The Art Of Xmas Parties - With Mini Viva
A funny thing happened at the beginning of this interview. It took place on the day after Ellie Goulding was announced as the winner of next year's Brit Award for Most Likely Best Newcomer Unless Anyone Really Amazing Comes Along (note: must check title), and as Mini Viva - they of the brilliant 'I Wish' song - will probably have been in the running themselves, I wanted to find out their reaction to the news.
In hindsight, I should probably not have suggested that they throw the phone down, as we shall see. Don't worry though, it gets proper Christmassy before too long, and I'm sure they didn't mean it. No, really, VERY SURE INDEED.
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ChartBlog: Hello, is that internationally famous singing duo Mini Viva on the phone?
Both: HELLO!
ChartBlog: So if I said Ellie Goulding's name to you right now, would you throw the phone down in a fit of pique?
Britt: No she's got a great voice, I think she's great, and I hope she does well...
[sound of banging. Phone goes dead. A minute passes. Phone rings.]
ChartBlog: [answering the phone] I can't believe you did actually hang up!
Britt: NOO! That was not meant!
ChartBlog: It's good, it makes you look like proper divas...
Frankee: Hah! We're not divas.
Britt: We're Vivas, not divas.
ChartBlog: Oh very good! Now, what's a normal Christmas for you two?
Frankee: Well, I spend it with all my family and just...eat all day.
Britt: It's nice being with family and friends at Christmastime.
ChartBlog: Do you have any weird traditions that only you and your family do?
Britt: At Christmas Eve I always put a glass of milk and a carrot and a mince pie, even though I'm 20 now. I don't believe in Santa, but it's just a traditional thing to do.
Frankee: And I always have to have new-pressed pyjamas on Christmas Eve. I don't know why, but my mum and dad have always done it since I was little and still do it to this day.
ChartBlog: Well, if Santa did pop round it'd be awful if you were wearing a grubby nightie. Speaking of which, do you come down in the morning and find the milk and carrot and mince pie missing?
Britt: Well, I think my mam does it. I think she eats the carrot and she gives the mince pie to my little dog, so yeah, it is eaten when I come back down in the morning.
ChartBlog: That's amazing, cos clearly nobody thinks you still believe in it, but you're all just keeping up appearances.
Britt: No, I don't believe in Santa, I just like doing it.
ChartBlog: OK, so are you pillowcase girls, do you put a sock at the end of the bed, or are all the presents under the tree?
Frankee: Under the tree, definitely.
Britt: Stockings on the fireplace...
Frankee: I've got a Winnie the Pooh stocking.
ChartBlog: Shall we organise a Mini Viva Christmas party?
Both: OK!
ChartBlog: So, what's on the stereo, first and foremost?
Both: [together] "jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock..."
ChartBlog: Anything else?
Both: "I wish it could be Christmas every daaaay..."
ChartBlog: I am SO making this into some kind of megamix...
Britt: [laughing] and a little bit of Mariah...
Both: "all I want for Christmaaaas is yooou"
ChartBlog: And what food will there be?
Britt: Little sausages, wrapped in pigs.
ChartBlog: Wrapped in PIGS?
Frankee: Chipolatas, they're called.
Britt: No! Pigs in blankets! Er...what else? Little mince pies...
Frankee: Vol au vents...
Britt: Vol au vents...
ChartBlog: Vol au vents? Now that's swanky...
Britt: Fish eggs!
Frankee: No. We'll have a selection of the biscuits with the cheeses.
Britt: After Eights!
ChartBlog: Drinks?
Frankee: Mulled wine, lots of fizzy pop for the kids.
ChartBlog: And will there be games?
Frankee: Charades... Scrabble.
Britt: No, not Scrabble. Buckaroo! Where you've got the little horse and you've got to put all the things on his back. Jenga as well.
Frankee: Trivial Pursuit.
Britt: Twister.
ChartBlog: Are you good at any of these games.
Frankee: Yeah! We're good at all of them.
ChartBlog: Is this what you do on tour to pass the time?
Britt: No we wind up our tour manager, to be honest.
Frankee: We dress him up in makeup and stuff.
Britt: Then we egg his car. I mean not egg his car...
Frankee: BEAN his car...
Britt: Bean his car as well.
ChartBlog: Sorry, you BEAN it?
Britt: Yeah. We went into a fast food place and we bought lots of packets of beans and then we splattered his car in beans.
Frankee: We punk him!
ChartBlog: Wow, you are hardcore!
Frankee: And he has to wear a woman's wig!
ChartBlog: It does sound like a lot of fun, but quite frightening. Will there be fancy-dress at the Mini Viva Christmas party?
Both: YEAH!
Frankee: You've got to dress up as Mini Viva...with a Christmas theme.
Britt: We like elves, don't we?
Frankee: And reindeer noses.
ChartBlog: Sounds fairly straightforward, if a little egotistical. All that remains is for me to wish you both a Happy Christmas!
Both: Thank you! Happy Christmas!
THE END
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Comment number 1.
At 27th Dec 2009, hermes wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 2.
At 27th Dec 2009, seo wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 3.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:"The Art of Xmas Parties" lol. I would love to see a Mini Viva Xmas party with David Sylvian sat at the back on his own looking miserable with a party hat on. Either that or a photoshop of the single "The Art of Parties" with added Xmas and party hat. Can anyone oblige?
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Comment number 4.
At 27th Dec 2009, spirit wrote:Who is David Sylvian ?
Is he from Japan , a European Son or a Cantonese Boy ?
Or does he enjoy the Quiet Life ?
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Comment number 5.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:He's the Chartblog Nightporter.
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Comment number 6.
At 27th Dec 2009, spirit wrote:I Second That Emotion !
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Comment number 7.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:As well as the party hat, he should have one of those things in his mouth. You know, you blow them at xmas parties and they unfold and make an annoying sound?
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Comment number 8.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:It would happen to me wouldn't it! I spend 20 minutes creating 'The Art of XMAS Parties' single cover and it turns out you can't put picture into a post.
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Comment number 9.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Well done Harry! You could put it up somewhere else and send a link?
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Comment number 10.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I'll try but I think I might have deleted it in a mad rage!
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Comment number 11.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Don't tell curtains, he'll have to go and download the christmas number one again!
If you find it, bung it on Flickr or somewhere.
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Comment number 12.
At 27th Dec 2009, spirit wrote:" He should have one of those things in his mouth .... you blow them at Christmas parties.. ! "
Excuse me guys , I think I am on the wrong site !
Do carry on ......
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Comment number 13.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I actually look them up those annoying noise things are apparently called Blowouts.
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Comment number 14.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:sorry 'I actually LOOKED them up' can't even write english today
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Comment number 15.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I DID IT! Finally, I had to create a flickr account for that and search to find out what a blowout was called but now my epic quest is over!
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Comment number 16.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Fantastic work Harry! Well Done. David has just the right look of bored arrogance on his face! His absolute disinterest in the Xmas tree is priceless. His mum has obviously just asked him to put some tinsel on it.
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Comment number 17.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:Thanks, my eyes are beginning to hurt now after staring at a computer screen for so long.
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Comment number 18.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:I feel lazy really, I should have done it myself but Photoshop isn't on my computer, or anything similar, so I would have to go and find the memory stick with CS3 portable on it, and my attention span is quite short and... Squirrel!
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Comment number 19.
At 27th Dec 2009, thranjax wrote:Now all we need is Uncle Fraser to upload that picture in place of the picture of Mini Viva. Let's be honest, no one is interested in them after all, every comment on here bar the first two is about David Sylvian - it would be more relevant to the blog? Fraser?
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Comment number 20.
At 27th Dec 2009, harrythedog10 wrote:I'm not even sure if the first two were about Mini Viva, they were removed before I got here.
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Comment number 21.
At 27th Dec 2009, spirit wrote:Trust me the first 2 were promotional nonsense without a musical heart .
All of the posts are re David Sylvian . (Oh apart from the one where you are blowing things orally... )
Oh yeah.. blow outs...
Anyway Mini Viva's latest single has bombed , so I think it should be David Sylvian who has his face "Oil on Canvas . "
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Comment number 22.
At 28th Dec 2009, spirit wrote:And another thing .. and this is the real spooky bit...
Mini Viva's TOP TEN hit was called I left my heart in Tokyo , and David Sylvian was the lead singer of... JAPAN !
Tokyo - Japan .
Cue Twilight Zone music !
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