"I CONSIDER MYSELF A BRIDGE BETWEEN GENERATIONS." LOUIE AUSTEN IS A VIENNESE ELECTRO CROONER IN HIS EARLY 60's. Austen had orginally entertainened in nightclubs through out the world, singing in the style of rat pack crooners like Frank Sinatra. Then at the age of 53, he swtiched to electro
ME: What did you do before you were an electro crooner?.
LOUIE AUSTEN: I was in good shape business wise. I was entertainment manager at the Marriott Hotel (Vienna) and had regular voice over and acting work. I wasn't bored... I just wanted new challenges.
ME: How did you become an electro crooner?.
LOUIE AUSTEN: I met these two young guys (music producers) who asked me to sing over their dance music. I thought why not try something different.
....Besides if it doesn't work out I can always go crawling back to my old job. But I didn't go back to my old job. I got such a kick out of working with young people who are on the same wavenlength as me. For the first time in my life I was happy to try new boundaries, trying new ideas.
The first couple of years as an electro crooner were not easy.
LOUIE AUSTEN I started at zero playing clubs I had never heard of. I was such a wierd performer. Consequences (Austen's first C.D.) wasn't for everyone. People thought, "who is this guy?"
The turning point was the huge Sonnar Music Festival in Barcelona.
LOUIE AUSTEN: After, (the Sonnar) everybody wanted me for their clubs. The money didn't improve but the booking did. 150-200 a year.
ME: You worked with Peaches on Grab My Shaft. How did that come about, and what was Peaches like to work with?
LOUIE AUSTEN: I was playing these industrial halls in Berlin. I met the Canadain Mafia -Peaches, Chilli Gonzales and Leslie Feist. Chilli produced Grab My Shaft.
....I'm the same guy off stage and on. But Peaches, off stage is a nice quiet girl.
ME: Judging from the videos I've seen, you really love to perform live.
Louie Austen: Performing live means that people are paying to see me. That means no cheating, no faking, giving them everything that I have. Everything that I can offer.
..Final point....
LOUIE AUSTEN: I consider myself to be a bridge between generations. I would like to encourage old people that it's exciting to become envolved with young people. And for young people that its ok, to get old as long as you realise your ambitions.
Louie Austen is touring Australia this week. His latest release, an ep "My Amy," is a homage to tabloid tragicomedy Amy Winehouse.
LOUIE AUSTEN: I was in good shape business wise. I was entertainment manager at the Marriott Hotel (Vienna) and had regular voice over and acting work. I wasn't bored... I just wanted new challenges.
ME: How did you become an electro crooner?.
LOUIE AUSTEN: I met these two young guys (music producers) who asked me to sing over their dance music. I thought why not try something different.
....Besides if it doesn't work out I can always go crawling back to my old job. But I didn't go back to my old job. I got such a kick out of working with young people who are on the same wavenlength as me. For the first time in my life I was happy to try new boundaries, trying new ideas.
The first couple of years as an electro crooner were not easy.
LOUIE AUSTEN I started at zero playing clubs I had never heard of. I was such a wierd performer. Consequences (Austen's first C.D.) wasn't for everyone. People thought, "who is this guy?"
The turning point was the huge Sonnar Music Festival in Barcelona.
LOUIE AUSTEN: After, (the Sonnar) everybody wanted me for their clubs. The money didn't improve but the booking did. 150-200 a year.
ME: You worked with Peaches on Grab My Shaft. How did that come about, and what was Peaches like to work with?
LOUIE AUSTEN: I was playing these industrial halls in Berlin. I met the Canadain Mafia -Peaches, Chilli Gonzales and Leslie Feist. Chilli produced Grab My Shaft.
....I'm the same guy off stage and on. But Peaches, off stage is a nice quiet girl.
ME: Judging from the videos I've seen, you really love to perform live.
Louie Austen: Performing live means that people are paying to see me. That means no cheating, no faking, giving them everything that I have. Everything that I can offer.
..Final point....
LOUIE AUSTEN: I consider myself to be a bridge between generations. I would like to encourage old people that it's exciting to become envolved with young people. And for young people that its ok, to get old as long as you realise your ambitions.
Louie Austen is touring Australia this week. His latest release, an ep "My Amy," is a homage to tabloid tragicomedy Amy Winehouse.
No comments:
Post a Comment