Recently there were a series of newspaper articles where Russell Crowe answered those who criticised his music and who say he should stick to acting. This is my response to that criticism.
Personally I thought those critics were a bit hard as I love Russell’s music and lyrics with all of his collaborators much more than his movies.
I must admit I have never seen Russell’s appearance in the movie Les Miserables but it is on my bucket list of movies to see. I have read a lot of praise and criticism of Russell’s performance from professional reviewers and fans. I do admire him for stepping outside his comfort zone and doing it.
His music although probably his first love has always been more of a hobby than the way he makes his living as it has been for other actors. Russell loves a wide range of music which he shares with fans who follow him on his official social media accounts including Twitter.
I am very excited to see that Russell has taken control of his own music on ‘The Music’ album and let the music speak for itself through great studio recordings and videos rather than through previous methods of bootlegging opportunities by fans at concerts. The hits on the official videos of music from ‘The Music’ album on YouTube and the responses from the fans about how much pleasure Russell’s music has given them have been phenomenal. The videos have had close to over 10 000 hits in less than a week.
“…I’m impelled and compelled simultaneously to express certain experiences in poetry – it’s the way it is. It’s what I do. That doesn’t mean that we’re all deadly serious when we do the shows – it’s the exact opposite. They are a lot of fun and we tell stories…” Russell Crowe in the London Evening Standard.
I have included a gorgeous poster from the concerts in United Kingdom later on this year. The poster is from the official Twitter account of Russell Crowe. No copyright infringement intended
I have copied an article here from the London Evening Standard “Breaking out” ‘Russell Crowe wants to be judged on his music no his fame’ by Alistair Foster published on the 17 July, 2017 for interested fans. The article has been edited for copyright reasons. No copyright infringement intended. I am unable to share the article via Google + .
‘Breaking out: Russell Crowe wants to be judged on his music not his fame’ by Alistair Foster published 17 July, 2017 in the London Evening Standard.
Russell Crowe says his critics should ignore his Hollywood fame and try to understand his music “objectively” — as he announced an intimate concert in London.
The Oscar-winning actor will perform with his five-piece band, Indoor Garden Party, at the Union Chapel in Islington in September.
The line-up includes West End star Samantha Barks, who appeared with Crowe in the 2012 film version of Les Misérables.
Crowe, 53, started recording music in the Eighties, before his film career, and said anyone who thought he should stick to acting was “ridiculous”.
“I went through a period of time where people thought I shouldn’t be involved in music because I was famous in something else,” he said.
“To me it’s ridiculous — you take away music out of my life and you’re taking away some of the most important moments and individual experiences in my life.
“I’m impelled and compelled simultaneously to express certain experiences in poetry — it’s the way it is. It’s what I do. That doesn’t mean that we’re all deadly serious when we do the shows — it’s the exact opposite. They are a lot of fun and we tell stories.”
He added: “I’d played guitar from a young age, it was something natural to me. If you criticise it, go ahead, whatever.
"But in a funny way, and maybe I’m being over-protective of it, when people are overly critical of my music, I know they haven’t listened to it properly.
“Because if they could simply listen to it with an objective ear, beyond whatever they think of my reputation or my acting, there is a reason that I write songs and it’s a really good reason.”
The Gladiator actor, who separated from his wife Danielle Spencer in 2012, bares his soul on his latest album, The Musical.
Its lyrics describe his difficulties balancing his work and family life, and include the line: “Everything I touch bursts into flames.”
Crowe, who has two sons, Charles, 13, and Tennyson, 11, said: “In a funny way, my songs will tell you so much more about who I am. They end up predicting your life sometimes. I was a father before I became a man. There is no man who is ready to be a father until it happens.
“Sometimes it’s hard to get that balance right between your work life and your family life, and that [lyric] was probably really connected to a period where I wasn’t working that balance as well as I could be.”
His other bandmates are American actor Scott Grimes, who played Will Scarlett to Crowe’s Robin Hood in 2010, Swedish singer/songwriter Carl Falk and Canadian artist Alan Doyle.
