T H E P L A Y E T H I C

PAT KANE

GENERAL BIOGRAPHY

PAT KANE, 42, is a musician, writer, consultant and activist. He is the author of The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living, published by Macmillan in the UK and Ireland in 2004, and released in Australia and the US in 2005 (Reviews are available on the Play Journal blog).

Pat Kane is also a creative and organisational consultant, whose clients have included Bartle Bogle Hegarty, Lowe Lintas, St.Luke's, Demos, Forum for the Future, the Design Council, Poiesis, The Strategic Futures Unit @ The Cabinet Office, International Futures Forum/BP, Scottish Executive/ADSW, Scottish Enterprise, Nokia, Creative Bristol, and the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA).

As co-director with Indra Adnan of the human potential consultancy New Integrity, Pat is developing a comprehensive "play audit" for organisations, institutions and enterprises, based on his cutting-edge research into the past, present and future of ludic culture.

In the 90's he was a political activist for Scottish self-government (now achieved!). In 1990, Pat was elected Lord Rector of Glasgow University (defeating veteran radical MP Tony Benn) for three years.

Also during the 90's he established a reputation as an arts journalist in a range of media - presenting several live discussion shows for Channel Four and BBC2, and winning a Sony Award for his Radio Scotland series, "Kane Over America". In 1999, Pat was one of the founding editors of the Sunday Herald.

In the 80's and 90's, Pat was also one half of the jazz-pop group Hue & Cry (performing with James Brown, Ray Charles, Madonna, Simply Red, The Brecker Brothers, among many others), and is still writing, playing and recording today. [Recent records available here and here.] Hue & Cry will be bringing out a new album in 2007, on the occasion of their 20th anniversary as a British pop act. Contact their official site for details of releases and concerts.

HUE & CRY PIPPED BY SHAKY IN GRAND FINAL OF 'HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME'!

Well, we didn't win, but we had a marvellous time on the final show of Hit Me Baby One More Time on May 21st. The story we hear from the inside is that we were neck and neck with Shakin' Stevens in the phone and text vote until the last few minutes and then he pulled ahead. No matter - we're both delighted with the exposure, and I felt that I finally gave a performance on Labour of Love that matched the energy of our live shows. There's been a real torrent of mails and texts asking us to follow up our appearance in some way with gigs and records, and rest assured, we're planning to do so! (Greg's very proud of his version of Beyonce's Crazy in Love, which helped us win our qualifying heat in April, so we're figuring out how to release that with Labour of Love very soon).

If you want to be kept up to speed with future developments, the two best ways are to sign up to our mailing list at our management site, at No Half Measures (www.hueandcry.co.uk), and to keep visiting our No.1 fan site, run by digital maestro Graham Stewart, at www.hueandcry.info, which has a wonderful biography/discography and other material.

Once again, huge thanks to everyone who texted and called - your spending is not in vain, for we will return! Thanks for letting us know you're all still out there.

best, PK

PAT KANE GIGS + TRACKS

I did some rapturous solo gigs in Aberdeen, Stirling and Glasgow at the end of last year (2004), with the jazz modernists Button Up (my youngest bro Garry John on electric and standup bass). We did some great covers - Nick Drake's Riverman, swamp-jazz version of Last Train to Clarksville, Tom Waits' Take It With Me, Stevie Wonder's Superstition - and I played three new self-penned songs, , Questions for Mr.Blair, Cartoon Smile and Tndr Fk (work it out, text heads). I actually recorded the last two - at some point, we'll finish them off, and probably post them here.

PAT KANE VOCALS