=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 4, Issue 11 - December 8, 1992 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CONTENTS =- ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES INTRO BY JAMES LYAU - James Lyau UPDATED INTRO BY JENNIFER YEKO - Jennifer Yeko IMPRESSIONS FROM ITALY - Davide Guida D.G.I.F. 4.4 IN REVIEW - Michael Falkner SUMMARY OF DG BILLBOARD PERFORMANCE - John Shew CHRISTMAS WITH DEBORAH: A RETROSPECTIVE - Michael Falkner TRACK LISTING OF _BODY MIND SOUL_ - Richard Pacheco DEBORAH TURNS STRIPPER IN NEW VIDEO - Ray Wilmott DEBORAH RESTORES FAITH IN HUMANITY - Patrick Colcord/ Chris Backa DEBWATCH CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= 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). Between the Lines operates on a non-profit basis. Distribution is permissible only under the condition that no part of it will be used for profit. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES =- Before you submit your articles, please PROOFREAD them. Remember that about 200 people receive BtL via electronic mail and a significant number of people are receiving BtL via postal mail. Submissions should be sent to all moderators. We reserve the right to edit, defer, or reject submissions. To submit articles by postal mail, please send them to: BETWEEN THE LINES c/o Felix Ng 2137 Qualicum Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5P 2M3 CANADA Postal submissions should be typed or written legibly. To submit articles by FAX, please call (604) 322-5936. For those of you who do not have access to electronic mail, you may subscribe via postal mail. Issues are printed with a bubblejet printer which allows six pages of text to be printed on both sides of one sheet of paper. Back issues are also available on one MS-DOS 3.5" or 5.25" high density disk (please specify disk format when ordering). Prices are at cost and are subject to change: Canada $0.50 Cdn. per issue / $2.75 Cdn. for back issues on disk United States $0.50 U.S. per issue / $2.75 U.S. for back issues on disk International 3 IRCs for two issues / 7 IRCs for back issues on disk Please make a cheque or money order payable to Felix Ng and mail it to the postal address mentioned above. We are not responsible for cash lost or stolen in the mail. Issues are always mailed via first class. If you would like to be added to a loosely moderated mailing list where you can discuss Deborah Gibson and her music on a frequent basis with other BtL members, please send email to Matthew Jung (mjung@rosarita.engr.ucdavis.edu). For those of you who have access to Telnet and are interested in discussing Deborah Gibson and her music in real time with other BtL members, please send email to Jonathan Bradshaw (jonathan@nova.decio.nd.edu). Debbie Gibson GIFs (these are computer graphics files) and BtL back issues are available via anonymous FTP at cs.uwp.edu. For more info on how to use FTP, send email to Myra Wong (mkwong@freedom.nmsu.edu). Members without FTP access can obtain these files through two file-mailing services. For more information, send email to Andrew Vernon (avernon1@ua1ix.ua.edu). -= BtL moderators =- Matthew Jung : mjung@rosarita.engr.ucdavis.edu mjung@pcocd2.intel.com myjung@ucdavis.bitnet Myra Wong : mkwong@freedom.nmsu.edu mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu JSXS97D on Prodigy Felix Ng : fng@nyx.cs.du.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY JAMES LYAU =- James Lyau (jpl10@amail.amdahl.com) November 13, 1992 Hi all you DG fans out there! Sure glad I found this forum where there is no DG bashing going on as I'm sure many of you have received from others personally. It's about time you Debheads know who I am. I've been on the mailing list since 'bout July and have been too busy to send out an intro till now. My name is James Lyau, 27, and I work here in Silicon Valley as an engineer. I first got turned on to Deb almost immediately after I heard her first single, OIMD, of course. As soon as her album OOTB was released I hunted it down. I remember hearing her song on the radio in my friend's car while cruising the streets of Phoenix, AZ where I went to college. I remember the DJ commenting on her young age and one of my friends being surprised by that. I followed up by saying that I had heard from seeing her video on MTV that she also writes all her songs and even produced some of them. My friends all thought I was crazy showing so much interest in this "one-hit only" singer. They'd see! >From then on I began to watch MTV as much as possible to find out more about this terrific young superstar. As more singles were released, I kept listening to the radio, hoping to hear any information of a tour. Well by then I had graduated from college and had gotten a job in Sunnyvale, CA. Almost a year after my move, she finally arrived here in Northern California at the Concord Pavilion. It was a great show. She is the most dynamic performer I have seen and I've been to hundreds of concerts so I know a good performance when I see one. The stage presence she has is incredible! I was so enthralled by her that I decided to go and see her two nights later at the Cal Expo in Sacramento. Well as my luck would have it, after driving the 2 hours it takes to get to Sacramento, I found that her show was canceled due to illness. Sigh .... Needless to say, it was a LONG drive home! So from then it was a wait for her EY tour. I bought the EY CD the day it was released and by the end of the day I had probably played it maybe 10 or more times. I loved it!! I bought the home video that was released, even went to Japan to get a laserdisc version of her OOTB home video compilation. Then the incredible EY tour of '89 began. I remember it clearly. The week before her show here at the Shoreline Amphitheater, I remember the DJ on a local radio station saying that they were having Debbie as an in studio guest next week. Well come two days before her concert, she was live in studio as the DJ asked her about her upcoming show at Shoreline. It was her first U.S. stop on the EY tour and she said the crew was tired from a sell out show just a few days ago at Wembley in England. She gave details on the playlist and how the stage was setup. I was getting excited to say the least. You might be interested to know that at the time she was on the radio live, I was listening to it on my walkman at Candlestick Park watching a S.F. Forty Niners game!!?? If only the people around me knew what I was listening to! Well finally it was showtime. The crowd was getting wild. I was getting wild! From my 7th row seat the view was perfect. A few days later, I followed the tour up to Sacramento, this time hoping the show wouldn't be canceled again. It wasn't and Debbie was terrific as ever. Where does she get all this energy? I just don't know. At the Cal Expo in Sacramento, the seating surrounds the amphitheater while a grass lawn fronts the stage. Being on the grass was great. Everyone was pushing and shoving to get closer to Deb. Fortunately, I was able to eventually make my way to the front. With Debbie right in front of me, I could swear that she was singing to me! Well actually, it's more like I wish she was. That Deb is definitely a BABE!! Deciding that I had to see Debbie's show at least one more time, I managed to hunt down some 10th row seats to see her at the Forum in L.A. This show was even better than the last two because by now the _Wonder Years_ soundtrack had been released and she included one of my favorite Deb tunes "Come Home (Wonder Years)." That song is just killer when she does it live, not quite the original version, but extended a few minutes. Now here comes the crazy side of me acting up. Remember the earthquake we here in Northern California experienced in Oct. '89? Well it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I knew Debbie was doing a show in Reno, Nevada but since it was during the week, I couldn't make it. Well here comes the earthquake and my company shuts down for a couple of days to make sure everything is safe. As soon as I found out there was no work the next day, I got in the car and drove to Reno. I made it to the Lawlor Events Center just as Bros were finishing up their set, whew! This show was just as good as the one at the Forum. When she does EY at the end, it just gets you so pumped up! The costumes she wore were not as casual as during the OOTB tour but more, well .... fun. "Lost In Your Eyes" was much better than when it was previewed during the OOTB tour. Almost as soon as EY was released I began to look forward to her next album. Must be something having to do with playing the CD too many times every day! After "We Could Be Together" didn't do so well on the charts, I knew anytime soon the third album was going to be released. Well when it finally did get released I was really happy with her more mature sound and lyrics. For some reason I knew that it wouldn't do so well with the public. I honestly think that the radio stations and especially MTV didn't give her songs a shot at enough air time. I think they thought the public had had enough of Debbie for a while. Well they sure did a good job in keeping AIP from reaching platinum status like her previous two albums. Oh well, a gold is better than nothing. Even though the album didn't do so well, I'm glad she didn't let us diehard fans down and went through with a small tour. I'm glad I live in a big market like it is here in the Bay Area. When she came to the Concord Pavilion her album had been moved to the cut-outs section at Tower Records, but you wouldn't have suspected that from her show. No, not Debbie. She always gives her best even if the tour was not gonna help album sales any further. My seat from the 4th row was terrific. Being the last stop of the tour, the band naturally did some crazy things. Mom Diane was great trying to chase her dancer away from Debbie during "It Must've Been My Boy." My favorite DG songs are: "Only in My Dreams," "Between the Lines," "Foolish Beat," "Electric Youth," "No More Rhyme," "Anything is Possible," "Reverse Psychology," "One Hand, One Heart," "Without You," and "The Most Beautiful Love Song." Since I'm a diehard Debbie fanatic, I have collected a fair amount of memorabilia on Debbie. Some of my more interesting stuff include: RIAA record awards from each album, a T-shirt from her store in Japan, a pro-shot video of her Japan "Possibilities" tour '91, satin promo jackets of her three albums, promo EY light box store display, promo AIP umbrella, promo AIP eight ball, promo flats, promo 12" singles from South America, etc. Although Deb is my all-time favorite artist, my musical taste covers a wide spectrum. I enjoy listening to pop-rock, dance, hard-rock, jazz, and classical music. Whatever musical mood I'm in, I'll listen to something suitable. (Although you can always find a Deb tune to suit the mood you're in!) Some of my favorite artists include: Heart, 10,000 Maniacs, Mariah Carey, Taylor Dayne, Motley Crue, the Cure, Whitesnake, Yes, King Crimson, Rippingtons, David Benoit, Dave Grusin, and many others. Well that's it for now. Looking forward to hearing from all you Debheads out there!! James D.G.I.F. #1717 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= UPDATED INTRO BY JENNIFER YEKO =- Jennifer Yeko (5_JYEKO@fair1.fairfield.edu) November 9, 1992 Hi everyone! It's been a long time (a couple years?!?) since I've written anything for BtL so I thought that I should submit something now that I'm on Internet. I have a lot of stories I could share with you, but I don't know what is of the most interest. Let's see, first a little about myself. (My intro. is outdated by now). I'm 19 years old and a sophomore at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. I've been a fan of Debbie's since 1987 when OOTB came out. Since then I've been lucky enough to meet Debbie over 10 times. I saw her in concert last summer (1991) 17 times. I know, it sounds a bit obsessive but it was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I don't think I would ever go to see that many shows again. In a way I almost feel like I wore myself out. Too much of a good thing, I guess. I'm lucky in that after all those concerts, Debbie pulled me up on stage in West Virginia, of all places. She recognizes my face but I don't know if she remembers my name anymore. I first met her on the OSA tour in Latham, NY at her hotel and she said, "You're going to kill me but I forgot what your name was." I said that was okay because I had never told her before. She seemed rather surprised and I spent a couple seconds trying to reassure her that she did not know my name. She replied, "But we've met a couple times, haven't we?" (This was in reference to meeting at the D.G.I.F. listening party for AIP, seeing me at the NY Music Awards outside her limo, and sitting in the first row at Earth 90 and waving at her a couple times). Anyways, I told her that my name was Jennifer so when I met her the next day in Lenox, MA she signed my autograph with my name on it without having to ask who to make it out to. Just some information that I thought people would want to know. Debbie seems to have the most amazing memory when it comes to remembering her fans' names and faces. Personally, I think she recognizes a lot more people than she remembers names, but it still amazes me. To think that she's probably met literally thousands of people/fans in her life. I feel so special to be remembered. If anyone would like to write me, my address is: Jennifer Yeko Box 496 Georgetown CT 06829 As much as I love email, I still prefer U.S. mail. [Editor's Note: Jennifer's original intro appeared in BtL 2.3] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= IMPRESSIONS FROM ITALY =- Davide Guida (d1001609@csdux01.unina.it) October 30, 1992 Let me introduce myself at first. I'm about 25, studying in order to become an electronic engineer in University of Naples (Italy). I'm a computer programmer, a music-keyboard player and a Debbie Gibson's fan from 1987. After 5 years, I can notice I'm the only true DG's Fan from Italy, but that's not important, maybe it makes me more honour too. If Debbie knows it, maybe she makes her happy about it. Unlike most of you, my Debbie's "fever" is strange: it goes up and down, but it's usually high 'cause I never see a Deb's concert and I think she'll never come in Italy (Snif!). I dreamt Debbie often, then, like it happens to me about girls I like. I dreamt I saved her from a band of criminals taking her captive with no possibility to move. The actual true desire of mine is meeting with Deborah and spending a good day with her: it's nothing "dirty," however. If I cannot marry her, I think, I wish to be a very good friend of her. Anything is possible... Now I'll tell what Debbie did for Italy (and for me...) November 5th, 1987 - about 2:35 P.M. Watching "Deejay Television," one of the most important TV music shows here in Italy. On the air, the deejay Linus. Linus announced the next video: "And now... a new young pop-star up in the U.S. charts... not a beautiful girl but with a great voice... similar to Madonna but with her own personality... Debbie Gibson... after a little break." "Humm..." I thought, "Nice name, she should to be a good singer..." I turn on my VCR, getting ready to record the video in. After the break, the video was announced again: it was "Only in My Dreams." The first impression of the song, it was positive. I like it very much: I get the feeling Deb's voice was cleaner than Madonna. (I saw few weeks before, the Italian Madonna's concert and I thought her voice cannot be lower of what she has in that day...) After listening "Only in My Dreams," I cannot tell I was a good fan already, but it was only a song like much other I listen in that period of my life. I listened "Shake Your Love" in the February of 1988, on "Deejay Television" too. In that month, this TV-show used to choose some clip taken from "Top of the Pops" live performances. So I could to listen Debbie singing "live." But I've not a first impression good, 'cause Debbie's voice wasn't very good in that show. Now, listening again that performance, I think I was wrong. Few weeks after, I bought _Out of the Blue_ tape (I like cassettes very much, 'cause they're portable!). I like it immediately. But the first song I appreciate very much, it was "Play the Field": a good rhythm, good instruments. Now I considered "Play the Field" as one of the finest songs written by Deborah. March 15, 1988: I read a little interview to Debbie on "Deejay Show," an Italian music magazine. Same interview was broadcast on Radio Deejay Network some day before, but I've not recorded it. I'll distribute in a text file original interview in Italian and its translation on cs.uwp.edu FTP site. The interview hasn't originality in its contents, but it was a good report of Debbie's successes in Italy. May 1988: The TV show "SuperClassifica Show," on Channel Five, shows the "Out of the Blue" video. Debbie is on the air for a little interview. Unfortunately, the show's introducer and interviewer, Maurizio Seymandi, is not a serious man. Especially when he has to interview some popgirl in his show. However... it's an interview... Debbie is sitting near him on a gray sofa, he takes her hand, he starts to make questions in Italian, with a simultaneous translation on the background. It was not very accurate. An interesting particular about this interview, was a Debbie's short performance in a lyric song taken from "La Boheme," performed in a very good Italian. Greetings! NB: I distribute the interview text on cs.uwp.edu ... like "Deejay Show's" interview, there's no copyright problem because material under copyright in Italy can be distribute out of the country. After this appearance, Debbie disappeared from Italian charts and TV shows. Suddenly Italian people forgot her, even VideoMusic Network, the best music network still today in my country, doesn't broadcast her video more. I saw her only in the show "The Look of the Year" bought by Channel Five from a U.S. television, and broadcast in Italy, on October 1988. However, the SEB Radio Network broadcast in my city (thanks to the NATO headquarters) and I can listen the American Top 40 Charts. In December, 1988 I listen the wonderful "Lost in Your Eyes" for the first time. Fortunately, in Italy, music shops import the most of the stranger hits, so I can find _Electric Youth_ album in February, 1989. Another good album. At first I like fast songs very much, then I appreciate ballads too, especially "Lost in Your Eyes." 'Cause of Debbie's absence in Italy, I begun to forget Debbie, and I turn my attentions on a singer from England, the wonderful Kim Wilde. Now Kim is one of favorite pop-singer of mine. But Debbie was always in my heart, and I was very happy when I saw in a music shop Debbie's _Anything Is Possible_ vinyl. It was a very merry Christmas for me, because I bought the album on December 24th, 1990! I pass that Christmas to listen the tape. At the beginning, I've not a good impression. That is, I like it, but I found too "commercial" in several songs. But I was wrong again: by listening it again, it was very good. Some of the Mood Swings get a great feeling in my soul. The songs "In His Mind" and "Where Have You Been?" give me great inspiration. The song "This So-Called Miracle" is a growing of emotions when I listen it. But in Italy, no one knows her music today. If I talk with someone about Debbie, there's someone who don't know her, there's someone who knows only "Shake Your Love," there's several who don't remember her at first, but then she comes back in memory when I start to play "Only in My Dreams" on my keyboard. 'Cause of it, maybe she'll not in Italy, exception made for a growing of success in the future. Easy to tell, difficult to be true. I bought the "Live - In Concert - The 'Out of the Blue' Tour" videotape in April 1991. My passion for Debbie grows up. I was impressed with that concert. Wonderful voice, good choreography, good musicians. Everything was performed without errors. The final "Crocodile Rock" performance is unique in the world of music for me. In July, 1991, I met another Italian DG fan on Samantha chat (an Italian telematic service). He consider Debbie wonderful, but he knows only Debbie's first album! He tells me no music shop in his town had ever other Gibson's material, exception made for _Out of the Blue_ album and videotape. I bought a little Casio keyboard in May, 1991. In that period, I wished to play my favorite songs. I'd no piano scores, 'cause I never studied music, but I love find my favorite songs without staves. I started soon to find Debbie's songs: "Out of the Blue" was the first, then I did "We Could Be Together." I arrange them with keyboard's auto-chords, and I like them very much. Then I started to play "Only in My Dreams," "Shake Your Love," "Foolish Beat," "Play the Field," and wonderful "In His Mind." I learned to play "In His Mind" in the March, 1992, with the keyboard played in piano mode. I arranged this song in my own way. Next, I compose on my IBM-PC two soundtracks with Sound Blaster's module editor. It was special versions of "Only in My Dreams" and "In His Mind." I FTPed it on cs.uwp.edu some time ago, and now I put in it again, under the BtL directory. Thanks to BtL, now I know there's a lot of Debbie Gibson's fans in the world. They're fans more fanatic than me, I guess. Last Saturday, I found first Debbie's videotape and the new "Live Around the World" videotape. It's amazing these tapes arrived in Italy so late. I bought them, for 44000 lire (about 34US$), and now I'm going to watch them. But I think they was wonderful. --------------------- My Favorite Songs --------------------- >From _Out of the Blue_ : 1. Foolish Beat 2. Play the Field 3. Fallen Angel 4. Only in My Dreams 5. Out of the Blue >From _Electric Youth_ : 1. We Could Be Together 2. Lost in Your Eyes 3. Electric Youth 4. Over the Wall 5. Should've Been the One >From _Anything Is Possible_: 1. In His Mind 2. This So-Called Miracle 3. Where Have You Been? 4. Another Brick Falls 5. Anything is Possible These are favorite songs: but I love all Debbie's songs! That's all folks, dear friends. I wait Debbie's 4th album with anxiety. And I wait also news about Debbie's private life, if someone has. I found biographies on FTP site, but I think these are too old for my interests! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= D.G.I.F. 4.4 IN REVIEW =- Michael Falkner (FALKNEMJ@cnsvax.uwec.edu) November 30, 1992 After about three weeks of waiting, I finally received my first issue of D.G.I.F. in the mail on Friday. One major point with this issue, and it was found by other Debheads, was that this issue was sent by First Class mail to all current members of D.G.I.F., and not just to those receiving the magazine for the first time. A note was placed after Deborah's comments in that the editor was caught in Florida during Hurricane Andrew and, remembering that storm, we can all be thankful she got out safe and just take the delay in stride. Besides, it's a step in the right direction for the people at D.G.I.F.!! FRONT COVER IN COLOR -- Deb is casually sitting in a red shirt with a blue Brooklyn baseball jacket & blue jeans. Other than a hat and some earrings, that's it, and that's the way we seem to like it. Just _Deb_. No rejects from AIP shoots that I've heard about flying around earlier issues. DEBORAH WRITES A THOUSAND WORDS-- "It's done! _Yes_! The 4th album is _finally_ done!" OK, I'm off by about a factor of five or so. In her handwritten comments, Deborah begins to tip her hand as to some of the content of the album. Quick scorecard from the comments: -- She wrote 5 songs herself, 5 with Carl Sturken and Evan Rodgers of Rythm Syndicate (discussed in BtL 4.10 at some length), and one with Carol Bayer Sager and Narada Michael Walden (called "Goodbye"). A complete listing of the 11 tracks, in order, is elsewhere in this issue of BtL, courtesy of Richard Pacheco. -- Phil Ramone, Billy Joel's producer for some of his classic works, produced one track for Deb. -- She sings all the vocals on 3 songs, produced by Elliot Wolfe (producer for Paula Abdul). Deb also reveals the age of these comments, written before Hurricane Andrew (this issue was to be out sometime early October) by discussing "Sleigh Ride" and that the album's title and first single were still being decided at the time. Also, she talks about her darker hair, and Diana, who "tries to speak and sing, but something resembling 'agoo' comes out." ALBUM TEASERS -- On the same page, Deborah gives us one line from each of the eleven songs. For those without D.G.I.F., here are six: "Let's put our pride aside and try to be strong." "I never wanted for goodbye." "We could go on a trip, wouldn't it be hip, baby?" "Yellow, white, black, brown, all seein' red." "Got a smile up my sleeve and wind under my feet." "Kisses lingered like forever." QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS -- Five pages were devoted to questions and answers, with our own moderator Myra rekindling the old "Debbie vs. Deborah" controversy with a question. It was answered, in correlation to a similar question, that every time she would try to get people to call her Deborah, they'd just call her Debbie anyway. The questions, except one, were answered at some length, a paragraph apiece. But perhaps the one that surprised few Debheads was: "Are you dating a cast member from Les Miz?" Answer: Simply put, "You found me out!" I wonder if Kevin Wright and Deb are still seeing each other. Other questions were in regard to: her hat collection, an AIP concert video release (none is planned), Les Miz, TV appearances and D.G.I.F. notification, family privacy, other stars, and her impressions on Britain. PICTURES, PHOTOS, AND MORE INSIDE GOOFINESS -- Five pages of interior photos include: Some shots of Deb working with Rogers and Sturken. Deb with her finger in the birthday cake!! (and opening a gift) Deb working with her backups on "Sleigh Ride" (should be familiar for those who watched MTV's special on the Christmas album) A full-face shot which kind of throws back to the more mature look later in the EY days without much of the ornamentation of AIP. (WELL DONE!! LET'S SEE MORE OF THAT!) And a two-page centerfold which can best be defined as a flirt flirting with the camera. In four pictures, she's standing on a platform barefoot in a knee-length dress. The first picture has her hand in her hair and the expression on her face as if they've caught her doing something. The second: well, as I said to someone in e-mail, I think she can best be paraphrased there by saying "My fans leave me breathless." She's holding her hand to her stomach and looking at the camera as if her breath had been taken away. The third: I have no clue what rhyme or reason this had, but Deb is looking at her feet as if someone (or something) was fooling around below her. The last picture was a little tighter of a shot with Deb looking tired, but still leaving us with a cheesy pose. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DEB SONG? (OR, NOOOOOOOOOO! NOT ANOTHER POLL!!!!!!) -- Well, they took a poll for the three albums separately, and here are some of the results: SONGS _Out of the Blue_ _Electric Youth_ _Anything Is Possible_ 1. Foolish Beat Lost in Your Eyes One Hand, One Heart 2. Out of the Blue We Could Be Together This So-Called Miracle 3. Only in My Dreams Electric Youth Anything is Possible VIDEOS 1. Foolish Beat We Could Be Together Anything is Possible 2. Out of the Blue Electric Youth This So-Called Miracle* 3. Staying Together Lost in Your Eyes One Hand, One Heart* * A comment was made that admitted that most of the people that voted only got to see the video from the title track of AIP, so that obviously skewed the voting. Quick Poll Comments Big Winners: The two Number #1's, of course. Later Ballads _Electric Youth_ (which surprisingly won favorite album) Big Losers: Deb rapping on AIP All in all, standard fare. The issue is rounded out with a page of pen pals, offers for a 1993 Debbie Gibson calendar (to be reviewed once someone gets it) and the Out of the Blue tour book (they still have some of those??), some fan stories about meeting Deb in New York, an interesting quip from Deb about how she uses weight theory to aid her singing, and... SHE WALKS AWAY, LOOKING BACK ON HER FANS -- For those keeping score, the back cover was a color copy of the picture from the music section of the December 1992 issue of Big Bopper, a teen mag. It shows Deb in a houndstooth blouse with a black jacket and a short black skirt. She's looking back, almost as if to say, "What are you looking at??" MY IMPRESSIONS-- Give this woman a couple more pages to write herself!! Especially with the album's release coming up... More pictures like the plain look. I know it probably looked like a school picture, but she looks nicer that way. Good work, except I had to wait three weeks for it. Why, you may ask?? For a brand new autographed promo picture!! Deb is in a strapped black top in what appears to be pitch black hair. Member #10769 signing off!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= SUMMARY OF DG BILLBOARD PERFORMANCE =- John Shew (JOHN.SHEW@boardwatch.com) October 25, 1992 Fred Bronson is a noted authority on American music charts. With the help of a computer, he wrote and published a book in 1991 titled _Billboard's Hottest 100 Hits_. The book analyzes the Billboard singles charts from 1955 through Dec. 29, 1990. Ranking of the songs is totally objective, based on highest position reached and time spent on the Hot 100. Debbie Gibson is mentioned several times. Here are the references. THE TOP 100 SONGS ON ATLANTIC THE TOP 100 SONGS BY FEMALE ----------------------------- SOLO ARTISTS #25 Lost in Your Eyes (1989) --------------------------- #53 Shake Your Love (1987) #84 Lost in Your Eyes #59 Only in My Dreams (1987) #65 Foolish Beat (1988) THE TOP 100 SONGS BY TEENAGERS #89 Out of the Blue (1988) AND PRE-TEENS ------------------------------ THE TOP 100 SONGS OF 1987 #32 Lost in Your Eyes ------------------------- #71 Shake Your Love #23 Shake Your Love #80 Only in My Dreams #31 Only in My Dreams #86 Foolish Beat [Note: B&W picture of Debbie heads this section, p. 305] THE TOP 3000 SONGS OF THE ROCK ERA ---------------------------------- THE TOP 100 SONGS OF 1988 # 572 Lost in Your Eyes ------------------------- #1102 Shake Your Love #40 Foolish Beat #1255 Only in My Dreams #61 Out of the Blue #1318 Foolish Beat #1951 Out of the Blue THE TOP 100 SONGS OF 1989 ------------------------- #8 Lost in Your Eyes =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CHRISTMAS WITH DEBORAH: A RETROSPECTIVE =- Michael Falkner (FALKNEMJ@cnsvax.uwec.edu) November 15, 1992 Thanks to the work of a loyal fellow Debhead, I was able to receive a tape of some songs other than those conventionally released in the United States. Included in this tape were three Christmas songs that were played on New York radio stations. Being that it is close to Christmas time, it was suggested that I do a review of them for you as a followup to my review of "Sleigh Ride" last month. So, here goes three holiday gems from Ms. Gibson... 1> SILENT NIGHT - 1988 Short, simple, and direct. I almost think this was simply one of those promotional things that the different radio stations get over the holidays. Against a very simple background, Deb sings the first verse twice. The second verse, she sings backup as well, almost a bit of a country harmony resulting between the two voices. No extra dressup, unlike Wilson Phillips' effort on _A Very Special Christmas 2_. Just Deb, and that's just the way we like it ... and she even wishes us "Happy Holidays" at the end. If I had a gripe, it'd have been to do a second verse the second time around. Although the first verse is the most familiar, I think Deb could have done well doing a second verse. 2> HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS (DUET WITH DAD) - 1989 Not everyone knows it, but Deborah's dad could sing, and sing well. This song really is best done in this kind of a family setting. Deb's father sings most of the melody, and Deb herself does some harmony with her father over the course of this song. This song simply expresses the wishes of a father and a daughter toward each other during Christmas time, and we're just there to listen to the results. It's really sad that things did not work out between Dad and Mom, and the closeness which is evident in this song really is an indication of how much pain Deb felt when the split was made permanent. Really well done, considering it was probably one of those spur-of-the- moment things. No complaints here. 3> TAKE ME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - 1991 A song that combines not only the Christmas spirit with the family frustrations that may have populated the AIP years for Deb. This song, full-length, has Deb in the position on the outside, looking at all the Christmas spirit around her. She laments that the only way she can share in all of it is for someone to "take me home for Christmas, so I won't be alone..." With this song, I feel Deborah less than subtly puts some energy forth toward dealing with her parents' divorce, even though that was over a year before. In fact, when in the first two choruses, she asks "Let me have a family to call my very own," she asks in the last chorus "Let me have a mom and dad again, someone to call my own." It really seems that Deborah's frustration toward the situation shows directly here, even if it was not a direct motivation to use that in the song. As a side note, it was commented in BtL 4.2 that, at about this time, Deb was really interested in adopting children. Maybe she felt that she needed that family atmosphere then more than ever. One heck of a song, especially for those who want a reality check to the other side of Christmas. A lot of Christmas songs simply say of all the joy and the peace that permeates the season, but this one talks of the pain that all the joy brings forth in those who are left out. As in many of her AIP ballads, Deb really seems into the music, expressing every ounce of pain that she may actually be feeling. Powerfully done. I reviewed "Sleigh Ride" in the last BtL. It really seems that Deb can come out with some good seasonal songs, including one she wrote herself. A suggestion that has arisen among the Debheads is that Deb should do a Christmas album. That's one present I can't wait to get from under my tree, but not this year, of course... The present we're getting is coming the next month... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= TRACK LISTING OF _BODY MIND SOUL_ =- Richard Pacheco (S14191RP@umassd.edu) November 29, 1992 The CD Hotline (1-800-CD-INFO1) is a service that basically has track listings and release dates of supposedly ALL CDs. I know from experience that they often do not have certain CDs from lesser known talents, but anyway it is free. They did not have an exact release date for Debbie's album -- they only said sometime in January. I called the CD Hotline for a track listing on the new album. They actually had it. The name of the album is now _Body Mind Soul_. No more '&'! Here it is (I am not sure of any punctuation but the titles are accurate!): 1. Love or Money 2. Do You Have It In Your Heart? 3. Free Me 4. Shock Your Mama 5. Losin' Myself 6. How Can This Be? 7. When I Say No 8. Little Birdie 9. Kisses 4 One 10. Tear Down These Walls 11. Goodbye =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH TURNS STRIPPER IN NEW VIDEO =- Ray Wilmott (wilmott@remus.rutgers.edu) December 5, 1992 I was just reading through the latest Entertainment Weekly issue (12/92), and there on page 13 was a recent picture of Deb with the caption "MTV Tease - Gibson." Here is the blurb that goes with it: "Former teen queen Debbie Gibson, now 22, is strutting into Madonna territory with a new Matthew Rolston-directed video. The Broadway star and pop princess will turn stripper, revealing as much of her grown-up body as MTV will allow, in the video supporting her upcoming single 'Losing Myself.' Remember that before 'Sex,' Madonna played an exotic dancer in her 'Open Your Heart' video. Gibson's record, 'Body Mind Soul' is due in January." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH RESTORES FAITH IN HUMANITY =- Patrick Colcord (71303.3170@CompuServe.COM)/ Chris Backa (CSC3CSB@HOFSTRA.BITNET) November 14, 1992 Sources: AP Newswire, Saturday, November 14 NEWDAY, Sunday, November 15 Pop singer Debbie Gibson has donated $5,000 to the family of a woman who was kidnapped and slain to restore "their faith in humanity." Gibson said she and her mother, Diane, put the check into a Catholic Mass card and sent it to the family of Gail Schollar on Thursday. Schollar, 35, was kidnapped and killed November 3rd while doing errands with her 3-year-old daughter (found unharmed the next day); her stabbed body was discovered in a ditch four days later in Piscataway, NJ. "It could have happened to anybody," Gibson told The Home News of New Brunswick, in a story published Saturday, "It's frightening." Scott Johnson, 23, of Plainfield, NJ, was arrested that night and charged with murder. Gibson, 22, said she was shocked to hear of the killing of the mother of three. She announced the donation to encourage other entertainers to give to the Schollar family. Gibson says she wants the family to "know that someone cares about their situation. My mom and I like to do things for people to restore their faith in humanity; for that one bad person out there, there are hundreds of good people." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBWATCH =- According to the TV Guide, Deborah was supposed to appear on the "LIVE: with Regis and Kathie Lee Show" on 12-2-92. However, it was a misprint and Deborah has not been scheduled to appear on that show yet. Also, the "Mickey Mouse Club" has not shown the segment with Ansley Hamrick as expected (refer to BtL 4.10). 11-25-92: MTV - A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS 2 In this half hour special, Deb appeared in a short segment near the end. She is also seen briefly in the beginning. This segment consisted of a couple of studio scenes of her recording "Sleigh Ride" with the background vocalists and Deb making these comments about the album: "To me, that's what makes a record special, when it sounds just like a party, you know, and you don't get too technical about everything. And, I mean that should be the feeling of this whole album I think because it's really just to lift people's spirits." "People should check the album out because there might be something on it that they haven't heard before. There might be an artist on it that they didn't think they'd like that they might end up liking." 11-27-92: INSIDE EDITION Deborah and her mother, Diane, were at the AMFAR Aids fundraiser. Deb was wearing cornrows with beads in her hair. She said the following in this segment: (Gautier's Clothes) "Judging by the people who are going to be modeling them, I suppose they're going to be pretty outrageous and funky and colorful." (About Aids) "It's become like a crusade in the entertainment industry, and you know, I'm sure for lots of people on a personal level, so it's extremely important." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- According to Tommy Montalto, who called GMI yesterday (12/7/92), the upcoming D.G.I.F. issue will be mailed within two weeks. The "Losin' Myself" video was filmed this past weekend and indeed, Deborah plays a stripper. The video does not have a release date yet, but it should be sometime in January. The release date of the "Losin' Myself" single is January 11th and the _Body Mind Soul_ album is January 19th.