i met krissi murrison the editor of the NME at a party last year. i didn’t recognise her and when she went to hug me i stopped her in her tracks and i told her that i had my reasons for not wanting to be hugged by the editor of the NME. i realised that that might have seemed harsh and i didn’t want to be a jerk because id never met her before so we spent the evening chatting. she seemed nice. she told me that a big problem that the NME faced was that older bands didn’t want to do anything with them for fear of being stitched up. she didn’t seem to understand this so i kept my mouth shut but krissi how your magazine has acted this week is the reason why i didn’t want to hug you.
I’m glad that you put the transcripts of the interviews online as it is clear to anyone that listens to them that i am obviously making up what im saying on the spot. i haven’t listened to what russell says so i can’t really comment but i know he likes doing interviews even less than i do so my guess he was trying to be evasive rather than deceptive. anyone that actually reads any interviews that i do will know that they have to be taken with a pinch of salt. i don’t really have much faith in the interview process so i say absurd things to call the journalists out and they know this. its been that way with me for a very long time, its not a surprise to anyone. all the hype and bluster that you might have read this week has come from the pages of the NME not from bloc party. the NME love this attention as it means people are clicking on their website. whatever. after 7 years of dealing with the NME i know this is how they operate and to be honest i don’t have a problem with it. but suggesting that we are trying to deliberately mislead our fans is a step too far.
anyone that knows me knows that i don’t like doing interviews, I’ve always objected to the fact that you talk passionately about making music, something that you care so strongly about and the only thing that gets used is the 2 lines when you absentmindedly cuss someone out. it is somewhat depressing but i reconciled myself to this years ago. dealing with the sensational aspects of the british music press is essential if you in are in a british band. so its really not worth complaining about i just try to have a sense of humour about it. and besides, that was one of the reasons why i started this blog. so i could speak directly with the fans, show them the sort of things that im interested in and the sort of things that make me laugh, where there would be no slant from some lazy journalist to contend with.
so i hope this doesn’t read badly (other than my atrocious grammar) i really don’t have a problem with the NME. i don’t read it and i dont visit its blog. i understand that it has been supportive and critical of my band in the past and i am thankful for the fact that they have brought us to the attention of so many people. in fact i am supposed to be doing an interview with the NME about my new ep this coming friday. they were supposed to fly out to New York to interview me and i hope it still goes ahead. it would be very unsporting of them to cancel and besides, how can they resist another bout of world famous okereke half truths? hmm, no not really, i will be good this time. i want to talk about this ep because i am very proud of it and i want a chance to clear up these rumours in the pages of the magazine but don’t worry guys, if it goes ahead i will be making sure that i record everything that i say this time, you know, just in case…
kele
Jaykeup
Silly press. Thanks Kele.
Ruairidh
We never believe NME anyway
james
what a dick.
D
We’ll always support you.
Marlon
Kele thanks for this, ‘cos when I read the article of NME I was confused about the Bloc’s future.
I hope to see you playing soon and have fun like in the past and also I’d like you come to Mexico.
LONG LIVE TO BLOC PARTY!
Mo
Love the title to this post
haha.
I thought it was hilarious. Even before listening to the audio, just reading the original article to myself I nearly died laughing.
And hearing that long awkward pause in Russell’s interview when asked if you were just having a laugh at the NME.
“……………No.”
Priceless.
Marisel
Go Kele!!
I wish you all the best in your future!
Sincerely, your little fan in Miami.
Patrick
the whole thing has obviously become a big deal on the web http://puu.sh/6iQG
Steve
You Tellem Kele!!
Davy
YEAH Kele! Thanks for clearing this up once and for all.
Look forward to hearing the ep.x
MMC
Good to know what sources we ought to question. Looks like I’ll continue to check the blog for more BP/Kele-related info and not bother with the media too often!
Bloc Party: Kele contra NME » Festivalisten Newsmagazin
[...] In der Nacht nahm Kele Stellung.Kele Okereke von Bloc Party (Foto: tammylo flickr.com, CC BY 2.0)In seinem Blog berichtet er unter dem Titel “Mit der NME schlafen” von seiner generellen Abneigung Interviews zu [...]
Andrew Lets Go
I´m from Colombia and wait see in Bloc Paty and come to Bogota…remember you ROCK AL PARQUE in Bogotá? Awesome show… My best wishes for you and respect.
David
The Marshal’s ain’t dead.
Ronnie
Hey Kele, good to read the above and that what most of your’s and bloc party’s fans suspected anyway, the stories were all a load of tosh. Funny tho eh?
Will be seeing you december 17th!
Ronnie
Poon
Just would like to say thank you for another great show yesterday in Thailand. The atmosphere wasn’t quite like the shows u did in london and europe and i would like to apologize on behalf of thai ppl who didn’t join in with the shout-outs and dancing. Thai ppl are naturally very shy and so i’m sorry if it looked as if some weren’t enjoying your performance and were quiet. I’m sure they’d all join in and agree with me what a great live performer you are! Loved your songs since silent alarm. Keep it up Kele!!
James
I think a lot of fans knew about your little tricks in interviews! Reminded me of the time you said that each Bloc Party album would be influenced by a separate member of the band. Hope the release of “The Hunter” goes well!
Steve
Well, this really clears things up. So essentially you’re not making any definitive statements regarding the future of the band and accusing the NME of taking your comments too seriously? A website that deals in music news is clearly going to report comments you make because Bloc Party fans look at the site.
This back and fourth ‘will they won’t they’ is only a few days old and already seems like a fuss over nothing. Though I imagine it’s timing is very fortuitous in terms of having a new EP to promote. I mean, it’s not like people still think of you as the singer from Bloc Party. You’re an artist in your own right and there’s no way this upcoming interview will dwell on Bloc Party and these rumours in any way.
Kai
The fact the NME again and again publishes on music as if it were a tabloid saddens me. Your words ring true to me as whenever i have fated to pick up a copy of the publication someone has been rated, slated or downright insulted. For an example the continual slander towards Gallows of them “selling out” or the power the hold over a generation of people as deceiders of what is “cool” and “hip”. That said i hope they boost the sales of your Ep, as even if the people buying it are buying it because NME told them to at least they are buying something descent.
Scott
God you are a good bloke. I don’t know why the NME decided to try and prove that the boys had bad spirits because plainly it’s not true and it never has been, any fan would know that. I’m yet to visit a show where there has been a more kind spirited bunch of lads doing what they love.
Don’t let them get you down, Kele!
Clifford
I love Bloc Party, all you guys!
Thanks for posting this Kele, it leaves with me with a good feeling
Arnaud
Oh kele, always be careful when talking to the media, especially when there is a conflict or personal problems. I hope you can resolve them by talking all together! Good luck for the future. You’re a great artist, I do not make me worry for you! x
teef
wow. what a loser.
wanfy
that’s the way kele!
Balazska
Genius you are man.
Rhondell
Lol. Kele is still Kele. NME is still NME…Bloc party is still Bloc party…nuff said..
Clay
Kele, it’s good to read a statement from you on your blog, I was thinking that you use this blog to share what you like before you mentioned it in the text. but I’d like to take this chance to say that some of us fans did not forget that you or Russell (i’m sorry for not remembering who it was) promised that there would be new Bloc Party material by the end of the summer. I’m genuinely excited about the Hunter EP as well, but we need new Bloc Party material and it really makes me sad that you wrote you don’t know what Russell said while it would be so easy to just call him. At the moment I’m listening to the acoustic version of Signs and it just takes my breath away. I don’t want to believe that guys who managed to make such beautiful music seem to be so distant to each other.
Terminal Hopes
Great news, Kele. The NME can suck a fuck.
VTZLifeForever
Great news! I love the new EP Kele but what I really want to know is WHEN WILL THE BLOC BE BACK?! Maybe post a little blog saying December at the latest or something haha
See you soon and good luck with the EP!
J Dizzle
Wisely put
SomeBlocPartyFan
Thank you. <3
Ed
This is better than any piece of ‘journalism’ that I have encountered in the pages of NME. Thank you for the clarification Kele, and I can’t wait to hear the EP! <3
Ruben
Thanks for clearing things up Kele although for some of us there is no need. The Britsh press is notorious the world over for these types of tactics. Although as a music fan, the tabloid tendencies of NME make me cringe, I would be sad to ever see it go away. Im sure that many of the journalists at the NME are huge music fans as well but they ultimately serve in the business’s #1 interest which is sales, which unfortunately leads them to pursue sensationalism.
Ross Quinn
While I will always hold a special place in my heart for the new bands the NME introduced me too I could never take the editorial line of the magazine.
All they could have written is Kele teased us as usual with his disregard for the press. But no they’ve chosen to be idiots about the who thing.
I could never stand anything Krissi Murison wrote anyway, the whole magazine was too Eminemy and Arctic Monkey loving and drug celebrating when I stopped reading 3 years ago.
God bless Bloc Party
Tyler Altrup
So, so happy to hear it Kele.
I met you briefly after a show in Boston last year at The Royale–you were shy but very kind when I expressed how much I’ve loved your music over the years.
It is great to hear that you are so excited about your new EP–I will look forward to it–and also to any of your other future endeavors.