Limahl on Talk Radio UK 7th August 1998

Transcript of part of Lorraine Kelly's discussion program on 80s music

(Callers in to the program edited where it doesn't detract from the interview of Limahl)

K=Lorraine

L=Limahl

W= Someone from Wham Duran -tribute band

Started approx 11:15am

(Snippet from too shy)

K: I'll bet you've been singing that song all day. It is one of the classic songs. It's wonderful. Too Shy from Kajagoogoo. I am delighted to be joined by Limahl. We're paying an affectionate look back at the 80s. Limahl it is so nice to see you. How are you doing?

L: I'm good thank you and it's nice to be here on this absolutely stunning day.

K: Its good isn't it.

L: Actually I've just spoke to my Dad in Wigan and it's raining there

K: Oh no

L: Its horrible. In the south east though, I'm sorry folks up North we are basking in it majorly

K: We are. Which really annoys people. My mother will be like grrrr, I really hate it when you say that.So Too Shy. Brilliant song as we said. One of the songs of the 80s.

L: Well you were talking with Wham Duran, the guys who are sat here with us, before and a lot of people don't know that Too Shy and our first album was produced by Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran

K: Oh right! So should he not have kept that song for himself then do you think?

L: Well we wrote it!

K: I mean you would think that he have gone and taken it off you.

L: I don't know. I mean It's weird Nick came into my life, got us a record deal, produced a number 1 record for us and I never heard from him again. Life is strange like that. But I think Nick had a sort of aspiration to a be a, you know, a record producer as well as in this successful band that he was in himself. And, I was really wild and funky looking when I approached him in the Embassy Club bar as a waiter

K: Was that how got in?

L: Yes. Ah ha.

K: Good for you.

L: And actually, EMI had previously turned us down. So you know it's very important I think that when you are looking for a record deal to go in at the right level politically

K: Right. That's very good advice cause often you know bands, young bands are battering their heads against a brick wall, sending tapes to A & R men and it never happens.You kind of made it happen then for you. If you hadn't done that who knows...

L: You can look at so many things in your life and say that. It's really scary. Was it destiny or was it you know just an accident?

K: Where did you get that daft name?

L: Kajagoogoo. We had a long list of names and Nick the bass player to give him credit, he came up to me and said Limahl what do you think of Kajagoogoo and I went oh my god that's great. I loved it straight away. It took two weeks to convince the rest of the band. Now you came out of the break with Too shy and I have still got the cassette when we were writing it in the living room in Nicks flat in Leighton Buzzard. I have still got that tape.

W: Put it on

L: I haven't got it here. I haven't got it here. And you know its weird because I never had any idea what I was embarking on when we you know when we started that song. And here we are like nearly 20 years on

K: No, no don't say that. It can't be

L: It's in the new movie The Wedding Singer

K: That's right

L: Whose soundtrack has just gone into the billboard hot 100 in America cause it was the number one comedy film and if you haven't seen folks

K: It's Great

L: It really good fun, it's all 80s music

K: Have you seen it?

W: No

K: You Guys would love it

L: Very querky

K: Wonderful, it's really good

L: And you know I mean I get people coming up to me and saying you know that was our song, we played it at our wedding or whatever you know. It lovely to have been part of something that's lasted so long and Lorraine whilst I'm here can I plug a few things

K: 'Course you can, on you go.

L: I am playing, now its odd the guys here from their tribute band I'm actually doing some live shows and I do some other peoples you know stuff. It's sort of my interpretation really of a couple of Duran things, Soft Cell, of Human League and its a big 80s fest, basically and the three gigs that I should mention are Monday, this Monday in London at the Covent Garden Roadhouse on stage around 11 and Wednesday the 26th August I'll be in Ipswich and Thursday September the 17th oh that's VH1 with Paul King

K: Oh I love VH1 I watch it all the time. We were just talking about that weren't we. I watch it all the time.

L: Keeping videos alive

K: Exactly, I do like Paul King as well. I think he's great. Right, you've said that, now you've got to remind me about that because lots of people will be going "what did he say then?". We'll talk about that in a second, lots of people want to talk to us. Let's go to Mark in Redditch, Mark, hello

M: Hello, hiya how you doing?

K: I'm fine

M: Just want to ask Limahl what's his hair like now

K: It's the same. He is the same. He has not changed. It's scary. He must have a portrait in the attic because he's exactly the same. It's quite sickening. Mark what do you want to say about the 80s...

[edited]

K: Kajagoogoo. Some of the members of the band were a bit frightening weren't they. They had big mad hair and scary clothes. You weren't too scary clothes wise but the hair was a wee bit scary but the clothes were ok. You could get away with then now

L: But this, now we're talking for stage here I mean we didn't walk around the street like that although I would go to a night club like that you know but night is kind of different isn't it? When you're going shopping for your groceries you know, you kind of tone things down a bit.

K: Now as far as Kajagoogoo goes, there it was all going lovely. You had this enormous hit and followed it up with a couple of other ones as well. And then what happened?

L: That old thing. Well it's been said, I'll say it again, they phoned me up and fired me. That's what happened

K: But that was daft. Why would they do that. Why on earth they would do that seems crazy if you were all sort of tootling along and everything fine and doing incredibly well. I can see them firing you if you were getting absolutely nowhere

L: They were just naive because I mean how many bands and musicians have I know myself that have never made it

K: Yeah

L: There we were with a number one record all over the world and we had the world at our fingertips

K: The world was your lobster

L: I like that one. They just threw it all away basically. But they were too young, too naive and that's it basically

K: The thing was you went on to have an enormous hit as well with Neverending Story. So you could go nanananana

L: Yep I have probably done that once or twice

K: Have you ever seen them since?

L: Jez the Drummer. I see him occasionally cause he lives in London and he's running a musical equipment hire company and he looks fantastic so to all the Jez Strode fans, the girls out there cause he was really popular, they'd be amazed just how good he looks

K: He just the same ...

L: He just looks fantastic

K: Gosh. That's extraordinary. And your still in the music business like we were saying with these gigs next week and you actually do a bit behind the screens as well don't you?

L: Yeah, well I'm producing and writing at my studio and I'm doing what I love so it's great

K: See that the difference isn't it. When you go into something for the love of it rather than, erm, because William from Edinburgh was saying earlier on that all these bands are manufactured and yes they were but some of them not all of them but the fact that you're still there you're still doing it is because you love it. You couldn't do anything else could you?

L: Couldn't do anything else. That is basically what it is. I just think I would have withdrawal symptoms. Be like an alcoholic or something. Put me in a loony asylum or something.

[edited]

L: Not many people know this but I was in one of the videos for Adam and the Ants before Kajagoogoo

K: Were you?

L: I was an extra. It was so weird cause they went to Hatfield House and they had an amazing set

K:What one was that?

W: Prince Charming was it?

L: Prince Charming

K: That was a good one

L: And we filmed all day and then finally when I saw the video on TV I was so upset because the camera literally just fleeted passed me. If you had blinked you would have missed me

K: I'm going to watch that cause that's on VH1 quite a lot

L: Yes

K: And I'll watch that and look out for you and we can freeze frame

L: I didn't have my spiky hair, it was all combed back silver with this weird makeup on my face

K: So you wouldn't really know it was you.

L: If I'm ever with you I'll point me out

K: Alright then

[edited listener]

K: Neil…

N: I would just like to ask Limahl what he thinks about the modern day stuff such as Jamiroqui, he sort of verges on the eccentric himself with his large hat and his style in clothes: what do you think about stuff like that

L: There you go. Hi Neil. Well I like them what can I say I think they are totally cool, great image I'm not keen on the one from Godzilla I didn't think that song went anywhere

N: I was actually down at St. Ives last weekend at a little club in Cornwall and that actually ????? so it's quite interesting the contrast and that

L: Right. I mean there's some great stuff around today. Obviously it feels very different to 1982 when we were all embarking on those new synthesisers

K: Thats right. We are going to be talking about that very soon. Do you have looking back, Limahl do you have any regrets would you have done anything differently do you think?

L: Oh god that's a really deep question.

K: Sorry about that

L: You sprung that one on me

L: Oh I'm going to say no I wouldn't do anything different I mean everything happened so fast. And you know you cant be so calculating and plan things out in such a way when you are young and when everything so exciting I was just doing what I was doing and I was absolutely lovin it and like I said to you on television a couple of weeks ago I was raised on a council estate in Wigan and we had no money we were very poor and I have already been around the world twice and I've met amazing stars. I took my mother to Elton Johns 40th birthday party

K: Oh that must have been brilliant for her. That's great isn't it

L: All my friends were calling me going oh can I come to the party and I was invited plus one. I said sorry no I'm taking my mum

K: Brilliant. That so good. She must be very, very proud of you

L: Well she was working in a supermarket, in a famous supermarket we won't mention. And the next week when she went in they were all going up to her saying oh don't ever let me hear you complain ever again

K: Wonderful. Tell me again where you are going to be

L: I'm going to be down at the Covent Garden RoadHouse this Monday night in London. The important thing is there is a producer coming to see me. He's writing a new musical called Electric Dreams with a view to casting me in one of the lead roles.

K: Right

L: I need some support so come on down

K: And shout very loudly

L: Please, yes

K: That's really good

L: Actually I started in theatre not a lot of people know that

K: Well we'll cross our fingers for that. I hope everything goes well, I really do. Huge 80s revival you should re-release too shy you really should off the back of all the 80s revival you look at the boys and all the reaction Wham Duran what they get in concert its out there. People want it don't they? It's really, really good.

L: I think the age group from that era are now looking back with all those wonderful memories that we've got with that music when the time of your life, you weren't bogged down with arrears, mortgages, relationships. And that's an important time when you feel very free and you tend not to reflect too much

K: Yes

L: Does that make sense?

K: It does make sense. It's been an absolute joy to talk to you

Thanks so much. Good luck on Monday. I will cross every part of my anatomy ...

Interview Length 17 mins approx.