1 Giant Leap - What About Me?

It's not often you get to travel the world recording music and talking to celebrities, but 1 Giant Leap have made it a full time job. Taking only a laptop and a video camera 1 Giant Leap producers Jamie Catto (Faithless) and Duncan Bridgeman have had some amazing adventures; all in the name of exploring the differences between men and women.

What About Me? is another lovingly crafted explosion of music, philosophy and image as we visited 50 global locations. Weaving together hundreds of interviews; conversations; music sessions and songs recorded and filmed on our epic journey through the cities and villages of the World - taking an inspiring and alarming look at the numerous ways we humans drive ourselves crazy.

Needy in relationships; insatiable in desire; avoiding all pain with happy pills and unable to stop thinking -but how we still manage to be inspired and creative......

What About Me? Features:- Noam Chomsky, Tim Robbins, Eckhart Tolle, Billy Connolly, Stephen Fry, Bob Geldof, Tom Robbins, Susan Sarandon, DBC Pierre, Neale Donald Walsh, Ram Dass, Deepak ChopraÉMichael Stipe, Alanis Morrisette, Daniel Lanois, KD Lang, Maxi Jazz, Will Young, Oumou Sangare, Baaba Maal, Rokia Traore, Lila Downs, Zap Mama, Speech, Mahotella Queens, Michael Franti, Stewart Copeland....

This extraordinary documentary series sees two visionary filmmakers Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto, set off around the world to create the biggest global music jam in history. The journey across 50 locations also features interviews with some of the world’s leading actors and greatest thinkers of our day, and some of the most interesting unsung heroes they met along the way, weaving original musical collaborations with soul-searching conversations and stunning imagery.

This is a poignant, emotional and entertaining time capsule of humanity at its most inspirational. Covering universal topics such as God, Sex, Death and money this is a powerful statement of our collective insanity, and includes insightful contributions from Billy Connelly, Bob Geldof, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Fry, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle and Susan Sarandon to name just a few. Artists such as Michael Stipe, Will Young, Carlos Santana, Maxi Jazz, Alanis Morissette and K D Lang among many others, contribute to create what becomes the musical soundtrack to each theme

Very apt for our first topic. 4 years in the making What About Me? has been a total bombardment of the senses. We took on such an ambitious concept with little idea of what would happen. Only a faith that if we stayed with it, it’d work out.

The backing track for this chapter was written one windy night in my van in Cadaques Spain. I had copied the riff from a sample of some Thai instrument. Sounded very different on my guitar, and as I played it to other musicians around the world it took on a whole new sound. Later on, Nigel (my constant support and musical genius) told me he thought I’d ripped it from knight Rider! I probably did without realising. Certainly doesn’t sound like that in the end.

The original lyrical concept for this track was to look at the issues of communication. As we started investigating and composing lyrics the idea of questioning the quality of our communication both with others but more importantly with ourselves, became our primary interest.

Egypt/Cairo Anwar Binale (Oud)
India, Shantinitkan Dev das & sons (Baul musicians)
Brazil, Sao Paulo Barbatuques & Comade Fulozhino
Turkey, Istanbul Whirling Dervis
South Africa, Cape Town Amapondo
USA, New York Bon cycle, Gabrielle Roth workshop

Starting off with Brazilian beats, the various singers and musicians will create a story of female strength and male desire. Be it a band in Mali providing the melody for Speech from Arrested Development to rap over or a Mexican Mariachi band answering a Johannesburg girl group, the battle of the sexes is never dull. It's also not without adult content!

This 1 Giant Leap series explores how the world is united in common experience however differently it may be expressed in music.

Wounded in all the Right Places We live in a world of short-cuts and instant fixes, but even though it seems so natural to avoid pain with a pill, in this episode 1 Giant Leap questions whether we need to substitute our Prozac for self-examination and realise perhaps, that although we each carry our own wounds, that the trials of life have sculpted us into the uniquely beautiful people we are today. This episode features music from KD Lang, Stewart Copeland, Eddi Reader, Daniel Lanois, Lila Downs, Zap Mama, Speech and Vishwar Mohan Bhatt to name but a few. Along with words from Tim Robbins, Billy Connelly, Eckhart Tolle, Carlos Santana, Stephen Fry, Bhagavan Das, Gabrielle Roth, Neale Donald Walsh it is a programme full of interesting theories on how we learn to cope with life. Featured countries Mali / Bamako India / Mumbai Mexico / Oaxaca USA / LA, Hawaii Iceland Brazil / Salvafor Gabon / Minvoul

The theme is all about how our childhood shapes our adult life. And it's a theme that proves very popular with the all star line up including Michael Stipe, Will Young and Maxi Jazz.

Yet again the travelling producers have managed to capture not only great vocal performances from established acts, but evocative music from across the world. The Indian Flute, Egyptian Oud guitar's and South African harmonies provide the perfect backdrop for someone like Will Young, and even he is moved by the new sounds.

Also very moving in the show are the discussions with various authors and philosophers on the subject of why we worry about things we have no control over? The power of music perhaps provides a solution and there's certinaly plenty of food for thought in 1 Giant Leap.

We live in a world of short-cuts and instant fixes, but even though it seems so natural to avoid pain with a pill 1 Giant Leap question whether we need to substitute our Prozac for self-examination and realize, perhaps, that although we each carry our own wounds, the trials of life have sculpted us into the uniquely beautiful people we are today.

This episode really does have an all star cast. Actor Tim Robbins, plus comedians Billy Connolly and Stephen Fry all make an appearance to discuss being vulnerable, and how it's more of a strength than people realise.

Musically the theme is tackled with a simple guitar loop that K D Lang, Eddi Reader and Police drummer Stuart Copeland all add layers of sound to: it's a haunting piece that really capture the imagination. Of course there is a bit more travelling around the world for producers Jamie and Duncan including Mali, Hawaii and LA!

USA, Los Angeles
Scotland, Glasgow
Mexico, Oaxaca
Belgium
USA, Atlanta
India, Mumbai
Brasil, Salvador
Africa, Gabon
Mongolia, Tuva
China, Beijing
USA, Hawaii, Maii

The secret of a happy and loving marriage has remained one of the great undiscovered mysteries of the human race. 1 Giant Leap travel the globe to find out what Love’s got to do with it? And are we giving or taking?

Love is a tricky thing isn't it? As usual the boys are off around the world exploring different musical and social takes on relationships. Do we all confuse love with need (it's complicated OK) and how do we express that?

By starting with some Brazilian Samba drummers and a melodic guitar riff from Mali the two producers have the basis of a song that shows both the ups and downs of being in love. Of course the voices of Maxi Jazz and Eddie Reader add some soul to the tune but it's the appearance of Michael Franti that makes it special

Amazingly many musicians around the world respond to his passionate vocals including Chinese nose flutes and Japanese opera singers! The track is rounded off by a husband and wife duo from India adding their vocals to create a truly moving piece of world music.

London, UK
Glasgow, Scotland
Los Angeles, USA
San Francisco, USA
Tokyo, Japan
Aizu, Japan
New York, USA
Bamoko, Mali
Kunming, China

Does ‘freedom’ mean having everything you want or not needing so many things in the first place? Does ‘wanting’ beat ‘getting’? Is there no end to Desire? 1 Giant Leap try and break free from the culture of ‘more and more’ to ask can there ever be ‘enough’?

Atlanta, USA
Los Angeles, USA
New York, USA
Cairo, Egypt
Dakar, Senegal
Accra, Ghana
Maui, Hawaii
Salvador, Brazil
Veracruz, Mexico
Udaipur, India
Rio, Brazil
Omani Desert, Oman
Beijing, China

Are you scared of getting old? Another theme that unites mankind across the world is how we deal with being old. It inspires a more reflective blues song for this week that combines a Santana guitar solo over stunningly evocative harmonies from Mali and Tibet.

And again the boys travel around the world to add to the track recording Brazilian beats and a Michael Franti bridge. Of course the show would not be complete without some profound insight in to getting old straight from the mouths of Bob Geldof and Frank Skinner no less!

Oaxaca, Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico
Tibet
Bamoko, Mali
Dakar, Senegal
San Francisco, USA
Johannesburg, South Africa
India
Rio, Brazil
Tokyo, Japan

1 Giant Leap set off around the world to create the biggest global music jam in history, tracking down the cream of the worlds musicians and persuading them to join in to the ever growing mix. As they traveled through all five continents they also interviewed the greatest thinkers of the day to discover just how much Unity is there in all this Diversity? 1 Giant Leap set off to seek out their heroes and find some new ones along the way. This bonus episode looks at the personal Journey of Duncan and Jamie and how they dealt with massive project that they had taken on.

London, UK
Bamoko, Mali
Los Angeles, USA
Dakar, Senegal
New York, USA
San Francisco, USA
Atlanta, USA
Belgium
Johannesburg, South Africa
Tuva, Mongolia
Istanbul, Turkey