Today whilst chatting with people I forgot how creative Ive actually been!
Throughout my short life I have been involved with lots of different things and found a copy of things I wrote down for a website ages ago! Since then Ive had my music featured on a cd for diabetes uk, had music included on the travellers times website amongst others.
I started making music in 1995, the sound was very rocky/gothic like and was quite scary, i remember and still have copies of one of my songs that sounded like a carnival ground very scary!!
It was slowly evolving and as music trends changed so did my music.
In 1996 club 18 - 30 used some of my music and graphics and slogans etc in their advertising
1999 whilst at college I was part of a devised travel and tourism piece and I was musical director aswell as performing.
2000 my music really took form, I created a lot of tracks and went around europe promoting my music, the best response I had was in Tenerife when I was dared to be cheeky enough to ask for my music to be played by the dj, I told him it was my birthday and Id really like my track to be played, he decided to get me up and freestyle - shyly I got up but loved it, it went down amazingly, I decided the remaining time I had in Tenerife I would try the same in other clubs and lo and behold I got to do the same in Ministry Of Sound, Cream and Happydays; Il never forget the moment everyone jumped onto the dancefloor to dance to my song Angel Tear and this is my favourite song I have ever made.
After my stint around Europe I decided it was time to take it a bit more seriously and enrolled at L.I.P.A,(Thomas Lang being my mentor) unfortunately for L.I.P.A as with so many people and organisations in life they lacked the drive to further their involvement with me and after a few months I decided id had enough of waiting around and journeying to Liverpool everyday to be fobbed off with feeble excuses for the lack of interaction between staff and students.
I decided on going back to college and to pursue performing arts and to try and work more with my music.
Although I was doing performing arts I had little chance to involve my own music into the productions and shows we didover the 2 years - the only chance I did have was when we did a devised piece me and 3 friends (originally 9 but they were too lazy and couldnt be assed)did the piece for my course, although I didnt appear in it, I gave a lot of input into it creatively, I directed it and produced it, sorted stage and lighting and also I was musical director although we collectively chose the song it was missing something so I took it away and remixed it to make it sound more alluring and yet spooky, if you listen too you may even hear me in it! - it got me a distinction by the way!
In 2003/2004 BBCi featured me as an artist and I was very honoured and still am by this, it made me visible to a larger romany audience and was a defining part of that year.
I was also featured in the Romany times for my music and acting in the cheshire film Upstaged. - This was also an amazing achievement for me especially as so much was going on in my life around this time I had 2 years of hell and to be honest In retrospect I shouldnt of been in college but that was something that makes me carry on if something is trying to stop me wanting something I will work harder to get it.
Despite the hardships and struggles whilst at college I managed to gain a very good insight into the industry and even came away with a Distinction, Distinction, Merit as my overall grade - only just let down by my lack of attendance but still an amazing achivement considering.
Since finishing college my music is still yet to be centre stage and although Ive tinkered around a bit I have yet to make any good new material, my time is taken up with voice acting and website design but I do make my music heard this way.
I do plan on carrying on with my music but there is so much going on that needs to be addressed first such as my driving, I need a good reliable job and the rest of lifes little niggles that need sorting
Although I had performed on stage in in 98/99 and accidentally appeared on tv in Tenerife in 2000; it wasnt untill 2003 that I became a willing participent, or an actor as you may say ;)
Besides numerous stage productions I was in and also the ones I wasnt but were involved with in some other capacity I hadnt had the chance to be in a film.
In 2003 I was approached by Sanj Krishnan to appear in a film he totally devised and did everything for. The film was called Offbeat and I acted as the main roles more not so skinny or intelligent brother even though I didnt actually get my script untill the actual day of the shoot! and you can tell!.
I enjoyed it so much and had such a great time, we did so many takes due to the amount of laughing we did!
Then I accidentally sent of for an audition to Paradise Productions, they were asking for a voice actor for an anime short called Bottle fairy, and I got the chance to play a lead character called sensei san!
It was my proudest moment as all my life Id wanted to do the voice of a cartoon character and there I was as a gimply looking man that even resembled me slightly!!
My second film was in 2004 when I auditioned for a part in a film originally called just my luck - I memorised a script and decided to do a very physical piece then I got there and seen the total amount of applicants, there were hundreds and I felt I had no chance especially considering I was a crap actor with a bad memory I went in and quickly wrote down a short poem as I had my image taken for reference. I delivered my poem - it asked that I have a small role being an extra and some other blurb that easily roles around my head.
A couple of weeks later whilst on holiday im asked to attend shooting in a few days time as im a member of the cast, I was firstly shocked as I hadnt heard anything prior and also there were lots of other actors a million times better than me there. So I get back home and wait for confirmation - even up untill the day I dont hear a thing then a friend lets me know im filming the next day, I contact the people in charge only to be told the person in charge of dealing with the actors didnt do there job so I had no script, no costume and no time to rehearse.
The next day however I spent 9 hours waiting around doing nothing but chat to everyone and have a laugh oh and ignore the ignorant at the time Phil Cool; then suddenly im required to act my scenes involved me chatting to friends then (as Quentin the rugby player) appearing next to the main actor and getting him drunk which in real life he nearly did due to the amount of times he had to down a real pint on set! before taking him away on a bus and getting him lost which was filming the next day a solid 12 hour day on a bus with nothing but 1 bottle of water all day! (skin flints).
The premier was in march 2005 and we got to see it, im in there 3 times, firstly you hear me, then see my scene then you catch a glimpse of my tattooed arm, about 3 minutes max! but hey I loved it and the only way is up.
Shortly after making the film I got back into doing voice overs for more anime productions
the next part I got was the part of Celestine in Ah megasami san! by Siren Productions and this was my favourite due to the level of emotion and sheer brilliance of the script and animation.
Since then I have auditioned and got the roles in more such as a school boy in Usagi chan de que!, Jonathan in Midnight Destiny, an over dramatic rich kid called Suo Tamaki in Ouran koukou host club and more recently I am the voice of Adam in the game Streets of Rage 4 uei (which is another amazing dream come true) and finally Edward Falcon in Power Stone and Billy Cane in The King Of Fighters OAV.
I really enjoy doing voiceover work, it makes me really happy by achieving dreams I have had since my childhood ; and I hope to carry on working with such generous and talented people as I do now.
My final piece in 2004 was called Tempting of the Innocent and was a contemporary take on the bibles the temptation of christ and also the temptation of adam, I devised, produced,and directed it aswell as set /stage design, lighting and also being musical director.
It was a massive task and up untill the last few days everything was against us, luckily we performed to a full crowed and performed spectacularly, it was in my estimation the single most compelling and dynamic piece of artistry I have ever achieved and feel proud to of managed such a feat and it was performed exactly as I had envisioned it in my head something a director can rarely say has achieved.
I look forward to one day touring proffesionally with the production. - this is a magnificent dream of mine waiting to be achieve.
