My Ears Through the Years with Athene Parker
Hello! And welcome back to My Ears Through The Years, the series where we delve into the headphones of brilliant individuals in the industry and press unmute on their musical history.
Next up is the wonderful Athene Parker. Athene has worked in the world of music and advertising for over 20 years. Most recently Athene has founded The emPOWER Breakfast a fast growing heart-centred business networking event, offering support to the advertising community through empathy building and creating change on a micro level in the workplace, through shared stories. She also runs theSENmumma, a mentoring network for parents of neurodivergent children and has begun an advertising group whose meetings are hosted at Saatchi and Saatchi.
Q> Hi Athene! Tell us, what was the first music you bought yourself?
Athene> ‘Wild Thing ‘by The Troggs. I was about 13 or 14 and I bought it from a record shop called Moonfleet in Clapham High Road. They found me a 7 inch and I asked them if they had the 12 inch and didn’t understand when they all cracked up and laughed at me. Lol.
Q> Your first gig?
Athene> I was 10 (!!) and my Mum took me to see Shalamar. I just remember the venue was partly like a theatre and Rick James was in the audience up in a box and everyone cheered when he came to sit down. I was down the front dancing…. I don’t want give too much away but this was obviously a time before health and safety and children not being banned from adult gigs! Lol.
Q> The first song that comes into your head at any given opportunity?
Athene> ‘Pony’ by Ginuine
Q> Your first slow dance?
Athene> ‘The Power Of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was at a friend’s afternoon birthday party and the boy in question phoned me the next day on the landline and I was terrified - I didn’t take the call and never rang him back.
Q> A song you felt you couldn’t escape from?
Athene> ‘Wild is The Wind’ by David Bowie - I love it! It’s beautiful and epic and dramatic and moving and and and….
Q> A song you grew up with?
Athene> I grew up to a backdrop of Marley. My Mum loves music and there was Marley, Hall and Oats, Joni Mitchell, Patty Smith, Kate Bush, and various other eclectic mixes.
Q> Your walk out music?
Athene> Cameo – ‘She’s Strange’
Q> Your dancefloor anthem?
Athene> Sugarhill Gang – ‘Rappers Delight’
Q> Your go-to karaoke tune?
Athene> Cyndi Lauper – ‘True Colours’
Q> Your musical guilty pleasure?
Athene> VANILLA ICE! Ice Ice Baby…
Q> A song that reminds you of home / family / friends?
Athene> Cypress Hill – ‘Insane in the Brain’! Amazing memories of me and my friend Hellie Hell driving up the east coast of Australia in a cream Ford Fairlane with maroon leather interior, in our bikini’s, smoking... It was a wonderful misspent youthful moment!
Q> An artist you’ve grown to love?
Athene> The Spice Girls
Q> A song you wish you wrote?
Athene> ‘The Sensual World’ by Kate Bush. What a woman… legend… creator. ‘Lion Heart’ is my fave early album but ‘Sensual World’ is just so full of theatre and the visceral input from the lyrics. I love her.
Q> Your musical unpopular opinion?
Athene> There are a LOT of well-liked artists that I’m more indifferent to than actively disliking them. I just don’t listen to music I don’t like and I like everything from classical to uber cheese.
Q> An artist you wish more people knew about?
Athene> My Mum loves music and has an amazing range. She introduced me to Anderson Paak and the Free Nationals (among others!) So great!
Q> Your desert island disc?
Athene> I can’t decide so I will need to flip a coin! David Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’ OR George Michael’s Ladies and Gentlemen’. If it had to be one track it would have to be ‘Flawless (Go to the City)’ by George Michael.
Q> A song you’d like played at your funeral?
Athene> ‘Angel’ by Sarah McLachlan. Such a beautiful reflective song: “Spend all your time waiting for that second chance / For the break that would make it okay / There’s always some reason / To feel not good enough / And it's hard at the end of the day”.
And that’s it isn’t it - we can all be each other's angels and can help people carry their load, you can do that with just a smile or by helping someone in ways that only you can. When it’s time I will be “pulled from the wreckage of my silent reverie” and this is a suitable tearjerker.
Q> Best sync moment?
Athene> Hands down, the 1997 BBC ad with all the iconic artists of the time singing ‘Perfect Day’ by Lou Read. OMG it makes me feel a bit choked up thinking about it. Lou, Bowie, Bono, Shane, Tom, Brett, Joan, Evan, Gabrielle, Heather, Suzanne, Tammy, Boyzone... the sax solo …I mean what…!
“You’re going to reap just what you sow’” is so poignant and melancholy. What makes me laugh though, is the end line is the BBC saying we can only supply the music you love because you pay for it… I often wondered what the artist fees came to on that ad! Lol.
Q> Music that made an ad campaign?
Athene> Not Music as in sync but I LOVE a good jingle and I still can break out in: “Did you know you gotta wasp in yer ear? But how ‘bout Kellogg's Bran Flakes…cos then you’ll hear they’re tasty tasty very very tasty… they’re very tassssssty”
When is ANYONE going to get back on track with jingles. I literally have loads rattling around in my head 100s of years later.
Q> Best theme song?
Athene> Jake Bugg’s ‘Trouble Town’ for Happy Valley
Q> Your favourite film soundtrack / score?
Athene> ‘Pink Panther’ by Orchestra Ambros Seelos
Q> Track you’d love to sync
Athene> Tadow – FKJ, Masego
Les Fleurs - Minnie Ripperton
Love & Hate - Michael Kiwanuka
