The Marlon Show Christmas Special

      

    Hello Marlifers

    I would like to share this with you, in case we are not connected on my other social media channels:      Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn - This is the announcement of my radio show Christmas      special and the podcast to it.

    My radio show "The Marlon Show" airs every Thursday at 11:00 am on Dublin South 93.9FM - If          you need to get in touch with me, you can do so: marlon@themarlonshow.com

    I hope you enjoy this blog post and all the things I have to offer...

 

Thanks for reading

Marlon/Marlife

The Power Of Dreams Show - Good Bye!

Hello Marlifers:

I feel I am finishing 2020 with a bang. Now that everything is public and that

The Marlon Show

's Christmas Special has aired. I would like to publically say Good Bye to The Power Of Dreams Show - which is where this great airwaves adventure started.

Once again, thank you

Marian Shanley

for putting in this great position. Thank you for believing in me, and for giving me what I consider it is a lifetime opportunity. You have no idea the way you have so positively affected my life. Thank you!

To your team, sound engineers,

Allison James

and Al Murphy, for masterfully editing my shows and making them sound more than fantastic. Guys I know you are already part of The Marlon Show Team, however, I wanted to express my gratitude and admiration to you two who, to me, are geniuses.

My biggest highlight as part of the POD show was, of course, interviewing one of my idols

Gloria Estefan

. That was an amazing experience I will never forget. Oh my god, I am still pinching myself over that. And thank you to

Kevin Murnane

, who is Gloria's friend, for organising my interview with her. Kevin you are super great.

I must confess, The Power Of Dreams Show will always have a very special place in my heart. It has been a blessing to be part of such a great gang.

And to everybody at

Dublin South FM

, thank you so much for welcoming me with open arms. Thank you!

I know I will be seeing you and being in touch with you regularly, but for now I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

#themarlonshow #DublinSouthFM

Thanks for reading!

Marlon/Marlife

Thank you so much!

Hello Marlifers

Now that The Marlon Show's first show aired recently, I have a couple of Thank you to express publically, so please bear with me...

First of all THANK YOU to my hubby,

John

, for your great support & love. To my producer,

Marian Shanley

, for believing in me. I will never forget the day you asked me to take over your show

The Power Of Dreams Show

, and a few months later, look at me now. To my friend and now mentor, broadcaster

Siobhan O'Connor

, your guidence & ideas have been brilliant. I admire & respect you as much as I love you. To my

GCN

family for their amazing support, always. To my friend

Veronica Bowe

for putting me in contact with her newphew, Jimmy, who I will mention below....

My great team...

Honestly, I am not that talented on my own, all of this happened thanks to my great team who masterfully helped me create what I have presented:

Luis Aviles

& his team at

Slingshot Graphic Design

for creating the art-work for the branding of the show. To musicians

Jimmy Mc Cabe

@chefjimmyapples &

Neil Casey

from @jaker_and_co for creating the sound that now identifies the show. Amazing work. You are now my two favorite leprechauns. To the guys from

Dublin South FM

, in particular, sound engineer,

Allison James

, you are a genius. You really are.

To my connections on social media, thank you so much for your unconditional support. Social media has been pivotal for me to showcase what I do, including now my radio show. And the last two...

To my haters, thank you for validating my own philosophy which is: If we are able to hate, we will never ever be able to love. And...

To my fabulous listeners, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for tuning in. Whitout you there would not be #themarlonshow. Your support is humbling and it means the world to me. So AGAIN, thank you so much.

The Marlon Show airs every Thursday at 11:00am on www.dublinsouthfm.com - This is the podcast: https://www.mixcloud.com/MarlonDublinSouthFM/ & this is the Facebook page

The Marlon Show

- Please follow both the FB page & podcast. And I will be eternally grateful to you. Feel free to get in touch: marlon@themarlonshow.com

Thank you so much in advance!

#themarlonshow

The Marlon Show Announcement

Hello Marlifers

The Marlon Show announcement is a moment I will never forget. It was announced last week from the station Dublin South 93.9 FM and what a moment. I am still pinching myself, and more so when it tooks months and months of discussions, preparations, details to considered, etc etc etc As everything was in discussions, I couldn't say anything and it was hard to keep the secret.

The reaction on my social media has been great. I am happy to see so much support and encouragment from everyone: family, friends, acquaintances and from online connections from different parts of the world.

As a gesture of gratitude, I created a poll on both my Facebook and Instagram Stories to ask people their opinion about the color I should choose for my logo, and again, the response was great. You can see below.

I am enjoying so much the journey of this wonderful adventure, and I am very grateful to see the inconditional support I have been receiving. It feels great.

#TheMarlonShow on #DublinSouth93.9FM

Thank you for reading

Marlon/Marlife

Christmas time, more than ever, let's enjoy it!

Hello Marlifers

First of all, Happy Christmas, yes I am saying it HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

2020 has been terribly affected by Covid-19. Since March we have been living very strange times. Here in Ireland we didn't have the usual Saint Patrick's celebrations, we didn't have Gay Pride, all the summer festivals were cancelled. All sports events cancelled. We didn't have a summer at all. Basically, since March, we have been at home. Those of us who did have the chance to travel, we did it under very strict measurements. Yes crazy crazy times.

I won't even go into how many people has passed away or how much the global economy has suffered because you already know that, or you can easily find the information online. I am sure a lot of people can not wait to see the back of 2020, and I would not blame them. It's been tough to say the least.

I particularly decided to start celebrating Christmas very early this year. I genuinely think we deserve an very early festive season. So yes Christmas has started in my hear and slowly on my social media. The reason it hasn't started in my house is because my hubby, John, has refused to start putting up the decorations this early. He keeps saying "it's too early, it's too early". Putting the decorations up is his task, otherwise, if it was for me, they would be up this early. 

Anyway, when they are finally up. I am going to make sure you will absolutely know it see photos.

So, as part of showing you how my cheerful Christmas spirit is already in me, I am sharing the below song by a Venezuelan singer called Oscar D'Leon who actually is a salsa singer, but managed to create a beautiful song to celebrate Christmas and its beautiful, sparkling spirit. The song never gets old.

I hope you enjoy it the same way I did singing it, dancing to it, and recording the video.

I will say it again...HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Thanks for reading and watching the video.

Marlon/Marlife

Spooky FM

 Hello Marlifers

I would like to share this great podcast which is a Halloween gift from me to you all. It is a spooky piece of work written and directed by my friend and colleague, international award winner, Peter Dunne.

I won't tell you how excellent Peter's work is because I know you will notice once you listen to the podcast.

A new radio station has misteriously appeared in Ireland in time for Halloween - Spooky FM! It's most terrifying show, Scare Me if You Can, is hosted by Uncle Vlad, a vampire from the heart of Transylvania, and Zombetty, surprisingly chipper considering she's been dead for 100 years. It's time for the children of Ireland to turn the table and scare the devilish duo with their own tale of terror! Filled with werewolves, witches, evil fairies and slimy sea monsters, are you brave enough to listen?

If you are, click on below and listen

Thanks for supporting my friend Peter. He is awesome.

Marlon/Marlife

Surviving lockdown

Hello Marlifers,

For those who live out of Ireland and read Marlife, you might have heard that the whole country has been put on a second lockdown until the beginning of December. The government more or less said that this harsh decision is the only one they had to make in order to tackle the spread of Covid. Even though it is not we want, I guess it is the right decision.

This pandemic has affected us all, in different ways, and it is true #WeAreInThisTogether. Sadly, some people have died, some people have lost loved ones and have not been able to have a proper funeral; businesses closing down for good; some people have lost their jobs. It has affected mental health, domestic abouse has increased, and the list goes on and on and one. It has been very hard and, for some very sad.

Counting our blessings

I consider myself a very optimistic person, and I try to keep my hopes up by saying to myself "this won't last forever". However, if I have to be completely honest, I have to say that sometimes I find a bit hard to be working from home, because it's like sometimes I can't separate one from the other. I am quite good to try to separate my domestic life from my working life. Now this was prior Covid. Having said that, I know it is nothing in comparison other people's situations. 

I feel for those who live on their own; for those who live on their own and are sick or have a medical condition. I REALLY feel for the erderly who also live on their own. My heart goes out to them. My feeling was exhacerbated even more when I read an article written by David Monaghan, who I know through GCN - Gay Community News - where I work. In his article titled "For Many Elderly People, the Pandemic has Worsened a Sense of Lonliness" - David speaks about the impact this pandemic has had on older people. When I read the article, which is written in a very informative yet candid way, the first thing that came to my mind was "What can I do to help?" - so I am doing some research to find a way to lend my helping hand to bring a little bit of solace to some elderly who live on their own and feel lonely.

David in his article mentioned NGO - ALONE.

Counting our blessings

I feel lucky I have my hubby, John. This pandemic has taught me to appreciate him and what we have as a couple even more. However, yes, sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming (for him more than for me) 😅 I am grateful I have his company. We are very much relying on each other's company. Also I have Sammy, our dog as part of my blessings.

What can I say and/or offer?

First of all, remember nothing lasts forever, including this pandemic. We will eventually get there. Try to remain hopeful and positive. I know it is easier to say it than do it, but at least try.

For those who are able, excersing and walking is always great. It will keep us fit and good for our mental health. We are walking with Sammy a lot as we have a park nearby, and it feels great.

Use your creativity. I am sure your imagination is flying aorund in your head. Use it even if it's for making trivial things. Read a book, watch movies, watch TV. The internet is always very useful if you would like to use it to amuse yourself or stimulate your curiosity. 

There plenty of great podcats out there. No matter the topic you are into politics, fashion, humor, music whatever topic you like to listen to, there is a podcast for.

Call family and friends on the phone more. I have been doing this more now than ever before.

If you are into social media, I am humble to tell you that if you would like to follow me, you are more than welcome. As part of trying to amuse myself, I am always creating content that is light, positive, sometimes inspiring, sometimes crazy and silly, but I am always putting stuff out there and a lot of people love it. I am on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and I also have a podcast, MarlonDublinSouthFM, of a radio show I am part of called "The Power Of  Dreams Show" on Dublin South 93.9FM.

Cooking is also a great way to find joy. My hubby is the cook in our home, but again, I try or together we try to make it an adventure when we can. So yes we are eating a lot these days hehehe.

I would like to finish by saying, remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. After a very rainy day, we can see a rainbow. Stay positive, motivated and optimistc, or at least try. You are not alone. Reach out to people if you feel you need to or want to. Feel free to reach out to me, I like helping when I can.

And remember, always remember that the last thing that remained in Pandora's box was...HOPE! And #WeAreInThisTogether

Thanks for reading!

Marlon/Marlife

I am just myself

Hello my Marlifers

I get a lot of private messages like the one below - which I will use to convey a very sincere message

.

Do you know how I do it? I am just myself. I try to keep true to myself. Even sometimes to my own detriment, but that's OK! Why? Because I am very well-connected to who I am, what I think and feel. And if somebody doesn't like me, so be it. I can take it. So for me it's very easy to reveal about me because I don't like to conceal my feelings, thougts and emotions - which is why as a person...

I feel unique, and that sense of uniqueness is my platform to celebrate my Mother's memory who loved me in such a loving way for me to express who I am. I am very happy within myself which is very liberating. I don't need to look out there for what I already have within me: A true sense of who I am. Wow the power of feeling unique.

When it comes to my marriage, I am so happy to see that I do not need to compare my relationship to anyone else's. Why? because I am very happy in my marriage - with its ups and downs - more ups than downs though, but I guess that happens when you are with someone for nearly 17 years : )

When it comes to my work and everything I do, again I enjoy putting my stamp on it. I don't want to be somebody else or copy somebody else, because what I have to offer is unique. And I love it.

Last thing, we need to try to enjoy life. We have one chance in life which is life itself. So we need to try to make it spectacular - whatever that means for us.

Why am I saying all this publicly on here? Because I was privately asked about it on here. And when you truly love yourself, you love your life and your partner and everything in between. You really feel you need to speak about it. For me love is not about concealing it, but about revealing it. Revelation is the most sincere nature of love and, when it comes to mine, I am very easy to reveal it.

Being me will always liberate me, it will never encarcelate me. Why? because I feel I am the reason of my Mother's love!

Thanks for reading!

Marlon/Marlife

Hello Marlifers,

I posted the below note on my Facebook and LinkedIn to express my gratitude for the support my hubby, John, and I received as a result of being part of the TV series "First Love" on Virgin Media Ireland.

You can watch the episode on Player here.

First of all, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much to whoever tuned in to watch the 2nd episode of the series #FirstLove where my hubby and I took part in. The reaction has been incredible both off and online.

Talking about online, I am grateful the internet and social media exist. Social media has been profusely pivotal to promote everything I do. SM has been and will always be part of the channels I have to convey my message and  promote my work. And to talk about us and ME 😂

Thank you to the production team involved in the series. In particular Yvonne Kinsella and Gerry Nelson. It was an absolute pleasure working with you. Thank you for giving us such a great opportunity that I can now add to my media portafolio.

Thank you to my GCN family for always reporting on the external projects I am part of. Thank you guys, I love you.

I am grateful to see the way life keeps smiling at us, as a couple. Our life, like life itself, it’s not perfect, but it is very real. When you truly, really love someone, like the way we do, that is more than #FirstLove.

Lastly, thank you to the haters. Thank you for hating me because you validate my philosophy, that is, if we are able to hate, we will never be able to love. 

Watch this space guys, there is more to come.

Thank you!

Marlon/Marlife

Getting creative in COVID-19

 Hello Marlifers

It is unquestionable that this pandemic has affected us all. In a way, we have been forced to live under circumstances we were not expecting at all, and oh boy, we have felt the burdens of it. As you might have noticed, I am a happy go lucky kind of guy, but I am not going to lie and, I would like to say, I think I need my life back. I need to get back to normal. I think Covid has taken all that away.

In a way, I feel lucky to realise I have a voice and a platform with my social media and my radio segment for The Power Of Dreams Show on Dublin South 93.9FM, and some people have asked me how am I coping or what am I doing to cope?  And honestly, it has not been easy, but...

So just a few things - tips

I am working from home. For the last seven months, my kitchen has become my office. This has been particularly challenging because I am the type of person who has healthy boundaries when trying to separate home from work, and in this moment in time is not the case.

A way I have tried to use to accept this reality is by enjoying that my husband, who is a great cook, sometimes is in our kitchen, as I am working, cooking a nice meal for us to eat when the working day is done. And it is really lovely!

Cooking is a big thing in our house. I am good at it, but my hubby is the best. He loves it and the passion he put into it when he cookes for me, and in general actually, to enjoy it, gives me joy and a internal feeling of security it is hard to describe, but I love it.

My hubby is great at making a dish from scratches. However...

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up really early and I decided to cook myself a nice breakfast (John is not a breakfast man), and I used the leftovers from the dinner of the day before: Chicken, potatoes and other bits. I made an omellete which was delicious. Even my hubby tried some of it and liked it, too. So I felt it was like a double acomplishment.

To keep it short, when in the house, I can say that cooking has been crucial to survive these times. We are also walking in the park and bringing our dog, Sammy, with us. It has not been easy, but we have compromised in order to survive.

So I guess my advice is try to find to do something or emphasize it that would work for you. Whatever that may be: nitting, cooking, excersing, cleaning etc etc etc. This pandemic can be as much taxing as we might allow it to be. Always always remembering it will not last forever.

Thanks for reading.

Marlon/Marlife

Happy Birthday Madonna - Podcast

 

Hey Marlifers

I am delighted to be sharing the #podcast of my celebration to The Queen Of Pop - Madonna. The reception to the show was great which is why I am happy to be sharing the podcast. 

Once again, thank you so much for your unconditional support. I am over the moon. Thank you!

Click on HERE for the podcast

Marlon/Marlife

Image by Luis Aviles from Slingshot Graphic Design

Marlon's next radio show

 Hello Marlifers

This article was first published by GCN - Gay Community News Publishing.

After his strenuous success interviewing Gloria Estefan, Marlon says his adrenaline has not stopped. To this day he keeps saying “I can’t still believe I interviewed one of my idols”. He has, however, put that disbelief to good use by celebrating one of his other idols, 

Madonna.Madonna’s birthday was on August 16 and prior to her big day, Marlon was working on his show “Happy Birthday Madonna”. He was nearly halfway through putting together the format to celebrate the Queen of Pop when he was contacted by Kevin Murnane about interviewing Gloria. So as you can imagine, he had to put everything on hold.

Marlon is a big fan of Madge. He knows most of her songs, knows about her life and has followed her career since he was living in Venezuela. He fondly remembers that when he came to Ireland he went to The George and that night they were celebrating Madonna’s birthday by playing her music for the entire night. He couldn’t believe it and he says he felt like he was in heaven. He danced and sweated the night away.

So he is now over the moon to be able to celebrate Madonna in his own way as part of The Power Of Dreams Show at Dublin South 93.9FM. When he pitched the idea to his producer, Marian Shanley, she immediately said yes as she is very well-aware of how crucial Madonna’s music is to the LGBT+ community and beyond.

Marlon confessed to me, in his very own Marlon’s style, “After interviewing Gloria Estefan I thought I could contact Madonna’s management to interview her, but I never got a reply. I contacted them over and over again, but I was totally ignored, god bless me”.

Me nerves! Ah well, God loves a trier and I am convinced Marlon’s perseverance will open many doors for him because he is not afraid of rejection. He actually uses rejection as a way to incentivise his determination and drive.

He also confessed to me that he struggled to create the format to celebrate Madonna because she has so many hits that it was difficult to pick just ten songs. So he asked some people which Madonna song was their favourite and he is going to dedicate those songs to those he spoke to.

Marlon said the Madonna show is going to be “amazing, very queery and very queeny and very entertaining”.

You can tune in to The Power Of Dreams Show on Wednesday, September 2 at 12 noon on Dublin South 93.9 FM and there will be a repeat on Friday, September 5 also at 12 noon.

Thanks for reading

Marlon/Marlife

Images by Luis Ortiz Aviles from SlingShot Graphic Desing. Feel free to check their amazing work.

Some of the reasons

Hi Marlifers

In a more and more interconnected world, due to the massive advance of technology, SM has become part of our lives, in one way or another. 

In my case, I feel SM has given me a voice and I’d like to think I have to put that voice to good use. My voice and my message have reached corners of the world I would have not been able to if it wasn’t for SM. Also, SM has been pivotal to promote my ideas, what I believe in and my work.

For instance when I have checked my #GoogleAnalytics, I have realised my blog #marlife www.marlifeblog.com has been accessed by people in countries like Russia, Canada and India. Now my radio show for the The Power Of Dreams Show on Dublin South 93.9 FM has been listened in counties like Australia and the USA - thanks to SM.

I always try to spread positivity and good feelings, however I have also said things and behaved on SM in a way I am not proud of, but I am not sorry either. Why? Because I have learnt lessons. And to me once a lesson is learned, I take it, treasure it and quickly move on. Simple!

Thanks to SM I have reconnected with family members & friends scattered in different parts of Latin America and the rest of world. 

I can honestly say that SM is an extension of who I am. I have always been consistent and have never regretted my interactions online. And if I have, again I’ve moved on very quickly 👍

I love SM. It is my platform and my place from where I can make my voice heard ❤️ and I will continue using it because I simply love it!

Feel free to connect with me and I will connect back with you: FB Marlon Jimenez-Compton - IG @marlife16 - Twitter @jimenezmarlon72 - LinkedIn Marlon Jimenez-Compton and my Podcast MarlonDublinSouthFM.

Thanks for reading

 Marlon/Marlife

Image source

Gloria Estefan Talks to Marlon - Podcast

Hello Marlifers

First of all, thank you for your unconditional support. It is very encouraging.

I recently had the opportunity and privilege to interview one of my idols, Gloria Estefan, for the radio show I am happy to say I am part of "The Power Of Dreams Show" at "Dublin South 93.9 FM.

The show was produced by Marian Shanley and Kevin Murnane and sound engineered by Allison James. And sponsored by the Dublin Gazette.

It was an amazing experience for me and a dream come true. You can listen to the full show HERE or on the image below.

Thank you so much.

Marlon/Marlife