Feeling fascinated about Philip Oakey?
If there were any justice in the electronica ethereal, Philip Oakey would still be selling millions of records and packing arenas while today's pop misfits and dance-beat impostors were scrounging for matches and bumming Red Bulls off each other in seedy South Beach nightclubs.
Still, I'm betting the eclectic frontman of The Human League wakes up each day with a smile. Oakey remains the only full-time member of the 80s synth-gods since the band's formation back in Sheffield, England, in 1977. And with nine studio albums, eight top 10 singles in the U.K. and record sales of about 20-million, the Human League's vaunted place in music history is secure and deserved.
Next Tuesday, Oakey is the special guest on the Stuck in the 80s podcast, and I'm literally counting down the days and hours. We'll talk about The Human League's headlining status is this summer's Regeneration Tour and you KNOW I'm asking whether his solo hit, "Together in Electric Dreams," will make the set list.
As always, drop me a comment with your suggested questions for Philip Oakey. This is a rare opportunity, and we all should get a say on what we ask him.
Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
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Just listened to your interview with Martin Fry LOL fantastic. Phil Oakey wow big opportunity
Yeah ask him about a new album or even a new single you might get a world exclusive. Some random questions for ‘id ask him LOL
Q. Is it true he turned down Band Aid in 1984 because Geldoff didn’t want the Human League girls to be on the record?
Q. Ian and Martin are in H17, but where is Adrian Wright the other original member now.
Q. As the original ‘Don’t You Want Me’ didn’t have a female lead vocal. Whose idea was it to add Susanne (the blonde league lady)? And why Susanne and not Joanne
Q. Did he think at the time the video for Don’t You Want me would be seen as a classic 28 years later (its got a million and a half views on Youtube )
Q. Have Susanne or Joanne ever been offered solo work, like he did with Giorgio.
Q. When is the next full Human League tour of the US.
Q. Is it true that Haircut 100 recorded a whole album in the time it took Philip to program one Drum machine for one song in 1983?
Quote for the week “The Human League invented music, everything before was just rehearsals” – Noel Fielding,
Big thanks to Rick Shoor for the Regeneration Tour, lets have a Belinda interview next
Posted by: Dan 'the Man' Williams | June 15, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Great questions, Samantha! You can bet I'll be asking those.
Posted by: Spears | June 15, 2008 at 09:48 AM
Hey Spearsie!!!
Qs 4 tha “Godfather Of Synth”
1. Is it true that the recording of “Together In Electric Dreams” with Giorgio Moroder only took just 10 minutes and was done in one take. That Moroder then said “that’s it, first time is always best.” Which is ironic when Hysteria took a whole year to record.
2. How come you didn’t bring the 2007 Dare Tour to the USA , which critics say was your best ever tour. Are you still playing the Mezzanine club in San Francisco as an independent gig during the Regeneration tour, any truth in the rumor that is going to be The Dare set? Any other Human League only gigs in the US planned
3. ABC have just released “Traffic” in Europe, and are going to release it over here. In 2006 Phil said the Human League were going to release a new album. He said this year that it sounded like a “wobbly elephant falling down some stairs”.
a) Is a new album still on the cards?
b) How does it sound now, and when are you going to release it (cos tha world is waiting).
b) Are the girls more involved this time (eg writing?)
c) Do you have a working title other than “Wobbly Elephant” ?
4. The Human League’s most recent single was a dance mix of “Things That Dreams Are Made Of” released by Hooj label that made number 2 in the UK Dance Charts. What did he think of the unexpected success? Any plans to release more remixes of his back catalogue for the DJ /dance market?
5. He told some English papers last year that he was thinking about retirement. Is the plan still to retire to a desert island to produce records? Are the girls (Joanne ,Susan ) still keen to carry on? Can we expect retirement anytime soon or another decade?
6. “Human” is one of the best songs ever, is it true he doesn’t actually like it? It is also said that he didn’t what “Don’t You Want Me” to be released. What songs does he like that didn’t do well.
Samantha - Tallahassee
Posted by: Samantha Alcon | June 15, 2008 at 09:16 AM
oh, that should be a superb podcast, love The Human League a lot, one of my all-time fave bands...
Pretty sure they will do Electric Dreams, is normally on their setlist anyway... regarding questions:
In the early days + even throughout the years, quite often they had some coverversions in their setlist that were never released - maybe you could ask Phil if they ever consider releasing those?
Another one would be: if he regrets not doing Dare Part 2 in 1982 or 1983 an release it + earn millions but instead taking a long time between albums + come up with a totally different one (Hysteria in 1984)?
If there will ever be a kind of reunion on stage with Martin Ware + Ian Craig Marsh to play a set of the pre-Dare-songs?
Posted by: Dennis | June 14, 2008 at 10:16 AM
"Electric Dreams" does appear on the Human League's "best-of" CD.
Posted by: Spears | June 13, 2008 at 08:48 PM
I always had this doubt about Together in Electric Dreams.I know Human League sings it ,but every time somebody asks me,i say it`s a Giorgio Moroder song,never Human League,so to whom should we credit this song?
Posted by: Miguel | June 13, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Exactly, Rick. That's why I love '80's music so dearly......some of it's pretty cheesy, but it's fun to listen to.
Hope for the future. Onwards!
Posted by: Al | June 13, 2008 at 05:44 PM
OKay, here's the thing. I can't help it. I can't shake the comment that the 80s was a simpler time...
It just wasn't. But as I listened to Together in Electric Dreams I realized something. There were many artists recording and producing stuff that was very hopeful, romantic.
It was a seriously frightening time for those who believed that the USSR and the U.S. were going to bomb the crapole out of each other at any given moment. Anyone remember the stir "The Day After" had on the American psyche?
But bands like Human League, ABC, Spandau Ballet, Flock of Seagulls, Haircut 100, Duran Duran, and many others, elevated our moods -- a very welcome change from the dour news of the day. (Even the hard-rockers like Van Halen and Def Leppard had that effect.)
Maybe that's how guys like Fry did it: they were optimistic and saw it as a simple time even back then. For that, I should be very thankful to them all.
Posted by: Rick | June 13, 2008 at 03:41 PM
I'm thinking what you need is the celeb call. Next time you're interviewing someone linked to a John Hughes film, have them call Hughes up and then he can talk a bit over the phone without having to make that much of a commitment!
Posted by: John Hays | June 13, 2008 at 02:45 PM
I'm torn on the whole John Hughes interview quest. Part of me wants to spend my life savings going up to Wisconsin, where he reportedly lives now, and staking out every small town til I corner him in a grocery store and beg for an interview (only to be dragged away, crying, by the town's police.)
The other part of me wants pull a Kevin Costner from Field of Dreams and say, "The man's done enough. Leave him alone."
I need Moonlight Graham -- or Long Duk Dong -- or something for guidance here.
Posted by: Spears | June 13, 2008 at 02:27 PM
Maybe that much coveted interview with
John Hughes isn't that far off!
Posted by: Rick | June 13, 2008 at 02:20 PM
Human is still tops with me. Takes me flying back in time at warp freakin' speed.
And thanks, Steve, for going to the trouble of placing the music right here on the blog so we wouldn't have to go chasing over to iTunes.
(And great get of Oakey with key-tar!!! LOL)
Posted by: Rick | June 13, 2008 at 02:19 PM
I still love "Electric Dreams" to dig myself out of any emotional hole I find myself in -- which is quite often these days.
Posted by: Spears | June 13, 2008 at 02:06 PM
Spearsie, do you have hidden camera in my car or something? I was just forcing my kids to listen to "Don't You Want Me" while driving on the highway at night...cannot beat it.
Posted by: Steph | June 13, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Ask him how it was working with Giorgio Moroder.
Posted by: Bassnote | June 13, 2008 at 11:52 AM
Tonianna, I'll give Jesse some love. I recently found his first solo album, Jesse Johnson's Revue, on vinyl. "Be Your Man' and "I Want My Girl" are great songs.
Posted by: Bassnote | June 13, 2008 at 11:02 AM
I apologize for my lacking vocabulary this morning. Once I process this 24 oz cup o'joe I'll be rarin' to go.
Posted by: Marissa | June 13, 2008 at 10:48 AM
Jerome totes around the all important mirror. A very important role, my friends.
Posted by: Marissa | June 13, 2008 at 10:47 AM
Fan-frickin-tastic. Got no questions... yet.
Let's also not forget Jellybean when sharing that Jungle Love, y'all.
Posted by: jane | June 13, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Wow, yeah, you're having some great luck lately, Steve!
Posted by: John Hays | June 13, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Why is it all "Jerome, Jerome, Jerome?"
Can't Jesse get any of the love from you people? Geez.
Another sweet get, my friend. Can Belinda be far behind?
Posted by: Tonianne | June 13, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Spearsy! You're having one helluva summer. Excellent get. The next thing we'll be hearing is Morris and Jerome are gracing the SIT80s pad.
Posted by: Marissa | June 13, 2008 at 10:13 AM