Hi AllDec 2010
Ho Ho Ho....... Greetings to one and all!
Here we are again, Christmas is almost here and nearly the end of another year.
Life here in Dean Towers has been busy and all in all, 2011 has been a good one.
The last couple of weeks have been busy.....school activities, assemblies, parties and general shenanigans.Christmas shopping and wrapping.
17th Dec, and my little girl & co pilot went to St Albans to see Toyah and Ceebeebies Mr Maker in "Snow White" (oh yes they did!!!), Miss Willcox was apparently a very fine, and quite scary Wicked Queen, sadly I couldnt join them (Boo Hiss) as I flew to Dundee for a show at KLOSET.
The club has been completely refurbished since my last visit, with a new sound system....I had a great time, and want to say a BIG hello to everyone from the club Paul and his staff and to Joel (AKA Shona) for keeping me entertained.I have one complaint - the stage is way too high for me and my poor old knees - I demand steps or a Stannah Stair lift next time : )
Buddy the Super Pup arrived home (with a collection of blankets and toys) on 18th Dec, just as I arrived home from Dundee.
Only 2 piddles and a poo on my (VERY) expensive Indian rug!!! But have to say that dog is ridiculously cute!!!Watch out for regular Buddy Updates (Donna & Danny - fear not, the little guy has settled in just fine, and will be much loved!)
Im looking forward to a quiet time with my family, although how quiet can it be with an almost 7 year old AND a puppy in the house?
Dean Towers, will be hectic as my mum is coming to stay. She hasnt been very well lately, so it will be nice to have her with me for some TLC.
Right, im signing off for this year, so, from me and my family to you and yours,I wish you a Happy, Healthy and above all Peaceful Christmas.
See you in 2012!
Always Hazell xxx
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Nov
Oct... Has flown by in a whirlwind, starting as last months blog ended with the last Pride of the season in Carlise on the 1st Oct.
My time has been spent preparing to go over to Spain to work with Pete Ware (along with the usual school runs/playdates/parents evenings and th highlight of a school trip to
Wisley Gardens)
So, to sunny Spain for some intensive singing!
Pete and I worked solidly for 4 days working on 4 tracks, and we are both pretty pleased with the result.
I dont want to tell you what the tracks are......yet but they are 4 of my faves, and the plan is to record another batch of tracks in the new year.
Co-pilot and my little girl arrived on my birthday, which was lovely.
The next 3 days we all enjoyed some well earned R & R, heading to the beach in the Ware family "Motor Home" (ahhh, nothing beats being able to enjoy the beach and have your own tea making facilities and bathroom - call me old fashioned!). Followed by an afternoon in the mountains in Pete's Jeep - roof off and on some vary precarious roads indeed.
My little girl discovered some very impressive "Dragon Caves". Now, I was not aware that Spain was the home of so many dragons, but apparently it is and they all live in caves just outside Malaga?
I have attached some photos of me, Pete & Tara Ware and my little girl....
The last day, a scorching hot Sunday was spent back in Pete's Jeep and heading back across the mountains and through the most amazing scenery to some beautiful lakes. We had Paella overlooking trees and water in the sunshine, before taking in some more of the scarily twisty roads and heading for ice cream ( a basic food group for a 6 year old!)
The drive back home was much less fun for me, as the twists/turns and altitude got the better of me and I got carsick, and was rather green at the gills - this was compounded by my daughter singing the chorus of Toyahs new track "Fallen" over and over and over again, at full volume, boy was I glad to get back and recline like the dying swan, while everyone bustled around me.
My carsickness deprived me of a very scrumptious Sunday roast that evening as I could not face anything : (
Pete and I had to go back into the studio to re-record and drop in ONE WORD on a track...and once that had been done - all was complete, and the next day we were on our way back home, with my little girl bumping into a friend at Malaga airport!!!1 How does this happen??? She is 6 years old and meets friends in foreign airports!!!!??? I havent had a chance to download my photos yet, but when I do,I will get the webmaster to add a few to the blog - anyone fancy seeing me up a mountain!
The 4 tracks have been sent to Energise, who have great plans for remixes - its an exciting project, and I am loving the tracks we have chosen as they are particular favorites of mine, so I am enjoying singing them.
We arrived home from the airport just in time for little one to throw on her Halloween outfit and head off to a party, looking remarkably like Cher! I tell you, she has more of a rock n roll lifestyle than me these days.
Flu Jabs all round and we are all prepared for the onslaught of Winter and whatever coughs colds and school gate virus's come our way.....i'm prepared!
Blackpool for a weekend from the 5th Nov, starting with a firework display with the Northern branch family before 2 shows at The Mardi Gras.
I bumped into a artiste called Donna Reid, who I have not seen since 1979, when we both worked together in The Andy Ross band. It was such a surprise to see her, and I got her on stage to join me for "We are Family" at the end of my show.
I seem to be having a bit of a mental block about when I recorded "Love Pains".....I keep saying I recorded it in 1899!!! Now I know I have been around a long time, but even I was not recording in 1899!!!
Had a great Sunday night at Mardi Gras, followed by an equally fantastic night on Monday 7th Nov when I sang there again for a charity event. Not only did I claim I say 1899 again about "Love Pains" I also went on stage wearing my reading glasses!!!
What am I like. Co pilot was wildly gesturing to Stella, host and MC at Mardi Gras, trying to mime "she has her glasses on!!" but Stella had taken his/her contact lenses out so assumed co pilot was making owl faces at him.
I finally realised what I had done, and managed to whip 'em off! The customers at Mardi Gras have raised over £200,000 over the years for AIDS/HIV charities - amazing eh? I will be back there in February, so hope I will remember to take my specs off next time!
OK.....now for some good news - after much negotiation, Cherry Red have finally managed to license "Always" from EMI - it should be ready for release for March 2012.
The track listing will be something like this.....
Disc 1:
1 They Say It's Gonna Rain (7" Version) 3.54 1C 006 20 08457
2 Who's Leaving Who (7" Version) 3.41 EM 45
3 Turn It Into Love (Album Version) 3.35 EMC 3546
4 You're My Rainbow 5.13 EMC 3546
5 Always Doesn't Mean Forever (7" Version) 3.33 EM 8
6 Maybe (We Should Call It A Day) (7" Version) 3.38 EM 62
7 Walk In My Shoes (Album Version) 4.16 EMC 3546
8 Nothing In My Life 3.46 EMC 3546
9 Danger 4.58 EMC 3546
10 No Fool (For Love) (Murray 7" Mix) 3.23 CAPITOL records US V-15351
11 Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing 6.19 EMC 3546
12 Stand Up (7" Version) 3.44 EMI 5584
13 Can't Get You Out Of My Mind 3.54 1C 006 20 08457
14 Love Ends, Love Parts 3.23 EMI 5584
15 Image In The Mirror 3.48 EMI 5560
16 Turn It Into Love (House Mix) 7.12 EMI America/CAPITOL records US V-15416
17 Megamix 12.58 12EMX 71
Disc 2:
2 Image In The Mirror
3 They Say It's Gonna Rain (Indian Summer Mix)
4 Always Doesn't Mean Forever (My-Ami Mix)
5 Turn It Into Love (Danae Jacovidis Edit)
6 Walk In My Shoes (Nightmare Mix)
7 Who's Leaving Who (Bob's Tambourine Mix)
8 Maybe (We Should Call It A Day) (Extra Beat Boys Remix)
9 Turn It Into Love (House Mix)
10 They Say It's Gonna Rain (Zulu Mix)
11 High As A Kite Megamix
Good news eh??? WIll keep you updated as I hear more about the release.
OK guys, I will blog again before Christmas, so be good, be nice to each other!
Always
Hazell
XXX
Ps this months download is........"I wanna be me" recorded in 1899....NO NO NO, recorded in the early 1990"s with Ray Hedges.
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OCT
Oh yes indeed, I have finally given in, and after much pleading and being on a waiting list for a very long time, the puppies are due to be born in October, which means (hopefully) the newest member of the Dean family will be coming home just in time for Christmas, and a certain little girls 7th Birthday!! You can be sure that the new little Dean Doggy will become a regular feature in my blogs.Be good, and take care of yourselves....i'm off to the kitchen, domestic Goddess style, to make a BIG Sunday dinner for my family.....I have even made apple and raspberry crumble : )Is there no end to my talents?AlwaysHazellxxxPS. This months download is....."If you want my Love" written and produced by Pete Ware and myself....recorded with all live musicians , not not a drum machine in sight - those were the days!!! Well, better late than never!The webmaster went for a well deserved break, hence the delay in posting the blog.As you can guess, September has been about getting back into the routine of the school run! Early morning starts, swimming lessons, play dates and HOMEWORK!Im sure I never had this much homework at Primary school!!! My little genius is doing just great - and I am very proud of her!!We have even been looking at Junior Schools for next year - My goodness time really flys when you have a child.There have also been a few coughs, colds and runny noses........!!! I was back in Manchester on 17th Sept, at The Rembrandt - celebrating the clubs 1st Birthday. I had a fantastic time. The crowd were great. Thanks guys I had a fabulous evening!!!The Pride season ended with Cardiff and Carlisle.Cardiff being a very rainy affair - the heavens literally opened as I left the stage and it poured - but good fun seemed to be had by all, and I saw a lot of casualties looking a little worse for wear after too much booze!Carlisle was the last Pride, on Saturday 1st October...I had a LONG LONG drive in glorious sunshine, whilst my family took themselves into London for an "adventure day" without me. They went to a museum, then wandered along The South Bank in the sunshine eating ice creams followed by a trip on "The Duck Tour" and then had a take away and watched a movie.....WITHOUT ME : (I did manage to say a very quick Hello to Toyah before she went on stage. The whole event was lovely, and the perfect way to end the season!Early Oct has been spent at home. I had my mum come to stay for a week, plus the final bits of work on my house are being done.....tables being delivered, curtains being made....and the bit I am most looking forward to - shutters for my windows being fitted!!!Im starting to prepare to head over to the studio with Peter Ware. Im learning lyrics and getting my act together slowly. Im really looking forward to working with Pete, and pretty excited about the tracks.My little girl will be joining me on my birthday, so hoping that we will manage to enjoy a bit of Spanish sunshine while we are there!!!Well, thats it for me.....a short blog, but there will me more to report next month when I am back from Spain. Oh, and the BIG news in Dean Towers.....WE ARE GETTING A PUPPY!
Hi one and all.
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Sept Blog.
Firstly, sorry guys, the site was down for a couple of days in August - technical problems, but all back to normal now!!!Well, where do I begin? August has been quite eventful and busy.I had my annual "Essex Girls Holiday" with my mum, sister and little girl. We try to spend a week together at the start of the Summer every year. This years extravaganza ended at my sister in laws 60th birthday party, where much fun was had by all. I ended up singing a rousing version of "Searchin" joined by my daughter........Happy Birthday Jane!!!The morning after the party I headed up to Aberdeen for the Pride after Party.....boy oh boy, it rained and rained, but I had fun with Kelly Wilde and Jason Prince. Thankfully I had a decent flight time home the next day - poor Kelly and Jason had to be up and heading to the airport before 6am..Eeeeeek!Mid Aug and the start of our much anticipated family holiday. The car was packed to the gills and off we set for Devon - bodyboards and wetsuits at the ready!
I so look forward to a couple of weeks away, and this year a lakeside log cabin was our destination. Peace and quiet, total bliss.Some serious sea swimming and body boarding took place over the 2 weeks - my little girl is such a waterbaby - she is looking forward to being 8 years old when she can go to surf school!!!We had some lovely days out and a certain person has developed a passion for bubblegum flavoured ice cream, which is the most lurid blue and looks vile.
There were some surfing injuries and pulled muscles including me....pulling a strategic muscle whilst Ten Pin Bowling, or 'bowling butt" as my injury was named - family holidays get a little competitive and I like to win!!!While I was away I received an huge number of texts from friends and family asking me if I making a guest appearance on "Eastenders".To set the record straight.....No I was NOT in Southend appearing at an 80's Freedom Festival.It was hilarious to hear Shirleys proposition to Heather "So, do you fancy a date with Hazell Dean?" regardless of poor Heathers heartfelt plea of "But I only want Pizza and Hazell Dean!!!" LOL.It was quite surreal, especially as I was snuggled up in a log cabin in Devon, a million miles away from both Southend and Albert Square!!!Sorry guys and girls, no plans for an "Eastenders" appearance, but I shall await the call from the producers, a gig at The Queen Vic would be great fun!!!The last weekend of August and Manchester Pride beckoned......off down the motorway we headed, looking forward to the day. Co-pilot was full off "I know Manchester so well" boasts, and to be honest, we never usually have a problem there, but this time we found oursleves completely and utterly lost. I had planned to arrive at the hotel, change into my stage gear and casually make my way over to the backstage area for 4pm.Yet we found ourselves in Salford at 4pm, with me in what can only be described as a right old panic!!! Eventually co pilot suggested we find the nearest carpark and get a cab to main stage. This would have been fine, but my daughter had decided to travel in a red silk Chinese fancy dress outfit, and it was raining!!!!! To add insult to injury most of central Manchester was closed as Jenson Button was driving an F1 car through Deansgate - even the taxi driver had to use a sat nav to find a route to Princess Street (co pilot felt somewhat happier and not such a navigational failure!). We arrived, stressed, wet, late and with a child who looked like she belonged in the circus!!! We arrived at last and crashed into poor Toyah Willcox's dressing room like marauding bandits, only for my little girl to launch into an interrogation of Toyah which went something ilke this....."Is that a wig? Can I wear that wig? Whats a New Moon? Are those false eyelashes? Are you wearing false eyelashes? Have you got a rabbit? Can I meet your rabbit? Why is your hair pink? Can I come on stage with you? Tell me what a New Moon is again?....Can I wear your wig???????" On and on it went - it has to be said the poor kid was stir crazy from being cooped up in the car, and Toyah is very colourful - bright pink detachable hair being an enormous attraction to a 6 year old child!!
Yes, Keiran and Roy - I did see you :I eventually readied myself (whilst my child continued to stalk Toyah) and hit the stage - and had a fantastic time!! My little girl joined me at the end for "Searchin" - she was brilliant and thankfully had changed from her fancy dress gear!!!!It was lovely to see everyone, I managed to grab a very brief chat with Cheryl Baker & Mike Nolan from Bucks Fizz, and an even briefer hello with Angie Brown, but it was poor Toyah who deserves the credit for putting up with my childs constant bombardment - when she wasnt questioning her, or staring at her she was hurling herself at her full speed. I think Toyah is relieved that she has a rabbit and not a kid LOL!!!!We ended the evening straight after the vigil at 'VIA" with my lovely friend Tony. What a great atmosphere!!! I had a really great show (bloody hell it was hot in there) and a fabulous audience. It was my first visit, but im sure i'll be back.As you can see from the photo's a certain small person had the best view n the house, and threatened to upstage me with her dancing antics and left "VIA" with a rather large teddybear ( you know my thoughts on that Tony)!!!
Manchester was celebrating its 21st Pride, and it was great to be back - Bank Holiday Monday was a complete whirl and i'm still recovering!!!!I will be heading to Cardiff on 3rd Sept, for my penultimate Pride of 2011, so hope to see a few friendly faces there too.Well, thats it for me for a few weeks.....be good!AlwaysHazellxxPS. This months download is......"Say Goodbye to Yesterday" another track written with Pete Ware. A good old heartbreak song which we demo-ed in the early 90's!
Sorry due to tec problems I have been unable to put all the photos on.
The webmaster
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Augs
Hi everyone!Blimey, has Summer finally arrived? Am I tempting fate by saying, what lovely sunshine we are having?As we are at the start of the School Summer holidays, im praying for sun, as there is nothing worse than a bored 6 year old confined to barracks by the rain. Fingers crossed it continues to shine.July started with a chat with Gary from Energise about out new project. I am heading over to Spain to record with my lovely Pete Ware in October, and we are both very excited about the tracks.Everyone I have discussed this with has a very positive response, and I m sure you guys (and gals!) will love enjoy the finished result.My little girl will be joining me for a few days towards the end of our recording schedule, and I have no doubt that she will have Pete recording her and making her into a mini popstar, as she loves performing.2nd July and I went shopping at Bicester Outlet village. Those of you who regularly read my blog may remember that I had a New Years Eve drama, when I left my stage clothes at home, and had to make an unscheduled diversion in sheer panic to to only place I could buy something suitable to wear on stage later that night.It was very nice to visit Bicester again under less stressful circumstances, although co pilot and I went on a shopping frenzy, and by 11.30am we were laden down with Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabanna and Joseph so settled ourselves down for a long brunch, oooh I do like a nice bargain and a good brunch.Pride season continues and I headed to the seaside for Bournmouth Pride along with my friends Kelly Wilde, Damian (Time Warp) - it was Very Cold and Very Dark, with lights in the backstage Dressing room - thats showbiz.I've never had to put my make up on outdoors and in the dark before. Its not to be recommended.So, the highlight of the month has to be my daughters school PTA end of term School Disco. I had been dreading it. Im more than happy getting up and singing in front of a crowd of strangers and maybe a few friendly faces) but to perform in front off all the mums (and a few dads) that I see EVERY DAY on the school run was, quite frankly , a bloody terrifying thought.That said, I actually had a fabulous time. It was a proper school disco, 80's style, with lots of drunk and disorderly misbehaving.Judging by the emails I got back from the other mums there were a fair few sore heads too!Nothing quite prepares you for being a parent, and the total change it brings to your life. Never did I think I would be singing in my local village hall, and loving every minute of it.Those mums ROCK, and I have made some great new friends... here are the photos to prove it. Sorry gals if your photo's didnt make it into the blog, but you will thank me, its because Y'all look so DRUNK!!!!
No time to recover from the School Disco for me, as I had to head off to Hartlepool the next morning.Thankfully I didnt have the "Snakebite" hangover that was being suffered by the other mums (Ladies, you arent teenagers anymore!!!!).
OK, About Hartlepool......can anyone tell me where does everyone go during daylight hours???? Actually why does nobody go out until after midnight???
I can honestly ay I have never arrived in a town that is totally empty at 4.30 in the afternoon. The streets were literally deserted.Wierdly, after midnight, the streets were packed and rowdy. Is Hartlepool inhabited by vampires? Had I found myself in the twilight zone? All very strange........?I had a very quiet show, as was on stage at 10.30pm, but those locals who did venture out before the witching hour seemed to enjoy themselves.So dont forget, if you fancy a night out in Hartlepool, dont expect to the fun to start till after midnight!!!22nd July and school was officially out for Summer and off we went for a much anticipated long weekend in Harrogate. We were going to see Toyah Willcox at the Harrogate Theatre, my co-pilot was due to help Toyah with her costume changes, but was struck down with a raging chest infection so had to keep a quarantined, antibiotic laden distance, moaning and wheezing.Regardless of the wheezing co pilot, my little girl and I had a fabulous time, singing ourselves hoarse, head banging and punching the air.For those of you who love the 80's I highly recommend you go and see Miss Willcox and her band on her "From Sheep Farming to Anthem" tour, she is bloody brilliant ( all gig dates listed on www.toyahwillcox.com).My little girl is now a HUGE fan, and asked her to sign her T-shirt after the show. I bet its the first time Toyah has ever signed the back of a Justin Bieber T-Shirt being worn by an over excited 6 year old LOL!!!
We had a lovely couple of days in Harrogate (despite the chest infection) and yes, we did go to Betty Tea Room, for a cuppa and a Yorkshire Fat Rascal.I am partial to a good old fashioned tea room, and Bettys ticks all the boxes. There's nothing quite like sitting in the sunshine, with a perfect cup of tea and Fat Yorkshire rascal, while the pianist plays Abba - camp and classic... so very very British.It was such a shock to hear about the death of Amy Winehouse over that weekend, a massive loss to the British music industry - talented and beautiful girl. What more can I say, a tragic loss at such a young age.So, thats s brief recap of my July, but before I sign off I need to wish my sister in law JANE, and very Happy 60th Birthday for 2nd August , and I will see you at the party on the 6th, Old Girl!!!Enjoy your Summer everyone and enjoy the Pride seasonI will be in Aberdeen for Pride on Sunday 7th Aug, then on the main stage at Manchester Pride on 29th Aug, followed by Via Fossa the same night.See Y'all soon........AlwaysHazellPS. This month download is "The Best is Yet to Come" previously released as a B side/bonus track, but this particular mix (Over 18 Mix) has never been released before.I have have been told that this is much played at wedding and civil partnership partys. I enjoyed writing and singing this track, and I hope you enjoy it too.
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JULY
Firstly, I was very sad to hear about the passing of Daryl Pandy, and my thoughts and prayers are with Daryls family and friends. xxx
What a mixed few weeks we have had weather wise, from torrential downpours to a tropical heatwave - and typically just in time for Wimbledon.
Those of you who follow my blog will know life in Dean Towers comes to a halt while I spend a fortnight shouting at the television......Oh Happy Days!
The month started with an 80's show at the Swindon Garden Bowl. It was lovely to work with Sonia and Limahl, and the audience were great. It was particularly nice to see my cousin and her husband, who came to the show, and had great fun with my daughter - sorry guys, she does like to dance the night away and I hope you weren't too exhausted LOL!
My little girl had been looking forward to seeing Limahl all day, as she is a huge fan of the movie "Never Ending Story", and bless him for bringing her a signed copy of the movie, and singing to her backstage. She is VERY in love, and has a photo of Limahl on the mantle piece in her bedroom, who knows, he may have even replaced Justin Bieber in her affections.
It was equally great to see Toyah Willcox, and spend some time having a pre show chat, even though I couldnt make dinner. Co pilot and I nearly choked the poor woman on her cereal making her laugh over breakfast on the Sunday morning - Sorry T!) Sadly I didnt get to see Sinitta, but heard she whipped her kit off and looked as fabulous as ever, despite the crutches for her poor injured ankle.
There had been much teasing of Toyah prior to Blackpool Pride, so it would have been no surprise if she had have whipped her kit off too after a rather elaborate prank was pulled. Thankfully she has a great sense of humour, LOL!
After an impromptu trip to a palm reader with Toyah followed by a brief visit to see my mate, DJ Moz Morris and his mum, Irene, we set off for home...... and the drive back to London was truly hideous...rain rain rain and a yet more rain, I cannot tell you how glad I was to get home, knackered after that truly dreadful drive.
While we are on the subject of the fabulous Mr Morris, this months download is the Moz;s thumping mix of "Evergreen".....crank up the volume and ENJOY!
The following weekend was quiet, and allowed for some more shopping for the extension on Dean Towers....curtains, cushions, wallpaper and rug, oh and a very fancy new bicycle for a certain Miss Dean junior!
Mid June found me baking gingerbread bears for The School Fair. I had tried to amass a collection old books and toys for the toy stall, but each time I got a nice batch together a certain small person edited my work,and it all ended up back in her bedroom. We even ended up buying more junk to bring home, but hey, we had a fabulous time, even though a lunchtime Pimms went straight to my head thanks to the class reps looking after the Pimms tent and leading everyone astray with their lethal mixology!
I have been recruited to entertain at the school Summer Ball, which I am looking forward to with complete and utter dread - give me a club full of strangers any day, not all the mums I see daily on the school run!! I'm sure it will be a great night with a few crazy happenings (with or without Pimms!) and I shal be reporting any unruly parental behaviour direct to the headmistress
We had a scrumptious family day out at Loseley Park, Surrey, famous for ice cream. As my child is convinced that ice cream is a basic food group, the prospect of a day at Loseley was her idea of heaven, and yes she did sample the product, declaring toffee to be the best. Personally i'm a fan of lemon curd, but she is adamant that toffee is the only flavour worth having!
Im ending the month quietly....Wimbledon finals and possibly strawberries and cream.
Look out on the gig page for a show near you!
See Y'all Soon
Always
Hazell
XXX
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1st June
Hi one and all.
What can I tell you about May??Well, Gran Canaria Pride has to be one of the highlights of the month.
Heading off from Luton on Friday 6th May, i managed to spend £120 before even leaving the check in desk.
Let me have a moan about Ryanair....£40 EACH TO CHECK IN!!! Nobody warned me about their check in on-line policy, and then another £40 to check in a bag. I was not happy I can tell you.
Regardless of that, co pilot and I boarded the plane with my friend, Kelly Wilde, Jo Francis and her partner, and I can safely say I have never been on such a camp flight in my life!! All good fun and very noisy.
A quite dinner on arrival with the gang - Kelly, Jason Prince and Angie Brown before an early night. I was awoken at 7am by the guys in the room next door having a FURIOUS row. Door slamming, throwing things (at the wall directly above my head - Thank you very much!), plus plenty of very hysterical screaming. I have no idea what they were rowing about but could tell they had Birmingham accents - they were christened "The Tamworth Two" and their antics continued to amused, with the gang and I trying to guess who they could be at breakfast.
The
show that evening was great fun, kicked of by Kelly, resplendent in
what can only be described as an outfit belonging to The Little Mermaid.
I followed Angie Brown, who worked the crowd in her own special way ( I
LOVE the way Angie woofs, barks and beatboxes, she is brilliant!!!)
I finished the show, and was somewhat surprised when the rest of the artistes and dancers joined me on satge for "Searchin" as I hadnt been warned, but I have to say it was great. especially when Angie rushed back on stage to join us all before being whisked off to the airport to catch a flight home .....The Gang was much quieter on her departure and we missed you Miss Brown!!! And YES, to anyone who witnessed my farewell to Angie as she left the stage, I did indeed call her Angie Gold....oh good grief!! Saying that I have to really concentrate very hard when speaking to Hannah Jones as I always want to call her Hannah Gordon....what can I say?? Im an old fashioned girl.
We spent a lazy morning over breakfast and a wander around the Yumbo Centre, mainly trying to find Kelly Wilde who kept going AWOL, before we headed off to a pool party to see Jo Francis perform (eventually, after a power failure was fixed). We headed over to The Yumbo again after dinner and saw the start of the Sunday show, before sneaking off for some sleep as had to be up at 3am to leave for the airport at 4am.
Around 3.45am I head the muffled voices of Jason Prince, Kelly and her American friend Scott attempting to creep along the corridor......much "SSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH-ing" was going on, but I caught them, and invited them in, thus getting my revenge on The Tamworth Two, as they all fell drunk and disorderly into my room, shouting obscenitites and being generally VERY LOUD!!!
I am usually a very considerate hotel guest, but quite frankly after the early morning antics of the Tamworth Two, really enjoyed inflicting some noise on them, before leaving for the airport.
I have included a few photos that sum up the weekend!!! :
The middle of May was spent pottering around at home, enjoying myself at home with a bit of DIY and shopping. The new family room is a little Boho/shabby chic...comfy and practical.
I had a lovely visit from my brother and sister in law, plus an entertaining night out with my other gang, or "The Girls" - they know who they are!!!!
The kids birthday party season has begun again, kicking off with a fairy party and a pirate party in the same weekend!!!! You have no idea of the pressure trying to cobble together an outfit for a 6 year old!!!
May 21st and a family day out at Marwell Zoo. My little girl loves family days out, and particularly loves picnics, so a day at the zoo combines both nicely.
I have so many fond memories of sunny days and picnics with my family as a child, its wonderful to enjoy it all over again with my little girl.....so we had a fabulous day in the sunshine. We particularly enjoyed the Madagascar section. Anyone who has seen the animated movie will appreciate why we spent the afternoon singing "I like to move it move it" doing our best King Julian/Sacha Baron Cohen impressions. I am in fact, rather good at quoting kids animated movies these days, and can quite often be found chirping "Mr Tinkles!" a la Miriam Magolyes from "Cats and Dogs"
Im highly recommending Marwell Zoo for a day out.
The vocals for "Let the Night" will be heading over to Energise shortly, so work should start on the remixes pretty soon. I will update you. as soon as I have any news. I am quite excited about this project, as I really like the track and am intrigued by what they will do with it. I'm planning on working with Pete Ware later in the year if time allows. Pete and I have a few ideas kicking around.
OK, now for the Phil Harding book.....many of you have asked if I have read it, and what I think of it, so here goes.
There are some comments made in the book, not by Phil himself, but attributed to a John McDonald (I have absolutly no idea who this person is, and even contacted my former colleagues at PWL to find out more - suffice to say, they gave me their very candid views!)
This guy gives his "opinions" on me and my career which are grossly factually and more importantly, legally incorrect, plus some rather personal comments about my "loyalty" at a certain point in my career to both Proto and PWL that are both insulting and petty, plus once again completely untrue and grossly factually incorrect - and for the record there is NO bad feeling at all between Barry Evangeli and myself, in fact quite the opposite. The only people qualified to comment on this particular subject are Pete Waterman, Barry Evangeli and ME - anything else from anyone else is pure speculation and heresay.
It is times like this where as a courtesy to the artiste, it would have been nice to have seen a draft before publication - and as Forrest Gump would say...."Thats all I have to say about That!"
The month of May was rounded off nicely with Birmingham Pride - and a family road trip to the Midlands.
We arrived a little too early, and spent the afternoon and early evening hanging around back stage, which was a little chilly at times - that said,it was lovely to meet up with the Gran Canaria Posse, Kelly, Jason and Jo Francis.
Backstage was turned into the PWL creche with the arrival of Sonia and her family, when all conversation turned to babies and kids (we are SO Rock N Roll!!!). My little girl was desperate to get on stage and strut her stuff, so the long wait was particularly painful for her. When showtime finally did arrive, the poor little thing was exhausted, although with the help of a pink feather boa, kindly donated by the wonderful drag queen MC's (sorry guys, your names have escaped me, but think yourselves lucky im not calling you Angie Gold and Hannah Gordon!!!) Miss Dean junior rose to the occasion, joining me on stage for the last chorus of "Searchin", then led the finale of "We are Family" with the rest of the gang.
That kid was singing, dancing and shaking her groove thing so much, that when we got to the end, Miss Kelly Wilde insisted that we did it AGAIN, whilst clucking like a mother hen over my diva-esque daughter.
Now this is fine, if you are 6 years old and wildly over excited, but I was by this point. ready for a cuppa and a lie down, but not wanting to disappoint either Kelly or my child, we did it again....... and it was great fun, and left us all KNACKERED but happy!!!!! Happy Pride, Birmingham!!!!!!
Look out for a show near you on the gigs page, and I look forward to seeing Y'all soon.
Always
Hazell
xxx
PS The download for this month is the second track written by myself and Pete Ware for the one and only DIVINE - "Big, Bad and Dangerous" a slice of camp fun in its raw demo form.
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May Blog....
Hi one and all.
Firstly, let me get a little international with y'all. I have been trying to reply to a guy named Samuel from Colombia on my guestbook page, but there seems to be technical issues with the guestbook accepting Spanish, so indulge me while I reply to him here.
OK, here goes......
Hola Samuel! Hola Colombia!
Gracias por tu correo electrónico, y por envíarme tu apoyo. Siempre es bueno saber que mi música es amada en todo el mundo.
Sigue chekeando la pagina ya que pronto apareceran noticias y nuevos lanzamientos.
Hasta pronto
Hazell
xxx
Hows that guys? Impressive?? LOL, No, sadly I dont speak fluent Spanish, but I have a gang of very international friends who help me out.
Well, isnt life great when the sun is shining? I have a a very productive time decorating. I LOVE PAINTING!!! It gives me a great sense of satisfaction to relax in the bath after a hard days decorating....is that weird?
Pink seems to have become a big feature in Dean Towers, making an appearance in the lounge, my daughters very girly bedroom and with new pink sofa for the family room, im thinking a pink feature wall could be coming very soon.....camp or what?
Show wise, I ventured up North on the 16th April, where I was a surprise "Wedding present" at a Civil Partnership party - and here is the story...
Off set co-pilot and I for a lovely drive, radio on, chatting and singing to pass the time, eventually we approached our junction on the M6, and I for some reason became convinced we should be heading for Burnley. My co-pilot, equally convinced we should be heading towards Blackburn and the demonically named A666.
All had been going well until this point, after a good 45 minutes of driving around aimlessly and in the wrong direction on the demon 666, we had to admit defeat and stop to ask directions. My poor co-pilot got out of the car and managed to pick out possiblythe drunkest Irishman in the entire Lancashire area to ask. Suffice to say, returning to the car, much to my amusement, stinking of booze just from his breath - his directions however drunk and rambling were fabulous, and we found ourselves at Mytton Fold Hotel (somewhere between Burnley & Blackburn) in no time, where the festivities were in full swing, and I had to sneak through the car park and into reception without being seen.
Kieran had booked this surprise for his partner Roy last November. I have no idea how he (and all the other guests) kept this secret, as everyone but Roy know about me being the big surprise.
Apparently several questions had been aimed at poor Kieran on their big day, along the lines of "So, wheres my wedding present?" to which he was fobbed off with "Its on its way from London" !!!! Little did he now his present had come via London and had been circumnavigating Burnley for quite some time.
So, 9pm-ish (and just before the buffet??Go figure) poor Roy was summoned to the dancefloor, where Kieran introduced me as his wedding present to his groom... "F' OFF! Your joking!!" being Roys immediate reaction LOL.
Suffice to say, it was a BIG BIG surprise, and a fabulous time was had by all, and as promised guys, here are a couple of pics of the evening. I wish you every happiness together, and Kieran, I think we can safely say your very romantic and thoughtful "gift" made him VERY happy indeed.
Obviously its been school Easter holidays too, so i've also been juggling playdates and picnics, and the eating of chocolate.Good Friday and another big drive up North to Blackpool and The Mardi Gras......and sitting in traffic on the M40 for hours!!!
I had to cancel Christmas Eve at Mardi Gras due to bad weather and not being able to get my car off the drive, so it was lovely to be heading back, in glorious sunshine for the Easter Bank Holiday.
I really enjoyed the show, and am enjoying singing "Turn it into Love" and "Better off without you" which are the most requested tracks. Check out the photo of me and Stella after the show.
I may be heading back in November so watch the gigs page for updates.
A big shout out to Tim, as I promised I would give him a mention in the blog.
We enjoyed the long Easter bank holiday with family and for what was a first in my experience, it was sunny enough for a Barbecue in Blackpool (OK, so I did have to demand blankets, but it was worth it)
The Royal Wedding day saw us heading to my friends Jenny and husband Peter's house (builder of my extension and utility room) for another barbeque. Why do we feel the need to incinerate food outdoors at the merest hint of sunshine?
My little girl is fascinated by all things involving princesses, so it was up early to watch the festivities in our jim jams........Yes I cried, and wasnt she a beautiful bride - I love a bit of good old old British pomp and ceremony - what a fabulous day!!! I had my Union Jack and William & Catherine flags flying!!! : )
There seems to be a big debate on the forum page over unreleased tracks from either PWL or Proto. There are no previously unreleased tracks by me with either. Unless I recorded under sedation, I have no memory at all of any of the tracks that have been mentioned on the forum, or any other that are "leaked" on the PWL website for release.
As far as I am concerned - there are NONE. ZERO. NIL!
The only unreleased tracks I know of, are the ones I hold, and are only available on this website to download......speaking of which, this months download is........ something a little different, "No Imitation" one of the tracks written by myself and Pete Ware not for me but for the one and only DIVINE. Sadly never recorded by him due to his sudden death.
The male voices on the track are Mr Ware himself (gorgeous, talented and a superstar backing singer too is my Pete!) plus Matthew Nelms, who worked with me for many years on the road as my sound engineer - and much fun we had too!!! I would have loved to have heard DIVINE sing this track.
Re "Energize". Yes, I will be recording something for release. No songs have been discussed and nothing has been confirmed - its all open ended at the moment, but fear not, I will for sure be recording something in the near future. When we have made a decision on the release of "Let the night take the blame" I will let you know on this site exclusively.
I will be heading to Gran Canaria on 6th May for Pride, and hope some of you will be coming along to see me.
Ged and The Geordie Boys, I am expecting you to be screaming and going wild as promised when I sing "Turn it into Love"....you promised boys!!!!
The last Sunday in May and I will be at Birmingham Pride, so come and say Hello if you are in the area.
Take care and be good.
Always
Hazell
XXX
PS I have been reading Phil Hardings book, and will be making some comments of my own when I have finished.
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1st April Hi guys
Early March and I headed over to sunny Spain and very productive time in the studio with Mr Pete Ware.
We worked on new vocals for "Let The Night Take The Blame", and I have
to say after my previous attempt recorded around this time last year,
when I was feeling VERY ill with some school yard virus. This version is
a million times better, and im very pleased with what we achieved in a
few days.
Keep watching out on the site for information on this track, and its
release. Im feeling very positive about this after a false start last
last year.
Pete and I also worked on a medley for my show, of which a Pete made a
video which can be accessed from a link on the home page. I am always
being asked for tracks that I havent sung for a long time, so I will be
rehearsing these for shows later in the Summer. My friends and family
have commented on the distinct lack of tea in the video, as I am well
known for always having a cuppa on the go when in the studio LOL! I hope
it makes you smile!!!
Mrs Ware - your homemade marmalade is superb as always : )
We had a family day out in London on one of the first sunny Saturdays, heading off on the train - first stop being the IMAX to see "Sammy- A Turtles Tale" in 3D no less, and you know what?..... I really enjoyed it.
Although London is practically on my doorstep, its great fun to have a spur of the moment day trip when the sun shines, but not so much fun with the rioters rampaging.
I had my lovely builders back in for a week laying a wood floor and finishing off those little jobs and snagging list before moving out, leaving me in decorating heaven (check me out reading my Ideal Home mag on the train!).
26th March - Legends, Manchester.
Wow, there has been a lot of action on the forum page over this one (Ballgowns and kitten heels are not for me guys - im a Cavalli, Versace or McQueen girl, with a bit of Calvin and Selfridges on the side!)
First things first, I had a great time. The guys at the club were lovely - a BIG BIG thank you to Brian for the teddy bear you bought for my little girl (she loves it!).
Yes, there were a few little gremlins with the sound which were a challenge to overcome vocally at times, plus the lighting a tad on the sparse side, but regardless of that it was a fun show, with a lot of banter with the audience, which I enjoyed. The last time I performed there it was "Rockys", a venue that I have both fond and funny memories of, LOL!
I was more than a little alarmed when my agent told me I was staying at "McDonalds" and had visions of golden arches, Happy Meals and McNuggets....but no, I was very wrong, and Im loving The McDonald Hotel in Manchester , it was a shame I didnt get longer to snooze after losing an hour due to the clocks going forward was not welcomed after a very late night.
It was nice to see my mate and bodyguard Tony, who owns "VIA" on Canal Street, and I will be performing there on Aug Bank Holiday Monday (Manchester Pride Weekend). Tony - Make sure you get plenty of teabags and reverb sorted for my visit!!!!
28th March, and I went to see my little girl in her school music group performance.
It was a little contemporary for my, and my little girl spent most of the performance twanging the elastic on her school tie (not something she has learned from me!). I suspect she would have preferred to be strutting her
stuff and singing "We are Family" instead of Perky Percy Penguin!!!
This months download is "Heart Song", written and recorded with Pete Ware in the very early 1980's - all real live musicians, nothing pre-recorded or electronic! - Ahhh, those were the days!!!
The track was recorded at Arishma Studios, London.
3rd April - HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!! I will be spending the day with my mum & family in Essex.
Always
Hazell
xxx
Hazell
xxx
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1st March 2011
Hi all.
News of the past month.
February has passed in a whirl.....and LOVE is in the air here at Dean Towers!
No, not me, DOH!.....my little girl.... firstly, she is in love with her boyfriend Charlie, who she says she is going to marry and have 8 babies with (heck, id better start saving as she is also going to marry Harrison Ford AND Cheryl Cole!) and now she has announced that she is head over heels with Justin Bieber!! Actually she calls him Justin BEAVER, which makes me smile every time.
She has asked if she can go to see him in concert, and if she can go and see his movie.......oh my goodness. I cannot sit through a Justin Bieber/Beaver concert, although I am eternally grateful to my own parents who took me, my brother and sister to see The Beatles (and endured the screaming of hysterical girls)I kinda think they have a longevity that young master Bieber can only dream of.
She will have to make do with going to see his movie "Never say Never" (isnt that a Bond film??) taking a couple of her friends along, wearing their "I Love Justin" T-shirts and "I Love Justin" wristbands. I think I preferred it when the love of her life was Postman Pat (plus HarrisonFord and Cheryl Cole) I find myself doing what I swore I would never do, when she comes home from school and she plays (mainly Justin and Lady Gaga) cd's at full volume in her bedroom......I shout up the stairs, in true grumpy parent manner....."TURN THAT DOWN. ITS DISTORTED AND YOU ARE GOING TO BLOW THE SPEAKERS!!!!!" She is only 6, can you imagine what its going to be like when she is 16???
I started the month with blisters and paper cuts, after a Friday afternoon of Medieval castle making at school. Im not known for my art and craft skills, but I have to say my port cullis and turrets where pretty spectacular.
The paper cuts even more spectacular - and I will be glad to get back to cooking gingerbread men on Fridays - with an extra special batch for the year one cake sale on 18th Feb. Diva Baking - Whoda thought???
11th Feb - Lucky Bitches, 5 Cavendish Square, London....and a VERY Happy Birthday to James! I heard that Dusty O and Tasty Tim were in the house, but didnt get to see 'em sadly.
Recovering from a nasty and lingering cold, my voice was only at 80%, not that it seemed to matter, as the crowd (mostly James's mates I suspect) were having a good time. For the first time in my career, I had to perform on a stage with a pole, and yes, I must admit the pole dancer in me made a brief appearance (oh come on admit it - we have all done - probably after a few tequila's).
5 Cavendish Place is s pretty busy place, with a big crowd still waiting to get in when I left around 1.30am.
12th Feb - Skyline Valentines Ball. Leeds. After a particularly short lie after the night before, I headed Northwards to to sunny Leeds, and my goodness, what a lovely sunny day it was. Its been so damn cold and grey of late it was great to get into the car, put some good music on and hit the road. The guys from Skyline made me feel very welcome - and it was nice to see a few friendly faces.
My entrance was quite a shock, as I had just casually walked through the door around 11.15pm to hear "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Miss Hazell Dean".......it came as quite a shock, and my co pilot had to run to the sound desk, and thanks to the very helpful sound guy, managed to get the show started, leaving me to find my way onto the stage, which wasnt easy. Thankfully my voice was 90% back on form and I really enjoyed myself.
I hear that Skyline made a substantial amount of money for the charity on the night, and I wish them well with all their future projects - Thanks for inviting me Ian.
14th Feb - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!....and yes, there were cards and flowers and chocolates, books...a Justin Bieber CD (not for me!) and a Wonder Woman T-Shirt (who needs diamonds when you can have Wonder Woman?) Plus a very fancy, handmade card, delivered personally by the previously mentioned boyfriend of my daughter.....ahhhhhhhhhh.
Another event on Valentines Day - The remixes of "They Say Its Gonna Rain" were released on ENERGISE, iTunes and Amazon. There has been lots of good reaction from the clubs, so I hope you guys like to too???
Im looking forward to recording some more tracks with Energise, and of course with Peter Ware in Early March.
Diva activities were suspended mid Feb for Half Term.....but I did seem to spend a ridiculous amount of time mopping and cleaning builders dirty boot prints from my kitchen floor...along with gluing, painting and rainy day activities adding to the ever increasing number of "Shaker Maker" plaster Disney Princess's in my construction site of a kitchen.
Then came a very musical weekend - and for a change, it wasnt me on stage!
25th Feb - and a family outing to see my nephew Josh in "West Side Story". My co - pilot claims that this is pure musical torture, and would only consider sitting through this for love and family.
My nephew played the leader of the Sharks, Bernado. The kids put on a great show, and I never fail to be impressed by their raw talent and pure enthusiasm. Its a delight to see a bunch of kids and teenagers so passionate about music, drama and dance. My little girl was quite distraught when her cousin "died" in the big rumble. I was expecting tears, but this was swiftly averted when she won an orchid during the interval raffle, which is now residing in her very girly bedroom.
26th Feb - My lovely webmaster sent me and co-pilot to see "Love Never Dies". He has seen it thee times already and wanted to share the experience.
So off we went to The Adelphi on The Strand. I knew the evening was going to be good when as if by magic we found the most fantastic parking space (the location of which will remain secret, as I don't want to share my new find. A secret parking space in London needs to be guarded).
We had a wonderfully long leisurely pre show dinner before heading over to the theatre.
OK, so I had heard very mixed reviews of the show, mainly "Oooh, its not as good as Phantom" etc etc - so my webmaster was a little nervous at our reaction.
The show has been changed a few times since opening I am reliably told - and I have to say it is brilliant. The sets are stunning, the cast - amazing.
Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom really deserves the standing ovations, whoops and cheers - what a fabulous voice. His opening song makes your hair stand on end.
Sierra Boggess as his muse, Christine, was stunning, and when singing the main aria of the show - I literally held my breath.
I wont divulge the plot, but if you are lucky enough to get the chance to go "Love Never Dies" is highly recommended.....and yes, much to the webmasters delight, we both cried at the end. I LOVED IT!
My building work is almost over - and I have attached a couple of pics of me in what will be the new family room, and my long awaited utility room, and as much I have enjoyed making tea and cakes for my lovely builders, Pete and Mike, I shall be glad when its all finally over and so can concentrate on painting and soft furnishings : )
That said, they have built me my dream utility room, and my bathroom is perfect, or it soon will be when glass shelves go up and I have a cabinet door for under the sink (hint hint boys!!!!) and to be honest I shall miss their friendly faces every day.
This Months Download is......"Long Time Gone" a demo recorded during a very prolific writing/recording period for me. I was working with a lot of different musicians, and in this instance I wrote the lyrics to an already existing melody. Writing and recording this track led to my first meeting with Toyah Willcox after one of her shows at The Mean Fiddler in Camden during the mid 1990's - which leads me nicely into a plea for your money as February ends, with grey skies and too much rain, we all need a good laugh so tune in and voting for "Dance For Comic Relief"....for those of you in the UK, I hope you have been watching this years Comic efforts, and have been picking up the phone to vote.
Make sure you watch on Saturday 5th March and give your support to my fellow 80's mates, Limahl, Clare Grogan and Toyah Willcox......I cant wait to see what they dance to, and will be voting like mad to send them to the finals.
Lets raise as much money as possible for this fantastic charity....and don't forget to "Do Something Funny For Money" on Red Nose Day 18th March 2011.....i'm sure there will be plenty of funny stuff going on in my house!
Always
Hazell
xxx
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1st Feb 2011
Hi everyone,
Well here we are one month into a new year, with a refreshed and cleaned up website, white being the new black for 2011.
My poor webmaster has been VERY VERY ill. He got flu, despite having the flu jab, and ended up in hospital with pneumonia. I cannot believe how sick he has been.
You read about this kind of thing in the newspaper, but its so scary when it happens to a friend. So here's hoping he makes a full recovery after his terrible ordeal.
As the site has been down for a few weeks, let me go right back to the start.....
31st Dec 2010 - New Years Eve in Hanley, Stoke on Trent at The Pink Bar and Lounge.
You may remember, I had a complete nightmare whilst heading northwards from London, when my co-pilot casually asked "Hazell, where are your stage clothes?".....they were hanging in my wardrobe at home, and we were too far from home to go back and get them. So after hyperventilating and swearing (a lot) a panic dash around Bicester Designer Outlet Village was an absolute life saver (which I HIGHLY recommend, although maybe not under such panic conditions). Thankfully they had a Roberto Cavalli (one of my fave labels) and Juicy Couture, so I didnt have to go on stage wearing the cords, Sergeant Peppers T-shirt , big jumper, dunhill scarf (I love a bit of cashmere) and the pair of well worn Timberland boots I was driving in!!!! Check out the pic of me having a post shopping frenzy cappucino to de-stress after my ordeal.
It was lovely to meet the guys at The Pink bar and Lounge - in fact one of the nicest thing about my job is the lovely people you meet. So Steve, Adam, Danny/Foxy....I look forward to seeing you all again very soon. I had a great time, and could have stayed chatting to you boys for hours. As it was, I didnt get to bed until after 3am!!!!
(The photo of me on stage at Pink make me look like a choirboy playing air guitar LOL!)
So, 5th Jan and it was back to the school run for me, and after the lovely long Christmas break, getting up when I wanted to, long leisurely breakfasts getting up at 6am to get my little darling up and ready for school, in the cold was not pleasant. I did enjoy getting back to my Friday afternoon cookery lessons with the kids. Never did I think I would be spending my Friday afternoons making cheese straws with a bunch of 5/6 year olds, but I do, and I love it. Im thinking Gingerbread men could be the next on my agenda. By the time they leave primary school they will be mini Nigella and Gordon's (hopefully without the temper or the swearing!)
8th Jan - and off we went to a Panto .....Oh Yes We Did!!! Snow White in Woking, and I have to say, it was brilliant. With Gareth Gates as the Prince (my daughter is in LOVE), Claire Sweeney as a fabulously camp Wicked Queen (Boooo Hiss!) and Minty from Eastenders as Herman the Henchman (Heather is behind you!) We had a great time and laughed so much. My little girl was shouting and singing, waving her whirling flashing princess wand (every girl should have one).
She had every one laughing when bellowing at poor Gareth Gates, as he tried to wake Snow White..... "YOU HAVE TO KISS HER!!!" You cant beat a good old fashioned Panto to raise a smile and bring out the kid in you.
My builders also started back to work, and 2011 is the year of home improvements at Dean Towers, as I am sure you have already guessed from the blogs of previous months.... every room will be getting an overhaul this year and I have been making the most of the January sales and the pre VAT deals. I have become quite a regular scouring the bathroom departments of all the big stores looking for the perfect accessories for my boutique hotel chic bathroom.
Mirrors have become almost an obsession of mine, bathroom mirrors, bedroom mirrors - mirrors over fireplaces- I love em all!
I'm also become quite fixated with finding the perfect colour for my hallway, and can often be seen with a swatch of wallpaper in hand, checking out colour chart. My hall is a mass of test pot splodges which I view and asses in different light conditions throughout the day. My little girl says she likes the colour that is directly "above the creaky stair"!!!! Creaky stair?? Dean Towers cannot have a creaky stair - I must get the builders to take a look at that!!
My utility room is in a useable condition (it doesnt have a mirror in it...that would be too weird) My friends and family have suggested that I post a photo of me cutting a ribbon to officially open the "U.R" when it is finally complete. Tiles and units will be next, after installation of bathroom is complete ... at the moment its a work in progress but the bathroom is functional although I have to negotiate a building site to get to it and as the radiators aren't connected yet, its frrrrrreeeeeeezing in there. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The last to be completed will be the new family room, which I am really looking forward to finishing, mainly so "Barbie" and her entourage of friends and pink plastic accessories can move in ASAP instead of littering my lounge : )
I have quite a few shows plus some private Civil Partnership parties booked for the start of the year, and will be heading back to Blackpool on Good Friday after having to cancel Christmas Eve due to the bad Winter weather.
I will be at "Lucky Bitches" in central London on Friday 11th Feb, and then up to Leeds for a Valentines Ball on the 12th Feb - back home in time to receive a deluge of Valentines cards, red roses and tokens of love (I hope).
Once again I will be heading over to perfom at Gran Canaria pride the first weekend in May, so hope to see some of you (and some old friends) while i'm there - so do come and say hello if you see me out and about in the sunshine.
I'm also doing an outdoors 80's event in Swindon on the 4th June with "Tight fit", Limahl and the lovely Sonia - it will be great to see them all again. So keep an eye on the Gigs page for updates.
News on "They Say its Gonna Rain"...............The new remixes (6 in total) are out on 14th February - a little Valentines gift from me to you, as always with love...... so please head over to the ENERGISE website for full details of how you can get a copy!
I have time scheduled in the studio with the lovely Pete Ware in early March, and praying that I don't get struck with the hideous virus I came down with last time I headed to Spain to record. We have a couple of tracks that we want to work on, and i'm quite excited about getting back into the studio with Pete, with the bonus of seeing his family.
Pete is threatening me with he's new HD camera (i'm assuming he means High Definition NOT Hazell Dean),and wants to take some "in action/in studio" footage of us working together - so maybe this will go on the site around Easter time.
The download for this month is "Night Life" - a demo of a track that I wrote with Clive Scott and Ray Hedges in the '90's. Its a shame we never got around to mastering this, as I think it has potential either for me or a cover for another artist.
Well guys, thats it for me, I look forward to getting your emails and messages (I have had a few very funny questions over the past month while the site has been down, so I hope you will carry on now we are live again !)
Be Good, take care of yourselves and your loved ones and I hope those New Years Resolutions are still being kept.......and Happy Chinese New Year - The Year of the Rabbit bringing Love/Peace and fluffy stuff to all.
Always
Hazell
xxx
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Blog 1st Jan 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
A quick blog before the website is taken down for vital maintenance and a facelift (oh if only it were that simple for the rest of us!!!).
I had a lovely Christmas - but sadly, I had to cancel 2 shows due to the adverse weather conditions.
Firstly Manchester, as I was well and truly snowed in and couldn't move my car from the front of the house, and secondly Blackpool on Christmas Eve. I had been weather watching from the 20th Dec, and had to take the decision to cancel on the 22nd as the weather was so unpredictable, I didnt want to take the risk of getting stuck on the way there or the way back home. Keep watching the show dates page, as I hope both shows will be rescheduled.
Christmas Day is always better with kids, and with a very excitable almost 6 year old, the build up was manic. When Santa did finally make his deliveries, he thankfully left the polar bear cuddly toy she had been asked for, so I can only assume somebody had made it to the "Nice List" avoiding the "Naughty List" quite skillfully.
Like everyone else, I have eaten too much, watched too much TV and spent too much money (only the best for my new utility room!!! LOL)............so shall be avoiding cakes, puddings and spending for quite a while!!!
My little girl had her 6th birthday between Christmas and New Year, so her two best friends arrived on the doorstep for the big day. They are such a happy little gang, all resplendent in their "Hello Kitty" outfits and matching accessories. Off we trekked to the cinema to watch "Gullivers Travels"...the girls ate enough sweets, popcorn and ice cream to sink a battleship, but still managed pizza's, "Hello Kitty" birthday cake and yet more ice cream before the day was through
So.....I have just arrived home from New Years Eve at "The Pink Bar and Lounge " in Stoke on Trent.
I had a great time, and it was lovely to meet Steve, Adam, Scott and Danny/Foxy who made me very welcome, and I really enjoyed myself - although my journey from London to Stoke was a bit stressful, as partway through the drive I realised (with much horror) that I stupidly left all of my stage clothes hanging in my wardrobe at home!!
After a minor coronary in the car, and a detour to Bicester Designer Outlet Village en route...... I managed to get a new outfit (Thank heavens for Roberto Cavalli and Juicy Couture).
Weirdly (and thankfully) I had packed my stage boots, so spent a mad hour charging round Bicester like a maniac with one gold Roberto Cavalli cowboy boot in hand to try on with any suitable jeans!!!
As it goes, I really like my emergency purchases, and can highly recommend Bicester Village. I will certainly be going back for a a shopping spree under less panic induced conditions.
So......before the site is taken down in the next couple of weeks, let me once again wish you and yours a very Happy and Peaceful 2011.
Dont forget I can still be contacted at info@hazelldean.net .
Always
Hazell
xxx
PS. I have recently heard the very sad news of the death of lovely Martin, the owner of "Escape" (formerly "Reflex") in Kingston Upon Thames, who sadly l passed away after a long fight with cancer.
I have had so many fun nights in his clubs, and he shall be sadly missed by all who knew him. My love and prayers go out to Martins, partner, family and friends at this very sad time.