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Previews: Talking to terrorists, Moby and Girls Aloud

by Conrad Astley and Rachel Broady
12/ 5/2005

THE title alone is enough to get people listening.

A new play, Talking to Terrorists gives the words straight from the mouths of those who have been affected by or involved in acts of terrorism.

Robin Soans put together interviews from such people to get behind the shock headlines and reveal why some are moved to cause chaos and carnage.

But he is quick to explain that he wasn't looking for reasons, excuses or sympathy but for understanding.

"It's not a question of sympathy but about knowing why it's happening," he said.

"Very often at least three out of ten news stories will be something to do with terrorism and some form of other, be it the word terrorism or the war on terror. Yet it's surprising how little we know about these people. What do they have for breakfast? How do they operate? How do they become terrorists?"

The play attempts to tackle these questions by relaying the words of the man behind the Brighton bombing as well as an Ulster Volunteer Force member, a Ugandan girl and a Kurd living in Tottenham giving direct quotes from interviews.

Soans argues that those in favour of fox hunting could be dismissed as terrorists the way freedom fighters and insurgents are.

He said: "They say that something is being foisted upon them by somebody who does not understand their way of life. You only have to magnify that a little bit to see Iraq or Palestine.

"What if they weren't allowed rambling or they saw the banning of the WI, it wouldn't be long before people were lobbing hand grenades at ministers' cars and being called terrorists."

It is this reaction from people that the play intends is to show; how someone could blow up a pub full of people, strap explosives to their body or hold terrified children hostage. It illustrates that ordinary people do these things and if we don't understand why, we won't stop them.

Robin said: "It's not providing any solutions at all but getting people to ask questions and give them an interaction to de-demonise these people.

"Had you been there at that time, you might have ended up like one of these people, so don't be too dismissive or patronising."

And in today's climate - with the constant references to war on terror - the play couldn't be more relevant.

Robin said: "It's more effective for politicians to have a bogey man. In the Middle Ages it was God, if you did not toe the line there would be Hell fire, then the French, then communists. There always have been bogeymen to keep the domestic population in line."

The team behind the production started conducting workshops and Soans was asked if he would like to put it all together into an entertaining piece of theatre. The reviews from showings around the country would suggest that he succeeded.

"We hear from people who went through very grim things and recall them with a degree of humour and it's entertainment. My principal object is to entertain then maybe educate and sadden."

Talking to Terrorists, Library Theatre from Tuesday until May 21.

GIRLS ALOUD'S success seems to have come about despite the enormous marketing machine that gave birth to them rather than because of it.

They were created in an audition for reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals in which a girl band and a boy band were formed to compete for the 2002 Christmas single.

Cheryl, Nadine, Sarah, Nicola and Kimberley were chosen from the 10,000 that went to audition, before their single Sound Of The Underground broke all records as the fastest debut to hit number one.

The world sniggered when their tour, along with rival boy band One True Voice, was cancelled due to lack of interest a few months later, and we all prepared to forget.

But manager Louis Walsh blamed the boys for this and a girl-only tour was organised, followed by a string of successful singles, and an album.

On releasing their second LP, they shocked everyone by outliving Hear'say, and One True Voice - who accused them of faking their singing. The thought!

It's hardly a career to rival The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but they have lasted longer than the reality TV jaded public suspected.

This also came about despite a number of fairly major setbacks - such as Cheryl's court case for attacking a nightclub toilet attendant. She was found guilty of assault, but cleared of racially aggravated assaulted, given 120 hours of community service, ordered to pay £500 compensation and £3,000 prosecution costs - all played out before her majesty's free press.

This is probably not what her public relations team hoped for but, on the other hand, it probably helped keep them in the public eye.

Girls Aloud, Apollo, Wednesday

MOBY has always been fond of yo-yoing between musical styles.

Although known for his early 90s techno hits such as Go! which sampled the Twin Peaks theme tune, he has never been averse to a bit of geetar rawk, or even heavy metal.

Over the years he has even had a go at writing classical music as film soundtracks.

While it was 1999's Play which really projected him into the mainstream, with its use of ancient blues recordings sampled and laid over armchair dance rhythms, the album before that - Animal Rights - was an homage to the punk bands that first inspired him.

Play's follow-up, the Bowie-esque 18, was a much more guitar-heavy affair, while his latest album - Hotel, is unusual for being completely sample-free.

Moby has also appeared to have no problem with yo-yoing between various points of view. One of his early albums was entitled Everything Is Wrong, and the sleeve notes contained a lengthy sermon from him about what could be done to reverse this state of affairs. He spoke out heavily in favour of vegetarianism, Buddhism and against capitalism. It seemed strange then, that for about six months after the release of Play, it was impossible to turn on the TV without hearing his tunes used to advertise any number of products distributed and sold by large multinational companies.

The techno-rocking descendant of Moby Dick author Herman Melville, has also recently put some of his hard-earned into a new venture - setting up the Teany café on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

It's vegetarian of course, but also sells 96 varieties of tea from around the world, as well as their own designed coffee mugs, books, pint glasses, bottled beverages etc, which they'll be happy to ship out to you.

They even do gift certificates. Who knows - could be the next Starbucks.

Moby, Apollo, Tuesday