The New Season Of Berlin

Iva and Icehouse have just completed the recent Sydney season of Berlin! Things were different than the first time around. A bigger stage, new faces in the Dance Company, and some set changes. Iva was joined on stage by four fellows instead of six. Taking the stage to handle the musical side of things were Iva Davies of the White Suit and Dulcet Tones (sounds like a ‘50s group), Max Lambert of the Tickling Ivories (but does he giggle?...), and Paul Wheeler of the Thumping Skins (easy there, Pauly). Steve Bull stepped into the position of bass player. Berlin ran from May 3rd through May 24th, with a preview show on May 2nd. There were two shows on Saturday, one being a matinee. The show took a break on Sundays.

There is a rumor circulating about the possibility of taking Berlin the ballet to Berlin the city! If this should happen, it looks to be an event for the latter part of the year, possibly November. There are currently no further plans for Berlin to travel elsewhere.

Icehouse In Dolby

A quote under the heading "Icehouse and Michael Jordan" from Adelaide’s DB street magazine, 26 February-11 March edition reads: "You may have blinked and missed it but yes, that is an Icehouse tune featured on the soundtrack of the Disney/Michael Jordan vehicle Space Jam. The producers requested a remix of ‘Into The Wild’ from the 1986 album Measure For Measure. They got it -- and they used it. Meanwhile, apparently Icehouse’s Masterfile album has gone platinum."

As for Space Jam, the "Into The Wild" remix sounds very much like it was taken from Full Circle. The snippet of "Wild" comes up about an hour and eighteen minutes into the movie, and lasts twenty seconds.

Iva has given a listen to Snout’s version of "Love In Motion" which is on the soundtrack from the Australian movie, Idiot Box. When asked what he thought, he said it was "interesting," and that it’s novel for him to hear his own songs covered. He said the only other cover he is aware of is a cover of "Hey Little Girl" done shortly after the original was a hit. A French artist recorded the song and recreated the original "in painstaking detail." The only difference was that it was sung in French! The Idiot Box soundtrack is on the rooArt label, and so far it is only available in Australia.

Speaking of idiot boxes... One show Icehouse fans in Australia can look forward to this month is a documentary that will be screened on June 17th on the SBS Network. The program is called "So Simple, So Hard" and it traces the happenings in the lives of four women who try out a dating agency. Iva and Max Lambert have composed and performed the music accompanying the show. Iva says he takes "no responsibility for the program’s content and only slightly more for the music."

The Near Future

Iva has been listening to some interesting music lately. He said he’s bought or has been given many CDs and feels there’s been a real change in music. A recent trip to Japan found him in the music stores there, buying some rather unique Japanese music. He has also been listening to artists such as David Torn, Prodigy, and Future Sounds of London. What, no Spice Girls, Iva?

Now that Berlin has ended its current season, Iva plans to go back into the studio and commence writing! There is no time frame to report for the release of a new studio Icehouse album. However, 1998 will probably be a good year for Icehouse fans!