UK: LARGE COOL DUDES OR LCD ARE A VIRGIN RECORD'S VIRTUAL BAND

Record ID: 388744

  • Title: UK: LARGE COOL DUDES OR LCD ARE A VIRGIN RECORD'S VIRTUAL BAND
  • Date: 31st October 1999
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 21, 1999) (RTV) (SOUNDBITE) (English) REPORTER ASKS ABOUT THE WOBBLING BELLIES, DAVE KELLY, CREATOR OF LCD, SAYING: "I can. That wasn't my idea, I can't claim credit for that. It's the idea of our video maker, David Spencer, who reckons he's modelled it on himself. He's quite a big guy and apparently he stood in front of the mirror
  • Embargoed: 15th November 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA61BLE42I6DDRW84RSBU2N4BM6
  • Story Text: They may not be pin-ups, but they are still every celebrity agent's dream come true.Large Cool Dudes, or LCD as they are known, don't sleep, eat or take breaks.If you think it sounds too good to be true, you wouldn't be far wrong, because LCD are virtual stars that only exist in cyberspace, or are they.
    Ed, Zed, Ned and Ted are the latest pop sensation to come from Virgin records.They may be chubby characters but the bearded foursome will never split up.That's because the band exists only as animated characters on the internet, or so we would be led to believe.
    Creating some real life bedlam, the band has been Greek stepping and break-dancing their way through England.The wide-girthed group is larger than life, with all the acrimony and artistic arguments of a human band.
    But although the group's members all independently claim to be the creative genius behind LCD, musician Dave Kelly says the band evolved from an idea he shared with American Dave Price.
    Kelly says: "Well, basically first we came up with the record idea and the characters naturally followed on from that.In other words we created a Greek sounding record and we were a bit at a loss at how to promote it.So we eventually thought why not create cartoon characters to go with it."
    The band's latest single is a techno version of the classic 1960s Mikis Theodorakis song Zorba's Dance from the film Zorba the Greek.LCD's version, though, is made only with a synthesier, but that didn't stop Virgin from spending five hundred thousand pounds sterling to create and market it.
    Kelly says: "From our point of view it is relatively inexpensive.Certainly the music, like a lot of music these days, it's practically done from a bed room studio.It's not a bed room studio, but it's a simple set up.It's techno music and I mean this is the beauty of the package, it was entirely contained within software."
    The single Zorba's Dance was first released in June and stormed the British top 20 amidst the hysteria of the world Cup.It was re-released in September going Platinum in Australia after seven months in the charts there.It has also made the top 10 in Holland, Belgium and Greece.
    But who is responsible for the voice-over? Kelly says: "Well that is me.My contribution to lyrics worldwide has been, well it's actually not 'hey', it's 'oy'.
    So that has been my contribution lyrically to the world, I give the world 'oy'."
    The Large Cool Dudes may have to slim down if they want to compete with Boyzone's pin up success.But then part of the charm of Zorba's dance is that Ed, Zed, Ned and Ted's bellies wobble in time to the music.
    Kelly says: "...I can't claim credit for that.It's the idea of our video-maker, David Spencer, who reckons he's modelled it on himself.He's quite a big guy and apparently he stood in front of the mirror and danced around to this track and translated what he saw in the mirror, directly onto video.So that's where the big bellies come from, Dave Spencer, it is all your fault."
    Reuters Television tracked down the virtual group to their London hideaway, where the band had been wrecking havoc.
    First the mischevious foursome forced themselves into local offices distracting staff from their work.Then they broke into a local broadcasting studio while the presenter was reading news bulletins live on air.
    Ever the pop stars, the band members soon tired of their disruptive efforts and with no hotel in sight to trash, they settled with setting off the nearest fire alarm instead.
    Kelly, though, has his eyes closed to the turmoil the band causes.
    He says:
    "They don't give you problems, do they? They never argue back.They don't cost you money.You don't have to clothe and feed them.They don't have drug problems, nothing like that.They are very well behaved boys."
    At the moment it seems the band can do no wrong, even London's finest, the local fire brigade, couldn't resist stepping out with Ed, Zed, Ned and Ted.But the band won't always be viwed so favourably -- the news is that LCD's next single is a techno version of the much hated 'Birdy Song' But so far there's no word yet on a release date.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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