Darren Fan Q&A No.1 04/12/02.
I: Ok umfirst questions from Annie from Sweeden..she wants to know why did you choose Insatiable to be the first single from SPIN?
D: You know the truth um..about Insatiable as the first single is that it wasnt really my first choice, my first choice was a song called Dirty..and umand then this horrible thing happened on Sept 11th.the whole world changed and I think my views about music changed..I didnt know if I wanted to put you know a song about ME?or HEY (not sure) getting down and dirty..out into the world.I wanted to put some love out thereI really mean thatI wanted to put something that was really beautiful and healing and that became why I chose Insatiable initially as the first single.
I: Next question: Elizabeth from Colorado.do you still have a charity you are working with? If so, what is it and how can we do to support it?
D: You know I dont really have a specific charity that I work with.Im always involved in Childrens causes or anything to do with HIV/AIDS..so wherever I can I always throw my celebrity or throw myself into it. Definitely in Australia the Sidney Childrens hospital is um.just one hospital in the World that I love and when I can you know I try and raise money for them and visit the kids and I think through my fans Ive been able to talk to them about not throwing little toys up on stage to me.because its really sweet and I appreciate it, but I think of how much money that costs and I think that if you want to do something sweet for me just donate $1 to any charity and just tell me thatyou knowjust put a little piece of paper up on stage to tell me that you did that and that would mean so much more to me.so you know I think that we can all do our little bit to help.and you know thats kind of what I try to do
I: Mary Lou from Colorado wants to know whats the sorry and the laugh at the end of Dirty all about?
D: Right.at the end of Dirty..if you listen to it very carefully it sounds like Im um hyperventilatingMaybegetting very caught up in the moment..???
So I was in the studio and I was making all these breathing sounds and at the end I looked up and everyone in the studio was looking at me and I guess I was embarrassed.and I went..sorry and then I laughedand that was never meant to be on the album but, it sounded so funny we just kept it
I: Jennifer from Georgia and Fans from all over the country and the world want to know when do you plan to go on tour?
D: I cannot wait to tour.at the moment I am in a rehearsal studio right now answering these questions and I had to be torn away from my band that I love.this year..Definitely all over the world.small theaters and more musical.you know this is the best band Ive ever played withtheyre incredible and I cant wait to let SPIN be translated live..so this year
I: Annika? From Sweeden wants to know how do you decide the order of the songs on the album?
D: The sequence of the songs on an album is the actually one of the most difficult things once youve finished itbecause for me it should feel like a show or a movie..there should be a beginning, middle and an end.it should be a journey.and you want there to be a point to that journeyyou know so for me I usually start with a bang.and um.things get more serious and darker ..as the record progresses and then its almost like a reward if you stick with meat the end theres a payoff theres the encore.so for me on this album.Strange Relationship is like jumping into this pool and um.the reward on the other end is SPIN.its a big celebration..its the last song.
Darren Fan Q&A No. 2 (04/13/02)
Liz from Pennsylvania asks, I know you love yoga. What is your favorite yoga position?
D: Hmm..that's a good question. My favorite yoga position..goshYou know I don't even know what it's called but I'll do it for you. It's you know, it's a stretch basically..and you do that..and you have to cross one leg. But it does wonders for my back. It feels really good to my back..so I do that and. Whatever that's called that's my favorite yoga position.
Brendan from Australia asks, What does the 1980 ME in Crush mean?
D: Well, you're just going to have to find out. There's clues in Crush. I'm not gonna tell you what it is, but I have a crush on a certain year and it rhymes with 1980 ME So, check it out.
Rachel from California asks, Do you carry a notebook around for those random inspirations?
D: You know I really don't carry a notebook around and I should. I think for me when I'm songwriting it's definitely a head space that I'm in. So when I'm writing for two months I always have a journal with me. But when I'm not, if I'm promoting or touring or anything, then I don't even think about writing. It may change in this album a little bit becauseRobert Conley is someone thatI wrote Crush with him and he's traveling with us on the road and doing pro tours and keyboards and stuff and so he and I have been writing a little bit so, maybe..we'll see.
Kelly from Georgia wants to know, How does it feel to be able to affect peoples lives with the words you write?
D: You know, I don't really think about it too much until people come up to me and say that a song has affected them and changed their lives. And I think Wow! I wrote that for me. And if it has a positive influence on somebody else's life that's great. It's a good thing. I've met a lot of people that said that the music has, you know, it's been the soundtrack to their lives. And that's definitely why I perform the music.
Deanna from Nebraska wants to know, What do you feel is the biggest misconception about yourself?
D: Gosh..there's so many..umm..that I don't mean it probably. I mean I'm very sincere and very earnest and sometimes I think that people are skeptical of that. You know like reviewers..or you know I think people look at my music and say ahh..smaltzy and can he really mean that? And Yeah, I mean the reality is Yep I do. And I'm funnier I think than I think people know. Anytime I do an interview you know I'm so serious but I'm actually just a goofballso
Lorraina from Australia wants to know, How do you feel about all the support the fans have shown in the past few months?
D: I can't thank the fans enough for how special they make me feel. And how loved I feel. You know I can be having the worst day and there'll be people waiting outside the hotel room in Sweden, or there'll be people at the airport. You know I arrived in Denmark recently I was really ill. And I'd had to cancel the previous day's work, and I've never ever had to cancel a days work with music ever; and that's how sick I was. And they were just there with flowers and cards and letters and I couldn't believe it you know, and they just made me feel like the luckiest man on earth. So umm. I hope with the music and with the performance I, you know, I pay people back.for that kind of support.
Candy from Minnesota wants to know, If you were a rapper what would you call yourself?
D: Oh I have a name. It's D-Litty - Darren "Love" Hayes - D-Litty that's my name!
Darren Fan Q&A No. 3(04/14/02)
Evette from Mexico would like to know, What do you like most about living in San Francisco?
D: I love San Francisco and I miss it when I'm not there because it's there's an energy there, it's spiritual there's something about the laid (?) lines and I don't know..the proximity to the water and the mountains and the environment is just it's very peaceful. That's what I miss, the peace.
Valerie from Canada would like to know, How do think you have developed as a songwriter?
D: I think I'm still developing as a songwriter. I think that the biggest challenge for me on Spin was to embrace electronic music in my soul and R&B roots..you know music that I grew up listening to. And that had been kind of shelved and buried a little bit during the process of SG it was um..I didn't really know that I had these parts in me musically. And so that's been I think the biggest growth factor..is finding that.
Ivana from Italy sends in this question, Darren, tell us the meaning of the Insatiable video?
D: The meaning of the Insatiable video is once again it's up to viewer interpretation. I mean I can tell you what I didn't want to do. I didn't want to do a video that was..you know pop star rips his shirt off and rolls around the beach with sexy super model. If I had've done that it might have gotten played a little bit more, but I didn't do that I wanted to do a love that was more sophisticated. You know and you could look at movies like Sixth Sense you could look at a movie like Somewhere In Time. I'm a romantic so if you look at this video in those sorts of ways you'll understand that it's not clear whether or not I'm actually thereor not. Maybe I'm a ghost, maybe I'm a memory umm..you know it's not clear. All we know is that I loved her once and that I don't have her anymore.
Chantelle from Illinois wants to know if you ever get overwhelmed by not having enough time for yourself?
D: Yeah I do get overwhelmed I think everybody gets overwhelmed though with their jobs..and my job is a busy job. I think the biggest thing for me lately is learning how to be a boss. You know and.to run a company because ultimately that's what I'm doing. You know I have all these people that work with me I have accountants and lawyers and managers and people that ultimately just turn to me for that final decision everyday. And the truth is I don't even wanna think about that stuff, I just wanna sing you know I just wanna make music. So that's been a challenge that I've had to come to terms with, but I'm getting there.
Hannah from Finland would like to know, What kind of day would be your ideal day off?
D: My ideal day off would involve sleeping in till..like 11:00 in the morning, probably. And it would be just an all-day breakfast. You know with someone that you love. I love breakfast food and just lounging around my house in pajamas and eating oatmeal and fresh fruit and smoothies and pancakes you know breakfast stuff. Feeling like it's breakfast all day. That would be good.
BettyAnn from New York wants to know what happened to the independent film you were in and what was the name of the film?
D: You know I never ever went through with that actually. It wasuhI was talking to a director and a producer about an independent film that was going to be shot in New York but they actually never really had a finished script it was always a working script. And I had expressed interest to do it at that stage but they basically just didn't get their act together by the time I was doing my record. And I couldn't..you know I'll never put my music second to anything. I would've had to stop making my album to shoot the movie when they wanted to do it and it didn't fit my schedule so I couldn't do it. I'm still going to be involved in something one day I'm sure..but maybe more in a musical sense you know. Or Star Warsif you call me.George, call me!
