Arctic Monkeys

[baytsym]

I wish he'd cut off another inch or so...

 

[RedAzalie]

oh now - i see i am the only one who prefer him with longer hair XD

anyway - not love My propeller video - kind of bland , but still love the fact that antoher single from amazing Humbug is out

 

[DiamondSea]

'He's the coolest man on the planet and he calls me sir'

Name Steve Baker

Job English and drama teacher, formerly of Stocksbridge high school, Sheffield

Pupil, 1997-2002 Alex Turner, singer, Arctic Monkeys

I remember a parents' evening Mrs Turner came to. She sat down and said: "Oh, Mr Baker, I've had nothing but criticism all night, and everyone's told me to come and see you." And I said: "Mrs Turner, don't worry, he's going to be all right."

There are teachers who look at pupils, check their book to see how often they've handed homework in, and make judgments on that. With Alex, I knew this was someone unconventional, a little bit different, with a brightness and a cleverness that would serve him well. He had a very original sense of humour, as you'd expect, but he was always quite reserved. I remember giving a class a bollocking once, and he was sitting there like Gromit from Wallace and Gromit – mute, but with these incredibly expressive raised eyebrows, as if he was saying sarcastically: "Ooooh – we've really cocked it up now."

Alex was never particularly vocal, but you could sense when some pieces of poetry moved him. One day, I read out a John Cooper Clarke poem, I Wanna Be Yours. I thought I'd risk doing it in John Cooper Clarke's drawling style, and if the class thought I was a prat, sod it. Some years later, Alex interviewed John Cooper Clarke for Mojo, and he said he'd sat there in class that day, thinking: "Wow!" It's always nice when people remember you fondly, but to think you might have helped someone by passing on a love of language – that means a hell of a lot.

I can't point to any one piece of Alex's work and say that's where his talent was, mainly because he was incredibly laid-back, which is why poor Mrs Turner was tearing her hair out. But he was very good at drama – at projects requiring him to pretend he was in the Amazon jungle, or a shop steward in a town threatened by a bypass, daft stuff like that. I've got a video of the last day of term, with him in the role of a teacher who gets killed. He's standing there in a blue Stocksbridge polo shirt, drinking tea with poison in it. I'd make thousands from that, but it's staying firmly locked away.

I played in a staff band at an end-of-term gig. You can imagine what the kids thought: a 45-year-old geography teacher on guitar, a 35-year-oldmusic teacher on drums, and me out front on vocals. When school started back after summer, there were all these kids who had formed new bands. I reckon they thought they couldn't look as idiotic as Mr Baker.

Later, when someone told me Alex had a band, I found their website and sent a message saying: "Well done lads, I always thought you'd do something creative." I got an email back that began: "Hello sir." Six weeks later, Alex got voted Coolest Man on the Planet by the NME, so ever since, I've started all my training sessions with the words: "The coolest man on the planet calls me sir."

They sent me two tickets to a gig at the Leadmill. I'll never forget that night; my 12-year-old son bouncing off to the front on a sea of bodies and me, a man in his early 40s, standing at the back with my pint shaking, and thinking: "God, that's Alex Turner."

The Guardian

 

[HeatherAnne]

Loved that, thanks DS

 

[Ochi Chernye]

Nice article, thanks for posting.

 

[MussedPorcelain]

I can't believe there's been an Arctic Monkeys thread this whole time and I haven't known! Pretty excited. I'm about to get a little crazy, excuse me if anything is a repost.

I recently found a live recording probably from around their second album. It's a sweet cover of a Rod McKuen song:

Play "The Lovers"

 

[MussedPorcelain]

Also, here are some videos from Dev Hynes' youtube account. They were posted in Alexa Chung's thread a while back, so you may have already seen them, but they're so cute. The band doesn't appear until about halfway through the first one, but Alex is adorable and Matt has a fun story. The second video is kind of pointless, but Alex says something in the last few seconds that you can't recognize haha.

First Part

Second Part

 

[MussedPorcelain]

Finally, a few pictures I took from The Last Shadow Puppets show at the Highline Ballroom two halloweens ago... I know, different band, but I hate bringing cameras to Arctic Monkeys shows because it inhibits my ability to dance. It's kind of related, I hope that's okay?

My Pictures

Also, I'm obsessed with his long hair. I hope he keeps it that way.

 

[Jeanster]

These pics are old, but I haven't seen them before. Thought they were kind of... funny? Matt's hair and that trench coat... oh dear...
Taken back in february during NME Awards.

source: daylife.com

 

[Ochi Chernye]

Anyone know of any Artic Monkeys fansites?

 

[spectacollard]

Does anyone know what they're up to right now ? Are they recording ?

 

[DiamondSea]

^ They have started to play together in London but I think it's early stages - don't expect an album until summer 2011.

In the meantime, Alex wrote five new songs for a film called Submarine which will be released in March next year. There was a good buzz about the songs when the film was screened at film festivals; they're "sweet" and "folky" apparently.

 

[DiamondSea]

As for fansites, http://arcticmonkeysus.com is probably the most active one these days.

 

[spectacollard]

^Thank you

Oh I'm looking forward to hearing those

 

[MussedPorcelain]

They took about a year off, because they had been constantly touring for a few years. Also, Matt broke his arm a few weeks ago [hope he's okay now, though!]. I think the goal is a new album by next early fall, like Humbug.
Have been hearing rumors - from Miles - that The Last Shadow Puppets will be coming out with a second album in another year, as well. So lots more to look forward to!

 

[DiamondSea]

I think it's safe to assume there will be an album next summer because they've just been announced as one of the headliners for Benicassim in July 2011!

 

[spectacollard]

Apparently Matt Helders has a little side-project ...

The Bottletop Band - The Fall Of Rome

The first taste of an album by a star studded musical collective that also includes Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Money Mark, VV Brown, Sam Sparro, Fink, Reverend and The Makers, Eliza Doolittle and Tim Burgess

You can listen to the song here : http://soundcloud.com/partisanpr/the-bottletop-band-the-fall-of-rome

I like it !

 

[HeatherAnne]

Arctic Monkeys Releasing James Ford-Produced Album This Year

Arctic Monkeys have started work on their fourth album with producer James Ford - and are hoping to release it later this year.

NME understands that the Sheffield four-piece started sessions at the end of 2010 in London, and are continuing work on it in Los Angeles.

Alex Turner and co are reportedly hoping to release the album in late spring at the earliest.

The new record will be the follow-up to their 2009 effort 'Humbug', which was co-produced by Ford along with Josh Homme. His other production credits include the band's second album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare', Klaxons' 'Myths Of The Near Future' and work on Florence And The Machine's 'Lungs'.

The band are already confirmed to headline Ireland's Oxegen Festival in July and are expected to be confirmed for V Festival as well as further UK events.

Arctic Monkeys are featured in the new issue of NME, on UK newsstands from tomorrow (12) or available digitally.

-nme

 

[ckgirlbr]

I'm excited now! Two of my favorite bands releasing albums this year
thanks HeatherAnne

 

[m.j.]

I'm excited now! Two of my favorite bands releasing albums this year
thanks HeatherAnne

whos the second band?
btw, every moth or so i hear that AM split up for good...