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"Let me tell you something. I am so, so happy about the way everything
is going now. Kajagoogoo almost did me a favour really -because I'm the
fired singer. The sacked singer. It's really quite arrogant to leave
a group, isn't it ? The 'singer's going to make it on his own' thing. But
to be fired ! I have some great sympathy on my side".
Limahl allows himself a devilish grin before settling down to his vegetarian
breakfast of orange juice, cornflakes and special order of toasted wholewheat
bread. It's the somewhat unearthly hour of 8am and the presence of his famous
spiky black and white barnet on this 125 Express to Birmingham gets an amused
reaction from his fellow commuters, mostly businessmen. Some smile quietly
to themselves while the brave few tumble up to request autographs for daughters
and nieces.
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It's now over ten months since the surprise sacking of Limahl by Kajagoogoo
and while he once felt "betrayed and very hurt", he now looks back on it
as "a marvellous thing to go through".
"You know", he muses, "when they
sacked me, I thought, well they mustn't have really thought anything of
me at all as it was the manager's idea and they just went along with it.
But now, with these Christian songs and Christian messages they want to
get across, I think maybe all along Nick (Beggs) wanted to have full lyrical
control. I couldn't have been happy with that".
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Since "Only For Love" last October (which notched up sales of over half
a million in Europe), a lot has happened: he's been working on his first
solo album "Don't Suppose" (co-produced by the ex-Fashion keyboardist Dave
'Dee' Harris), he's acquired a new manager Billy Gaff (Rod Stewart's manager
for 13 years) and he's become the most photographed male pop star in Germany.
He's also played the grand Tokyo Music Festival, won the second prize and
was later asked by the legendary Giorgio Moroder (who's produced Donna Summer
and Flashdance and was one of the judges) to record the theme song
for a new film, called The Never Ending Story."It was", he adds,
"just like one of my biggest ambitions fulfilled. "He allows himself another
of those sweet, wistful smiles. "Would I have been given that chance if
I was still the singer with Kajagoogoo?" he asks coyly.
He leans forward and directs his voice nearer to my tape recorder. "Look,
I think people can see that I'm not a record company pretty boy puppet,
being shipped around wherever they want. I'm a 25 year old person who writes
my own songs and is very much in control of my own situation. I certainly
believe I'm capable of being around in ten years time. I would love to do
a Cliff or Bowie and just keep going." He pauses to run his fingers through
his hair. "You know", he adds confidentently, "I'm one of those people who
doesn't seem to age. On a good day I still look about 20 or 21." I remind
him of our crack-of-dawn meeting and the way both of us looked then. He
mumbles "Yeah! I did look 90 this morning, didn't I !".
Which brings us to the reason why we're actually here and seated on the
early 125 Express headed for Birmingham. Believe it or not, Limahl's scheduled
to appear on a special edition of BBC's lunchtime Pebble Mill show,
alongside a riotous Little and Large, the more demure Sade and various other
personalities.
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At precisely 9.45am we're met at the platform by the EMI Birmingham representative
and whisked off to the famous Pebble Mill studios. En route, the
EMI person confirms the precise details o fthe day's events while also checking
Limahl's enthusiasm for forthcoming events she's got lined up. It seems
he's turned down the charity football match but is quite excited at the
prospect of test driving his own choice of car for a new TV programme. "And
I know exactly what I want", he grins. "It's got to be a Porsche 911 Turbo
Convertible".
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Once at the studio's, Limahl is re-united with his two female backing
singers Josephine Melville and Mandy Newton, a highly-excitable pair who
scream and laugh their way through the rehearsals. It's only in their company
that Limahl seems prepared to drop his 'cool' image and, most of the time,
is doubled up in laughter at their schoolgirlish antics. Josephine later
describes him as "crazy!".
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With some to to spare before live transmission begins, Limahl retires
to his dressing room for a light lunch of cheese salad and, of course, a
quick change. The faded jeans and t-shirt are replaced by a leather suit,
leather tie and crisp white shirt. He's already set up a radio tuned in
to Radio One "to hear who's playing my record" and has spilled out the contents
of his travelling bag onto the dresser. These everyday essential include
baby oil ("for spiking up the hair"), Aramis aftershave, Astral
cream cleanser, Rosewater and Witchhazel skin tonic, cotton wool, mirror,
toothbrush and paste, brush, hairdryer, clean t-shirt ("in case anything
goes wrong") and wad of autographed promotional photos.
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It's not long before transmission begins and their spot -miming to the
new single "Too Much Trouble" - goes without a hitch, despite the fact that
Limahl's leg has begun to bleed after he'd accidentally hit a metal bar
whilst showing the girls a new dance step. As it's the last Pebble Mill
in the series, champagne is handed around and everyone retires to the BBC
hospitality room. Not so for us, though. Limahl is guesting on the panel
of Radio One's Roundtable and that's one three and a bit hours away
so after a brief local radio interview, it's back we go on the train to
London.
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In the station, Limahl positively adores the wide-eyed stares he's getting
from housewives and schoolgirls alike and actually draws more attention
to himself by singing "Too Much Trouble" very loudly on the station platform.
And it's only now I realise the importance of the wad of signed photos -they
double up as invaluable bribes. Evidentally one signed photo can be exchanged
for up to three cups of coffee ! I didn't complain.
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On arrival back at Radio One on London, we're confronted by outbreaks
of mild hysteria, not all of them pleasant. Some girls start pulling his
hair and pass him notes which threaten hom to "Leave Marilyn alone or else
!" (This apparently refers to an incident which happened when both of them
were in Australia and one national paper printed a story saying that Limahl
insulted Marilyn. Limahl insists the story "was totally made-up, although
Marilyn, for some strange reason, believes, it to be true. I cant understand
why.")
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However, the show goes on. Once in the Roundtable studio, the line-up
of Green (Scritti Politti), DJ Gary Davies, Limahl and host Richard Skinner
all gather around a large circular table, sipping drinks and smoking cigarettes.
Limahl later claims "it's mad! Everyone talks when they are supposed to
be listening to the record and then you're supposed to slag it off accurately.
'Too Shy' was slagged off on this programme!".
He's then asked to air his views on the new Kajagoogoo "Islands" album released
later that week. Ever the cautious professional, he'll only say "I've a
very showbiz attitude and this is a very different approach to mine. I almost
feel that they see the voice as secondary to the instruments because that
say 'we are musicians and we're not galmourous and we won't wear make-up'.
But it's nice on the ear. Very nice."
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| The programme over, Limahl is whisked off again to take part in a Radio
4 programme about pop stars' attitudes to fans. He's well qualified. Outside,
when about 90 screaming girls nearly suceed in tearing his new leather jacket
off his back, Limahl will later wind down the car window to give any willing
girls a farewell kiss and one of his signed photos. |
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