this band, the Seahorses, and go around the world and everyone will love us and say what a genius I am." He didn't care what happened to me. I put my head down and got on with it and I'm still making music.After the band split up, there was a break before you brought out your solo stuff. What kind of a time was that for you?It was hard. I was skint and I had to move back to my mum and dad's house, back into the room I shared with my brother when I was a kid. I kept getting people on the streets telling me that they loved me: it didn't mean anything to me because I was still borrowing tenners off my pensioner father to go and get some chicken.What's your best Roses memory?Going to Japan for the first time. We'd done five years on the dole and then eight or nine months later we were in Tokyo having kids going crazy to the tunes we'd been working on. It was an unbelievable feeling.And the worst?Walking into John's [Squire] room and seeing him with another delivery of cocaine in a big pile on his table. It's 11 in the morning and he's snorting lines of cocaine and I'm thinking, "Shit, is that what we are now? Do you have to take coke at 11 in the morning just so that you can come up with a guitar line? I thought we were against all that. I thought we were the real article. If he could have seen himself when he was 15, doing that, he'd have been horrified.You have this image of being a big druggie.Because of my cheekbones, people think I'm a crackhead. When the Roses first came out, the early reviews used to call me simian. I had to look that up at the time. Then they used to call me androgenous. Then somewhere down the line, through all the Madchester thing, it became, "He's a crackhead." I've never even tried crack, I've never taken heroin. I didn't start smoking weed until I was 22.You've got this whole image that goes with your swagger, but you're actually quite gentle.Everyone in Manchester walks like that. I am gentle. I think nearly everyone that makes music is sensitive â€“ I don't care how hard they pretend they are. I met Johnny Rotten last year and he's nothing like his public persona. I know Liam [Gallagher] to be like that as well. He's a really sensitive guy.Tony Wilson said Liam Gallagher learned everything from you.Liam told me that himself. He was 16 when he came to see me live and he said that's what set him on his path.What do you think about Oasis's split? They've had a hard life, the Oasis brothers. They've done really well to be semi-normal. It's always sad when your dirty linen is brought out in public. You'll never find a Manchester band slagging off another Manchester band, but within each Manchester band, people will rip each other apart; Mondays, Smiths, New Order, Roses, Oasis. No one will slag each other off, but inside the band, they'll rip each other to deathIan BrownStone RosesOasisHannah Poolguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Ian Brown

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Ian Brown talks to Hannah Pool about the Stone Roses and his solo career

Rumer Willis

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Rumer Willis, actress daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, talks to Hannah PoolHannah Pool

Rumer Willis

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Rumer Willis on her parents Bruce and Demi, and how she'd like to be a gun-toting action heroYour new film Sorority Row is pretty gruesome.It's definitely got its gory moments. Basically it's a group of sorority girls, and the lead, Jessica, decides to play a prank on one of the girl's boyfriends. It gets taken too far and we end up accidentally killing one of our sisters. The whole movie is about how each of our characters are dealing with this.There's a scene near the end where you come in with a gun and say, "Farewell assholes." Are you mimicking your dad [Bruce Willis] there?I felt like I was a little bit. I had a great time in that scene. I'd love to be able to do some kind of action thing.Do your parents [Demi Moore and Willis] give you acting tips? They've always given me advice. If I had an audition or something, I'd work with them on it, or if I had a script that I was reading I'd ask them to check it out. They're extremely supportive. I couldn't ask for anything more.What's the best advice they've ever given you, beyond acting? Oh god. Just in general, no matter what you're doing, be true to yourself. Never let anyone else dictate how you live your life.Do you feel any pressure because of who your parents are?In terms of what?Your appearance, say, because of how your mother looks? No. Look, nobody is ever exactly the same as anybody else. You're handed the cards you are for a particular reason, so you follow that path and see where it takes you.Do you ever wish that no one knew who your parents were?No, because the things I've gotten to experience in my life and the opportunities I've had, I wouldn't trade in for the world.There must be some pitfalls to being the daughter of two famous actors?Honestly? Not really.Do you feel that you have to prove yourself more?No. I'm an individual. I don't want to be them. I want to be myself and follow what path I'm supposed to follow.Do you hate Gawker and Perez Hilton?Everybody is going to have an opinion on you, not everyone is going to like you. You can't live your life based on other people's opinions of you or let that change what you do or how you feel about yourself, because then you're not living.Do you read any of those sites?I don't really care.What's the weirdest rumour you've read about yourself?I honestly don't know. I don't keep track of that.Do you follow your mum on Twitter?Yes. In general the only way people hear about you is through other people's opinions. Usually with the media it gets skewed. To be able to connect with fans and let them know who you are is a really cool thing. I think it's great. I have one too, but I keep thinking to myself, "Do people really care if I'm just cooking dinner or doing the laundry?"As the child of divorced parents who get on incredibly well, what advice would you give to other parents in a similar situation? Our parents made the priority us. They decided to put us first, and that, beyond anything, is what did it. I have tonnes of friends whose parents can't be in the same room as each other and it has such an effect on the children and it's so sad. It's something no child should have to deal with. I feel so grateful and so lucky that I've never had to have split holidays and we can all go as a one-unit family.What did you think when you were first introduced to Ashton [Kutcher]?He was really sweet. I immediately saw such a change in my mom and how happy she was. As you get older you realise your parents aren't these superheroes. They're actually people. To see her genuinely happy and to have found someone that she loves and that loves her as much as she does, I couldn't be happier for them.Do you get defensive when you have to talk about your family?No. People are interested. What can you do? That's just the way the world works.â€¢ Sorority Row is out todayBruce WillisCelebrityHannah Poolguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lauren Laverne

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Lauren Laverne tells Hannah Pool why snobbery in the arts world doesn't bother herWhen you started on TV there was quite a bit of fuss about you being blonde, with a brain, and knowing your music.Yes. At the beginning I got offered loads of stuff about football. It was the era of the ladette. I just passed on those things, but it was amazing how for such a long time people only offered you that Loaded view of what female presenters were all about.Did you consciously think, I'm not going to be a ladette?I just wasn't one. I only ever do things that I watch, or I would enjoy. I don't just think, that's the most money, so I'll do that. That's not a very good path for any aspect of your life. It never bothered me, the "oh, you can't look a certain way and be clever at the same time" thing, because it's always better to be underestimated than to disappoint people. If they think I'm a bit thick, maybe they'll get a nice surprise.Do you think radio is sexist?Radio's not really sexist. It's just run by boys so it's the most socially maladjusted industry that you could ever wish to be involved in. I love it. Anybody with a brain who does both TV and radio will tell you radio's better. It's more fun, it's immediate, it's engaging and people really care about it. It's for geeks and I'm a geek so it completely resonates with me and I've loved it from day one. But it's run by people who haven't left a studio in decades. Those kinds of boys just don't know what to do with girls; it's just a bit like [comic shop] Forbidden Planet. Would you want to go in there? It smells weird and sells funny stuff. That's what radio studios are like. Ladies just walk past.You got quite a lot of flak when you started on The Culture Show because you're a woman.It was a mixture of things. It was also because a lot of arts and culture stuff is quite snobby and I've got an accent and I didn't go to university. They were virtually having to sponge the coal off me before I went on set. There were obviously a few feathers ruffled.Did that upset you? No, only small people take offence. I don't care.You must care a little bit. Nobody likes to hear people saying horrible stuff about them but to be honest, I'm a happy person. I know my shortcomings really well and I know my strengths too. If criticisms are accurate then it's more hurtful, but if it's "you're a brainless northern dolly bird", that's actually inaccurate, so it doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not looking for approval. I'm going out and doing my job, and I think largely I do my best at creating interesting programmes.Have you toned down your Sunderland accent?No, I really haven't. I moved to London when I was 18; I'm 31 now. That's a fair while ago, so it's definitely mellowed. And being married to someone from Stratford-upon-Avon you pick up each other's accent. My little boy's got a weird hybrid accent.You've been referred to as "the thinking man's crumpet".What is there to say? It's very flattering.Are you political?I had a leftwing upbringing. Both of my parents are academics, professional brains. I grew up in Sunderland in the 1980s. One of my very first memories is my grandad being on TV in the miners' strike, so people can draw their own conclusions. But we're not allowed to talk about politics on the BBC.Are you a feminist? Yes, of course. I know why you're asking it, because people now say no. But how stupid do you have to be to say, "No, I believe in gender inequality"?What are you listening to at the moment?Ape School are really great; they're newish. The new Bonnie Prince Billy stuff; Tiny Masters of Today's new album, Skeletons â€“ that's really good. Friendly Fires, even though everybody loves them â€“ they're great.Lauren Laverne will be hosting the Edinburgh Festival Show, 19 August, 11.20pm, BBC2. Her 6Music show will come from Edinburgh on 15 and 22 August at 4pm.TelevisionRadioHannah Poolguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Lauren Laverne

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Radio and television presenter Lauren Laverne tells Hannah Pool what it's like being a woman in a male-dominated industryHannah Pool

Victoria Aitken

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

The pop singer on switching to dance music, writing sexy lyrics â€“ and what her father Jonathan Aitken makes of themYour second single is out now. How's it doing?It's getting loads of plays in clubs around England, and it's on the radio in various countries â€“ New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Sweden. It's really surprising and I'm really happy it's taking off.When I heard you were doing dance music I thought it was a joke.A lot of people say that. It's not a joke for me. I've always been into writing stuff. For me it has always been about the lyrics, so I write those first. I don't take myself really seriously, I do it because I enjoy it. I have fun writing the lyrics, writing the tune. I put it out there and I see what happens.It's not an ironic thing? All my lyrics have a twist of irony to them. Vicky From The Yacht is also quite sarcastic.Vicky From The Yacht is a riches-to-rags tale?Yes, it is. My father [Jonathan Aitken] was a politician, as the Guardian knows, so I guess I grew up in a certain environment, then my father went to jail and we lost everything. I was inspired by the song Jenny From The Block.What are some of the lyrics from Vicky From The Yacht?I can sing you the song. [Starts to sing] "Living off daddy's plastic was so fantastic, just got a J.o.b. what a misery, I just wanna break free." There are quite sexy undertones to it. There's one line that's, "I've got holes in my underwear, do you think he's gonna care, but if he snickers he can buy me new knickers." And the same with I'll Be Your Bitch: "Down on the floor, begging for more, I'll keep your jealous mind entertained."Has your father heard your music? Yes, he's heard both the songs. He said he quite enjoyed them. My mother is quite cool so I played her the different versions of I'll Be Your Bitch and she gave her input and advice at various stages.What happened to you after the trial?I was at my first year at university when it all happened. I was quite lucky because I was in America, so I wasn't here in the midst of the whole thing. I just worked really hard at university in America. I left Georgetown and moved to New York. I've been writing â€“ journalism, a few TV shows, and done a few films as an actress.Have you forgiven your father?Absolutely, yes, I have forgiven my father.Some people might be quite surprised that you're doing an interview for the Guardian.I'm surprised too. Who would guess that the Guardian would be interviewing me? [Aitken's downfall was triggered when he sued the paper for libel.] So I'm very grateful.You don't hate us? No. I love the way you have a really strong arts section, and my father writes for you sometimes.Did you get very depressed about what happened?It was difficult â€“ my parents divorced, my father was in jail, totally bankrupt: all the checks in the boxes that were bad happened in the space of a couple of months. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.Do you ever wish you had a different surname?No. I'm very happy to be Victoria Aitken.But when you pitch yourself as a serious musician, the name must be problematic.Sure. But I don't think it's because of being specifically Jonathan Aitken's daughter. I think it's more a case of being a Conservative politician's daughter. How can somebody with that background do this profession?Who are your musical influences?Loads. I listen to all kinds of music. I love Ace Of Base â€“ their beats are amazing. And Mika. I listen to loads of dance stuff, and Madonna. Rock stuff as well. Bryan Adams I like â€“ he writes really good lyrics.Is yours a kind of Sloane disco?I guess so. That's a good way of describing it. I never thought of it like that.Has your dad seen you play live?No, he hasn't.Would you like him to?Sure. I'd love to do a live thing in this country.Your father has been quite vocal about finding religion. Is that a big part of your life? I would say I'm spiritual, I believe in karma, but my father is more classically religious than I am.Did he have an issue with the title I'll Be Your Bitch? No. My father used to be quite racy in his time, so I don't think he's that shockable.Victoria Aitken's single I'll Be Your Bitch is out now.Pop and rockHannah Poolguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Victoria Aitken

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

The pop singer on switching to dance music, writing sexy lyrics â€“ and what her father Jonathan Aitken makes of themHannah Pool

David Bailey

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

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Maria Sharapova

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

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Paulo Coelho

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

The Winner Stands Alone is your 12th novel. You describe it as "a stark portrait of where we are now". What you do mean by that?I wrote it in February last year, before this [financial] collapse. We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life. This book is about how we complicate our lives and how our dreams are manipulated.Your most successful book, The Alchemist, has sold 30m copies.More than that. I think it's 35m. All together my books have sold 150m copies. You can add another 20% for pirated editions.Is it true you wrote it in four weeks?Two weeks. Yes. The book was already written in my soul.When it first came out it was dropped by the publisher. Then what happened?It was not dropped by the publisher. It was published, it did not sell, and then the publisher said, "This book is never going to sell" - which was worse than to be dropped. At least then you think, "Oh, I'll find another publisher." This way, when you go to another publisher they say, "Well, it was published and nobody's interested." However, I was so convinced it was a great book that I started knocking on doors. [Now] The Alchemist is the most translated book by a living author.Do you really believe in angels?Yes.Have you seen one? No, I never saw an angel, but it is irrelevant whether I saw one or not. I feel their presence around me. Not the classic angel with the wings etc, but you know that you are protected. This has nothing to do with esoteric things, it is your attitude towards life. When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It's very simple. Everything is possible, from angels to demons to economists and politicians.Some say your books have changed their lives; others are quite snobby about your work. Why is it so divisive? This is not something I ever thought about. When I write a book I write a book for myself; the reaction is up to the reader. It's not my business whether people like or dislike it. Do the critics hurt you?No. Writers are lampposts and critics are dogs. Ask lampposts what they think about dogs. Does the dog hurt the lamppost?How do you describe your books? Are they self-help? No, I am not a self-help writer. I am a self-problem writer. When people read my books I provoke some things. I cannot justify my work. I do my work; it is up to them to classify it, to judge.Some people see you as a guru. Do you accept that?Of course not.Is it flattering?No. It's totally out of reality.Are you a political writer?Everybody is a political person, whether you say something or you are silent. A political attitude is not whether you go to parliament, it's how you deal with your life, with your surroundings. I am at least giving the readers the sense they are not alone. But instead of trying to answer the question, "What is the meaning of life?" I try to give some meaning to my life.When you were 17 your parents had you committed to an asylum. Yes, three times, and also I was in jail three times, but I never saw myself as a victim. This is part of my journey. My parents wanted me to follow their dreams, not my dreams, and the simple fact that I didn't accept that does not make me a criminal or an outcast. I thought, "One day I will write about it," and I did. I wrote Veronica Decides to Die, and the book was about this: accept your differences and this is how you make a difference.Those experiences could make someone very angry and very politicised. The jail experience did not make me angry. It made me scared. But that is worse - when you are angry, you react; when you are scared, you don't react, you just accept. It took me many years to overcome this fear, but time heals everything, love included Â·â€¢ Paulo Coelho's latest novel, The Winner Stands Alone, is out now (HarperCollins, Â£14.99).Paulo Coelhoguardian.co.uk Â© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Paulo Coelho

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:42:58 +0100

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, talks to Hannah Pool