=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 2, Issue 7 - September 1990 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS * ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES * INTRO BY ROBERT BARBER * WHTZ RADIO INTERVIEW * MAILING LIST USES * ON-LINE BTL * A DIFFERENT KIND OF CD * DG EARNINGS FOR 1989 * QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS * CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES If you are attempting to reach another BtL member by email and have been unsuccessful, don't hesitate to contact any one of the moderators. We'll try to provide suggestions of alternative routings or additional addresses to the destination site. If these attempts fail, then the moderators will forward your email. Without submissions, monthly issues wouldn't be possible. Please send all submissions to ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu and keep each line within 78 characters in length. If you do not get a note indicating that we have received your submission within a few days, please remail you submission. Requests for back issues should also be sent to the above address. DISCLAIMER : **************************************************************************** This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Ann Gibson, Gibson Productions Inc. (GPI), the Atlantic Recording Corporation, or any organizations to which members belong or represent. All songs by Debbie Gibson are copyrighted by Deborah Ann's Music (ASCAP). This forum is a non-profit organization. Members may disclose information about merchandise and products but may NOT advertise them for monetary sale. The purchase and trading of merchandise as such MUST be kept confined to electronic mail. BtL is NOT intended to replace publications released by the Debbie Gibson International Fan Club (DGIF), the only authorized fan club. Information on DGIF may be obtained by e-mailing any one of the moderators or by sending a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope (S.A.S.E.) to the following address: D.G.I.F. P.O. Box 489 Merrick, NY 11566 Currently, the initial membership fee is $15. The annual membership renewal fee is $10 for those in the U.S. and $12 for those outside the U.S. **************************************************************************** BtL's Triumvirate - * Steve "Plastic" Burstall : hnr_443854@emunix.emich.edu * Matthew Jung : ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu * Henry "Hitman" Lee : userhhgc@mtsg.ubc.ca lee@physics.ubc.ca =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ANOTHER MEMBER FROM DOWN UNDER Robert Barber (rbarber@gara.une.oz.au) I thought I'd better finally introduce myself seeing I've been a member for the last couple of months, time which I've spent reading all the past issues of BtL. My name's Robert Barber & I'm doing a Science(Maths) degree with an Education diploma so as to become a Maths teacher. I'm in my second of four years at the University of New England, Armidale, AUSTRALIA. Now onto the important stuff, Debbie. I first heard her on the radio in about September '88, when "Out of the Blue" came on ( I know that this is about a year after most people first heard her, but hey, this is Australia, where she received next to no airplay for any of her singles off her first album, & thus no one knew about her). I thought at the time that this sounded good so I taped the rest of the song (about 2/3). When I found out that it was Debbie that was the singer, my first response was 'who?', but I immediately wanted to hear more from this promising singer. A few days later, I saw a poster of her in one of my sister's teen-mags, & I thought that this was great, she not only sang well, she looked good too. So life went on for a couple of months, not hearing anything about Debs at all, plus I had all my school mates asking me who this girl on the poster was that I placed in my folder. Then at a school disco they played "Shake Your Love" & I thought great. Then I discovered it on one of my mate's tapes, so I taped it off. In May '89, I heard "Lost In Your Eyes" & immediately fell in love with the song, so I went out & bought it. Still, hardly anyone knew who she was, & I got sick of telling people that she was a singer that had had a #1 in the U.S. with LIYE. So I proceeded to live most of the year out with the above-mentioned songs, plus "Electric Youth", which came out in about August. Not being one to by an album on the strength of one song (EY just didn't & still hasn't appealed much to my liking, I can't explain why) I'd put off buying the album, but once I heard "We Could Be Together", I knew then I had to have the album. And when I went to order it, it was then that I discovered that she had a previous album, so I thought, what the heck, I'll get that as well. When the albums arrived (November '89), I discovered great songs that I never knew had existed, due to complete lack of airplay, which I now know were in fact released as singles, such as "Only In My Dreams","Foolish Beat",& "No More Rhyme". Given some decent airplay, I'm sure that Debbie would have had a much greater success here in Australia than she has so far. With respect to her success here in Aus. I'll try & give a rough description of her chart positions : Shake Your Love: small indentation into the Top 30 (The other songs off OOTB did not chart at all; even though the title track was Hitbound for a couple of weeks) Lost In Your Eyes: peaked at #6 & was in the Top 50 for nearly four months was the 27th biggest selling song for 1989 (In Tamworth, my home town, LIYE was #1 for 4 weeks & was the 5th biggest selling song in Tamworth for 1989 - Yeah!) Electric Youth: reached about #18 No More Rhyme: Hitbound We Could Be Together: about #43 The album EY was the #37 for the year & was a Gold album (it might have just reached Platinum but I'm not sure). At least through me, quite a few people at my college now know of Debs existence, even if they haven't heard many of her songs.(I only know of one other person that likes her nearly as much as myself.) Oh well, I raved on enough, so bye for now, Robert Barber. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DEBBIE'S BIRTHDAY CALL Will Wong (wpw100@psuvm.psu.edu) This was on the Z morning zoo (Z100, WHTZ New York) Enjoy... 9:08 AM 31 Aug 90 (reproduced and transcribed without permission). '/' indicates a change in speaker. Zoo: Well that big red light is blinking on the wall. It must be the hot line. Uh, oh/ You ready?/ Yeah. Good morning, Z100. Debbie: Hello... Zoo: Hi Debbie: Hi! Zoo: Is this Debbie? Debbie: Yes, it is. Zoo: Debbie!/ Hello Baaby!/ Happy Birthday!/ Happy, happy birthday, baby...(singing)/ (couple of giggles from Debbie & the Zoo) What, so what are you doing for your birthday? Debbie: I'm having a paarty. Zoo: Yeah? Debbie: Yeap... Zoo: So who's coming? Anybody famous? Debbie: Anybody famous...oh, I don't know (giggles) Zoo: Come on (in chorus)...who's your buddy? You can tell us./ Who's your pal? Debbie: Who's my pal? It's not like I have a...well...no, I got...no, no, no, I don't know. Believe it or not, I seriously did not know who's coming. All I could tell you is that, I made this list, right...I've been in the studio every day, I got home at 3 in the morning and uh, I'm going to look at the list this morning and find out who's coming. Zoo: Did you try to invite any of the New Kids on the Block? Debbie: I think we tried to get in touch with them, but they're in uh...they're somewhere else... they're in Cleveland or something. Zoo: Yeah/ All the girls out there think "I'll bet she'll have all those guys there." She has all the luck./ Yeah Debbie: No...no, no. Zoo: All right, so listen...What does Debbie Gibson want for a, for presents for her birthday? Come on... Debbie: Oh, let's see...um. Zoo: Inquiring minds want to know. Debbie: Inquiring minds (giggles)...I think I'm an easy person to shop for. I mean, I love hats...(zoo: yeah), I love clothes (zoo: yeah), I collect those little um, those little prism... Zoo: So when's the album coming out? Did you say you were at the studio? Debbie: Yeah, it's coming out...um...November 13. The first single comes out October 13. (zoo: uh, huh). And in fact, we just mixed, we just finished mixing last night. (zoo: cool...). So I'm excited...it's a song I um, co-wrote with Lamont Dosier who wrote like 'Stop in the Name of Love' Zoo: Oh, you mean Mr Holland Dosier Halland? Debbie: Yeah Zoo: Wow! Debbie: Yeah, he did like all the Motown hits Zoo: Wow, he's great... Debbie: Yeah, and he's coproduced it with Jelly Bean so it's a hot, dance...kind of thing. Zoo: You couldn't like...put it on the cassette player and hold it up to the phone, could you? Debbie: Well, I'll give you, I'll, I'll...I'll give you a little quick sample of it. Zoo: Could you? That'd be great!/ All right! Debbie: All right...hold on... Zoo: OK...Tympany roll here... (about 11 sec of the song) Debbie: That's all I'm playing... Zoo: All right!/ Oh Yeah.../ It's hot! Debbie: I'm gonna get a call from Atlantic!..."What'd you do?!?!" Zoo: "What did you do...what did you do on the morning Zoo!?" Debbie: Oh, come on...I can...It's my birthday, right? Zoo: Yeah, yeah...you know who your buddies are...come on...happy birthday to you. Debbie: Thank you. Zoo: When you blow out those candles, think of us.../ Gary.../ No, that's what.../ Gary.../ Hey, come on... GARY.../Gary.../GARY.../ I'm sorry Deb...I apologize for the people I work with.../ And Deb, in October, come on down and say hello. OK? Debbie: I definitely will Zoo: All right...See you later and happy birthday Debbie: OK... Zoo: B'bye Debbie: B'bye =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= USE AND ABUSE OF THE MAILING LIST Matthew Jung (ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu) Recently, there has been some abuse of the mailing list. Again, please do not use the mailing list for unrelated BtL material. This includes advertisements for other mailing lists, requests for GIF files, or any other stuff that should be restricted to personal email. We have had a few complaints about the last salvo of non-BtL related messages. Since the next single is about to come out, there is no doubt that Deborah will be spending a lot of time doing promotion. If you find out that she will be on television more than 48 hours in advance, please send email to at least two out of the three moderators and one will do his best to get a message out on the mailing list as soon as possible. If you have a question you would like to ask all the BtL members, please send it to ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu and it will be included in a Question and Answer section for the next issue. If you feel it necessary, please go ahead and submit and article. Hopefully, there will be no more problems. Enough of business, now let's get on with this issue of BtL. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ON-LINE BTL COMPLETED Raymond Michiels (raymond@cs.vu.nl) Fellow BtLers, To start off with the good news: the official Between the Lines is now available in computer readable form (ASCII). If you already have the book version you can contact Matthew Jung and he will e-mail you the ASCII version (which is just under 200kb). If you don't have the book and still want an ASCII copy, just go to a book store, buy the book, contact Matthew, etc. Since 6 lines makes a lousy submission I might as well tell you how 'I' have managed to get the ASCII copy... In a previous issue of BtL I asked for help, because I really wanted to have an ASCII Between the Lines, but didn't feel like typing it into my computer all by my self. Unfortunately none of you felt like typing even a single chapter :-( so I was sorta stuck. Then George came along. George Stamatopoulos, who lives on the other side of our planet (from my point of view, which is the Netherlands) asked me how he could be of any help. He told me that he had access to an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanner, so I thought: ``Bingo, there's my ASCII BtL!'' Wrong. Down under they all know Kylie M, but Debbie is not that popular in the southern hemisphere. When I asked George if he could scan the book he said: ``Sure, If I only had a copy!'' It turned out that Australian book stores (just as Dutch bookstores) didn't sell the official BtL. The next weekend I left for sunny California, where I bought the book for George. When I came home I air-mailed it to Australia and two weeks later I received an almost 200kb e-mail message containing the ASCII BtL. After only 30 minutes of polishing up (OCR scanners aren't perfect), it looked really good and I sent a copy to Matthew. I decided that it would be more efficient to let Matthew handle distribution because I don't want to clog up the Internet by sending 200kb messages from Europe to the US every day. Fortunately Matthew agreed (which saves me some work too. Thanks!) -Raymond. PS: not all e-mail links are capable of handling large (>50kb) messages. If you request a copy from Matthew and you are not on the Internet please say so and Matthew will chop the file into little pieces. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= RELAX WITH THE PROFILED! CD Ken Mathis (mathis@handel.cs.colostate.edu) Well it's back to school time around the world. And as we all are getting back into the old "class-work, home-work and more-work" routine, it's sometimes hard to see the brighter side of things. Breaks in the routine are few and, many times, far between. One of the upcoming breaks will be in mid-October when Deb's first single off her third album is to be released. The next one will be in mid-November when her third album will be released. During the interim, I've listened to both her previous albums numerous times, but recently I wanted something different so I popped in the Profiled! CD for a change. The first track on the CD is a mix of several of Debbie's songs along with her answers to some interview questions. The music ranges from short samples of music from Debbie and other musicians to complete, or almost complete, songs by Debbie. During the cuts of music Debbie talks about the start of her career and how she worked for over a year to get Atlantic to even listen to her music. She also talks about how she got ideas for several of her songs as well as giving some background on what she is trying to say through the songs. After the music/interview track there are several Station-Liners followed by the interview answers each as a separate track so the radio stations can use them individually, in a cut-n-paste fashion. Listening to Debbie's responses is kind of enlightening. One really gets a feeling that she really is as intelligent as she you would like to think. She knows where she wants to go with her career, and she isn't afraid to work to get there. In one of the answers she explains why she is so involved in her career by saying that: "...I'm not really good at standing around watching other people, kind of, create me. I mean, it's like, I want to present myself just, uh, very honestly. I kind of like to be where the action is." I think that one of the best responses Debbie gives is when she is asked about the success of the "Out of the Blue" album: "...I really never doubted myself for a minute, and I think that's a really big key to success in general." That's something we can all use to make our lives easier. And on a note of things we can all do to make our lives a little easier, lets hear what advice Debbie can give us... "Hey, I'm Debbie Gibson, and here's an idea...um, why don't you guys take a break for a few minutes and let me sing a song, ok?(laughter)." -- Station Liners, track 4. So why not kick back and listen to "Out of the Blue" or "Electric Youth" for a while. Your work will still be waiting for you (unfortunately), and a few minutes of R&R would do us all some good. Until next time... Ken Mathis, mathis@handel.cs.colostate.edu Make a wish, it might come true. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= HOW MUCH DID DEBBIE GIBSON EARN IN 1989? Amin Kamadoli (kamadoli@alcor.usc.edu) According to POLLSTAR (they monitor the billion-dollar concert industry) and ATLANTIC RECORDING CO.'s financial reports: DEBBIE GIBSON was the TOP Atlantic artist in PERSONAL financial grossing. The figures released include many items, I'll just give you the bottom line: In 1989, Debbie Gibson's account bottom line was a rounded $10.9 MILLION*. Includes, but not limited to: *Revenues, record royalties, merchandising, corporate sponsorships, and concert ticket sales. *Record royalties: 13%-14% of 90% of sales. *Publishing NOTE: Overhead costs (traveling, staging, recording, video/promotion costs) had not been deducted yet. [Side note: Nor David Salidor's expenses :-)] $10.9 M for a year's work (Sept 1988-Dec. 1989). Not too bad for an album and tour that didn't do as good as we'd hoped. The TOP recording artist for Atlantic (she beat out groups like RUSH and SKID ROW)! I bet she is in a better bargaining position than we think. If her revenues were only $10.9M, then the revenues she created for Atlantic were inexcess of $50 million. Why would they say no to a DG double album---it seems that they would want to ENCOURAGE a double album for which they can DOUBLE the prices and let the revenues POUR in. Have any COMPOSITE figures about Deborah ever appeared in Forbes or Fortune? Star magazine had a composite total stating that Deborah Gibson was worth $30Million. But knowing STAR, they probably spun a roulette wheel to come up with their figures. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. Raymond Michiels (raymond@cs.vu.nl) When I came home yesterday I read on Teletext (TV) that an anonymous fan had given Debbie a Cadillac for her 20th birthday. Is this true? Are there any details? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CLOSING REMARKS As a reminder, our contest is still on. At the end of the year, the submission judged by the moderators as the best (moderator authored articles exempt of course) will win a prize. The prize will either be a color 8x10 of Debbie Gibson or two 7-inch singles. The singles are "Out of the Blue" and "Shake Your Love." They might become collector items since vinyl is being phased out. Steve's poll, about whether Deborah should have a double or single album, closes at the end of this month. If you haven't voted yet, please email your vote to Steve at hnr_443854@emunix.emich.edu.