hooded superstar's flying visit
thousands of fans were waiting last night as hood, the mysterious, hooded superstar, jetted in to kennedy airport in new york.
the hooded singer first became famous when he released his first album, childhood, seven years ago. every american teenager has at least one hood CD, tickets for his concerts sell out within hours of going on sale, and the movie hood, released last month, has broken all box office records. john gilroy interviewed hood at the airport.
i asked seattle-born hood how he felt about being back in the USA. "it's fantastic! i spent three hours at kennedy, shaking hands, posing for photos and signing autographs. it's great to be back."
when i asked hood why he had decided to move back to the states, he blamed british reporters. "i love england and i miss it very much but reporters there were driving me crazy. they were always trying to trick me into letting them photograph my face. one day i had just taken a shower when i heard a noise outside my bathroom window. imagine my surprise when i saw a photographer outside the window pointing a camera at me! i grabbed the first thing i could find and threw it over my head. the next day there was a picture of me on the front page of a magazine with a towel over my head! when i complained to my manager the following day, he suggested that me 'that weird guy who wears a hood.' i find that a bit rude, but at least i can take a shower in peace!"
when i asked him if he was in new york for any particular reason, he said he was here to record his new album, adulthood. "although all my albums have been recorded in the same London studio, my music has changed a lot over the years. my fans have grown up and, as the album title suggests, my music has grown up with them."
finally, i asled him whether the name hood had been his idea. "i'm a bit embarrassed to admit that it was my mother's idea! she suggested hood, after the legendary character, robin hood. since 'hood' is slang for 'gang member' and i always wear a hood, i decided mom had picked a winner.