Just wanted to give a mini press round-up in case anyone is jonesing for some Neil interviews. This is all stuff I found on the Divine Comedy Twitter account, so nothing new if you already follow them. Episode 235 of the The Six O'clock Show: TV Interview. Neil is on very close to the beginning. Need to be in Ireland or have VPN to watch. Not a bad interview for this kind of show. The Six O'Clock Show - Thursday, 07 December 2023 We're Gonna Need A Bigger Pod!: In depth interview with Neil and director Paul King. They mention that there will be another podcast released on Monday that interviews Neil again along with Joby Talbot. We're Gonna Need A Bigger Pod! / 'Wonka' Director Paul King & Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy interviewed, 'Wonka' reviewed, Your Tip Top 5 Musicals & more! BBC Radio Kent: Neil and director Paul King start at about 20 minutes in. Pretty short interview. Stephen Brown - 05/12/2023 - BBC Sounds The Sunday Times: Text interview will Neil. Neil Hannon on his dream Wonka project Coming up tomorrow: Neil on the Dermot O'Leary Show BBC Radio 2 - Dermot O'Leary, Cricketer Stuart Broad & Wonka's Neil Hannon join Dermot
I was listening to this interview as I made the post, and it really felt like it was going to be more in-depth than it ended up being. Not a bad interview, but shorter than I expected.
They said they have a longer interview with Neil and Joby on their show on Sunday, I think, so that might be a better one. Thanks for all of those links
This is good news for me I'm curious to listen to the songs, but not curious enough to want to see the film, although I might end up watching it in future when my little boy is a bit older. I think soundtracks/songs can stand on their own if they tell enough of the story. For example, as a child I loved the Jungle Book and Aristocats soundtracks and have still never seen either film!
Haha no, I'm still waiting for just the right moment to watch it, as I loved the songs so much as a child that I'm afraid I might be disappointed One to watch with my son, perhaps..?
I just ordered the c.d. version of this.... listening to the streaming version and it sounds great!!excited to try to keep up being the "cheating" completist after buying the big beautiful boxset when it was issued....I pinch myself that I had secured a box before it was unvailable so quickly!!it's easily the classiest boxset I own....and the best music....love it all!!
The Wonka soundtrack is decent fun. There's a couple songs that spark nods of recognition in their "Divine Comedy-ness," for lack of a better term ("A Hatful of Dreams" and "A World of Your Own" in particular), but there are fewer songs than I expected. In other news, for those interested, Neil's second series of Euro Pop is on the BBC Sounds app. I think two episodes have aired so far.
It's striking how much difference a singer makes. I'm sure these would feel much more like Neil Hannon songs if he was the one singing them. Maybe we'll get some demos down the road. Chalamet can sing but doesn't sing with much individuality.
Just finished to play the whole soudtrack on youtube. Not bad but I expected something more original in the orchestration, maybe more like Danny Elfman.
I can’t recall where it was, but in one of the many Wonka interviews he’s done recently he did mention that he had been too busy to work on a new TDC album. More’s the pity!
I watched the movie on Monday and was positively surprised. I don't like musicals and I was never that fond of Willy Wonka, although the 2005 film does make me feel cozy. I went purely because of Hannon and Joby, and I ended up enjoying everything about it! The songs of course are great, and if you just imagine Neil singing them instead of the cast, it kinda recalls the sound of Absent Friends, that orchestral sound without that much of a band sound vying for the center of the stage. If anyone was on the fence about it, I recommend you to go watch! And btw, is this the first time since Friends that Hannon and Talbot have arranged songs together? I know Neil probably handed the producers the songs and Joby did his parts separately and not in a TDC-collab manner, but anyways. Hope it somehow leads to them working together again as Absent Friends is my favorite of their records.
I understand Office Politics songs were written in the same period as Foreverland which must gave been 2015. Neil doesn't seem to have written a lot at all in nearly 8 years if that's the case. Hoping its not yo much longer for something new.
Thanks for this. I also don't like musicals and don't much care for the 1971 film (haven't seen the 2005 remake), so it's good to read this from you. I've listened to the soundtrack - I think the music is pretty good; I particularly like Hatful Of Dreams and Scrub Scrub. The moment Scrub Scrub started my 5 year old asked 'is this Neil Hannon?' It's obviously recognisable! I may take him to see the film in January if he's up for it. From an interview I heard with Joby, he took elements from the songs to create the score, and arranged the songs themselves, I think. He said he went back to Neil's original demos to pick out extra bits of melody etc that had been lost during the process. This is a different interview with Joby and Neil, but may be of interest: Video: Joby Talbot & Neil Hannon Unwrap the Delicious New Music of WONKA
TDC headlined Friday night at a festival in Dublin this weekend.. I half wondered whether we might see a few more interesting songs in the set after they learned them all for the Barbican. But… nah The Divine Comedy Setlist at NYF Dublin 2023
Victoria Falls just on ‘The Chain’ on Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie’s show on 6Music. That wasn’t you, @The Turning Year , was it?
Sorry for the late reply. It wasn't me, but someone else who's in the Facebook fan group. Good choice by them though!
Tomorrow Hannon is on Private Passions, the BBC Radio 3 show where people talk about some of their favourite pieces of music - usually classical, but not necessarily. BBC Radio 3 - Private Passions, Neil Hannon It's also available as a podcast.
Thanks! I listened to this on a train journey today and it was lovely. I enjoyed all of his choices, and it was a really nice conversation as always with this programme
I am late to this thread. I love every DC record up to an including Victory For the Comic Muse. Bang Goes The Knighthood had its good moments, but I wasn't into it as much as the other ones. And I was not at all into Foreverland and Office Politics, and do not even own copies of them. This will be a very unpopular opinion, but my favorite album (the one I go back to most) is Regeneration, followed closely by Absent Friends. The two Duckworth Lewis Method albums are also excellent. Now that Neil has completed his massive DC reissue campaign, it would ne nice to see the first DLM album reissued on vinyl. My vinyl copy of Sticky Wickets is lonely.
Hello everyone. I'm a bit late in mentioning this as it's now gone from BBC sounds, but did anyone else listen to As The Sun Brightens The Shadows Deepen? It's a bit off-piste but since we briefly discussed To Our Fathers In Distress I thought it might be worth a mention. I've listened to it a few times on my way to work and really like it. I am a little thrown by the speech parts on some of it and almost wish he hadn't used them as a crutch, however in other parts of the piece they work really well. If anyone is interested I recorded it from the radio, so have audio files I'm happy to share.
Hello, you're very welcome! We all have our favourite albums and that's fine - no one is 'wrong'! (unless they like Here Comes The Flood... ) For me, the 90s albums work best as whole albums; Regeneration and Absent Friends have never connected with me; and since then there I think have been some really good songs, but no albums I listen to as a whole except Office Politics, which I love. So I'm kind of the opposite to you! I was late coming to the Duckworth Lewis Method albums, and haven't really given them a lot of time, to be honest
This isn't quite what I meant to say, but I've just missed the edit window! I don't really think they are a 'crutch', as they are integral to the piece, but I think I meant that some of the music is so lovely I feel I'd like to hear it alone. The piece is lovely, sounds really accomplished to me, and has some really beautiful moments.
