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This weeks feature
 Angie Dowds, personal training advisor to Fitness First
Gym-goers love secretly working out to cheesy hits they wouldn't dream of listening to in public.
This is according to a new survey. The study revealed that an amazing 60 per cent of fitness fans pop on headphones and get sweaty to songs they wouldn't openly admit to liking because they are so naff.
Male gym-goers confessed that 'Eye of the Tiger' by the band Survivor is the song which inspires them most while pounding away on a treadmill. The song made famous as the theme tune to the Sylvester Stallone movie Rocky III topped the poll with 19 per cent of men having it on their MP3 player for gym use only. A top psychologist today described it as the ultimate song about macho heroism and suggested fitness fanatics probably imagine they are Rocky while working out. The hit 'Jump' by American rockers Van Halen also featured as a naff favourite among male gym goers along with the Europe chart topper "The Final Countdown." |
The song women said they most listened to on an MP3 player at the gym but nowhere else was "Dancing Queen" by Abba followed by "Life is a Rollercoaster" by Ronan Keating. But the artist both sexes freely admitted listening to in the gym was Madonna. A total of 26 per cent of woman and 17 per cent of men surveyed by health club chain Fitness First said they listened to the super-fit Queen of Pop while training. After Madonna, female fitness fanatics are most likely to be listening to Girls Aloud (14 per cent) or Rihanna (10 per cent).
Classical music didn't feature highly as a favourite among gym goers with just 2 per cent saying they tuned into the likes of Bach and Beethoven. More people - 4 per cent - regularly gave music a miss altogether and tried to improve themselves by listening to foreign language lessons or self-help CDs. Psychologist Professor Cary Cooper said gym goers want to listen to upbeat music which inspires and motivates them - like 'Eye of the Tiger'. Prof Cooper, of Lancaster University, said: "Going to the gym is all about energy and drive and Madonna's music is very energising.
"The kind of music people listen to in the gym is very different from the music they might listen to at a spa or health farm which is much more relaxing and calming. "At the gym people want stimulating and motivating music. "Perhaps 'Eye of the Tiger' is the best example of this - that's all about motivation and masculinity and pushing yourself in just the same way Rocky did. "That's very symbolic. In those circumstances he is a role model.
"People might not usually listen to that song or admit to liking it but they associate it with competing and heroism which is very motivating. "People will listen to high energy stuff like that at the gym on headphones which they would never listen to at home or in the car. "But privately they probably like it and it fits with what they are doing." Fitness First, the UK's largest gym operator with 171 clubs, surveyed 200 of its 400,000 members in the UK.
The gym chain is now set to give its members the chance to choose the music played at their gym with the launch of Vote for Music. Members can go onto the Fitness First website and vote for the type of music they want. Angie Dowds, personal training advisor to Fitness First, said: "I have so much dodgy music from the 1970s and 1980s on my iPod for the gym. "I would never usually admit to liking it, but it's perfect in terms of the beat and rhythm for working out. "I know I'm not alone. So many of my clients, friends and colleagues are just the same. It seems the cheesier the better.
"There's no doubt music can be a real motivator which is why we play music videos on our in-house television screens and encourage members to exercise to music. Fitness First is committed to innovation in all areas of the business and the launch of Vote for Music is a great illustration of providing exactly what members want."
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De-Lovely
An old-fashioned film with post-modern trimmings, ‘De-Lovely’ is a not-wholly-inaccurate biopic of probably America’s wittiest, and most ambiguous, songwriter, Cole Porter. Built around the premise of the angel Gabe (Jonathan Pryce) directing a stage-show of his life, as the embittered composer looks on, it’s surprisingly successful, with nods to shows and films that featured his songs and a strong central theme, the 38-year marriage of the rich divorcee Linda Lee to the equally rich, dilletantish and unapologetically gay Porter.
Aided by a largely British supporting cast, including Kevin McNally and Keith Allen, Porter is superbly played by Kevin Kline - particularly in a scene in which he coaches a young actor (John Barrowman) to perform ‘Night And Day’, turning it almost imperceptibly, into an act of seduction. Ashley Judd is also very good as Linda. |
There are interesting, sometimes successful versions of Porter songs by the likes of Elvis Costello, Lemar, Natalie Cole, Alanis Morisette and Sheryl Crowe, but the best interpretations are by Kline, a non-singer, especially on ‘Still Of The Night’, with some help from Judd. His delivery is certainly more listenable than the rather squeaky Porter himself, who can be heard over the final credits.
I don’t think the film really succeeds in explaining the psychology behind Cole and Linda’s marriage, though the couple were certainly in love in a way that verged on mutual dependence. But, though it has exuberant moments - such as Louis B Mayer and his entourage breaking into ‘Be A Clown’ - it is refreshingly lacking in frivolity, and well worth seeing. ‘De-Lovely’ bombed in the US, however, so catch it quickly, as it probably won’t be around too long.
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Respectable
“Wickedly funny sitcom” The Mirror
Welcome to The Debonnaire, the happy workplace nestling in a cosy, domestic, leafy street with one slight difference from the rest of the houses - it’s a brothel.
This brilliantly funny and original sitcom, the final brainchild of the late, great comedy supremo Harry Thompson (‘Have I Got News For You’, ‘They Think It’s All Over’) offers a hilarious slice of life of these young working women and their customers. |
Run by Maureen, who began her career bent over bins in a back alley 15 times a night, she has seen and heard it all and is dead proud of her empire. Hayley (played by Jodi Albert) is the chirpy, sweet and naïve cockney whose ambition is to be a Big Brother housemate and has a penchant for champagne and footballers. Kate is a student working to pay off her tuition fees and is happy to get on with the job while she mulls over her future in research of pharmaceuticals. Yelena, on the other hand, is the Serbian war criminal on the run who prides herself on her fast, military-ambush style of lovemaking and is never shy of a threesome.
Into this world stumbles shy, clumsy, unhappily married Michael who falls head-over-heels in love with Hayley but is far too polite to actually ask her for sex. Barry, however, is the potty-mouthed Brummie who is the main source of Debonnaire’s income as he pops in every night. He offers advice and helpful hints to Michael, only to break his heart when he divulges his activities with Hayley.
This DVD includes all six episodes of Respectable and a special 20 minutes behind-the-scenes feature that include interviews with Jodi Albert (Hayley), Justin Edwards (Michael), Beatrice Kelley (Maureen), Barunka O’Shaughnessy (Yelena) and the writer and producer of the series, Shaun Pye.
Cert: 15
Cat Number: 2EDVD0056
Duration: 134 mins approx
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A healthy responseMahmoud’s ‘Erè Mèla mèla’ was 11 years old by the time Francis gave it its first non-Ethiopian release, and the response to the big-band sound with powerful vocals and strange yet strangely familiar 5-note scales over an urgent, addictive 6/8 groove, was very healthy. But the junta had other ideas. Travel was restricted, exports controlled, paranoia ruled. There was also the small matter of a tragic war.
Today the politics are still confused, but some policies are more relaxed and the “distinguished fan club” of that early release and the ‘golden years’ of the 60s and 70s is growing by the day. On Buda Musique “this stubborn collection” of ‘éthiopiques’ now numbers over 20 albums and the use of arranger Mulatu Astatqé’s music in the cult movie ‘Broken Flowers’ (included here) has helped reach a wider audience. High-profile media converts are a regular occurrence, e.g. Robert Plant, Brian Eno, Jamie Cullum, Elvis Costello, Charlie Gillett and Gilles Peterson.
Because once this music gets under your skin, it just won’t let go. Enigmatic, elusive, mysterious and different, yet familiar and evocative: the adjectives become more confused as the addiction takes hold. Union Square Music is proud to present 2 CDs that open the door to one of the most fascinating musical worlds of our time: ‘éthiopiques’.
“...Ethiopia’s contribution to popular music has been like a broadcast beaming out from a parallel universe. Thrilling, loopy, intriguing, an emotional cauldron.” - fROOTS
“...this curiosity offers a route into a great word-of-mouth cult, raved about by a cognoscenti that runs from Elvis Costello to Win Butler.” - The Times
“A rich and enjoyable box of musical delights...” - The Wire
“Funk, soul and hot jazz from the heart of swinging Addis Ababa” - Mojo
“Hearing just one track will make you curious; hearing all 28 will force you to rationalise your storage solutions in readiness for welcoming the entire series into your home.” - The Word
“Do yourself a favour and discover the Ethiopian R&B counterparts to James Brown, Elvis Presley and Jackie Wilson, but also jazz composers, folk minstrels and bluesmen with the power and wildness of Bukka White or Son House, or contemplative piano music that might suggest Bill Evans or Maurice Ravel for a moment, but is really from a strange and wonderful place of its own.” - Elvis Costello
We are giving a copy of this CD away in our music quiz, along with our usual voucher prize, so go on, have a go! |
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