Fab Radio International interview
Aaron and Kurtis appear on the It’s Only Rock’N’Roll show on Fab Radio International. On their growing support:
Kurtis: One thing you notice is audience sizes. Going from doing the smaller venues where the odd pockets of people knowing the words, and then getting to the stage where people are all singing it back and chanting ‘Readers’ is a different level.
Aaron: The connection with the crowd is incredible now…David Bowie said, “Don’t play to the gallery”. That sticks in my mind: you get down and sing to those that are buzzing at the front, and you see it roll back through the venue.
On the upcoming album:
Aaron: A lot of the stuff in the past has been introspective and existential (Kurtis: mean and moody!). I wanted to explore different territory anyway and be a bit more positive anyway. But then Brexit happened, and Trump, and the world seems to be getting very polarized. The trajectory of the planet seems to be completely different. So I thought I was important not to be majorly political, but put a positive message out. Songs like Through The Shadows are about getting through difficult times and the most important thing being about those you love. A more positive message than before, but more universal, and bits of social commentary. Whereas, before it was a bit more about my own insecurities and demons…We’ve sold nearly 2000 pre-orders so far. If we get a decent chart position it leads on to other things.
[mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/itsonlyrocknroll/its-only-rock-n-roll-fab-radio-international-show-127-march-27th-2018/ width=”800px” height=”60px” hide_cover=1 mini=1]
Too Many Blogs interview
The band are interviewed by Too Many Blogs, talking about their upcoming album, Build A Tower, which will be released on May 4.
The Star Wars thing is just a coincidence, we won’t be doing a gig in Jedi robes or anything.
On songwriting:
We have developed a lot as musicians since Cavalcade, so there is more invention in terms of melody, rhythm, song structure…Some tracks are very personal and explore the feeling of being in love with someone and the delicious fragility of it, the sense that it could disappear before your eyes (‘Supernatural’). Some tracks refer, very specifically, to the external political environment (‘Lunatic’/’On the TV’). Musically, it’s probably more consistent in terms of style, as the album was written in a tighter time-frame than the last album. It’s pretty inventive – hopefully, our existing fans will love it and, hopefully, it continues the work of the previous album (in winning over most people that hear it).
Cena: McGregor promotes better than anyone else
Cena says professional wrestlers are the greatest salesmen (and women) in the world but the boxing match between McGregor and Mayweather may have been even better promoted. Cena says McGregor was so good at convincing combat sports fans to shell out $100 for his “Money” bout, that similar tactics in pro wrestling would put everyone else out of business.
He would do fantastic. Hell, he would put me out of work. He gets the entertainment aspect of sport, and I think he gets it as good, or better, than anyone else. The way he promoted the fight against Mayweather… that’s what we do. He did it as good, or better, than us.
Buzzfeed interview
In an interview with Buzzfeed, Keys talks about his time in prison, where he spent his time refurbishing computers.
The case was serious enough to convict me, only for me to wind up refurbishing computers so the government can make money. The irony is not lost on me…I always assumed that I would be on the front lines when the shit did finally hit the fan. That’s not what wound up happening. Instead I ended up sitting back and watching the world burn.
Wants to return to journalism
In an interview with Ars Technica, Keys says there will be no further appeal, that he did not commit the crime for which he was convicted, and that he wants to return to journalism.
I hope that I’m privileged enough to find work in journalism. I work hard, and I’m smart, but I do have an uphill battle going forward…I came to terms with the fact that I suffer from mental illness. Being online and constantly throwing myself into work—I wasn’t getting help. [Now] I’m eating better, I look better, I feel better. I still struggle with depression and anxiety…I would like to go back into journalism. I’ve had a very small number of people come up to me with leads and with prospective job opportunities. I’m currently tiptoeing around [Bureau of Prison] rules with respect to what I can and cannot do while I’m still here. So I am open to all offers; it’s a matter of when I can act on them. I think I could start acting on them now, but a lot of it is trial and error.
St-Pierre rejects McGregor ‘money fight’
St-Pierre has been linked with a mega-money fight against McGregor ever since he signed up for a new four-fight deal with the UFC in February 2017. Although St-Pierre says he is well aware of the huge payday a fight with McGregor would bring him, he says he is only interested in fights that will add to his legacy in the sport.
The thing is about Conor McGregor, money wise, I believe he’s the one who can put more money on the table. However, legacy wise, I don’t think he’s the guy (to fight). He’s the main guy; he brought the sport to a different level. He’s the most charismatic guy. He sells; he’s the biggest seller in the sport. If you talk about legacy, if I come back, for legacy, that’s what interests me the most – more than the money. Money, yes it’s good. But if I come back, it’d be more for legacy a legacy match.
McGregor to lose UFC lightweight belt to Ferguson-Nurmagomedov winner on April 7
UFC president White confirms that current lightweight champion Conor McGregor will lose his title to the winner of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn, New York.
That’s exactly right: As soon as one punch is thrown, it’s on for the full title and it’s only fair. They’ve both worked their way up to No. 1 and No. 2. They deserve a shot.
White says the lightweight division will move on in McGregor’s absence, in the same way McGregor’s featherweight title was stripped when he failed to defend it in nearly a year after knocking Jose Aldo out in 13 seconds.
This is good news for the fans. I always hear about, ‘What will you do if this guy leaves …’ This is a sport first. People leave, they’ve made money and moved on. It happens.
McGregor defies ‘Beast from the East’ as he trains in the snow
McGregor posts a clip to Instagram of himself outside on an exercise bike, despite the snowy landscape and freezing temperatures, to show that he won’t let the ‘Beast from the East’, as the recent weather phenomenon is called, stop him from training.
Reyt Good Road Trip
Aaron and Jim are interviewed by Reyt Good Magazine, while being driven through Salford, Manchester. They talk about their early days, the support of the band by James, and the changes since they signed.
We now have all the machinery established bands had. Before we were doing it all ourselves…we did our best to look around other cities and see what they were doing…if you go to a city where a promoter’s built a reputation, you do get music lovers turning up to see what’s going on. It gves you a chance to get in front of new people.
McGregor: Mayweather rematch will not happen
McGregor takes to Instagram to say that talks between him and Mayweather, to meet in an MMA rematch, have ended unsuccessfully, as Mayweather has decided to remain in retirement.
I am happy for Floyd and his recent announcement that he is out of these current fight negotiations. It is the reason I never seeked the rematch in the first place. I was happy for him in retirement. My game is a very unforgiving one. It is not like other games. I understand completely him staying retired. I will now carry on in my negotiations and see where it goes. Have a great retirement Junior. Now come here and give your old man a hug for old time’s sake. I’m proud of you son. Yours truly, Senior.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfWLCi1HhO-/?
Nurmagomedov: McGregor’s UFC career is over – ‘100%’ getting stripped
Nurmagomedov says the fact that McGregor hasn’t stepped inside the Octagon in over 15 months is proof that he won’t be fighting in MMA ever again. He says McGregor’s team is focused on a rematch with Floyd Mayweather … instead of a real fight against him or Tony Ferguson — who he’s facing at UFC 223 in April. Nurmagomedov also says his contract for the Ferguson fight explicitly states they are fighting for the ‘real belt’ — which means the UFC is “100%” stripping Conor of his lightweight title.
I don’t think he gonna come back. When’s the last time Conor compete in MMA? Long time. He’s boxing guy.
Kavanagh: McGregor should fight Nurmagomedov or Ferguson before Diaz
Coach Kavanagh says that a trilogy fight with Diaz was appealing after UFC 202, but is losing appeal since McGregor has continued to elevate himself while Diaz has been sitting on the sidelines.
Conor’s had an MMA fight and a boxing fight since and we haven’t seen Nate since. So I started changing and you could see it amongst the fans who … are the most important factor in all of this because they pay for the Pay-Per-Views… But you can see it was clearly becoming they wanted to see either Khabib or Tony in there rather than [Nate], probably for the same reason that we didn’t: Nate didn’t keep busy. So I don’t think it would be quite right for that to happen before the winner of [Khabib]-Tony, because Conor, [Khabib], and Tony have kept busy and Nate hasn’t…I think Nate should get one in in the meantime. Him vs. Woodley. I hear there are rumors of that or him against a good lightweight, and if the MMA gods smile, it would be a victory for him. Conor fights the winner of [Khabib-Tony] and then you’ve got this amazing superfight for New Year’s Eve.
Malignaggi: McGregor won’t risk an ‘a** whooping’ from me
Malignaggi continues the war of words which started after his acrimonious departure from McGregor’s Mayweather match training camp, and after a video clip from one of their training sessions was released. Malignaggi is keen to settle the score with McGregor but doesn’t believe he’ll get the chance.
I don’t think McGregor is going to fight me, to be honest. I can keep baiting him or what-not but he has the sparring video and that video is not going to come out so he’s going to have the advantage over time. I don’t think he is going to fight me. He had his a** whooped in the sparring session and he has the whole world believing he didn’t so he’s not going to take a chance on that image and perception being changed.
Bisping: McGregor would ‘destroy’ Mayweather in 35 seconds in the UFC
On his podcast, Bisping says Mayweather would be beaten easily by McGregor in the Octagon.
I honestly can’t see Floyd Mayweather fighting mixed martial arts and certainly [not] in the UFC. If he does fight in the UFC it’s going to be against Conor McGregor…Conor McGregor in an MMA fight will f****** destroy Floyd Mayweather like he’s never seen…It takes so long to learn – so long to put the pieces of the puzzle together, so long to learn the grappling the transitions from the striking to the grappling. Conor McGregor would literally have a field day with Floyd Mayweather. I don’t know what [Mayweather]’s doing, he’s maybe trying to stay relevant, maybe he’s trying to hype his next boxing match, maybe he’s trying to get a rematch with Conor McGregor in the boxing world, I don’t know what he’s doing. But I will tell you this, everybody does have their price and apparently there was rumours floating round that a billion dollars was the price for a few fights in the UFC and a f****** billion dollars goes a long way. It would certainly be a record breaking pay-per-view, I don’t know if it’ll be more than McGregor vs Mayweather in a boxing ring but it certainly has the potential.
Malignaggi: McGregor would be stupid to risk another asswhooping
Speaking at the launch of Ultimate Boxxer – an entertainment company bidding revolutionise the fight game through eight-man, one-night elimination tournaments, Malignaggi says he will probably not get the chance to fight McGregor.
I don’t think McGregor is going to fight me, to be honest. I can keep baiting him or what-not but he has the sparring video and that video is not going to come out so he’s going to have the advantage over time. I don’t think he is going to fight me. He had his a** whooped in the sparring session and he has the whole world believing he didn’t so he’s not going to take a chance on that image and perception being changed. He’d be stupid to – if I was him, I’d be stupid to risk that perception changing because right now perception is reality. The reality wasn’t that but if that perception is reality, he’s going nowhere near me.
In negotiations for next fight
McGregor says he is in negotiations for his next fight.
I’m currently in negotiations to face my next opponent. We have many options. There’s the current interim lightweight champ. There’s an undefeated Dagestani and maybe a big Russian event. There’s obviously the Diaz trilogy. Of course the Mayweather fight is there. There’s many options, so we’re just at the table at the moment.”
McGregor: Mayweather will ‘earn respect’ by fighting in MMA
McGregor says he would respect Mayweather for fighting in MMA.
If he does do it, I know he’s flirting with it, I would have respect for him. I think it would get his earned respect then, if he was to step in [the Octagon]. He’s engaging, we’re engaging, so we’ll see…Of course, I’m seeing all the stuff Floyd’s putting out, all the stuff in the media. If it is [just hype], it will follow him for the rest of his days that he did not do it…I said I would do it and I stepped up and I done it. His time now. I went into his game, he should come into mine.
McGregor ‘delighted’ for Rousey joining WWE
McGregor says he is delighted Rousey is joining WWE.
I’m delighted for her, absolutely over the moon for her. She looked like she really enjoyed herself at the event, and I was very, very happy to see her. She’s a pioneer for the game, and she’s came through it all and faced big wins, and big, big losses. And she came through it. And it’s great to see her represent herself and mixed martial arts and have fun in WWE.
White: McGregor will face Ferguson or Nurmagomedov, not Diaz
White says McGreogr will not fight Diaz for his comeback fight, and that he will likely fight Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.
I think people would rather see Conor come back and either fight Tony [Ferguson] or Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. Whoever wins — and the Nate Diaz fight isn’t going anywhere. We can do that thing any time.
Carter: Unreleased Prince music ‘coming soon’
Carter, in his role as Prince’s estate advisor, says unreleased material will be released ‘soon,’ but does not give details as to when, or which label might release the songs.
He was a guy who practically lived in a recording studio, and once we started going through [the unreleased material] we really started finding some gems. I heard some music the other night that was pretty mind-blowing and we’re getting some stuff mixed right now. We’ve got great projects in the works that I’m excited to talk about. So the answer is yes, there will be unreleased Prince music coming soon.