Defining feature of a hit single: you are happy to sing the entirety at the top of your lungs at the pub.

Defining feature of a pop culture icon: a part of the song enters into modern vocabularly.

I ask you, “What’s going on, Mekon?”

John Gosling, better known as Mekon, is about to hit Australia for a week long, three state tour, just as people in the UK have stopped asking him “What’s going on?”

“Its never ‘What’s going on, John?’ People always ask me ‘What’s going on, Mekon?’ and now I’m going to get that again.” Damn straight.
Roxanne Shante (the voice in “What’s going on?”) was not the only collaborator on the album.

Les Rhythmes Digitales and Alex Gifford (on half of Propellorheads) both have guest spots on the album: “They were cheap because they are on my record label, Wall of Sound, and I had their numbers.” The list continues (Howie B, Leslie Winer, 23 Skidoo, Evil B) with two more stars of large note; Marc Almond from Soft Cell and Goldie. “I sampled Goldie’s voice from a track we did about 10 years ago; we have known each other for ages.”

When John is in Australia, he will be DJing, playing “breakbeat through the 20 years, hip hop back to the 80’s.” I guess that explains the Roxanne Shante collaboration “I recorded the vocals, she wrote the rap,” but why has John opted for so many collaborations?
“I like to work with other people. I come from a band background; I grew up with the punk era. I was never any good, but I do come from that background.” It appears John is in his element with DJing as, while he has unsuccessfully sung, played saxophnone, drums, guitar and bass, he has played records all around the UK.

“No residency, just playing all around the country, except Liverpool. I don’t know why, but I have never been booked to play in Liverpool.”
It doesn’t appear that John is too concerned, considering his impending visit to Australia. “After the 18 hour flight, the tour itself shouldn’t be too bad. Not like in Brazil.”

“In Brazil I had a gig booked every night, and flying between them the pilot would be like: ‘there’s some one down in that paddock, lets go pick them up.’”

Maybe next time he should ask “O que está indo, Mekon?”

John Gosling aka ‘Mekon’ plays at the offshore festival in Melbourne, Bohem in Sydney, and somewhere in Brisbane that neither of us could work out. His second album is out now on EMI.