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>>djpaulette [back
to postcard archive menu] Suggestion to David Beckham - next time you think our team can go all the way in the World Cup, don't keep it to yourself because you don't want to put pressure on the team! Tell them ! that's what Captains are supposed to do. They are supposed to inspire their team to victory, not pussyfoot around them like they're hyper-sensitive losers! Honestly. As you've guessed, England didn't win the World Cup so I had to satisfy myself by supporting my third favourite team (first favourite is Manchester United), fortunately Brazil walked it and I got the score and scorer spot on! 2-0 to Mr Golden Boot - Ronaldo - oh how I wish I'd placed a bet. I don't know about you but I found myself strangely gripped for the whole of the tournament and fully enjoyed the camaraderie that went along with it. For one glorious month, everyone in England - man, woman, child and family pet - became a pundit. And for one glorious month I found myself watching, or listening to matches in the strangest of places, including random taxis and pubs, Tower Records, airport lounges from Heathrow to Athens, Dixons, Barclays Bank, in fact anywhere there was a screen I watched. Then, just when I thought it was all over, I started obsessing again with the new pressing questions of the day i.e 'Will Henman make it to the finals'? (he didn't make it - he lost against Hewitt at the semi stage)! and the 'will Venus and Serena Williams make the Wimbledon Women's Singles Final at Wimbledon again!' (and rather predictably they have - hooray!) that must be rattling the tennis establishment harder than a gale force wind through a skeleton. I am so enjoying this! I love that about Summer - no matter how dreadful the weather is, there's always a quintessentially English sporting event or two like the cricket, Ascot or if the weather holds out, the Henley Regatta to distract you from it. Yet the past months haven't just been a question of sport, they've been a question of work too! and as is usual, a lot has happened. I attended the Ivor Novellos in May (I was on the Dance Award judging panel along with Radio 1's Lottie and Arthur Baker) and nearly wet my pants when I met childhood heroes Gary Numan, Sting, Gary Kemp, old netball pal Cathy Dennis and Kate Bush! What a rush. In hindsight, I can't believe I had the audacity to tell Gary Numan that his pan stick make-up was a f***er for a black kid to copy, then slobbered obsequeously all over Kate Bush - must have been the fizz talking! Then without missing a beat on the same day, but on the opposite side of town, I presented the Diesel U:Music Award for Contribution to Underground music to Jazzie B and MC'ed the main stage at the Diesel U:Music Awards at Fabric. And yes, since you asked, my radio show is going from strength to strength. I've had some fantastic guests throughout May and June: Smokin Jo and Tom Stephan kicked off with a fierce Roach promotion, Tim 'It Just Won't Do' Deluxe did more than enough to get himself into my good books whilst Alain Ho (DJ Yellow) from Yellow Productions in France sent such a lairy Afro / Latin influenced mix that I still can't stop playing it for my own home listening pleasure! Then June saw Switzerland's Jamie Lewis, New York's Honey Dijon, Estereo Recordings' Bah Samba and house music don Robert Owens dropping some serious science (Robert's dark, drawling idents are all over my shows now)! And as for July - how does starting the month in the company of Fabric's Bill Brewster and Peppermint Jam's Mousse T grab you? If you haven't tuned in already, where have you been? Log on to www.ministryofsound.com/radio every week for a fierce mix from me, guest mixes from the real deal DJs and more competitions, requests and interactive chatter than is legal. Do it now! You know it makes sense. Guests in coming weeks are DC10's Tanya Vulcano, Ralphi Rosario, Jo Mills and Switzerland's answer to Pete Tong, Mr Mike. The Jubilee weekend was utter madness with dates at Pacha London, Purple In The Park, New Opera at The End and Wild Fruit in Brighton making utter mincemeat of those who could not take the pace. Then, I had an excellent time at Mykonos' world famous Cavo Paradiso matching the promoter, Marguerita, shot for shot with tequila and gadding about Super Paradise and the rest of the island on the back of Dave P's scooter - shame about the boat strike and the air traffic controllers strike and David Piccioni's records going missing on the (Don't) Go flight from Stanstead to Bologna. Shame about the mosquitoes and the anti-histamines that didn't work and the thieving scooter hire woman. I would play there again in an instant and am looking forward to a rematch (of sorts) at the Defmix party at Pacha in Ibiza this weekend, Dave! But it hasn't all been work work work. I finally took the plunge and blew the dust off my poetic ideals and did my first spoken word performance at Woody's. I wrote a poem especially for the night about 'Heroes' with a refrain that states: 'The Stranglers said there were no more / But Bowie said we could be, just for one day!' Whilst our ever jubilant Queenie wasn't exactly clambering over Ted Hughes to honour me as her new poet laureate everyone present still enjoyed it and that's all that matters. Anna Goodman (Nite Ryda's promoter) is now encouraging me to write more, which is great since I have reams of half written poems and prose just itching to be finished. Just don't mention Pam Ayers! Guess what? My lovely second god-child Hannah is 1!!! I went to Blackpool to celebrate her birthday with my twin and her husband and found that she is now walking, talking, climbing and making a right royal nuisance of herself. I wrote her a celebratory book called 'Squeak, Squeak, Squeak' about a pair of trainers that squeak and have put together a keepsake picture book with words that I know I will shame her with when she's old enough to feel embarrassed by her baby gait - and her mad godmother! Two weeks later, I went home to Mancehster to catch up with all my family at Naomi's 15th birthday. What a day that was? How I ended up on the decks at a family party on my weekend off is beyond me! My favourite local highpoint of the Summer has been spending the afternoon in Kew Gardens with QN / DTPM's Luke Howard. The Rose Garden was in full scent and full bloom as were the mock Orange trees, there was all manner of wildlife wandering around and we got back to Nature so well that we lost track of time and nearly got locked in. I laughed hard at that - and started to think of a hundred places to shelter when the temperature dropped. I'm really excited about my long haul trips now as I'm on my way to Bangkok, Montreal, New York and if I'm really lucky South Africa. So far, my main sightseeing missions are to see the Golden Buddha in Bangkok (this is the deity that the Monks thought was clay until they dropped it) and Maple trees in Montreal. I'm looking forward to experiencing summer in Fire Island and will send you a postcard from the beach as soon as I get there... honest! Be gentle with yourself. Me? I'm out of here like I stole somethin'! [click here] for the Postcard archives |