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Post by HardheadedSofthrtd on Nov 4, 2003 10:30:30 GMT -5
I managed to purchase, on eBay, a copy of the Independent Sunday magazine supplement from Oct. 12. I thought I'd throw it on my site for those of you who have wanted to read it but have been unable to. Enjoy.  The Independent on Sunday 10.12.2003Overall, I'd say it's a positive article. I suppose there will be those who would prefer it if one or two topics in particular had not been broached, but the writer seems to have a genuine appreciation for both Mr. Stevens and Mr. Islam, as it were. I got a little chuckle whilst reading the second-to-last paragraph; taking over London hotels, indeed!  Oh, and please do let me know if you notice any glaring typos. I never did learn to properly touch-type, and that article took me a good couple of hours, so I could very easily have made a few errors. Thanks. -Joanne |
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Post by Vivian on Nov 4, 2003 10:54:06 GMT -5
I think someone is sending me a copy! I can't wait to get mine!
Peace,Vivian
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Post by Turan on Nov 4, 2003 13:24:57 GMT -5
Thank you, Joanne. That was alot of work.
I really enjoyed the way past and present were bounced off each other.
Nice to see you back all in one peice, as it were. Going to regale us with a concert review or two? Please?
Turan
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sue
Oh Very Young
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Post by sue on Nov 4, 2003 14:15:27 GMT -5
Thanks, Joanne, very interesting read.
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Post by DiddleMingyAdams on Nov 4, 2003 14:59:24 GMT -5
very nice article, one of the best, thanks again, joanne. (i thanked you on the 'other' site)
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Post by hummingbird on Nov 4, 2003 19:49:36 GMT -5
Yes, Joanne I got a chuckle out of that too. It was a bit of an exaggeration (sp -  ) I might add. Which leads me to believe some of the rest is a bit trumped up too. Interesting yes, but lacking in a depth I thought. He seems more interested in throwing old interview snippets at Yusuf to get his reaction rather than actually talking to him. Hey, thanks for all your work Joanne. I'm glad we got a chance to finally read it -jen. |
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Post by Lucy13 on Nov 4, 2003 21:43:01 GMT -5
What a nice article; Thanks Joanne! It's the most candid one I've read in a LONG time. Not just more of the same old, same old... a few fun little nuggets in there... stuff that hasn't been "touched" in a long time.
This cracked me up:
"What happened to Amberthwiddle?"
"I threw Amberthwiddle in the sea."
And awwwwww...... the part where he said he was always looking for a woman as good as his mother... that was touching!
That article's a gem. (And I must say, I was surprised to find out about the lyrics for Portobello Road... I never knew that.)
"Vanity was one of my problems." Mm-hm... very candid. As I said, interesting article. Very down-to-earth. Touching.
Oh... and I bet he DOES play that guitar. ha ha.
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Post by hummingbird on Nov 4, 2003 21:54:14 GMT -5
I feel bad for Amberthwiddle  LOL! You're right Lucy, this interview is a little bit like a "blast from the past". Of course we love hearing about this stuff, but I wonder when he's asked about some of these things if he's saying to himself, Amberthewiddle!! He's asking me about Amberthewiddle...who cares, it was just a stupid stick!-jen. |
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Post by kareema113 on Nov 4, 2003 23:47:40 GMT -5
Salaam alaykom,
Thank you so much for transcribing this article.
My favorite line in the entire piece is:
"The Royal Albert Hall show is a great event. Some people will come along to see me as I am now."
Ameen to that, Brother.
Wa'sallam,
kareema
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Post by DiddleMingyAdams on Nov 5, 2003 0:03:59 GMT -5
This cracked me up: "What happened to Amberthwiddle?" "I threw Amberthwiddle in the sea." . i can 'hear' him saying that! that in itself is nice! LOL |
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Post by faithfullight on Nov 5, 2003 9:54:54 GMT -5
Thank you very much Joanne! I am always interested to read the articles about Yusuf. It is so kind of you to type it for us to read.
Some of the things in the article shocks me, but then I understand the times and all. Yusuf has done things that I would never have dreamed of. But what I truly admire about Yusuf, is that he admits to his mistakes and doesn't lie about it or make excuses for it. He has learned from his past mistakes and that is what life is all about. Yusuf has integrity and speaks with truth and has a strong desire to find the truth. I truely hope and pray that he finds what it is that he is looking for.
Overall, I think that this article was very interesting and I learned some things that I hadn't read before. It really touches my heart inside, because it correlates with my past as well. Sometimes I can see the things that Yusuf did when he was young as very similar to things that my first boyfriend (whose name was also Joseph), did to me. It is amazing so much so that I could imagine my "Joseph" as being like Yusuf was when he was young. They even had similar appearance with dark hair and black eyes. Oh, they sound so similar! One time, my Joseph even made me a chocolate cake for my birthday and he also added a certain ingredient to my food. Oh, he was an ornery one, I tell you but so full of vitality and fervor for life! I left my Joseph because he became so obsessed with me that he suffocated my will. It's funny how Yusuf's life mirrors my life in so many ways. It really blows my mind! And then my first vision was in 1972 and it was about Yusuf. This is so bizarre for me to see so many connections to Yusuf Islam as though his life parallels my life. It really amazes me!
I can see so many feelings in Yusuf that I also feel and think about, although I have never lived the "wild" life as he did. It is a wild world, but I tried my best to make good choices. I wasn't perfect either, but I was always mindful of my decisions. I am thankful that I had by-passed those life lessons of promiscuity and drugs, but beyond his past choices of a lot of wild partying etc., I see a man who thinks a lot like I do about life. When he mentions "The Secret Path", although I hadn't read the book, the subject is connected to me in my life, and it amazes me that Yusuf was interested in things that also relates to my life. I will have to find that book and read it.
Catherine, have you read that book yet? You did mention that you were looking for it. Has anyone read that book and what did you think of it?
Peace,
Faithfullight
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Post by DiddleMingyAdams on Nov 5, 2003 10:18:46 GMT -5
i think i liked it so much because he seems to have gotten a bit wiser in dealing with the press; i loved the tape recorder bit (you go, yusuf!) and i loved how when he was questioned about past romances, he directed the conversation back to where it was meant to be...
it must be difficult to have to address a significantly short period in your life for the REST of your life. while i think he's settled with his past, and even sees the good of it, i can understand the weariness of having to live it over and over and over again, and the eagerness, in interviews, to get to the 'nows' . It must be particularly difficult for him because he is so clearly excited and enthusiastic about his 'now'.
if i had to feild questions about a five year period of my life that happened any more than..well, five years ago, i'd be lost. God help me if all of my wierdness were chronicled in articles and interviews that seem to live forever!
but that was who he was, and if he hadn't been 'that' person he would not have evolved into 'this' person; but again, must be frustrating as all get out to want to talk about today and to continue to be portrayed as 'yesterday' if you know what i mean.
still, i really liked the article. again, i wish they picked a different cover picture. i mean really, there are a billion pics out there.. i have a nice one of him holding his guitar, that would have worked....oh well.
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Post by SoulOfTheRose on Nov 5, 2003 11:29:55 GMT -5
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Post by faithfullight on Nov 5, 2003 13:08:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the link, Sakinah. I have read the Kabbalah and other books about Christian mysticism. They are similar in many ways and they do contain truths - of which I testify as being "truth" because I have personally discovered some things in my own personal life. Peace, Faithfullight |
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Post by cristalina on Nov 6, 2003 7:01:49 GMT -5
i think i liked it so much because he seems to have gotten a bit wiser in dealing with the press; i loved the tape recorder bit (you go, yusuf!) and i loved how when he was questioned about past romances, he directed the conversation back to where it was meant to be... it must be difficult to have to address a significantly short period in your life for the REST of your life. while i think he's settled with his past, and even sees the good of it, i can understand the weariness of having to live it over and over and over again, and the eagerness, in interviews, to get to the 'nows' . It must be particularly difficult for him because he is so clearly excited and enthusiastic about his 'now'. if i had to feild questions about a five year period of my life that happened any more than..well, five years ago, i'd be lost. God help me if all of my wierdness were chronicled in articles and interviews that seem to live forever! but that was who he was, and if he hadn't been 'that' person he would not have evolved into 'this' person; but again, must be frustrating as all get out to want to talk about today and to continue to be portrayed as 'yesterday' if you know what i mean. still, i really liked the article. again, i wish they picked a different cover picture. i mean really, there are a billion pics out there.. i have a nice one of him holding his guitar, that would have worked....oh well. Thats a great post Colleen and of course you're so right, I'd never really thought of it that way before but of course it must be tiresome to keep on being asked the same old questions all the time. |
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Post by boneheadedwoman on Nov 7, 2003 12:51:27 GMT -5
Joanne, thanks so much for the article. I really enjoyed reading it. I'm sure I would have been doubled over with laughter if I'd been a fly on the wall, so to speak, while they were talking.
I can't believe I'm the only one who doesn't know this, but what on earth is an amberthwiddle?
I wonder how much truth there is to the statement that the other woman he was thinking of marrying was Princess Cheyenne. I would have thought, by that stage in his life, he had more sense than that. If it's true, I guess becoming a muslim wouldn't preclude a man from thinking with his MBJ!!! Thank God his mother guided him in the right direction. I remember reading some article about that liason, and thinking he'd really lost his marbles. He shuns the hedonistic world of rock and roll, and then hooks up with a stripper and expects to live the life of a devout muslim? Come on!!!
I too, am tired of all the Rushdie/defense of Koranic Law talk, even though I was really mad at YI back in 1989 (and for a long time afterward). But let's move on now. Just because a person calls himself a member of a particular religion, and attempts to adhere to its tenets, doesn't mean he should have to explain everything that others do in the name of that same religion.
Very enjoyable article, though. Thanks again for posting it!!!
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Post by SoulOfTheRose on Nov 7, 2003 13:15:23 GMT -5
Yeah! What is an "amberthwiddle"?? I was too embarrassed to ask (thanks BHW ) hehehe |
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Post by DiddleMingyAdams on Nov 7, 2003 17:28:27 GMT -5
i'm pretty sure 'amberthwiddle' was just one of his little made up names.
i mean come on now, haven't we all felt compelled to name our favourite walking stick??? and for just about ANY walking stick, isn't 'amberthwiddle' just PERFECT???
i agree with whoever it was that felt sorry for amberthwiddle. Amberthwiddle in the sea... very sad song churning about in there somewhere.
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SuperTrouper
Majik of Majik Member
"You've got so much to say, say what you mean, mean what you think, and think anythin'!"
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Post by SuperTrouper on Nov 8, 2003 1:44:57 GMT -5
Thank you Joanne, what a great article! That last part about the guitar is priceless. - Lissette |
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Post by Vivian on Nov 8, 2003 22:54:48 GMT -5
I also think that guirat piece is precious! Now, in regards to that Princess Cheyenne bit, it really makes no sense at all! We have had an arguement on this on another site. People Magazine did an article on an ALLEGED relationship between Cat and Lucy Johnson/AKA, Princess Cheyenne, one which I think lacks any kind of sense and is filled with empty loopholes! If this is presumingly the same person of this ALLEGED relationship, during his Cat days, there is NO WAY she ever could have been a canidate for marriage! One of the requirements is that the groom and his soon to be bride are not alone together, until their wedding night! Well, any alleged relationship during his Cat years, would rule that out! From what I've read from the Chris Charlesworth bio, is that Yusuf met both women at about the same time, and brought both of them home to meet his mother, and his Mom told him which one she thought he should marry! And what he said on BEHIND THE MUSIC SHE WAS RIGHT, more than makes that point! Now as to why Ms. Johnson sold that story to people magazine, I won't say, because I don't know for sure, but I do have my suspicions! This is really the only part of the article that I didn't really care for, because I do not believe that Ms Johnson was on the level about her relationship with Cat/Yusuf!
Peace,Vivian
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Post by Turan on Nov 9, 2003 0:12:59 GMT -5
Excuse me, Vivian, but he is quoteing Yusuf about Lucy. Are you saying the reporter is liying about what Yusuf said?
If you may recall Cat didn't know she was had been a fancy dancer till well into their relationship. I tend to take the story at face value. I suspect he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, don't all people deserve such? Perhaps Cat knew enough about himself to not trust his own judgement there.
Turan
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Post by Lucy13 on Nov 9, 2003 9:11:14 GMT -5
... and for just about ANY walking stick, isn't 'amberthwiddle' just PERFECT??? Sounds like a name Harry Potter's wand would have... (for that matter, sounds like any name that would be in a Harry Potter story) (doesn't it??!) (I'm reading my daughter's HP books right now...) |
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Post by waterside on Nov 10, 2003 15:08:53 GMT -5
Thank you so much for posting this article, Joanne. I really enjoyed reading it. It was so nice of you to share this with all of us. Found something though that just goes to show how some reporters leave out vital words which completely change the meaning . Just wonder what Yusuf must have thought when the "Independent" reporter threw this at him: "His relationship with his past is an ambivalent one, as I discover when I mention the main website dedicated to Cat Steven. It contains numerous press cuttings, not all of which venerate him. One reporter, I tell the former star, refers to Stevens as "the best bullshitter in the world". That is totally out of the context of what was really being said. From: catstevens.com/articles/00147/ Cat: "Because I've been through a definite motion, leaving at one place and reaching that same place again at a different time, so that gives me more perspective on looking back, seeing what I've done and what is likely to happen next; you can read it all if you're open to it, but you have to be really open to it, because it is quite frightening. You have to live your life - once you accept that, and don't try to change it, it all becomes a lot easier. Because if you turned the whole of your life backwards, you'd find there'd still be the same crossroads, and you'd always take the same directions. Now I don't know if we've got the concept of backwards and forwards right yet; it's all just a natural idea, that one effect will cause another, but in fact the result is the same as the instigation because they both balance, there is no time. I think there is a higher force watching us." - UFO's, Saucers, Dr. Who? - What? - "and I think they're in a timeless spot. They're just full concentrated Spirit, existing in a pure state, whereas we're undefined and unpolished until we get to that state. To reach the centre of yourself, you have to forget about future and past. It's just an endless staircase; and the way to get off is to take the door marked 'NOW'; you don't really know where it's gonna take you, but you gotta be ready." NME reporter: "Any mental consideration that this whole spiel might just be a load of mystical baloney are stillborn, just because of the fervour and total conviction that Stevens' words carry. Either that or he's the best bullshitter in the business. His beliefs, it transpires, have not been gleaned wholesale from books." The whole article is quite interesting. I did a Google search for "Amberthwiddle" and that's how I came across the quote. The article also mentions "the night of the big fog" which I think people have posted that he mentioned at the NOR concert. This was the last time he played Royal Albert Hall as Cat Stevens and he said it was in 1972, but I kept thinking that I was sure he played RAH in 1975 on the Majicat Tour. I looked at the calendar on Majicat, and it is there for 1975 in between dates at the Hammersmith Odeon. This article is also talking about the Majicat tour. Well I hope all this makes some sense. |
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) I might add. Which leads me to believe some of the rest is a bit trumped up too. Interesting yes, but lacking in a depth I thought. He seems more interested in throwing old interview snippets at Yusuf to get his reaction rather than actually talking to him. 
