My feelings for Jonathan Ross are mixed. There are times when he is nothing short of a complete arsehole and others when he puts together a show that leaves you gasping in awe, but at least he takes a few risks, which is how great things are achieved and the bloomers are par for the course.
Everything went right for Wossy last night though, he even made Andrew Lloyd-Webber look interesting, and massive talent though he may be, as one who has had conversations with the Lord in the past I know what kind of achievement that could be. The show moved up a gear, though, with the appearance of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in an insanely interesting double-hander that left you thinking that Jonathan had left himself with nowhere to go, but he capped it in the most unexpected manner with an appearance of Sade performing a track from new album that was just breathtaking.
I defy anybody with an ounce of creative nous to deny that Burton/Depp is probably the most creative combination in cinema right now and although I might hesitate (for a nanosecond) before buying the house next door to either of them, even if I could afford it, they’d have to make the top of your dinner-party guest list. These guys are true creatives. Everything they do busts the envelope and, risky though such a strategy may be, in their case it has come off more often than not for the last twenty years. People fork out enthusiastically to see their work and that’s a definition of success that a few marketers would do well tune-in to.
Sade, having been out of the spotlight for a while, looks like making a hell of a comeback if “Soldier of Love” is anything to judge by and there’s more like it, or rather nothing like it because she delivers a masterclass in a wide range of genres, on the new album. She is simply a planet away from the regular chart-toppers in creativity and sheer dedication to her craft. No wonder, like Depp and Burton, she’s proven so resilient. The score for this number didn’t just happen, it’s the product of a meeting of extreme creativity with a level of technical genius that just makes you smile and a degree of sweated labour that, despite their protestations to the contrary few of today’s new talent would even contemplate.
The thing about all of Ross’ guests this week is that they stand out from the crowd and being distinctive, as we all know, is the essence of a strong brand and the key to the Brandships that serious businesses are built on.
Michael Weaver
February 28, 2010