dnews pontoon
does it rock? yea baby, yea!

**** Q U O T E ****
"I've got a better idea for a video. It involves Martin, a gun, and the
heads of people at Radio One."
"Ah, the Changing Rooms mickey-take video. I always thought the R1 executive
offices could do with a splash of colour."
~ conversation between two twisted individuals

**** Contents ****
To Five Or Not To Five, That Is The Question
Mixing Your Mezzaphors
Big Breakfast Backfeed
Fan Message
Toronto Gig
Brighton Gig
d:claim To Fame
Can They Be Missionaries And Megastars?
d:end?

**** To Five Or Not To Five, That Is The Question ****
Some chap asks, "I am a fan of Delirious. But, my friend and I disagree on
how to write the name. Is it Delirou5 [with a five], or Delirious [with an
s], or is it both. Just a dumb question. Since you have sources I thought
you would know."

~ Spurious? says: The old delirious? logo - that appeared on early Cutting
Edge records, as well as the singles and King Of Fools, had the s replaced
with a five (why? answers on a postcard to adam@spurious.org - most amusing
answer wins a prize), but the band themselves never wrote the name
deliriou5?. The reason being is unknown, but it looks stupid when typed. For
the Mezzamorphis release, the logo changed and the 5 is replaced by an s so
they are now "delirious?". However, the ease with which the 5 was abandoned
is worrying - could such an atrocity occur to the much-loved and
well-respected question mark? (never has a punctuation mark meant so much)

> top

**** Mixing Your Mezzaphors ****
My Pastor gave a sermon recently about being a new creation in Christ - the
old is passed away and becomes new. He, as many other preachers, recalled
the process of the caterpillar to the butterfly, the tadpole to the frog -
and called it Mezzamorphis.
~ from Beverly Austin

> top

**** Big Breakfast Backfeed ****
Tim says, "I was saddened to hear that people thought d: weren't Christian
enough on the Big Breakfast. But when reading on BBC Ceefax, I was quite
saddened by what was written . What do you think of Stew who said that "he
wouldn't mention what they did in America" making people think that
Christianity is cool and naughty? What do you think? The whole interview on
Ceefax was very saddening and I hope they got it wrong - what do you think?"

~ Spurious? says: Firstly, you have to understand that delirious? are
totally rubbish at interviews. Totally. They never go well as the band
aren't media-trained - plus many interviewers *are* trying to catch them out
(this happened in Rock Sound Magazine when someone was pressurising Stu G to
talk about ministry and Christianity when Stu got the feeling he'd be taking
the mickey so he tried to get it back to music, but the guy got the
impression while going through his tape that Stu had said "the band is more
a business than a ministry" which he hadn't).

I'm sure Stew was just having a laugh with the interviewer - delirious? are
trying to preach to the media as much as to the masses, so Stew was trying
to get along with him, and it's almost as if Stew didn't think what it would
look like to the people reading the review. But they're learning, they did
really well on the Big Breakfast and before they become media maestros I'm
very happy to give them the benefit of the doubt. It also might be an idea
if the got some media training - courses exist, for example Michael Owen
(England's greatest hope to avoiding embarrassment this summer) went on one
and is now a media maestro.

> top

**** Fan Message ****
Mark Spiers says, "Dear Spurious? I’m just writing to congratulate the band
on reaching number 12 in the music charts, in only two days! The single was
only realised yesterday and has already reached number 12 in the charts. So
can't people just try their music for once, and not keep discarding them as
they’re a Christian band. I’m not a Christian, but does it matter?? I’m just
sick and tired of all the people that have asked me why I like a Christian
band when 1) I’m not a Christian and 2) my other taste in music is bands
like Placebo, Suede, Smashing Pumpkins and Blur! For all those people that
have asked me the question or who are about to, Delirious? are one *TOP*
band! I just had to get that out in cyberspace, thanks! I’m looking forward
to Thursday, I must confess I can’t wait Its good to see a decent and real
band for once, thank you Delirious?"

> top

**** Toronto Gig ****
Delirious? will be playing Toronto on April 8th with special guests
Capstone. The whole schebang will kick off at 7:30pm at Queensway Cathedral,
with ticket prices being $24.50 in advance ($28 on the door) with groups of
ten or more at $22.50 each. Spurious? should be getting hold of some photos
from this gig; keep checking the site. Thanks to Jon Mills.

> top

**** Brighton Gig ****
Southern FM Music Jam sponsor an event in Brighton, and Delirious? have been
invited along with other top artists to perform, such as Craig Davids,
Artful Dodger, Toploader, Fierce and Northern Line.

Date : 24th March 2000
Time : 7:30pm
Gig venue : Brighton Centre, BRIGHTON (0870 900 9100)
Tickets: £12.00 (may include booking fee)

~ Confirmed by Furious? Records (although the price may differ)
~ Thanks to Anester "I was on Ceefax, don't you know" Halliday

> top

**** d:claim to fame ****
My d:claim to fame relates back to about 1997 when they did a gig at
Hornchurch Leisure Centre, near Romford, Essex, organised by the Church I
went to, which meant I was a roadie for the day. Having roadie status meant
that during the warm up, I was the only one in the crowd, centre stage,
soaking up "I'm not ashamed" at full blast, and some track by Radiohead.
About 1200 people came that night. While setting down afterwards, Martin
Smith (for it was he) called to Stew Smith (for it was he too) about a part
of their entourage who's name I didn't catch. He hollowed across this big
hall "did you hear him at breakfast this morning, he let rip this enormous
fart, went on for ages". I've been a fan ever since.

~ Spurious? thanks Steve for lowering the tone of dnews.

> top

**** Can they be missionaries and megastars? ****
Perhaps more than at any other time during their rise from Sussex to the
bright lights, the question mark at the end of Delirious? is especially
appropriate. In attempting to perform a delicate balancing act between
street cred and credo, Britain's most successful Christian rockers find
themselves stuck in a double-bind situation that appears to have no easy
solution.

Universal acceptance as an outstanding rock band per se, and the rewards
that go with that level of achievement, are the ambitions that drive
Delirious? in pursuit of new and greater chart successes. Yet. the band are
equally committed to maintaining their evangelistic edge, and in a world
where anything remotely hinting at Christian affiliation is considered
terminally uncool, progress hinges on seminal questions. Are they
missionaries or mega-stars? And, crucially for the five lads from the South
Coast, can the two identities co-exist both spiritually and commercially?

The opening voice-over in the Delirious? video, A View From The Terraces,
states emphatically "The message is central to everything we do". And
singer-songwriter Martin Smith can hardly be accused of watering down the
missionary zeal as he tells a rapturous audience in unequivocal terms,
"We're still not ashamed" before the band launches into one of its most
rocking, rousing anthems, 'I'm Not Ashamed Of The Gospel.'

Talking candidly at the band's own record company, Furious? in
Littlehampton, Smith said: "The message is very definitely still central to
everything we do. It's our lifeblood - something we talk about almost every
time we're together. We are missionaries, whenever we perform we are hoping
to get the message across. If we can influence just a few people for good,
we will have achieved our aim."

Guitarist and fellow songwriter, Stuart Garrard (Stu G to fellow band
members and fans alike) explained the difficulties they face in pursuing
their parallel aim. "We are very clear and definite in what we're trying to
achieve and why we;re trying to push the boundaries. We are after a bit more
respect in the pop world, but people in the Christian world say that we've
lost the plot and that's where it becomes a balancing act.

"We get letters and e-mails with widely differing viewpoints on what we're
doing," Garrard continued. "Some people say 'Why spoil what you have -
you're being disobedient to God'. Then you get others saying 'Why are you
doing the old rubbish? Rock 'n' Roll is the way to influence people, so go
for it'."

The perception of how Delirious? should present themselves is far more clear
cut in the United States, where they undertook successful tours in
September, October and November last year. The Christian community in the
US regard even the remotest frission of a traditional rock lifestyle as
unacceptable.

Ironically, they have found commercial success easier to come by in America,
principally because Christian music has established itself as a major force
in its own right. Seeing the opportunity to cash in, major record companies
have taken over all the Christian labels, with Sparrow, the US label which
distributes Delirious?, now a part of EMI. As a result of the Christian
music momentum, Delirious? have played major theatres and festivals,
including an increasing number of neutral venues, supporting bands like DC
Talk, who have had several platinum records, Jars Of Clay and Worldwide
Message Tripe.

"In England you can be in a Christian band, but there's no scene, so if
you're ambitious you have to break out," Garrard said. "If you're in a
Christian band in Nashville you can be huge and never be known in the wider
context of the pop scene. The two worlds never meet. It's only when you tour
the States you realise how huge it is. You might say 'Let's go and conquer
America'. And you travel around for two years and realise you've only hit
half a per cent."

Breaking out in the UK has been something of a war of attrition. They have
had three top 20 hits [now four with It's OK, of course!] - Deeper, Promise
and See The Star - notched up 750,000 world-wide album sales (the first
album, King Of Fools, went to number 13 in the UK and the second,
Mezzamorphis, has received huge critical acclaim from the national media),
and they have had no trouble filling traditional rock venues like Brixton
Academy. Yet those facts tell only a small part of the story.

Those breakthroughs have been achieved with virtually no airplay from
mainstream radio stations. There have been suggestions in the media that
Radio One have adopted a deliberate policy of not playing Delirious? music
because they are Christians. Much has also been made of the fact that bands
like Kula Shaker and Marilyn Manson, who espouse Buddhism and Satanism, have
received airtime.

Delirious? baulk at the word conspiracy, but are quite clearly frustrated by
a situation that led to them having to "pull" their last single, Gravity,
which featured in the Heatseekers charts for many weeks in the US, but
received a polite "No thanks" from Radio One. "If we release a single we
have enough fans who can chart it, but if Radio One don't put it up it just
drops out," Smith explained. "We receive answers such as, 'it didn't fit in
with what we were doing that week'. We can't argue with that."

Absolute promotions, a radio promotions company who deal with artists as
diverse as Mariah Carey and Marc Almond, are responsible for handling
Delirious?. A spokesman for the company commented: "There is no objection to
the band because they are Christians and if people keep banging on about it,
it will work against them. Delirious? are not on the Radio One playlist
because they don't like what they hear. Radio One plays mostly R and B,
hip-hop and out-and-out pop music. Guitar-driven bands are rare."

Another factor that is perceived as having influenced radio stations against
Christian bands is the one-off success of Heartbeat, whose song Tears From
Heaven, made the charts back in the eighties after the band's fans were all
told to go out and buy the single on a certain date. Whilst acknowledging
the Heartbeat syndrome, Delirious? are anxious not to make too much of it.
However, Smith commented, "As well as their usual fan base, they were
accessing the whole church network, including people like the grannies who
do the tea on Sunday mornings. The industry thought the record was being
hyped, which is illegal nowadays. We do still bump into people who say 'How
can this band come from nowhere. Is it a Heartbeat thing?' It has left its
mark."

With a new single, the haunting It's Okay from the Mezzamorphis album, due
to be released on February 21, Delirious? have no intention of giving up the
battle for more universal recognition. "We haven't had a single in the Top
10 and that's what we're aiming for," Smith said. "We must keep trying and
not backing down; we must keep pushing the doors. At the end of the day
we're not going to go away."

Could they perhaps follow the lead of Sixpence None The Richer, who became
the latest Christian band to make the charts when Kiss Me entered the top 20
recently? Kiss Me was purely and simply a love song, but as both Smith and
Garrard point out many Delirious? songs do not have an overtly Christian
message. "It would stunt our creativity if we concentrated on Jesus for
every song," Garrard said. "Having said that, everything we do is from our
particular perspective and for us that means it's grounded in faith.

"We want to put on a great show, but we want people to have an overall
experience, not just to stand and watch," Garrard added. "We hope they will
catch hold of a vision and take it into their work-places as well as their
churches. We'll carry on doing what we're doing and hope we can make a
difference. All we can do at the end of the day is be true to ourselves."

~ from the January 2000 issue of "Christianity" magazine, written by John
Karter. Thanks to Gordon "Gareth-wannabe" Sweeney for giving me the article,
but animosity to him for making me type it all out.

> top

**** d:end? ****
As the editions of dnews fly thick and fast, talk to turns to what
delirious? do next. Hints at two albums re-emerge, one for the Christian
scene and one for the mainstream market, fans argue about the merits of each
album and what this could mean about the d:future. Other ideas are thrown
into the smelting pot, as 6-track EPs, new singles, UK tours, University
tours and releasing Bliss are all thrown about with casual abandonment. Rest
assured, the best of this discussion will appear in dnews, so if you want
Furious? Records to see your opinion and argument, you'd better let us know
on news@spurious.org ASAP.

All the best,

Adam, Adrian, Mike, Scooby

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