=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 3, Issue 4 - April 8, 1991 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS * ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES * AN INTRO BY RICHARD EVANS - Richard Evans * AN INTRO BY SAMUEL LAU - Samuel Lau * BBC RADIO ONE INTERVIEW - Graeme Lyall * MUCH MUSIC SPOTLIGHT - Felix Ng * _THIS SO CALLED MIRACLE_ VIDEO - Samuel Lau * DG LIVE AT THE PRINCETON HYATT - Ray Wilmott * DISMAL PROMOTION DOWN UNDER - Robert Barber * ROCK N' ROLL VIXENS COMIC - Chris Backa * PROSET MUSICARDS - Samuel Lau * HOW TO SEND STUFF TO DEB - Bill Jackson * DG~NY ADDRESS - Shaun Stuart * DG PARTY IN JUNE - Michael Scheele * DGIF LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN - Peter Blomgren/ Matthew Jung/ Graeme Lyall * QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS * CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Please send all submissions to ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu and include the word 'SUBMISSION' as the subject. If you do not get a note indicating that we have received your submission within a few days, please remail it. DISCLAIMER : **************************************************************************** This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Ann Gibson, Gibson Management Inc. (GMI), 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. **************************************************************************** BtL's moderators - * Matthew Jung : ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu or myjung@ucdavis.bitnet * Henry "Hitman" Lee : userhhgc@mtsg.ubc.ca or lee@physics.ubc.ca * Sandra Chen : ez003229@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= AN INTRO BY RICHARD EVANS Richard Evans (Apex%USCN@uga.cc.uga.edu) Date: Sat, 23 Mar 91 15:16:57 EST Hello, my name is Richard Evans, and I'm a Debaholic. Seriously, I am pleased to find such objective comments centering around Debbie Gibson and [pause for emphasis] her music. Most of what I hear or read concerning DG focuses on her image. Rarely is anything said about 'Deborah Gibson: the musician'. Allow me to introduce myself to BtL (I just did) and make a few comments of my own. I decided I liked DG soon after "Only in my Dreams" was released. During a television interview Debbie made the comment that her age was initially unpublicized because she wanted no unfair advantages to her career. I'm not a huge fan of pop/dance music, but OIMD was a catchy tune and Miss Gibson did come across as sincere in that interview -- I bought the album. Several songs (namely "Foolish Beat", "Red Hot" and "Between the Lines") really impressed me. A style that DG can truly call her own is most apparent in those songs. Four years and two albums later, I'm still addicted. Debbie is a stand alone music world. She claims to be a fan of Billy Joel and Elton John, I wonder if she realizes she ranks among them as a musician. I'd like to see even more serious efforts from Deb in the future; life has setbacks, too. There are many people in the world with unrealized dreams. If Deborah Gibson poured her emotion into music with social and political significance, anything could be possible. Richard Evans Apex@USCN.bitnet =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= AN INTRO BY SAMUEL LAU Samuel Lau (laus@cpsc.ucalgary.ca) Date: Fri, 5 Apr 91 21:30:27 MST Hello! Bonjour! Yasou! Konnichiwa! Buongiorno! Hola! I'm not a language expert, but after years upon years of watching Sesame Street, I pick up a few words here and there. As you can see at the beginning of the intro, my name is Samuel. That's my given name, but people who know me well don't usually call me by that. My friends usually call me "Sam" or "Sammy," but anything to that effect is usually fine with me. I've been a Debbie Gibson fan since the beginning of her chart attack. I was just starting high school (grade 10) when she first hit the Canadian charts. Since I live in Canada, I don't always get to hear new artists from outside the country right away. It wasn't until late August that her first single "Only In My Dreams" started getting airplay on AM106, the only Top 40 radio station in Calgary. That was two months after her debut in the Top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 on June 27, 1987. I found "Only In My Dreams" to be very catchy and I caught the Debbiemania fever instantly. I went out and bought the cassette a couple of weeks later in September during the annual "Back To School" sales and thoroughly enjoyed it from the first note to the last. It's not everyday that you can buy an album and like every song on it! At the time, my two favorite songs on the album were "Out Of The Blue" and "Between The Lines." This was great because they're the first and last songs on the cassette. I was able to play "Out Of The Blue," flip the cassette over, and then play "Between The Lines." I've since bought all three of her albums on compact disc and love them all. Usually on every album I buy, I'll come up with one favorite song that's fast and one that's slow. At the moment, this is what they are: Out of the Blue - "Only In My Dreams" and "Out Of The Blue." Electric Youth - "We Could Be Together" and "No More Rhyme." Anything Is Possible - "Anything Is Possible" and "One Hand, One Heart." I've also bought Ana's debut album _Body Language_ on compact disc the day it came out (I was working at a record store at the time - fun job, low wage). This is a great album and my favorite song from it ("Everytime We Say Goodbye") is one of two songs written by Debbie Gibson. This is only my first month on the Between the Lines mailing list. I first heard about it from Michael Scheele when it first started. However, it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I received my first few issues of BtL. I've finally been able to enjoy the services of Internet (and finding out about BtL again) now that I'm enrolled in my first year of university. I haven't found a major yet (any suggestions are welcome!), but I'm sure I will by next fall. So far, I've found it really exciting to be part of this newsletter. Matthew and Henry have made me feel right at home. I was completely taken by surprise when Matthew asked me to write an Introduction and a couple of other articles on Debbie Gibson. This is my first effort, so I hope I'm doing all right and will be asked again in the future for more articles. Eventually, I'd like to have a few pen pals who share common interests with me (which include all types of music but mainly Top 40, sports, useless trivia to clutter the brain, writing for fun, and being "creative"). Just recently, I've returned to my postcard craze again and would like to exchange postcards with all you BtL members from all over the world. I've always been fascinated by places I've never visited, or visited and enjoyed. If there is anyone out there who'd like to write me, my current address is: Samuel Lau 5572 Dalhart Hill N.W. Calgary, Alberta Canada T3A 1S9 I try to return every piece of mail I get within a day. I can also be reached by electronic mail on Internet. The problem is my address will change from year to year, and during the spring and summer semesters. Currently, my mailing address is: laus@cpsc.ucalgary.ca. If it doesn't work (if you don't hear from me within a reasonable amount of time), then my updated address should be available from one of the moderators. On FidoNet (where I first met Michael and Matthew), I can be reached at: 1:134/55. I'll probably have an account there forever. Well, that's all for now! Enjoy this issue of BtL, and hope to hear from some of you soon! :) Good bye! Au Revoir! Adios! Auf Wiedersehen! Sayonara! Arrivederci! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= BBC RADIO ONE INTERVIEW Graeme Lyall (uad1123@dircon.co.uk) Date: Mon, 11 Mar 91 1:23:24 GMT Deborah was on BBC Radio 1 this afternoon, in a short telephone interview from Long Island. She said she had been out dancing last night and was recuperating. She liked to go dancing at least once a week, to let go of a week's tension. She was asked (inevitably) about her change to a more "sexy" image. She said she thought her look was sexy in a classy kind of way. She said it wasn't done intentionally but they played around with a lot of different looks in the photo shoot. She was asked if she wanted to get away from her previous look. She said it really wasn't conscious but she felt that as she got older she was more comfortable with being sexy and didn't feel as though she was playing dress up. When she was 16 people told her she had to look sexy but she felt she had to look like herself or it would be ridiculous. Now though she could wear a black dress and not smile, and not feel she was playing dress up. Then Debbie was asked how she felt about having her love life under the microscope and did it bother her. She said the tabloids sometimes invent a better love life than you're actually having. But she said it was all right, she didn't go out of her way to hide things. Deb was then asked if she was writing screenplays, and replied that she was in the middle of her third and favourite, and hoped to do something with it this year. She would still put her music first but this was another way to be creative. She said she had been sent a lot of scripts over the past few years, and we would be amazed how many ridiculous scripts there are out there, and she felt maybe she could write a role for herself. She was asked what she had been offered, and she said she had been sent films about zombies coming to life, groupies ... she felt that being blonde she got offered bimbo roles or something so, so off the wall and far-fetched that she thought oh my God ... She was then asked why she decided to appear in Beverly Hills 90210. She said she liked the show because it showed the down-side of the Beverly Hills lifestyle and because she thought it would be fun to do it. She was in town, they called her, she liked the show, so she went over and did it. This is the way she likes to make decisions. Then she was asked about the album. She said she was real happy and felt really good about it. She talked about working with Lamont Dozier and said he liked to work the way she does. He invited her to his house where he has a studio, and he said to her they could either have a barbeque or go into the studio - and luckily they went into the studio and came up with four tunes ... She was asked if she was going to come to the UK soon and said she has only really made two appearances here, and wants to come back. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- MUCH MUSIC SPOTLIGHT Felix Ng (fng@arkham.wimsey.bc.ca) Date: Sun, 07 Apr 91 18:04:35 PDT Few weeks ago, Deborah was featured on the MuchMusic Spotlight. For those of you who are not able to pick up MuchMusic on the tube, the Spotlight which is on seven days a week dedicates an entire half hour to an artist or group. The following is a transcription of the show. Michael Williams (MW) starts by introducing her. MW: "Today on the Spotlight we feature a young lady whose success is very legendary. Her first album went multi-platinum and her second album went double-platinum. She has a new image she is trying to foster. She also has earned herself the theme to our very own R.S.V.P. show." MAY '88 ======= Debbie Gibson = DG DG: "I started, um playing classical piano when I was five years old and I did a lot of musical theatre and..." Michael Williams interrupts her and says: MW: "Did you want to be a classical concert pianist?" DG: "Never." MW: "Never?" DG: "Never, I enjoyed getting my frustrations out by banging out those classical songs. Heh, you know and it was really good base, but I knew that I never wanted to be a concert pianist. I did a lot of theatre and commercials and stuff like that. I saw a Billy Joel concert when I was nine and I said to myself I can't wait until I play Nassau coliseum just like Billy Joel (laughs) you know, and I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to do." MW: "Was those lessons forced or did you just really enjoy getting out these frustrations?" DG: "No, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I mean I, uh started playing piano and that's why my parents, you know, asked if I wanted to take lessons. I started playing first by ear. So you know, my parents believe you don't force on kids or else they'll rebel against it and you know, you do what you want to do." The videos _Only_In_My_Dreams_ followed by _Foolish_Beat_ were played. November '90 ============ Steve Anthony = SA SA: "Your existence as an international, um profiled person happened not as early as some people. I'm sure its happened to Sammy Davis Jr. when he was four, five, but it must of really, it must of really changed...this may be an old hat question, but I'm really curious about it(laughs). Did it really change your...it must of changed the way you are as a person. Did you do normal things? You couldn't of done normal things." DG: "Yeah, no I did. Um every person in this world, you know, eats, sleep, goes to movies and for a while I was doing interviews; like every interviewer wanted to make sure I was ``normal''. You know, they said do you eat pizza??? Do you go to the mall??? Yeah, I mean, it's not my lifetime aspiration to hang out at the mall, but yeah, I mean when you need to shop(laughs) that's usually where you would go. Um, music was always that normal to me because I was really heavily involved in it." _Lost_In_Your_Eyes_ followed by _Electric_Youth_ were shown. Rock In Rio II - January '91 ============================ Kim Clark Chapniss = KCC KCC: "Is this the _Anything_Is_Possible_ tour?" DG: "Actually, its called the _Possibilities_ tour." KCC: "The video(AIP) has been out for a while now and it's a lovely change of image and it's a very mature Debbie Gibson and a very sexy Debbie Gibson they say it(laughs). Have you found a change that the public has perceived you now?" DG: "I don't know, like, to me that was what I wanted just for that particular video. I wanted to show myself as narrator of the story and because of that, the people on the street were dressed really fun and colourful which is usually how I dress, you know and for this I'm going to be in all black then 'cause I'm just the narrator and everything and it's funny 'cause it's gotten more attention than the music and I'm saying I didn't put much thought into that, you know, into the image thing, so, um you know, it's kinda funny sometimes. I have friends that are in college say um, why did you do that now? My guy friends use to be like, oh that little girl and now they're going wait a minute(laughs). I'm saying I don't know. I'm the same person. I just wore black and red lipstick, you know." The show ends with the videos _Anything_Is_Possible_ and _This_So-Called_Miracle_. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- _THIS SO CALLED MIRACLE_ VIDEO Samuel Lau (laus@cpsc.ucalgary.ca) Date: Sat, 6 Apr 91 00:15:52 MST On Friday March 15, I watched (and recorded) the Much Music Labatt's Blue Spotlight shine on Debbie Gibson. This is the second Debbie Gibson spotlight I've watched. The first one I saw was when _Electric Youth_ was released. That spotlight featured all her videos up to the title track. I'm pretty sure there was one prior to that though. The spotlight on Friday was close to a half an hour in length. They played six videos (including "This So Called Miracle") and had brief clips of three of her previous interviews (from May 1988, November 1990, and January 1991). The first thing I noticed was the title of her latest video. Much Music called it "This So Called Miracle," which is almost exactly what the album version of the song is called (Much Music excluded the hyphen in the title). The length of the song clocked in at a little over half the original version, as previously said in the last BtL newsletter. All the editing that was previously said was true. The third and fourth verses, and the bridge were all cut. However, listeners who haven't heard the album version yet shouldn't be disappointed. Without previously listening to the album version, it's not easy to tell it has been cut over three minutes. This is what I've observed in the video: It begins in 1953 after what looks to be the end of a big New Year's Eve party at what appears to be a nightclub. Decorations and garbage are littered everywhere. In keeping with the 50's, this segment of the video is in black and white. Debbie is wearing a party dress, white gloves, and earrings with white, round ornaments that dangle from her ears. Her hair is also styled accordingly. Debbie is dancing with a man (they are the only two people in the room), who later spins her away and disappears, leaving her by herself. Slowly, she then moves up onto the stage and sings in front of the microphone. In the second half of the video, the scene moves to the present time where Debbie is shown singing at the same club. She now has a full band and a few backup singers. This part of the video was shot with a red spotlight, so the effects are quite nice. There is no one else in the club except for the same man that danced with her earlier. For about a second, he is shown sitting at a table watching Debbie and the band. She looks at him briefly as she finishes the song. At the end, the video switches back to 1953 and Debbie is seen quietly leaving the club. The video gives a general idea of what is happening. Although it moves slowly, some of the details happen quickly so it took me a little while to put them all together. It's not one of her flashy videos where many things happen such as in "Electric Youth" or "Anything Is Possible," but rather something along the lines of "Foolish Beat." This type of video is expected with the type of song "This So-Called Miracle" is anyway. In my own opinion, it's not what I'd call "totally awesome," but I still like it. Sometimes videos help the single rise higher on the charts. Generally, having both the audio and visual sources helps you understand the song a lot better, and it's more fun to watch a video of an artist you like than just listening on the radio. I'm not sure how much this video will affect the chart climb though. I haven't heard or seen this song on the radio or television very much. It wasn't one of my favorites on the album to begin with, but after watching the video I like this song a lot more than I used to. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- DG LIVE AT THE PRINCETON HYATT Ray Wilmott (wilmott@remus.rutgers.edu) Date: Sat, 30 Mar 91 17:52:00 EST Well, I had a bit of a treat on 3/27/91. A local radio station from the Trenton/Philly area was having their 17th anniversary party at the Princeton Hyatt. I heard something about it in passing a few weeks earlier, but paid it no attention. Then a few days before it was to be held, I heard a promo for it again by chance - it was to be a concert featuring several bands, among them John Eddy, The Rivals, Cinderella, Heavens Edge, The Dead Milkmen and...*Debbie Gibson*! A radio station anniversary show though? Visions of teeny boppers on a dance floor (a la Dance Party USA) filled my head. Did I really want to go to this thing? Well, I've always wanted to see Debs in concert and since it was in my own backyard, how could I *not* go? So I turned my car around and headed to the Hyatt to get tickets. Wednesday night rolled around, and my worst fears for the evening were soon laid to rest. The crowd was a very motley mixture, due to the variety of bands, so that seemed cool. And there was no sign of the "dance party" atmosphere. It was kind of strange seeing a concert in a hotel conference/ banquet room however...it was so small. "All the better to see Deb up close" I figured. Well, there were good points and bad points to the evening. Yes, I did get right up to the stage, so I had the opportunity to see Deb as close as possible in a concert. Unfortunately, this concert didn't quite go as I expected. The bands on before Debbie each played about 30 minutes. Those on after Debbie each played for about 20 minutes. Debbie played for about 10. She came on stage alone about 3 hours into the show wearing a black dress (very elegant looking), and sat down at the piano. First she played her "latest single", One Hand, One Heart...a shortened version from that which is on the album, it ends before the "everyone has their own opinions" verse. She then took some brief applause and went into Lost In Your Eyes. Then she stood up, took a bow, and promptly exited the stage. I was very happy to be so close and to hear her play these songs unaccompanied, but disappointed that 2 songs were to be all! I hung around for the bands after her (another 3 hours) until The Rivals came back out around midnight for an encore. I was beat (standing 6 hours) and had to get up for work the next morning, so I took off (which is what more than 3/4 of the crowd had also done by that time). The next day on the radio I heard the DJ's talking about the show. One mentioned that his favorite part was "where Debbie Gibson joined in the final encore. She was really great". UGH! How could I have so foolishly left prematurely?! Oh well, at least I finally got to see Debbie live, I suppose I should be happy. But I learned a valuable lesson..."it ain't over til it's over". =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DISMAL PROMOTION DOWN UNDER Robert Barber (rbarber@gara.une.oz.au) Date: Thu, 14 Mar 91 14:17:36 EST The album is doing extremely poorly in Australia in that I have yet to see it in the Top 50. If it did sneak in, it would have been only for one week at that, as I have usually kept a good look on the charts. With respect to the single, it peaked at a huge #60, which is most disappointing, as I believe it is as good as, if not better than, most of the crap which charted well. I am the only person I know that bought a copy of the album. To be specific, I bought it on cassette as it has 4 extra songs (ie the album only had 12). My opinion of the album? I absolutely love the 2nd side, I could listen to it all day long & not get tired of it. I wasn't too sure about the 1st side when I first listened to it, but it is growing on me the more times I play it, which is roughly once or twice a week. I did like AIP pretty much instantly though, even if it is a bit hard to understand her at times during the first verse at the first few listens. One factor probably counting against Debs here was again the lack of promotion. I was in Sydney for two weeks at the start of January (1 month after the album's release) and there was nothing to be found in terms of articles, posters & other merchandise, at any of the record stores, or in any store for that matter. All that was there was her records, usually `hidden' at the back of the rack. I was most disappointed. The usual response was that it wasn't worth the time & money to order the stuff in from the U.S. due to lack of demand. I'm still waiting for her video to be released here, & my local record store has suggested that they might have to try & import themselves so that I can buy it, but I'll still wait & see for the time being. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ROCK N' ROLL VIXENS COMIC Chris Backa (CSC3CSB%HOFSTRA.BITNET@YALEVM.YCC.Yale.Edu) Date: Sun, 10 Mar 91 12:48 EST Rock'n'Roll Comics has written a comic story about lady superheroes. They are: Samantha Fox, Madonna, Paula Abdul and Debbie Gibson. Debbie being the only character with any sort of values and decency, is the only one wearing anything resembling normal clothing; the rest are wearing revealing costumes. Their mission is to rescue Eddie Van Halen from the evil Ninja Monsters. All the the ladies have superpowers, i.e. Paula has super speed. Debbie has very limited powers. She is treated like a little kid who knows nothing, i.e. "Remember Your Curfew", and has lines like "It's a man", when they rescue Eddie. Toward the end Debbie, during the fight with the Ninjas, copies Paula's superspeed, and goes so fast that her clothes burn off. The story ends with all the heros around Debbie who is in her heart pattern underpants. As a spoof, I've seen better. The art is all done in Pencil, no color. The characters don't look a lot like their living counterparts. To put it simply, its not worth the three bucks. -Chris =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PROSET MUSICARDS Samuel Lau (laus@cpsc.ucalgary.ca) Date: Wed, 3 Apr 91 14:28:21 MST I went to a neighborhood convenience store today to look for MusiCards that were rumored to be available. It was my lucky day today as the store had them. I bought six packs of them at $0.99 Canadian dollars each (cards usually cost more in Canada) and found out some things about them. MusiCards are made by the company Pro Set. Each pack contains ten cards, an instant scratch and win card, and a card for $0.10 off their line of music T-shirts. In a typical pack you will find one or two Legends cards, a few pop stars, a couple rap stars, a couple of rock bands, and one or two heavy metal bands. At the moment, I am uncertain of the number of cards in this series (the highest card number I have is #260), but a complete checklist is available at no charge from Pro Set. Their address can be found on the back of any MusiCards wrapper. It will also be included at the end of this article. Some of the pictures are quite nice while a few are a tad blurry. The cards are split into music categories. Within each category, the artists are in alphabetical order. The front of each card consists of the artist's name and a photo. There is a top and bottom border that consists of various solid colors to make it easier to pick out the different music categories. On the back there is a smaller photo (usually a closeup if it is an individual and not a band) and a small biography of the artist. The more popular artists are featured on more than one card. I know for a fact that there are at least three Debbie Gibson cards. For those interested, I have two of them so far (#42 and #44). This is the biography on the back of card #44: Gifted with perfect pitch, the extraordinarily precocious Debbie Gibson has known almost from infancy what career to to pursue. She received encouragement and assistance from her parents, even to the extent of having her own recording studio set up in her basement. At age 12, Debbie won a songwriting competition sponsored by WOR radio in New York City. She also spent several years in the children's chorus at the Metropolitan Opera. If you're interested in these cards, I'd recommend that you buy one pack first and see for yourself what they're all about. If you just want certain artists (like the set of Debbie Gibson), you may want to try a local card or comic store and see if they sell single cards. I can't see them costing more than ten or fifteen cents for each. I have tried a couple of stores around here already, but they've confirmed they won't be carrying them. However, I will continue trying to find single cards of my favorite artists and all the Debbie Gibson cards I can get for members of BtL who want them. Of course, if you have friends who have different musical tastes, you may be able to convince them into buying these cards and then trade with them. That's how I obtained my second Debbie Gibson card. As previously said before, for a free copy of the Pro Set Gazette containing the Pro Set checklists and merchandise listings, write to: Pro Set Gazette-SMC 17250 Dallas Parkway Dallas, Texas 75248 Sammy. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= HOW TO SEND STUFF TO DEB Bill Jackson (bjackson@MADVAX.UOP.EDU) Date: Sat, 06 Apr 1991 21:09:20 EST Hello again, After reading my intro in February and Michael Scheele's article last month, you may well wonder, "does Deborah really ever receive anything we send her?" To answer this, I have some good news and some bad news. First, the bad. After checking my own thank-you notes from Deborah, I noticed that the "signature" is indeed printed, not signed. (it's a pretty darn good imitation, though!) However, the actual text of the note matches the cute scribbles in D.G.I.F. issues and on the front card of the "Electric Youth" promo exactly. This leads me to believe that she does receive her presents, but only has time to write a few thank-you notes herself. If anyone else has anything they'd like to add, please drop me a line. Or a bunch of 0's and 1's, whatever. My Inet address is given below. Btw, if you want to send Deborah (or anyone else) a letter or a present, here are a few suggestions. They've worked pretty well for me so far. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- BILL'S BIG SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING THROUGH - Type your letters. With 16,000,000 letters a week, I don't think anyone would consider responding to the ones they couldn't read. - Keep them to less than a page, if possible. The shorter, the better. In fact, if you have several questions you'd like answered, send them one or two at a time. She's much more likely to read several small letters than one long questionnaire. - ALWAYS include a S.A.S.E.! it decreases the effort required to answer a letter tremendously. This rule doesn't apply with presents, of course. - Don't send food. For one, it's dangerous (for her). Second, she'd get fat eating all that stuff! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- One last tidbit - did everyone notice that Michael Scheele actually made the pen pal pages in D.G.I.F. 3.2? Yea, Michael! (clap clap) c'ya! bill jackson inet: billj@uop.edu <- preferred d.g.i.f. #3260 bjackson@madvax.uop.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DG~NY ADDRESS Shaun Stuart (shaun@calstate.bitnet) Date: Mon, 01 Apr 91 13:20:48 PST Many of you know that the Japanese double CD of AIP includes an advertisement for a Debbie Gibson clothing store in Japan. It also lists the address of the New York store. I wrote to all the addresses given and got a letter back from DGIF today. I guess the New York store forwarded my letter to DGIF. Anyway, they gave me another address to write to, which is different from the ones listed in the CD. That address is: Debbie Gibson New York/Flandre c/o Japan Marketing Services Inc. Shuwa Kioi-Cho, TBR1012 5-7 Koji-Machi Chi Yoda-Ku Tokyo, Japan Tel: 011-81-3-3230-4171 That's all the info I got. I will write to them to see if they have a catalog or something. Shaun Stuart (SHAUN@CALSTATE.BITNET) [Editor's Note: There is no New York store; the address given was the New York office of Atlantic Records.] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DG PARTY IN JUNE Michael A. Scheele (pershing@ATHENA.MIT.EDU) Date: Fri, 15 Mar 91 02:00:31 EST Here is the text of the letter (copied verbatim) sent to me by Carrie Sapp and John Recco III (received on March 7, 1991): Dear Debbie Gibson fan, Being in Debbie Gibson's fan club, we all share one thing in common: the need to meet more people just like us who share the same interests, with the most important of them being Debbie. Some of us have been fortunate to meet her, while many others are still waiting for that day. In the same way, many of us have friends that also like Debbie, but others aren't as lucky. We struggle to find someone who likes her as much as we do, and often are unsuccessful. With this in mind, Carrie Sapp from Columbus, Ohio (age 17) and John Recco from Brooklyn, New York (age 21) came up with the idea of having a _huge_ pen pal/fan club party. Right now, we are just trying to get a basic idea of who might be interested in coming. The party would probably be in New York somewhere, although we really aren't positive yet. If you are at all interested, please let us know. If we get a lot of enthusiasm, we could pull off one of the largest pen pal/fan club parties ever! Keeth Stewert and Buddy Casimano will be notified, as well as D.G.I.F.. If we get a great response, who knows, Debbie could show up!! But we need your help. We just want this to be a fun day where people from all over get together and talk about the one thing we all have in common - DEBBIE! So spread the word and tell any of your other friends or pen pals. As soon as we get enough responses, we'll let you know all of the details. Remember, the more people we get, the more publicized the party will be. Please fill out the sheet and send it back to either John or I. Photocopies can be made if you want to pass it around. I hope you want this to happen as much as we do! Thanks for your help! It's up to all of us to prove to Debbie just how great she is and how much we appreciate all she has done!! Sincerely, Carrie Sapp and John Recco [signature of Carrie Sapp] THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON!! _RETURN TO:_ CARRIE SAPP -OR- JOHN RECCO III 5860 CUMMINGTON PLACE 104 DARE COURT COLUMBUS, OHIO 43213 BROOKLYN, NY 11229-6385 (614) 864-3353 (718) 332-4067 [Editor's Note: BtL is not involved with organizing this party. Be advised that Carrie and John are not members of BtL so we don't know much about them nor can we endorse the party. If you would like more information and a copy of the sheet that they would would like you to fill out, please email Michael Scheele.] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DGIF LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN Peter Blomgren/Matthew Jung/Graeme Lyall (bbl%nduvf@sunic.sunet.se)/(myjung@bambam.ucdavis.edu)/(uad1123@dircon.co.uk) Date: Sun, 31 Mar 91 12:04:31 +0200 Graeme: I love to receive my DGIF mailings but they're all too infrequent. Peter: So far I have enjoyed the magazine; my only complaints are that there is very little useful information in it and that it always arrives late. Is it me or is DGIF getting worse? I mean FIVE pages devoted to other artists! Keeth and Chris are "related" to DG, but what about the other two? Have I missed something? DGIF should be devoted to Debbie; it is OK to include info what other projects she's been involved in -- but whole-page pictures is way too much! Matthew: This is another gripe that I've been hearing a lot lately too. Yeah, I resent DGIF wasting so much space promoting other artists instead of giving us any up-to-date info on DG. The money spent on these wasted pages could be better spent on first class postage for members living on the North American continent. Graeme: There just isn't enough factual information on what Deborah is doing or what her plans are. Meanwhile when Deb is interviewed on TV or radio she seems to get asked the same old questions. We already know the answers to most of them! Peter: ...in my opinion this -- telling the fans about tourdates and upcoming releases -- should be DGIF's #1 priority! Matthew: Yes, I totally agree. I am sure most of the other DGIF members would agree as well. Many BtL members recently have made similar comments to me. Deborah's domestic EY tour would have been more successful in terms of tickets sold if she had kept members up to date. Peter: Maybe we should tell DGIF what we think -- If we don't tell them what we feel, how should they know? If all members -- that is, those who are not happy with the way things are -- of BtL wrote to them within a period over 2-3 weeks (after the release of BtL 3.4), they surely would take notice. Graeme: This set me thinking. Why doesn't DGIF issue a special interview on cassette? I already wrote in months ago to suggest this but if other BtL members did the same maybe we would get a response? This interview could be a bit different from usual, could avoid all the boring standard questions. I would probably not ask her about herself. That's what all the interviews are full of. But I would be really interested to know what she thought about other music, or literature, or whatever. In the end I feel that her reaction to other people, influences or events would tell me much more about her. Peter: Should we produce a 'standard' letter - ready to sign, or should everyone write their own??? DGIF might take more notice if they realize it is an 'organized' protest, but the opposite effect is also possible... Matthew: It would probably be a good idea if everyone else wrote their own original letter, but it probably wouldn't hurt if members mentioned they were inspired to do so by reading this BtL article. Like Peter mentioned, let's all try to do this with in the next few weeks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The address to write to: The Debbie Gibson International Fan Club Attn: Michele Gibson, Editor P.O. Box (use the one for DGIF members only) Merrick, N.Y. 11566 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. Michael Scheele (pershing@athena.mit.edu) I just noticed that there was a song in the musical, "West Side Story," called "One Hand, One Heart." I wonder if it is similar to the song that Deb sang in concert. Any information? Q. Norman Mitchell Eliaser (ne05+@andrew.cmu.edu) Check out the who-oh-oh-who-oh-oh in Nelson's "After The Rain." Now, aren't those the same notes as Debbie's "Out Of The Blue?" There are a bunch of different who-oh-oh's there, but listen for one of length "who-oh-oh-who-oh-oh." Q. Archie Medrano (MEDRANO@USDCSV.ACUSD.EDU) Did Debbie appeared on "Parker Lewis Can't Lose"? Does anyone have it on videotape? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CLOSING REMARKS Please feel free to submit questions. If you have answers to any of the questions which don't have answers yet, please send them to us and we will print them in the next issue. Thanks for participating. Many of you have requested DG GIFs. Since the anonymous FTP site here is no longer available to us, I'd like to know if any of you could volunteer your site to hold DG GIFs. If you can, please send email to Matthew Jung (ez000018@bullwinkle.ucdavis.edu). Thanks. According to Shaun Stuart, Deb will be releasing a song on a charity album called "For The Children" which will benefit the Pediatric AIDS foundation. The album will be released by Disney on a 70 minute CD with various artists singing children's songs. Deb will be on the Regis and Kathie Lee show on Thursday, April 11. Any impressions or observations of her appearance will be welcome submissions.