Fascinated with Gearóid Farrelly

Shampoo were a breath of fresh Ari that ran simultaneous through pop and brit pop in the mid-nineties. The band that actually took Girl Power mainstream were catapulted to fame when their song "Trouble" became a monster hit. In this episode we chart their journey from indie darlings to "Top Of The Pops". Throughout it all they were never swayed from what they wanted to do. They wrote all of the songs, did all of their own styling and had strong ideas about how Shampoo were presented and they were Left to their own devices to get on with it. They became hugely successful in Japan and ended up on the rich list. We chat about their success, their beginnings, the spice girls and the accounting error that ended their time on a major label and how they became one of the first bands to sell their music via a website. Cherry Red is reissuing all of Shampoo's albums in a deluxe boxset. You can grab it here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bright Light Bright Light is welsh musician, artist and songwriter Rod Thomas. Originally from a small town in Wales, Rod has become one of our most respected independent queer artists with approval in the form of collaborations and touring opportunities from some of the world's biggest stars. He began learning piano, guitar and saxophone as a child and began performing acoustically under his own name. In 2010 he defined his synth sound with the release of his debut single "Love Part ii". He has gone on to release 4 albums and has just released a compilation album "So Gay, So Dramatic". He has toured with Cher, Scissor Sisters and Elton John. In this conversation we chat about LGBTQ representation, his place in the music industry and how he has done everything in his career himself. You can support Fascinated by becoming a member of headstuff+ on headstuffpodcasts.com. In return for your support, you will get access to bonus exclusive bonus content. In the bonus content for this episode, you can hear Rod talk about remixing Dannii Minogue's iconic "All I Wanna Do" and we chat about our mutual love of Gayle and Gillian. You can listen to Bright Light Bright Light's Music on Spotify, download on Apple or buy gorgeous physicals on brightlightx2.com Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Bright Light Bright Light Twitter: @brightlightx2 Instagram: brightlightx2 Facebook: /brightlightx2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Una Healy was a gigging singer/songwriter when she answered an ad looking for a female singer for a girlband. What followed was a phenomenal seven years in The Saturdays one of the new millennium's biggest girlbands. A string of massive hits in the UK led to them getting signed by Island Def Jam in America and making their own reality series "Chasing the Saturdays" for the E Network. Since then Una has been a regular on Irish and UK television as a presenter and released a solo album "The Waiting Game" and a string of silly releases including a duet with Sam Palladio. Una returned to Ireland during the lockdown and is back living in the town where she grew up. She is one of the loveliest people and has an incredible new single "Until You". You can support Fascinated by becoming a member of headstuff+ on headstuffpodcasts.com. In return for your support, you will get access to bonus exclusive bonus content. In the bonus content for this episode, you can watch the interview with Una. You can listen to Una's music and The Saturdays back catalogue on Spotify. Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Una Twitter: @UnaHealy Instagram: unahealy Facebook: /unahealy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a guest and what a story. These are the episodes that I love to make! Luciana Caporaso has been an undercover popstar hiding in plain sight since the 90s. Fate conspired against her for no less than five albums. This episode charts her journey from fresh faced teenager writing music for a detective series in the UK to becoming the Queen of Electro based in Los Angeles. She has found herself in pop groups and rock bands, signed to 5 major labels. Albums were torpedoed by everything from mismanagement to world events. But when success came it was on her own terms as an independent artist now writing for and collaborating with the biggest artists in the world. This is one hell of a story. You can support Fascinated by becoming a member of headstuff+ on headstuffpodcasts.com. In return for your support you will get access to bonus exclusive bonus content. In the bonus content for this episode I showed Luciana some photos and CDS and we continued our chat! You can listen to Luciana's music on Spotify Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Luciana Twitter: @LucianaCaporaso Instagram: theLucianaCaporaso Facebook: /iloveluciana Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In The first of a special two-part episode I chat to 90s pop star Kavana. For as long as he can remember Kavana was determined to become a pop-star and he made it happen. At the time Take That were disbanding and a chance meeting with their manager led to him recording a song written by Howard Donald. He became a household name and mega-stardom followed. While he was very well known he didn't have immediate chart success until he released a carefully chosen cover version of "I Can Make You Feel Good". Kavana's journey to fame and the aftermath have been an astonishing test of his resilience. He is a lovely guy and this is story that needed two episodes. In this episode we talk about his move to LA, coming out of the closet, his relationship with Stephen Gately and reality TV. If you really enjoy this podcast you can support me by buying me a coffee on Kofi. You can listen to Kavana's music on Spotify You can check out Kavana's YouTube Channel here. Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Kavana Twitter: @kavana_official Instagram: kavana.official Facebook: /Kavana-837714399647674 Past Guests Sean Smith has released his debut album "Solo". It's on all streaming and download platforms and you can buy physical copies here. Chely Wright has re-released "Lifted Off The Ground" on vinyl. You can get copies here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In July of 2013 Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Grand uploaded a video for his song "All American Boy". It was a video for a country song with a bare bum and a gay twist and a within days it had a million hit and Steve was the face of new gay country. Except that he wasn't and he wasn't even a country singer but he was in demand. To date steve has had two successful albums and recently launched a range of underwear called Grand Axis. I catch up with Steve to talk about his music, coping with online hate and of course underpants. If you really enjoy this podcast you can support me by buying me a coffee on Kofi. You can listen to Steve Grand's music on Spotify. You can watch the video for All American Boy here. You can buy Steve Grand physical copies and merch here. Check out Grand Axis Underwear designed by Steve here. Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Steve Grand Twitter: @stevegrandmusic Instagram: stevegrandmusic Facebook: /SteveGrandArtist Past Guests Sean Smith has released his debut album "Solo". It's on all streaming and download platforms and you can buy physical copies here. Chely Wright has re-released "Lifted Off The Ground" on vinyl. You can get copies here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I chat to singer songwriter Lesley Roy. As teenager Lesley would busk on the streets of Dublin and instead of dreaming of superstardom she actively chased it. She signed a record contract with and American Label and spent two years in Sweden learning to write pop songs under the direction of Max Martin who produced her 2008 debut album "Unbeautiful". The album was released and expectations were high but it wasn't to be. Lesley began cowrite for other artists like Ms Montreal and Adam Lambert. This year she was returned to performing and was due to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with her song "The Story Of My Life". The song was released and lauded however on the 18th March the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled due to the outbreak of Covid-19. If you really enjoy this podcast you can buy me a coffee on Kofi https://ko-fi.com/gearoidfarrelly">https://ko-fi.com/gearoidfarrelly https://open.spotify.com/album/1rHXAzNDnX5EU6eAZo7BWm?si=8ksts61uQe-FVa_I3lsCnQ">You can listen to “Unbeautiful” here https://music.apple.com/ie/album/story-of-my-life-single/1502388582">You can buy to “Story Of My Life” here Follow Gearoid Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gearoidfarrelly">@gearoidfarrelly Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gearoidfarrelly">gearoidfarrelly Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gearoidfarrelly">;/gearoidfarrelly Follow Lesley Roy Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lesleyroyreal "> @lesleyroyreal Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lesroy">lesroy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I catch up with the wonderful Jann Arden in the midst of the worldwide Corona Virus epidemic. Last week she was supposed to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards but the ceremony was cancelled amid fears around the outbreak. Last week she streamed a mini-concert from her living room as part of a movement by artists to entertain those in isolation and to urge people to stay at home. Jann Arden is a huge recording artist in Canada and had international success in 1994 with her "Living Under June" album. She has just released her 14th album "These Are The Days" and has released more than 40 singles. She has been nominated for 19 Juno awards and won 8 of them. She has contributed to movie soundtracks and is a regular on Canadian television. Leonard Cohen visited her in the studio when she was recording one of his songs and wrote to her afterwards to tell her how her version "stays with him". Aside from music Jann has written four books and regularly appeared in challenges with TV Host Rick Mercer which caused her to become a viral sensation to a new generation of fans. Her live shows are as popular for her story-telling as for her music. She has even hosted a gala at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Her sit-com "Jann" was a smash hit in Canada in 2019 and the new season drops soon. Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Jann Arden Twitter: @jannarden Instagram: jannarden Facebook: /JannArdenOfficial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Gearóid chats to actress and comedian Jessica Chaffin. In podcasting circles Jessica is well-known for her genius comedy creation Ronna Glickman formerly of the “Ronna and Beverly” podcast. She has just launched her advise show “Ask Ronna” with Bryan Safi. Jessica has also appeared in a whole pile of sitcoms and movies. Most recently she can be seen on “Abbys’ on NBC. She is also on “Big Mouth” on Netflix and has previously had roles on “Veep”, “Two Broke Girls”, “Weeds”, “Search Party”, “Episodes” and “Man With A Plan”. She has also appeared in “Spy”, “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters” all directed by Paul Feig who directed the original Showtime pilot for “Ronna And Beverly” and their subsequent UK chat show for Sky Atlantic. A new episode of “Ask Ronna” drops every Tuesday and it is available wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 41: Beyonce That’s Who with Matthew Marsden In this episode Gearóid chats to former soap-star, former pop-star and proper Hollywood star Matthew Marsden. After a stint as a male model Matthew began his acting career in the UK soaps Emmerdale and Coronation Street. A brief but productive music career followed. He recorded the album “Say Who” for Sony. Notable because his backing singers on his second release were none other then Destiny’s Child with one Beyonce Knowles. Matt tells Gearoid how he ended up in the recording studio with Beyonce and why he walked away from music. After starring opposite Michael Caine in the movie “Shiner” Matthew relocated to Hollywood and has never looked back. Roles in “Black Hawk Down”, “Transformers” and “Anacondas” followed. On TV he appeared in “NCIS” and “Two And A Half Men”. He also chats about his introduction to Stallone when they worked together on “Rambo”. As well as acting Matthew has just completed his first project as writer, director and actor. His movie “I Am That Man” is the story of a Navy seal trying to reintegrate into civilian life. Matthew has spent his career playing military roles and with this movie he was determined to accurately portray the lives of the people who serve. You can watch a trailer for the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6YDlbClJVw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is another side to a story we've already told but what a story this is. In this episode comedian Gearoid Farrelly chats to singer and actress Celena Cherry about her time as the front woman of 90's R&B band the Honeyz along with band members Heavenli Denton and Naima Belkhiati. The band debuted in 1998 and had a massive hit with the self-penned "Finally Found". They followed it closely with other mega-hits like "End Of The Line" and "Won't Take It Lying Down". The band struggled with internal conflict and Heavenli left just as they were about to sign a million pound deal with Def Jam records in the US, then unprecedented for a 90's girlband. But the deal falling apart wasn't only drama caused by the line-up change. In a bizarre move the groups management salvaged a promotional tour of Australia by adding to the lineup a lookalike of Heavenli Denton (the band member that had left) in the hope that Australian fans won't notice. Almost 20 years later fans uncovered this slight of hand in internet footage from the tour and so was born the Honeyz meme "Fake-Hev". As heard in episode one, Mariama Goodman from the band Solid Harmonie joined the group and the hits continued. But Naima who was powerful force in the group clashed with her from day one. Eventually after eleven months Mariama and the accepted story is that the management brought Heavenli back to the group and insisted she rejoin much to the horror of Celena and Naima. But Celena explains that this isn't exactly how it actually happened. The Honeyz gave us some of the best RnB songs of ninties but they existed in an industry that was inherently misogynistic and unapologetically racist. https://music.apple.com/ie/artist/honeyz/219651229">You can purchase Honeyz music here Follow Gearoid Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/gearoidfarrelly">@gearoidfarrelly Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/gearoidfarrelly">gearoidfarrelly Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gearoidfarrelly">/gearoidfarrelly Follow Celena Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CelenaHoneyz">@CelenaHoneyz Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cherrycelena">@cherrycelena Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/">cherrycelena1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bianca Kinane is the big voiced Irish superstar that we almost had back in 1996. Bianca is from Clonmel and in 1994 took part in "Stars In Their Eyes" as Mariah Carey. A big recording contract with Pete Waterman followed. A huge media campaign promising an Irish Mariah Carey from 'County Clonmel' (sic) accompanied the release of some singles but the album never materialised. Though it was finished and ready, internal politics and budgetary problems saw the record label go bust before it's released. Bianca dusted herself off and got on with life after pop. She toured with Jools Holland and did session work. However three years later it happened all over again. She was again signed up to a big deal. She made an album, released singles and then at the eleventh hour before the albums release, the record label went into liquidation. Bianca continues to record vocals on many hit dance tracks and club hits and is a respected session singer in the UK. People are fascinated with her pop past and are devastated on her behalf when hear that lightening strike twice. Bianca is by no means devastated she makes a good living doing what she loves and enjoys telling the tale she calls "Do you know who I nearly was". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2003 Michelle McManus shot to fame as the winner of the second series of Pop Idol. Throughout the series she stood out for her powerhouse soul voice. But she also got huge amounts of press coverage for her weight. Today plus-size is celebrated, body positivity is embraced and everyone is encouraged to be who they are. In 2003 this was not the case. She was pilloried, debated, vilified and criticised every day in the media for the duration of the competition. But it never through her off course and she won with 58% of the public vote. You would imagine that when an audience has spoken and a winner declared that the powers that be would just accept it. But that isn’t what happened. When she was announced as the winner one of the judges stormed off the set on live television as she was about to reprise the song. Michelle now lives back in Scotland where she works constantly as a radio and television host and of course as a singer. But there is also another side to Michelle. In 2012 she took her first one-woman show to the Edinburgh fringe and has been a sell-out success every year since. The shows are mix of comedy and cabaret and she plays every night of August to packed audiences at the Stand Comedy Club. (I saw her show last year and it was absolutely hilarious!) [Book Tickets to see Michelle McManus: Reloaded at this years Edinburgh Festival](https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/michelle-mcmanus-reloaded) “A very, very good comedian… the new queen of the one woman show” ***** Daily Record Email the show: [fascinated@headstuff.org](mailto:fascinated@headstuff.org) Follow Gearoid Twitter: @gearoidfarrelly Instagram: gearoidfarrelly Facebook: /gearoidfarrelly Follow Michelle McManus Twitter: @ladym_mcmanus Instagram: ladym_mcmanus Facebook: /LadyMcManus1980 Previous Guests [See Marcella Detroit Live in London in July](https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/marcella-detroit) [Chely Wright is crowdfunding two new EPs](https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/chely-wright) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices