Month: March 2014

Win a Kindle Download of Roland’s new book!

Book cover
Book cover

The anticipation, fans sitting on the edge of their seats, glaring into computers and mobile devices, watching the calendar, making conjectures as to what adventure Mr. Soloman will get himself into… and what a name… Soloman. A noble name meaning, “peaceful, perfect and one who recompenses.” Will we see that type of character in Roland’s fictional literary friend? Will his adventures with Dr. Sparks make him a new person? It’ll all be answered in ‘Sex Drugs & Opera: There’s Life After Rock N’ Roll by the Good Sir Orzabal himself.

Writing a Book is Tough!
I remember writing my first book. The inspiration for it came during a short residency in California (of course). I had just finished listening to a media leader who was involved with creating one of the most popular music based TV programs at the time. I wondered if he’d ever collab with Roland and Curt. That next season Tears For Fears’ music was indeed featured in one of his shows. I was further inspired and took it as a sign to complete the book at all costs. The painstaking process of writing the book was the most bittersweet agony I’ve ever gone through. Knowing what it takes to get a book published, to put one’s heart and soul into a piece of literature makes me more than eager to read Roland’s work. This is a huge moment for fans…many of whom knew he was writing one (I think we first heard about it post ELAHE tour) but we didn’t want to be pests and beg for a sneak peek or too much info. “Let him finish it…leave him alone…” was the mantra among us for quite a while. Then more tours surfaced …but no mention of the book.

Autographed set lists made into art (Brasil Fan Team). Contact Marcio for info.
Autographed set lists made into art (Brasil Fan Team). Contact Marcio for info.

We questioned it, what was he writing about? Did he scrap it altogether? What else did he just toss away? Are there pages of music and songs too? It’s a known fact among fans that Tears for Fears b-sides are often (if not more) as outstanding as the works that are published on each album. I mean look at Saturnine Martial Lunatic, if that’s not gold then what is? Not to mention the beloved ‘Tomcats Screaming Outside.’ Listening to either one is a very moving and euphoric experience to say the least. So imagine what we’re about to get in a BOOK! It’s Roland’s mind, his thoughts, his imagination…we’re gonna “go there” with him and sink ourselves into “his world.” It’s the rock literature for which we’ve been waiting…it’s almost here!

Sneak peek?! Seriously? Yes, we're asking for this to get activated on Amazon.
Sneak peek?! Seriously? Yes, we’re asking for this to get activated on Amazon.

In honour of this wonderful occasion our Tears and Kooks Intl Fan Club is giving away an amazon download to one of the @papasfans Twitter followers or one who is following @tearsforfears. Our fan account focuses on all aspects of the band’s published work, from tweets to anything they tell us that’s allowed to be put in writing. Originating from a charity project that Good Man Curt Smith was involved in to help the nation of Haiti, we continued with gratitude to create a comfortable hub of ‘band fan info.’ We love to tweet about Tears for Fears and related material, connect with other fans and conduct meetups and other things with the band’s approval. They’ve been exceptionally kind about our activities. We’re always about giving back and that’s why we’re offering a #SexDrugsOperaOrzabal kindle download to a fortunate follower of either account.

Rules:
Tweet us (@papasfans) the hashtag #SexDrugsOperaOrzabal (along with any short, fun message or memory of your Tears for Fears fandom)
We’ll assign a number to each tweet, then pick a number at random on Tuesday night. The winner will be tweeted on Wednesday – the 26th of March.
An amazon code will be emailed to the winner so that they may complete their download.
*You must be following @tearsforfears or @papasfans on Twitter in order to qualify; it’s only fair as there are many interactive fans and we want to honour those who thoroughly support the band (and are kind to fellow fans) to the best of their ability.
*Please actually own a kindle device. We’ll have other prizes (we trust) so you can possibly win again if you don’t have one.

That’s all from band fan land today… Even if you’ve already pre-ordered a copy know that the Good Sir seems mighty happy with the hashtag #SexDrugsOperaOrzabal so tweet it proud, tweet it now!

Cheers!
(AA)

Roland’s New Book & a 12″ Vinyl? Yes, Please!

(From Amazon -available in March 2014)
(From Amazon -available in March 2014)

Yes indeed, we got word on Sir Orzabal’s book some time ago and didn’t know when the big announcement was going to take place. There were always rumours, then there was the confirmation and on Wednesday the first reports. We were patient…well Carri was…Andye, not so much (I wanted an advanced copy, lol!!).  So here you have it in all its glory 🙂 , ‘Sex, Drugs and Opera, There’s Life After Rock N Roll’ by the one and only (drum roll please) …Roland Orzabal! It is said to be released on the 26th of March via Kindle (available for purchase on those devices only, to pre-order your copy click here) and then other formats will be released (including a paperback book most likely) on the 4th of May. According to the Good Sir Orzabal, the May editions include iBooks and paper copies at Barnes and Noble (I think that’s how I understood it). He says not sure about the rest but we know in due time he’ll let us know. So sit tight. In celebration of its release, our TFF Travel Fan Team is giving away an Amazon gift card to one fortunate follower on Twitter. We’ll be in touch with the details next week.

Excited? Puleeze…more like biting our nails to the nub, we’re freakin’ thrilled. Inspired by several moments in time, this novel is written by the Good Sir himself. Here’s the background of the book as noted in contactmusic.com’s report. This is what appeared in their article: ‘I was halfway through writing a gothic, country house mystery when, out of the blue, I received an email inviting me to audition for the ITV show, Popstar To Operastar,’ says Roland. ‘It felt strange, I must admit, being targeted like that. I mean, I’d sung a little opera in my youth and had lessons for about six months, a fact I’m sure the producers were not aware of. Anyway, I went along for the audition, enjoyed the experience and got quite excited about the prospect. But the more I thought about it, the more nervous I became; I realised the fantasy was far more attractive than the reality. That’s where the idea for Sex, Drugs & Opera came from. The show might not have been right for me but it provided the germ for an alter-ego, a fictitious character, a semi-retired pop star called Solomon Capri who thinks he can reignite his marriage and relaunch his career not just by appearing on Popstar To Operastar, but by winning it.’ (from contactmusic.com)

Tears for Fears fan walls and group pages lit up like lightening as soon as TFF Fan Travel member Colleen posted the link. Many haven’t been able to calm down since the announcement. To say fans are happy is an understatement. Let’s all be sure to buy a copy (be it via the Kindle download or the second release on the 4th of May). Don’t forget books make good gifts too so get one for a friend. Let the world know your excitement by tweeting, uploading and tagging social posts on all platforms with #SexDrugsOperaOrzabal. You may even win a cool prize for doing so.

BGTo top that off, we have a new 12 inch vinyl to look forward to on the music front. “Ready Boy & Girls” has already gotten quite a bit of buzz with many curious about the title, the visual imagery and what it all means. It’ll all unfold in due time. For now the Good Man Curt Smith said (paraphrase) “Let me be clear…this is not the album, it’s not done yet.” It is, however, a limited edition 12″ vinyl and it looks like it will be available at one of the Record Store Day participating stores. We’ll see…in the meantime all kinds of fainting and falling out by fans has commenced. So take your B12 and enjoy the ride we’ll all know more in due time.

On the California side, Good Man Curt held a few chats this month, answering some fun questions from fans. It was very lighthearted with good-natured questions all around. It was like he just took a moment to sit beside us in our big chair. Gotta love those moments, we cherish them for sure. He also recently shared a great photo of his wife taken by neighbour Lady Bumbleward. We enjoy her online presence (and her Pinterest pins too). The time to catch Good Man Curt Smith online is pretty much all day… but he’s usually up for a quick chat around 8-10pm PST and of course that changes with his workload. He’s very friendly, sweet and kind…and hilarious. So follow (@curtsmith) and join in the online fun.

created by Juli-Juli, Japan branch of the TFF Travel Fan Team (founder of the Sunflower Club)
created by Juli-Juli, Japan branch of the TFF Travel Fan Team (founder of the Sunflower Club)

What else is going on in Band Fan Land? Lots of Art! Our Japanese Travel Fan Juli-Juli has been at it again with some cool pick me ups and jewelry. Beautiful material! Again, follow her on Twitter, she’s got a new Tears for Fears music find each day featuring covers and performances of their music from the vast archives located in her place in Japan. It includes works by all those affilliated with Tears For Fears. We are very grateful for her thoroughness!

Big Thanks to Colleen and Carolyn for this month’s music updates!

Upcoming March 2014:
7 March 2014 – 31st Anniversary of The Hurting (released last year -Did you get your copy?)
8 March – Michael Roland Magno, Birthday (Singer & Fan)
9 March – Richard Quest, Birthday – British presenter of Quest Means Business (this is relative, one of our collaboration wishes)
26 March 2014 – Sex, Drugs & Opera, There’s Life After Rock N Roll by R. Orzabal Kindle release

Thanks for reading! (AA)