=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 3, Issue 13 - October 30, 1991 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 MYRA WONG - Myra Wong * CABOODLES CONCERT STATISTICS - Matthew Jung * WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DEBBIE GIBSON? - Sandy Chen * DG BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - Eldon Beard * KIMN REFUSAL TO GIVE DG AIRPLAY - Constantin Caroutas * SONG POLL - Sandy Chen * CABOODLES CONCERT REVIEW - Matthew Jung * TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE - Matthew Jung * CABOODLES ADVENTURE - Myra Wong * DEBWATCH * QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS * CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Please note the following address changes. Pollux will be retired later this year so send submissions to ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu and use 'SUBMISSION' as the subject. Any potential immediate release info should be sent to both this account and ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu. We will forward the info to the other members if we believe it is appropriate. We reserve the right to edit such information. 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) or Possibilities Publishing (ASCAP). This forum is a non-profit organization. **************************************************************************** BtL moderators - * Matthew Jung : ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu mjung@bloom.ucdavis.edu myjung@ucdavis.bitnet * Sandy Chen : ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= INTRO BY MYRA WONG Myra Wong (mkwong@sdcc13.UCSD.EDU) October 24, 1991 Hello everyone, my name is Myra Wong and I am a Debbie Gibson fan. I am currently a freshman at the University of California, San Diego (I have not yet decided on a major). I am really excited to finally be an active BtL member through InterNet. I've liked Debbie's music ever since I first heard it in December 1987. I don't have the typical how-I-discovered-Debbie story. In 1987, I was very new to music. A friend of mine liked Debbie. I looked through my teen magazines for articles of her for my friend; meanwhile I was listening to the radio. Somehow, the catchy song lyrics on the radio matched the words on the magazine pages. I thought to myself, "Hey, that's the song/person I've been reading about." A few weeks later, after my friend convinced me Debbie was a really good singer, I took my first trip to the (real) music store and bought the "Out of the Blue" album. Please keep in mind that I really did not know any of the songs before I bought the album. And similarly, I didn't know any of the singles after. Don't get me wrong, I listened to the album a dozen times everyday; therefore, I 'learned' the album as a whole, rather than beginning with "Only In My Dreams" and "Shake Your Love." I loved the OOTB album and it is still my favorite today. My favorite songs from that album are "Between the Lines," "Out of the Blue," and "Wake Up To Love." In fact, in early 1988, you would probably find me skipping down the halls of my new high school singing "Wake Up To Love." I followed Debbie's career through the monthly teen magazines I bought. I learned that she was a young, hard-working, down-to-earth girl. Now this was someone I could really relate and look up to! Summer of 1988 came around and I saw my very first concert: Debbie Gibson at the Concord Pavilion (CA) on August 5, 1988. I only had lawn seats, but that truly was a memorable night! By that summer, I had become aware of 'singles' and the radio and I began to buy the 12" and cassette singles of her released songs. In January 1989, I bought the "Electric Youth" album (on cassette AND CD) the day it was released. It was different from OOTB, but I loved it! My favorite songs from the "Electric Youth" album are: "Lost In Your Eyes" and "Who Loves Ya Baby?" As Debbie's popularity grew, I began to collect merchandise and continued my growing collection of magazine articles/pictures. That summer, I saw Debbie on her Electric Youth World Tour at Shoreline Amphitheatre on August 24, 1989. I had ~30th row seats which was great! And I practically bought out the whole souvenir stand! It was after the EY concert, that I finally joined D.G.I.F. My membership number is 6914, and my first issue was Vol.1 #4. Ever since then, I have been a proud and continuing member of DGIF. They kept me informed during the time in 1990 when magazines were no longer 'reporting' on Debbie. And it was DGIF who kept me up-to-date as to when the 3rd album was to be released. November 1990: "Anything Is Possible" was released and I bought it as soon as I could. Very long. Very different. Very Debbie! I loved it! That's why Debbie is my favorite artist. My favorite songs from this album are "Deep Down," "Mood Swings," "Where Have You Been?" and "One Step Ahead." With the release of the "Live Around The World" videotape, I got to finally see the WCBT video. My favorite videos are "Staying Together" and "Lost In Your Eyes." Sometime in April 1991, I finally decided I wanted to see the first two issues of DGIF. So I replied to some old penpal ads and somehow I ended up writing (more like calling) my, now, very good friend Jennifer Yeko. And from there I wrote to fellow BtL member, Archie Medrano which led to BtL moderator, Matthew Jung. Within the past 6 months, my 'fandom' has tripled. I believe this is a result of the amount of information I now have and just knowing that I'm not 'alone' anymore. If I were asked 'how has Debbie Gibson affected your life the most?', I would have to say that I have been able to make many new (lifetime) friendships. That is why I truly love the Japanese-released song "Without You," because "It's this thing friendship brings, a little of everything. But most of all a smile to my face." This summer, I was able to see Debbie on her One Step Ahead tour at the Anaheim Celebrity Theatre on August 25, 1991 and at the Concord Pavilion (just like in '88) on August 26, 1991. I was also lucky enough to meet Debbie that afternoon in Anaheim and then backstage at Concord. In addition to those two tour dates, I saw her perform, most recently, at the Caboodles concert on October 13, 1991 and met her very briefly after the show. WHAT DEBORAH MEANS TO ME : There are many reasons why I admire Debbie Gibson. First of all, I love her music because it is so upbeat and happy feeling. And I love how most of her songs are produced, all busy-sounding and I LOVE the twinkles and bell sounds! Secondly, I can really relate to Debbie's lyrics, being a teenage girl also. Her lyrics have 'helped' me through a lot of situations and I constantly am quoting her songs. Thirdly, I admire how she sticks to being herself, not conforming to the changing trends, and how she is a down-to-earth person. Finally, I like how she believes in being positive and believing in yourself. In addition, I am thankful for all the friends I have made because of Debbie and her music (Hi! to Matt, Jen, Shaun, Peter, Edwin & Archie). That is basically my history of my life as a Debbie Gibson fan. Right now, I consider myself to be a very loyal and dedicated fan. Already, I am awaiting her fourth album! I plan to write a lot for BtL, so this won't be the last you see of me! I also love to write letters and email to other DG fans, so go ahead, write to me! I would love to hear from you. Myra K. Wong "Don't care how the world turns I promise D.G.I.F. #6914 you forever. To have and to hold, InterNet: mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu you've got me heart & soul" -DG =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CABOODLES CONTEST STATISTICS Matthew Jung (ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu) October 22, 1991 The only BtL member who won the Caboodles concert was our very own Myra Wong. Many of us entered the contest hundreds of times each and perhaps thousands of times collectively so we expected more of us to win. I myself sent in 250 postcards and called in numerous times. Since I was Myra's guest, I was going to keep an eye out at the Caboodles thing to see who won the contest. At the orientation on Friday night (Oct. 11th), the 198 winners and guests comprised mostly of adults and kids (early teens). Myra and I were shocked that only about a dozen people there were members of DGIF. The majority of the people there were barely fans and probably didn't buy the "Anything is Possible" album. What really got us angry was that there were a bunch of people who won because the Caboodles contest was announced in their contest newsletter; they are the people who enter contests as a hobby or for a living. They didn't care about Debbie Gibson at all and probably entered for the free trip to Los Angeles and free hotel accommodations. The Premiere Radio marketing people did not follow the official rules. Supposedly, only 50,000 calls were to be allowed on the 1-800 number. In reality, they accepted 325,000. On top of that, they received 22,000 postcards. So even with our collective entries, the odds of winning this were not so good. Even if you entered a thousand times, you would still have less than a 1 in 300 chance of winning. Before we were given such statistics, there was speculation that the Premiere Radio marketing people might have thrown out entries of males aged 18 and over. This theory was blown away when Myra and I met this 30 year-old man who had won; he had entered about 150 times by phone while recovering in a hospital. Myra was very lucky to win considering she only entered about a 100 times. That's why at the orientation, we felt very privileged just to be there. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DEBBIE GIBSON? Sandy Chen (ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu) October 21, 1991 In the last BTL issue (#3.12), Felix Ng mentioned that Debbie would make an appearance in the PBS TV show, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" Sure enough, she appeared a week after the show started airing. "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" is a game show where kids are given geographic clues to track down villains that have stolen monuments from around the world. Here is a complete dissection of Debbie's cameo: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE CASE: "Ripping Off the Rock" THE VILLAIN: Eartha Brute, a muscular co-hort of Carmen Sandiego THE CRIME: Eartha stole the Rock of Gibraltar! Midway into the show, the contestants (referred to as "Gumshoes") have tracked Eartha Brute to Europe. Host Greg Lee tunes into ACME Celeb-net for a clue. The informant turns out to be.....Debbie Gibson! { Pictured: A room with a shaded window. In the room is a black Baldwin piano. A plant can be seen behind the piano. Seated next to the piano is Debbie. She is wearing a black hat with brown trimming, a black blouse, a multi-colored tie, and blue pants. Her hair is almost shoulder length. She is holding a little brown dog. } [Debbie:] "My Dachshund Sam here is incredibly brilliant, aren't you buddy?" [looks at dog] "He says that the crook is in the same European country that his ancestors came from." "What else can you tell us Sam?" [holds dog to ear] "He says a lot of dogs came from there; not only Dachshunds, but Schnauzers and Dobermans too." "You're a genius, did you know that?" [looks at dog] "He says that he hopes you can sniff out the bad guy. Bye-bye!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it; the whole ordeal lasted less than 30 seconds. I made a few observations though: - Greg Lee called her "Debbie", not "Debbie GIBSON". I found this strange, since he identified past celebrities with their full names. He assumed that everyone knew who she was, which I feel was a bad move. *I* didn't recognize her at first! - Based on the length of her hair, I would say that this was filmed a long time ago. I doubt if she could've grown her hair back that fast! - Deb almost cracked up a couple times while saying her lines (once at the beginning, and again toward the end). Most of the other celebrities that have given clues acted pretty serious while saying their lines (Walter Cronkite, for instance)...they were true to their part as an informant. Debbie gave a rather light-hearted performance, which I would rank as similar to her _Beverly Hills 90210_ appearance: not very believable, but somewhat humorous. - All the contestants got the answer right, which was Germany. I don't know if Debbie will make another appearance on the show. If she does, it won't be anytime soon since they seem to have a lot of celebrities to choose from. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DG BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Eldon Beard (71541.475@CompuServe.COM) October 29, 1991 + TUESDAY, October 29, 1991 + 10:00 am EVENT: SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks Subcommittee meeting - Sen Dennis DeConcini, D-AZ, chmn -------) SUBJECT: Hearing on S1623, the Audio Home Recording Act of 1991, to permit the copying of recording for personal use, and to provide compensation to the recording industry LOCATION: SD-226 Dirksen Senate Office Building PARTICIPANTS: -- Ralph Oman, resister of copyrights, Library of Congress -- Debbie Gibson, recording artist -- John Roach, chairman, Tandy Corporation -- Linda Golodner, executive director, National Consumers League -- Jay Berman, president, Recording Industry Association of America -- Gary Shaprio, group vice president, Consumer Electronics Group, Electronics Industry Association -- Edward Murphy, president and CEO, National Music Publishers' association, and president and CEO, The Harry Fox Agency -- Phillip Greenspun, research assistant, MIT -- Frank Beacham, journalist, New York, NY Copyright 1991 United Press International =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= KIMN REFUSAL TO GIVE DG AIRPLAY Constantin Caroutas (cc433336@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu) October 21, 1991 My favorite radio station here in Fort Collins, Colorado is KIMN (107.9MHz). Its format is a quite lively Adult Contemporary. One of their programs is The All Request Lunch Hour. They accept requests from 11am to 12 noon and play them from 12 noon to 1pm. It seems that once they accept a request, they'll play it. They also play requests in more or less the same order that they receive them. All of this, I gathered from making requests during last winter intersession. The telephone rang two to five minutes before the DJ picked it up. Evidently, he dragged his feet as to not get more than 12 different requests. I called around 11:10am and my request was always played around 12:10am. Well, during last winter intersession, I requested the kinds of songs that they expected me to, but last summer I was not a conformist. It certainly felt that way. I had not heard any Debbie Gibson songs on KIMN since "Anything Is Possible" fell off the charts and was removed from KIMN's playlist --I listened (and still do) to the station a lot. So last summer, I decided to request Debbie Gibson songs for The All Request Lunch Hour. (There was a five-day exception to not hearing any Debbie Gibson songs on KIMN. Last spring, they played "One Hand, One Heart" on their Power Playoff. This program features two new songs and people are asked to call and vote for their favorite. The winning song faces a new challenger the following weeknight. "One Hand, One Heart" won for four weeknights in a row.) Here are my summer requests for The All Request Lunch Hour and KIMN's responses (I made all my requests by 11:20am at the latest): - The first time I called, I requested "Anything Is Possible". The DJ said OK and we chatted for a while. He did not play the song, but he called at about 12:55pm to tell me that I had won burgers for two at Hardee's. - About two weeks later, I called and made the same request and explained to the DJ (who remembered me) that he didn't play my request last time. He said that he must've because I had won. Anyway, he promised to make good this time. Again, he didn't play the song. - I called a month later and requested a song by Debbie Gibson, but this time I did not specify which. The DJ, who again recognized me, asked: "Something specific?" Wasn't this an insulting question? I did not complain. I just told him to surprise me. At about 12:05pm, he played "Only In My Dreams". - I had heard "Only Love" with Susanna Hoffs on their Power Playoff those days, and I called and asked whether they could play it. The DJ asked me for an alternate request in case his boss objected, so I gave him "Let Me Be The One" with Expose' (it was too soon, I felt, to request a Debbie Gibson song again). Soon after 12pm, he played the Expose' song. The PD would not allow "Only Love" to be aired. There is no good explanation why the PD objected to it. The cassingle was out, so the song had been released. I also requested that song twice during their general program time when a different DJ was on. The first time, he took my request, but ignored it. The second time, he told me not to request that song. - Anyway, by the end of summer, I called again and requested a song with Debbie Gibson. Again, I didn't specify which. They played "Lost In Your Eyes" at about 12:10pm. Since then (with the exception of my successful requests), I haven't heard any Debbie Gibson songs on KIMN. I'm really bewildered with KIMN's behavior toward my requests. Why did they accept my request for, but not play "Anything Is Possible"? Why did they claim that I was wrong when I complained that they had not played it? Why wouldn't the PD allow "Only Love" to be played to the point that I was shamelessly asked not to request it? What would the harm be if they played it one summer noon? Anyway, "Only Love" lost the first night it was played on Power Playoff to a song that did not prove popular. But "One Hand, One Heart" demonstrated that it was popular. Yet, KIMN did not add it --not even on light rotation. I would really like to know their reaction to me requesting it, but I did not think to request it then. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SONG POLL Sandy Chen (ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu) October 24, 1991 It's that "time" again. By now everyone should have heard most of the songs from Debbie's 3 albums (as well as her non-album tracks), so it's a dandy time for another favorite song poll. We're going to do things a little differently for this poll. BTL members are asked to vote for FOUR of their favorites from the list below. Votes must be ordered from 1 to 4 (#1 being the MOST FAVORITE song). Send your votes to: ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu. Be sure to include the words: 'Song Poll' in the subject header of your message. This poll will end on December 20th, and results will be announced in BTL #4.1 (January 1992). RULES: 1. This poll is open to all BTL subscribers. 2. Vote for 4 favorites (in order of favoritism). 3. Votes will be scored as follows: #1 favorite: 5 points #2 favorite: 3 points #3 favorite: 2 points #4 favorite: 1 point The number of 1st place votes that a song received will be noted in the final results. 4. You may vote for a remix of a song (this includes any non-album version of the track). Points will be added to the total for the original song, but we'll also specify how many points went to remixes. 5. No ties please! We know that sometimes it's hard to pick one song over the other, but for purposes of this poll you must make the distinction. 6. Commentary on your choices is ENCOURAGED (but not necessary). We'll be sure to put them in an article with the poll results (the more comments, the better!). 7. Votes will be acknowledged periodically. If you don't receive an acknowledgement for your vote in 2 weeks, please resend it or notify ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SONG LIST Out of the Blue Electric Youth Anything is Possible *************** ************** ******************** Out of the Blue Who Loves You Baby? Another Brick Falls Staying Together Lost in Your Eyes Anything is Possible Only in My Dreams Love in Disguise Reverse Psychology Foolish Beat Helplessly in Love One Step Ahead Red Hot Silence Speaks Stand Your Ground Wake Up to Love Should've Been the One Deep Down Shake Your Love Electric Youth It Must've Been My Boy Fallen Angel No More Rhyme Lead Them Home Play the Field Over the Wall One Hand, One Heart Between the Lines We Could Be Together Sure Shades of the Past Negative Energy Mood Swings Try In His Mind Where Have You Been? This So-Called Miracle B-Sides/Video Other Albums ************* ************ So Close to Forever In the Still of the Night (Wonder Years) The Most Beautiful Love Song Come Home (Wonder Years) Don't Flirt Without You (Japan) Love Under My Pillow A Medley of Rhymes (For Our Children) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CABOODLES CONCERT REVIEW Matthew Jung (ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu) October 15, 1991 The Caboodles concert was at the China Club in Hollywood, California on Sunday, October 13th. The China Club is a small two-level club; the hundred winners and their guests filled the place easily. It must have been sentimental for Deb since she probably played track dates in places similar to this before she headlined her first tour. Chris Cuevas was the opening act as he has been throughout the One Step Ahead tour. He was supposed to perform at 7:30pm, but he was late for whatever reason. His concert was a carbon copy of what he did throughout the One Step Ahead tour with the exception of a country tune that he performed. Like in all the other concerts that I've seen him open for, he got a good reception from the audience. In fact, the moms in the audience seemed to like him better than Deb. Deb opened her show with "One Step Ahead." The opening was the routine she used at the Jerry Lewis MDA telethon where her dancers came out and danced first before she entered the stage. Next was "Another Brick Falls" followed by the "Shake Your Love" and "Out of the Blue" medley. Not unexpectedly, Deb then addressed the audience by asking them how they were feeling. She then saw a sign that a girl was holding up which said something like "#1 fan from New York" so Deb asked her from which part she was from. The girl was from Queens which of course is on Long Island. Deborah's microphone was then going out so one of her stagehands, who has been with her for many years, handed her a new one. To lead into "Only in My Dreams," she said that some of the people in the audience were probably only a year-old when it came out and she remarked that it made her feel real old. She then introduced her two backup singers Michelle Cobbs and Terry Bradford. Terry didn't have his trademark glasses which he used to wear on tour. In my Seattle review, I wrote that "Only in My Dreams" was performed pretty much the same as in previous tours after the beginning doo-wop stuff. Actually, Deb leaves the bridge out. There was a short pause before the next song. Deb said that they had just finished a three month world tour and that this audience was by far the most enthusiastic audience she has had yet. I have to disagree with Deb here. There were less than a 100 people up in front near the stage; the rest were mostly parents and adults who seemed kind of bored and could care less. The most enthusiastic audience that I've seen this year was in Salem, Oregon where they kept chanting her name continuously between songs. Deb was still not in love and proceeded to perform "One Hand, One Heart." The audience did sing along to "One Hand, One Heart" which other audiences didn't do and I give them credit for this. At the other concerts, more than a few people used this time to talk to their friend next to them. John Smatla, the keyboardist, used his synthesizer to fill in the string parts of "One Hand, One Heart" as he always did before. As expected, "Sure" was next and Terry Bradford demonstrated his extended range at the end of the song (he would've made a good male Mariah Carey). Deb went backstage for four minutes to change into that short and sexy red-sequined dress while the dancers entertained. Kurt (or is it Kirk?) Kelly wasn't present because Ray Garcia, one of the four dancers mentioned in the tourbook, was there. I noticed that Adam Tese (the music director and saxophone/percussionist) and Pat Buchanan (guitarist) watched the dancers with amusement. The duet "Someday" performed by Deb and Chris Cuevas was pretty much the same. Since this was my fifth time seeing this, I finally noticed that they really don't sing to each other. The only time they sort of address each other is at the end when they walk towards each other and Chris picks up Deb's hand and kisses it. After Cuevas left the stage, Deb performed "No More Rhyme" and then the Motown Medley. Debbie was about to introduce the medley by commenting that many of the people in the audience probably brought their parents along since they were underage. She never finished her point because a 14 year-old male fan sang real loud "Stop in the name of love..." Deb answered him by saying that he was close (he was referring to the Motown medley of the Electric Youth tour) and went on to say that she was about to do a Motown Medley. It was the same eight minute medley that she has been performing throughout the One Step Ahead tour. Her heels kept slipping though so she finally tossed both of them behind her. It was time again for what guys dreaded. Herby Sanchez was still all over Deb for "It Must Have Been My Boy," but it seemed a little toned down a bit; he wasn't smelling her, but his hands were all over her. The girls in the audience weren't screaming as loud as the girls in other concerts when the dancers came out shirtless since they were probably too young to be as turned on. Adam Tese and Pat Buchanan started off the jazzy band jam while Deb went to change into her "Elvis on the back of her blouse" outfit. The jam performance was excellent as usual. Deb then returned to do "Electric Youth" and "Foolish Beat." It was time for band introductions. The evening previous to the show, I talked with a guy named Brian who was with Deb throughout the entire US tour. I asked him about the band and he said they were gig musicians. Some of them toured with Cyndi Lauper, Taylor Dayne, and Daryl Hall and John Oates before. After the introductions of each band member, Deb then performed "Anything is Possible." It was cool how a bunch of girls were chanting/singing "go Debbie" which fit perfectly with the music. Towards the end of the song, John Smatla performed a melody taken from the UK 12" remix which I neglected to mention in my Seattle review. Returning shortly, Deb began the encore with "Heart and Soul" which I still consider my favorite new song that she debuted on tour. After the song was over, Deb talked about how she heard how great we were from the Caboodles people who have watched us all weekend. "On My Own" was next. In the four previous shows, there was a problem where girls would scream during this song which ruined the atmosphere. Deb was clever enough this time to tell people to be quiet and to pretend that they were in a Broadway theater. The untitled song Deborah performed in Anaheim was performed here too: There was a time I knew where you were You weren't mine at least not yet But I'd like to dream that you were There was a space only you could fill but no one has and no one will til you come back again Precious moments that we share there nothing to you but I remember every single glance They promised they were few too few I want one more chance at I wonder now where you were tonight How can your life be close to bright without what I never gave you Why can't we dance I know we could fly Can I call you my friend? Til you come back again John Smatla on the piano accompanied Deborah just as in "On My Own." Herby Sanchez and Deb then did a ballet routine after the lyric "I know we could fly." Several of us were trying to request "Without You" between songs during the encore because she hasn't done it on the US tour but she has done it in Asia. Deb was stubborn because she ignored us and went ahead with "Lost in Your Eyes." It was then we knew that she would never do this song in this country because her last two songs are always "Lost in Your Eyes" and "We Could Be Together." For "We Could Be Together," she got some kids from backstage. All them including the male dancers were wearing Caboodles shirts. A pair of little girls presented Deb with a Caboodle shirt. She tried to sing and put on the shirt at the same time. Buddy helped by holding the microphone for her and she only missed a word or two. Of all the Debbie Gibson concerts that I've seen this year, Seattle still is tops because it was so personal and she was very spontaneous. The Caboodles concert was very much a typical concert where she followed the program exactly. I was hoping for a longer show since the Premiere Radio Marketing people were telling us that Deb was going to "entertain us for a long time" that night. This concert was actually shorter than Seattle, Anaheim, and Concord. It was too bad Deb didn't do anything to make it extra special because this was probably one of the most difficult concerts to get into. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE Matthew Jung (ez000018@hamlet.ucdavis.edu) October 27, 1991 The Caboodles contest generated high hopes for many fans. The little cardboard stand located in numerous stores which sold Caboodle boxes said "Win one of 100 all-expense-paid trips to Los Angeles, CA. for a PRIVATE CONCERT AND PARTY WITH HER." This made many determined to win. For several weeks, some of us made calling the 1-800 contest line an hourly ritual while others spent lots of money and endless hours filling out postcards. Unfortunately, if it seems to good to be true, it is too good to be true. At the orientation Friday night (10/11/91), the Premiere Radio Marketing people were making promises they couldn't keep. There were many parents present who had camcorders so one of the first questions asked was if videocameras would be allowed during the concert. They answered yes with such confidence that it seemed like it was cleared way in advance with the Gibsons. The night after, I talked with one of the Caboodles people (he was with Deb throughout the entire US One Step Ahead tour so he should know policy) and asked him if they were really serious about letting people videotape the concert. He said yes in a reassuring tone. However, as I suspected, videocameras were all confiscated before the concert began at the China Club. Another promise made during the orientation was that we would get to meet Deb after the concert even if she had to stay there until 3am to do it. This implied that we would have plenty of time to meet Deborah. Perhaps this was the party that the ads were referring to? The party never happened and we were lined up in groups of ten so we could meet her individually for a quick photo. Autographs were not allowed and no one got more than 20 seconds with her. This was a major disappointment compared to the other times that I've met Deb. In Salem, I was able to watch her sign autographs for people for a long time and this was why I was able to ask her so many questions (see BtL 3.11). Here, you weren't allowed to watch others with Deb because after you were done, they would immediately stick you back on the bus and transport you back to the hotel. I didn't even get the satisfaction of having eye contact with Deb. Deborah threw a black-tie party for 200 people in her backyard before she kicked off her US One Step Ahead tour. Those guests were picked up in limos. We were picked up by tourist busses. They dined on shrimp cocktail and other appetizers. We had a cheap buffet which consisted of take out Chinese food and microwaved egg rolls. They got a tour of her house on Long Island. We never got to drive up the street of her house in Los Angeles as promised by the Premiere Radio Marketing people on orientation night. They got to see Deborah do special things such as several Broadway hits. Deb wouldn't even sing "Without You" for us even though we tried so hard to request it. For those of you who tried hard to win the contest, but never got the lucky call from the Premiere Radio Marketing people telling you that you've won, you didn't miss much. This was the perfect opportunity for Deb to realize many dreams for some fans, but "only in dreams, do dreams come true." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CABOODLES ADVENTURE Myra Wong (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu) October 29, 1991 This summer, I had seen a Caboodles/Debbie Gibson ad somewhere in one of the teen magazines I read. A Debbie Gibson contest? Definitely, a MUST enter! Between that day, and the Sept. 15th deadline, I entered approximately 100 times, evenly divided between postcards and phone calls. In the official rules, the drawing was to be held on Sept. 20th. Unfortunately, that was the exact day I was leaving for college. So, on Sept. 23rd, I called home, and there on my answering machine was a message from Premiere Radio Network trying to contact me. I HAD WON! Close to a month later, on Friday, October 11th, I was on my way to Los Angeles on an early morning flight. I arrived in LAX airport and met up with Matthew Jung, my guest for the weekend. After a long wait, we boarded a shuttle that took us to the Universal Hilton hotel in Universal City. This hour long ride gave us time to meet a few people and listen to a few Debbie songs over the shuttle's speakers. Upon arrival at the Universal Hilton, a very impressive hotel, we checked in at the Caboodles desk and got our room. What a nice, luxurious room! What a view! Three nights at hotel like this is heaven compared to college housing. I was very pleased with the generosity of Caboodles and Premiere Radio Network. At 4:30 PM, we had an orientation. We were all given a newly designed Caboodle, a Caboodles t-shirt, our Universal Studios pass, an autographed One Step Ahead poster, and our special laminated OSA/Caboodles guest pass. Before and after the official part of this meeting, I was able to meet some more new friends. Also, I was happy that they were playing Debbie's songs, plus the Caboodles commercial. That must have been the first time I have been in a room with so many people where they did not mind hearing Debbie's music (not including concerts). That evening, Shaun Stuart took Matthew and I to Ed Debevic's. This was my first time there, so it was a real treat for me to go to Debbie's favorite restaurant and see where she had her 18th birthday party. I like 50s diners, and this was definitely the coolest! On Saturday, we went to Universal Studios, compliments of Caboodles. Around the park, I saw many other contest winners. At the 'recording studio' there, I met two girls who made an "Out of the Blue" video. This inspired me to go in and record my own rendition of "Crocodile Rock," like Debbie did on her Out of the Blue tour. On Saturday night, Caboodles had scheduled an optional movie in one of the meeting rooms. Instead of a movie though, we ended up watching "Live Around The World" on the projector VCR. I got to meet at least a dozen people that night, and we all watched the video and sang along. I thought it was really fun to be able to watch Deb videos with people who knew and liked them as much as I did! Some of the girls even knew all the EY dance steps! Sunday morning, everyone gathered in the lobby to prepare to board the busses to go to the Hard Rock Cafe. Caboodles had arranged to have the HRC open a half hour early just for us. We filled the whole place, and during the meal, the Mood Swings side of the "Anything Is Possible" album was played over the sound system. After the HRC, the busses drove us through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and even Los Feliz - the city where Debbie lives. To just drive down the main street of Los Feliz is close enough for me. I believe in respecting her privacy. I wouldn't want 200+ people driving by MY house in busses! That afternoon, I heard Chris Cuevas was arriving at the hotel before the show. Being a big fan of his, I was on the look out for him. Half an hour before we were scheduled to leave for the China Club, I went out to get roses for Debbie and Chris. On my way back from the parking garage to the lobby, I met Chris in the hallway and he immediately remembered me. I said, "Hi" and he said, "Hi Myra." We talked very briefly and took a picture together. He was on his way to the show, just like us! At 5:30 PM, we boarded the busses which took us to the China Club. When we got there, I was shocked at the size of the club (very small compared to venues). After the dinner buffet, I took a spot right at the stage, on the left end. After waiting half an hour, the show finally started. Chris came out and sang "Dance Party" and "I Need You." For the ballad, "You Are The One," I gave him roses, just as I had at in Concord, and he gave me a hug in return. Then he sang "About You" followed by an unknown country song accompanying himself on guitar. As he introduced the INXS-inspired song "One Time," I handed him an INXS t-shirt and he commented, "You knew what was coming next!" He also let me sing half a chorus of that song, since he knew I knew it. Then he closed with the jammin' song "Hip Hop." Next, it was time for Debbie. She started with her regular set of songs: OSA, ABF, SYL, OOTB, OIMD, OHOH, and Sure. She wore her orange 'frilly' shirt and something black on the bottom. I really liked seeing Debbie at her piano so closely (that's why I picked the left side of the stage). For OIMD, I got to sing part of the chorus from Michelle Cobbs' microphone. During this particular concert, I thoroughly enjoyed Debbie's performance of OHOH; I could really feel the emotion and meaning of the words. After the dancers' break, Chris came out (in the same outfit, to my disappointment) to sing the duet "Someday." Wearing her red sparkly dress, Debbie performed her usual second set: NMR, the Motown Medley, and IMHBMB. This time I enjoyed the Motown Medley more because I was more familiar with it. I have never liked the dancer bit in IMHBMB, and being so close didn't really help any. The band jam was next. Then Debbie came out in her black Elvis outfit, complete with the hat with the pink flower, to do: EY, FB, and AIP. Instead of a black stool, Debbie sat on her white piano seat to sing Foolish Beat, center stage. For the encore, Debbie came back rather quickly. She went to her piano to play the new song, "Heart and Soul" which I love. I even sang along a little to the chorus. Next was, "On My Own" and then the very new untitled song. I really wanted Debbie to sing "Without You"; I even had a sign that read "Life wouldn't be the same without you!" But, she never did sing my favorite song. Debbie ended with the eternal love song, "Lost In Your Eyes" and the traditional "We Could Be Together." After the show, we waited approximately 15 minutes before Debbie was ready to meet her fans. We were led downstairs to a dim hallway. There would be no autographs and barely enough time to say hello. When it was my turn, I approached Deborah and tried to explain that I had met her earlier in August and showed her the 8x10 photo of us that I had planned to have autographed. I gave her my 'Without You' sign and we quickly took a picture. Then I was told to go back upstairs. I don't even remember what Debbie was wearing, or what we had said to each other. It had all happened so fast. I have to admit that I was a bit dissappointed, but just having the chance to meet her again was enough for me. There you have it. The whole Caboodles adventure. I was very disappointed at all the promises that Premiere Radio/Caboodles made that didn't happen, but I suspected some were too good to be true. One thing that really irritates me is that it was promised that we could meet Debbie as well as Chris Cuevas. It may not seem like a big deal, but not being able to meet Chris after the show was a big let down for me. So I feel very lucky to have run into him at the hotel earlier that day. However, overall, I feel that Caboodles and Premiere Radio Network gave us a whole lot. I am very grateful to them and I appreciate that they gave me one more chance to see Debbie and Chris perform this year. And to top it all off, I got to meet a lot of other fans from all over the country. Another Debbie Gibson weekend come and gone. But I know there will be another. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= DEBWATCH Here is a summary of the TV appearances that Debbie made from 09-30-91 to 10-29-91 (please let us know if we've missed anything): 10-07: "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" (Episode: 'Ripping Off the Rock') - In a taped segment, Debbie gave a clue about Germany. She appeared with her dog Sam. [Date is approximate] 10-24: "IDOLS" - Debbie's appearances consisted of many tiny interview segments relating to rolemodels and how she felt being one. Some of the things that she talked about include: - She thinks its funny that fans copy many of the things that she does (like getting her hair cut). - She's not going to guard herself so closely that she can't live her life the way that she wants to. - She's gotten a lot of letters telling her that she's helped a lot of people through problems. At one point in the show, an actress named Ricki Lake claimed that she sang with Debbie when they were little (she knew her as "Deborah" at that time). 10-25: "One on One (with John Tesh)" - this was a very informal interview with John Tesh asking a number of old questions. They talked about her very first song, her first hit (OIMD), her relationship with her mom, the divorce of her parents, her image, and her past love. Deb has no regrets in her life so far. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. Bill Jackson (billj@express.seas.smu.edu) I recently heard a mix of "Out of the Blue" that I'm not familiar with. It has a heavier drum beat than the album version, more guitar, and some violins (way WAY in the background). There is considerably more echo used in this version, yet Deb's voice seems clearer. Also, during the guitar "solo" Deb sings, "whoa-oh-oh..." I think this mix is more polished than the original, and probably would have pushed the song to #1 if it had been released instead. Does anyone know what version this is? Can I get it on cd? Any info would be like, y'know, MONDO appreciated. A. Sandy Chen (ez003229@othello.ucdavis.edu) Your description matches that of the club mix found on the U.S. 12" single of the song (Atlantic 0-86621). The 12" club mix is a little under 6 minutes long and has everything that you mentioned, down to the guitar solo. However, it is possible that what you heard was something else since many unique mixes were done to her songs at that time. Does anyone else know of anything? If it is the 12" club mix you're looking for, it is available on CD overseas. In England/Germany, it was released on the "Out of the Blue" 3 inch CD (3 tracks). You may have problems finding this because it has been out of print for a long time. In Japan, it was released as part of a remix compilation CD (6 remixes from her first 4 hits). I believe that this is still in print; it's called "Debbie Gibson: Super Mix Club" (WEA 25XD-996). An extended version of the "Out of the Blue" music video was produced back in 1988. This version had additional video footage, and was set to the music of the 12" club mix. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CLOSING REMARKS Debbie Gibson is on the cover of the Dec 91/Jan 92 issue of "Modern Bride" magazine. Our thanks go out to Archie Medrano for spotting this. New BtL member Eldon Beard found some scary info on the Executive News Service which is part of Compuserve. Robert Bardo, the obsessed fan who killed actress Rebecca Schaeffer, also pursued Debbie Gibson! According to Chris Backa and Rich Soto, there will be another concert on November 30th. It will be at The Concord, a ski resort, in Kiamesha Lake which is in New York. You must be a guest at the resort for the weekend and the price is $220 for 3 days and 2 nights with meals and entertainment included. Rooms are double occupancy. Supposedly, Deb will be staying at the resort. For more info, call The Concord at 1-800-431-3850. Congratulations to all the BtL members who have ever participated. When I gave Deb BtL 3.12 when I met her after the Caboodles concert, she said that "you guys are doing a great job."