Winning isn't everything
BY NATALIE OLIVERI
20/05/2008 10:45:00 AM
IT'S hard to remember that Shannon Noll was an Australian Idol also-ran.
After coming second to the series' first winner, Guy Sebastian, in 2003, Noll has had more success in the Australian music charts than any of the Idol winners.

He's won a swag of awards and his anthem Shine was the most played song of 2007. He's also the first artist to have 10 consecutive top-10 singles on the ARIA charts.

After his recent publicity tour of the US and a stint co-writing his latest album, Turn It Up, with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, Noll is set to tour Australian cities in June.

Noll will be at Blacktown RSL on June 28 as part of his Turn It Up tour.

'`It's an opportunity to play once again for the fans,'' Noll told the Blacktown Sun.

``I haven't toured properly for two years now, so it'll be great to get out on the road again.''

Noll said he was going to ``mix things up'' and give new life to some of his older songs, including What About Me.

``They'll be done a bit differently from the way people know them, just to make them a bit more organic and let the audience reconnect.''

His third album has a mix of ``rockers'' and ``intimate songs''. Noll said he continued to draw inspiration from the bush his hometown is Condobolin and ``life in general''.

``You have to be perceptive enough to recognise when something's worth writing about,'' he said. ``It's hit and miss a little bit.''

Noll said he was surprised by the level of success he'd had and he hoped to work with Australian rock legend Ian Moss.

He also wants to break into acting (``I want to play a bad guy'') but is waiting until the right role comes along.

Although some people still don't take Noll seriously because he got his start on a reality television show, he doesn't care any more.

``You're going to get that, mate, and yeah, I do get begrudged, but it doesn't matter where you start.''

He encouraged budding musicians to take every possible opportunity to get noticed.

``I had the opportunity to give the best of myself when Australian Idol came up and I wouldn't change anything,'' he said.

``What comes along, comes along, and you give the best you can.''

hi..
:cheers
In the moment after Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and Dan Henderson put on one of the greatest MMA fights of all-time, most of us were basking in the glow of 25 minutes of unbridled ultra-violence, having born witness to the greatest example of the indomitable human spirit.
:welcome