=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 5, Issue 2 - January 18, 1993 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 ROB POLINSKY - Rob Polinsky DEBORAH ON INSIDE SAN DIEGO - Archie Medrano TORONTO STAR REVIEWS _BODY MIND SOUL_ - Alex Fung "LOSIN' MYSELF" TRACK BY TRACK - Myra Wong "SHOCK YOUR MAMA" BANNED IN KOREA - Andre Leblanc MIDWEST DEBFAN GATHERING - Robert Novak SONG POLL FOR _BODY MIND SOUL_ - Myra Wong DEBORAH WITHSTANDS THE TESTS OF TIME - Andrew Vernon 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 $0.65 Cdn. per issue / $2.75 Cdn. for back issues on disk United States $0.65 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 debhead-request@scf.nmsu.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 ROB POLINKSKY =- Rob Polinsky - State College, Pennsylvannia (RAP115@PSUVM.PSU.EDU) January 17, 1993 My name is Rob, a.k.a. Robbie Po. I'm pretty much new to the list. I wrote my first couple articles the past week. Myra, who put me on the list, told me I should write an intro about myself. I finally have time now, so here goes! Well, like I said, my name is Rob, but most Debheads refer to me as Robbie Po. I'm a 20 year old guy and a junior at Penn State. Deb's been my favorite since I heard "Only in My Dreams" for the very first time. You see, I didn't start listening to music until I was 15. When Deb's single came out a few months after my birthday, I loved the catchy beat. Then I found out that she was only two years older than me, so I believed Deb was someone I could relate to and look up to as my idol. When I got OOTB for my Christmas present, I swear I must've played that album front and back about four times that day. Needless to stay, I've been hooked ever since. Deb stands for everything I believe in, and it's good that we have our idol in the music industry! I've been to all three shows, and I've been fortunate to have 2nd row seats each time. I attended the "OOTB Live In Concert" show. That was so much fun in front of a sellout crowd in front of 6,000 people. I loved every minute of it. I was even more fortunate at the EY show. I caught up with Deb at the hotel after the show, got her autograph, and got my picture with her. Deb looks absolutely PERFECT in this picture. It was the day she left for Australia, and I will be forever grateful for it! I was also fortunate to get my name in the pen pal section of D.G.I.F. Vol. 4, No. 2, I believe. It was the issue that was out in April of 1992. What was really ironic was that I got my first pen pal letter the day before I got the new D.G.I.F. It said, "Dear Rob, Hi, I saw your name in the latest D.G.I.F. and I was wondering if you would like to become pen pals?" I was in shock! I couldn't believe that my name was in there! I've had a lot of fun with it though. I currently have 41 pen pals, and it's great talking to Debheads all over the globe. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present! Thanks Deb!!! I've also found people who make their own magazines about Deb, such as BtL and so on. One that is relatively new is from one of my pals named Jenny Hanson. If anyone is interested, write to: The Gibson Global c/o Jenny "Debbie Jr." Hanson 210 Kjellberg's PK Monticello, MN 55362 Tell her I sent you. She's always looking for more members. Well, Debheads, thanks for letting me get my intro out to ya. Take care, keep the NRG up, and always remember to put your body mind (and) soul into everything you do! Keep up the good work, Debheads!!! D.G.I.F. 4-ever, Rob Polinsky A.K.A. Robbie Po D.G.I.F. #3720 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH ON INSIDE SAN DIEGO =- Archie Medrano - San Diego, California (amedrano@euler.ucsd.edu) January 15, 1993 Deborah was on the local television show "Inside San Diego" on January 11th. From the time Deborah is introduced until the end of the interview, the length is 8 minutes. LB = Laura Buxton DG = Debbie Gibson Intro: From teen bubblegum queen to sultry adult... But can Debbie Gibson handle the change? You will meet this popular singer/songwriter and Broadway star and see how she's sizzling the screen. LB: Just a few little items on our next guest. She's a singer who's gifted with perfect pitch. At 17, she became the youngest person ever to write, perform, and produce a number 1 song on the singles chart. She's also written a screenplay with her sister and performed on Broadway to excellent reviews. I'm talking about Debbie Gibson, a one-woman musical industry. And she's only warming up. It's my pleasure to welcome Debbie Gibson to Inside. Good morning to you. DG: Hi, how are you? LB: Pleasure to meet you. I've watched you even though I'm just a couple of years older than you. You've handled yourself so well over the years and been a real idol to so many young people. DG: Thank you. LB: You've taken that seriously from the beginning, haven't you? DG: You know it's, I mean, when I was younger I looked up to Billy Joel and Elton John. And it's not only the music that people tune into. I mean, it's their overall attitude. People like Michael Jackson, I mean. LB: Yeah. DG: Why not use any power you do gain with, you know, success in pop music to be a positive influence for people? That's how I see it. LB: Were you born an old soul? Do you think? I mean, 'cause at 16, you had basically the same attitude. Obviously you're older... DG: Uh-huh LB: ...and wiser, but you always had it. DG: Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I think I always did walk around acting like a little adult. {laughs} LB: Yeah. Yeah. DG: Yeah. I always did. But then, on the other hand I would still... I always had a very young side to me and I still do. LB: Well, I say 10 million records that you sold since '87 - that kind of attest to that. But let's get this Debbie/Deborah thing squared off. I'm looking at you. You're 22 now, right? DG: Uh-huh. LB: It's hard for me to call you Debbie. DG: I've always tried to make people - like from the time I was in kindergarten - call me Deborah 'cause I just always preferred to be called Deborah and it would be like, 'Nice to meet you, Debbie.' You know, just as like - people love nicknames. Did you have a nickname when you were younger? LB: Yeah. Well, you know I told you that earlier. They called me 'Lolly' and I hated it and so I told you I had to turn 21 and move out of town before they started calling me 'Laura.' DG: Right. {laughs} LB: So would you prefer people, I mean, professionally you will be Debbie. DG: Yeah. I mean, maybe some time I'll change it but I feel like I'm still very much at the beginning of my career and I don't really wanna confuse people at this point. LB: When I talk about the beginning of your career, I wasn't kidding about warming up because the new album that you have... Well the last album you did, _Anything Is Possible_, represented a huge change of just musical maturity. Now this one which comes out January 20... DG: Nineteenth. LB: OK. January 19th. DG: Yeah. {laughs} LB: Let's be specific... _Body Mind Soul_. This is so different from anything. How so? DG: I got a little heavier into, more I guess you could say more intense emotions and, you know, it's not puppy love anymore - it's about deeper relationships than that and the message songs aren't so much like 'anything is possible' and stuff like that. They're more about current issues like AIDS, racism,... LB: Yeah, what's this song you did... Kisses... DG: "Kisses 4 One." I guess I would say it's about the importance of monogamy in the world of AIDS and also a song called "When I Say No" which is about date rape which has been in the news a lot and so... I think as you get older, one of the things that happen is you start looking outside of yourself a little more. You stop worrying so much about, 'Am I gonna pass Biology?' You know and start worrying a little bit more about the future and about things going on around you. LB: The fact is... They're gonna listen to you. Young people are gonna listen to you where they're not gonna listen to Vic Damone. Frank Sinatra can say something - they're gonna listen to you and when you put it in the form of music it goes down easier, doesn't it? DG: I think so. And I think that's the whole concept of the title of the album is that you can dance, you can think, you can feel, you can do 'em all at the same time. Oh, I think I hear my beeper going... LB: Is that your beeper? Let it go. It can wait. OK? See, I told you she was a one-woman musical industry. DG: That thing drives me nuts, OK? LB: Now, I'm making it sound as though... Debbie is talking about racism and, you know, safe sex. All those things. This is not to say that there isn't some funk on this. DG: Oh, definitely. I mean, there is a song called "Shock Your Mama" which is just like good old fun. It's just, you know, I mean, I like to take it to all the extremes. I mean, I think everyone has a side to them that likes fun simple music but also, obviously, people like to think deeper thoughts as well so I like, I try to put all those elements on one album. LB: Yeah. What about that "Losin' Myself" as the first release? DG: Yeah... LB: Is this kinda... What do you like about this song? DG: It's an intense song. It's about the kind of a conflict between pleasure and pain you feel when you're in a relationship about how... LB: You can be... you can feel at 16 or 43, don't you? DG: Oh yeah. That's the thing, yeah, definitely. I mean, my writing at 16 was more vague, I think not that I'm like woman of the world or anything at this point in time but, you know, your feelings definitely intensify as you get older and it's about that feeling like, you know, your friends are all walking around going 'What happened to her?' When you're going out with someone new or whatever, like, 'What's happened to her?' If sometimes you can go out with someone and they can kind of make you lose sight of yourself. You get so wrapped up in it and that's really what the song is about and the video. LB: Anyone in particular? I'd be remiss if I didn't say that. DG: No. I mean, I have a boyfriend right now but I think that whenever I write I gather, I take form experiences but usually I don't write one song about one experience or one person. I just accu... LB: Kind of cumulative. DG: Yes. LB: OK. I have to ask you because I'm such a Les Miserables fan. How did you have the nerve to go on Broadway because they're so tough there and, you know, it's almost like they want you to fail. You played the role of Eponine which is wonderful... DG: My favorite role. Yeah. LB: But, I mean, it took a big voice and there's no soundtrack or anything like that. DG: Right. Well, I'm a singer 'cause I love to sing and all that lip-synching stuff that goes on... I just don't get it because, like I said, I thought you wanted, people wanna become performers 'cause they want that spontaneous thing which is what Broadway is all about. I mean, it's eight times a week and you never know what's gonna happen technically or vocally or whatever. We use to get these, like, Gypsy taxicabs over the monitors sometimes and I feel... like right in the middle of the death scene and you'd be hearing 'Breaker, breaker.' and the audience can hear it but you're like... I mean, anything can happen. You just have to pretend it's not happening. But I actually started in theater. That was what I was into even before recording. LB: You even auditioned for a role in Les Miz, say? DG: I auditioned for the original cast when I was 15 and got called back a few times and I told them, 'Yeah, you know, I'm in the process of doing demos and I hope to get a record deal.' and they were like 'Yeah right.' They followed my career and we got together and auditioned later on and made a plan. LB: I respect that enormously. DG: But, you know, you're right. Critics came and admittedly in their reviews said, 'We came to pan her BUT...' and because what they didn't realize was it wasn't something I just decided to do. It was something, I had 10 years experience in theater before I went on that stage and, you know, I love... I think all... every area of entertainment is so closely... You know what I mean... What's the word I'm looking for? It's all... the same thing. I mean, It's all the same thing to me. LB: Performing. It's all full circle. DG: It's all expression and acting and singing and everything. LB: Well, when you run for President and all that, I hope you'll be back because I think you're gonna do it all. DG: I hate politics. {laughs} LB: You're a great role model whether you're young or whether it's for young people or for any of us and it's a pleasure to meet you. DG: Thank you. LB: _Body Mind Soul_. Got it. Take care of yourself. DG: OK. You, too. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= TORONTO STAR REVIEWS _BODY MIND SOUL_ =- Alex Fung - Toronto, Canada (funga@ecf.toronto.edu) January 16, 1993 A review of the upcoming Debbie Gibson album _Body Mind Soul_ was published in the Saturday, January 16th, 1993 edition of THE TORONTO STAR daily newspaper. The regular reviewer, Mr. Peter Howell, writes: Debbie Gibson Body Mind Soul (Atlantic): Message songs about date rape, AIDS and racism. A rapper. A sax player. People using the word "funky" like they really mean it. Li'l Debbie grows up? Not quite. Four albums in - this one's out Tuesday - the now 22-year-old pop diva is still wrapping her songs in a protective hug of teddy bears, smiley buttons and peace signs, despite the serious intent of some of them. Case in point is "Shock Your Mama," her "very funky" tune about how she's not as squeaky clean as she seems - even if she did have print a love letter from mom and dad on her debut album. The rapping boyfriend she's heard sneaking around with is electronically censored: "Anyone who thinks we're movin' too fast/Tell the whole world they can kiss my (bleep!)" But complaining about the wimpiness of Gibson's lyrics is like slugging the Care Bears for being cute. Youthful dancers will find what they're looking for in songs like "Love Or Money" and "Free Me," while fans of both Gibson and Cathy Dennis will enjoy "Tear Down These Walls." And people who actually listen to lyrics can be advised to stay clear of "When I Say No", her song about date rape. Stick to the no-brainers, Debbie. For context, Howell also reviewed the new albums from Neil Young and Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet, and gave positive reviews. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= "LOSIN' MYSELF" TRACK BY TRACK =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu / JSXS97D on Prodigy) January 17, 1993 DeBBIE GIBSoN LoSin' MYseLF Atlantic PRCD 4917-2 I was able to obtain a promotional CD copy of Deborah's new single. (See Thomas Montalto's article in BtL 5.1.) Here is a track-by-track description and review of each version of this song. 1. MASTERS AT WORK "HOT" MIX (3:57) Reconstruction & Mix by "Little" Louie Vega & Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez for Masters At Work Productions, Inc. Mix Engineer: David Darlington for 23 West Productions, Inc. Second Engineer: Phillip "Axel" Pagano Mixed at Bass Hit Recording, NYC This is the most mainstream track which is probably why it appears first. Heavy drum beats and a driving percussion track. This version is strong enough to dance to while mild enough to just listen to. 2. RADIO MIX (3:59) Produced & Arranged by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers & Deborah Gibson Recorded & Mixed by Darroll "G" Gustamachio for Visual Sound Design, Inc. Recorded & Mixed at Electric Blue Studios, NY Compared to the first track, this is a lighter mix. Not such a heavy beat. There's a synth-percussion instead that sounds a little like maracas. I love the second part where Deborah's main vocal tracks are in a high range but the backing tracks are still in the lower range where she started. During the bridge, there are short vocal inserts: "You can do anything when it comes to me (comes to me). I won't hold back (yeah). I wanna know no shame. (Ooo!)" 3. G-MAN/MARZ ALTERNATIVE "HOT" MIX (4:02) Remix & Additional Production by Darroll "G" Gustamachio & Scott "Marz" Christian for Mad Trax International Assistant Engineer: Phil Brown Recorded & Mixed at Hit House Studios, Stamford, CT The intro to this is pretty tame which contrasts with the rest of this mix. It's got one of those funky dance beats. There's this springy noise throughout the song. The vocals of the entire song are echoed, as if Deborah was standing in a canyon singing. Most of the guitar-sounding production has been done away with in favor of a keyboard solo. A sample of Deborah "Ooo"-ing is repeated over and over. With the deliberate echoing and heavy use of sampling, this ends up being a mechanical, yet still funky mix. 4. T-RAY'S ACOUSTIC MIX (4:01) Remixed by Todd Ray for Beat Down Productions Engineered & Mixed by Darroll "G" Gustamachio for Visual Sound Design, Inc. Keyboards by B.B.Keys Recorded & Mixed at Electric Blue Studios, NY Campfire mix, this is not. This song is still very danceable since the drum machine is still there. A short melody is played over and over on the supposed acoustic guitar - sounds synthesized to me. The climactic sounding guitar solo from the first two mixes are replaced with a rather bland keyboard solo. 5. MASTERS AT WORK 12" EDIT (3:58) This is the ultimate dance track. It's got a house-sounding bass track running through it. This is the kind of mix that you'd crank up to make the whole house shake from just the bass. It's got a real *groove* to it. Vocally, the first verse is repeated twice, then the chorus. Then it moves right into the bridge repeating the line "Listen to me now" over and over. The bridge is only done in her lower range with the exception of the last line "Take me away in the sky." Hypnotic, deep. I can't wait to hear the full 12" remix. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= "SHOCK YOUR MAMA" BANNED IN KOREA =- Andre Leblanc - Fargo, North Dakota (FGHH54A on Prodigy) January 16, 1993 This is a news story that ran in the People section of the Prodigy computer network for a few hours on January 15th. DEBBIE GIBSON GETS SERIOUS Debbie Gibson chuckles at the notion of people taking "Shock Your Mama," one of her new tunes, seriously. "Obviously, I'm not going to be shocking anybody's mama," she says. "I wanted to spoof the idea that I was going to suddenly come out of nowhere with this hot and sexy new image. It was intended to be tongue in cheek." And yet some people are taking the song to heart, writes Larry Flick in Billboard magazine. The first international release from her new Atlantic album, _Body Mind Soul_, it has been banned in Korea for being too sexually suggestive. Gibson does feel that her music now has a mature and sophisticated tone. Chirpy ditties like "Shake Your Love" and "Electric Youth" have been replaced by headier fare like "When I Say No," which is about date rape, and the AIDS conscious "Kisses 4 One." Also, the first stateside single, "Losin' Myself," is a sullen urban/pop jam, fueled by a vocal arranged in a low, seductive register of her voice. Gibson insists that these changes are far more organic than contrived. "What you hear on this album is the product of my experiences, and exposure to the world in general over the past 2 years," she says. "When you're in this business, there is always a danger in becoming isolated, I am constantly pushing myself to stay in touch. Otherwise, my writing, among other things, would suffer. I need to be continually exploring and growing." Part of Gibson's creative growth during the making of this album was collaborating with outside writers, an idea she confesses she was initially opposed to. "People have been pushing me to try co-writing with others for a few years, and I just would not have it," she says. "I guess I had to prove that I could write good songs by myself before letting anyone else into the process." But while she was putting together material for _Body Mind Soul_, she hit a creative roadblock. "I felt like there was something missing in the songs I was writing that I could not identify. I thought it would help me to hash out some ideas with someone else." Enter Rhythm Syndicate masterminds Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. There was instant chemistry among the 3, with 6 songs, resulting from 2 sessions. Gibson paired up with Elliot Wolf (who penned Paula Abdul's "Straight Up") for 3 more songs, and with narada Michael Walden, Phil Ramone, and Carol Bayer Sager for 1 tune apiece. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= MIDWEST DEBFAN GATHERING =- Robert Novak - North Manchester, Indiana (rnovak@nyx.cs.du.edu) January 16, 1993 Greetings: Many people have heard about the album listening parties on the two coasts, and the early successes of "Losin' Myself" on the big Top 40 radio stations. However, many Debbie Gibson fans are not in the regions where there are lots of fans, lots of promotions, and lots of concert dates and special appearances. With that in mind, some Debheads living in the midwest/Great Lakes area have been thinking about an idea to get together and meet each other as well as to share a concert experience during the _Body Mind Soul_ concert tour, possibly at a date in Chicago or that area. This isn't limited to Deb fans who are on Internet or CompuServe, although they did hear about it first. Any Deb fan who lives between the two coasts who would like to discuss the prospect of a midwest Deb fan gathering is invited to get involved. We want to get started early planning the event so that we can get everyone involved who wants to be involved. If you're interested in helping to make this project a success, get in touch with me. That includes people who want to find out about accommodations, investigate tour dates, carpool, or just join us for the get-together. You can reach me on Internet at rnovak@nyx.cs.du.edu, on Fidonet as "Robert Novak" at 1:201/20.42 or 1:380/7, by phone at (219) 982-5321 (leave me a message), or by regular post at the following address: Box 627 Manchester College North Manchester IN 46962 (You're welcome to get in touch with me at any of those addresses if you just want to chat as well... although I can't guarantee a quick response. I will probably start procrastinating sometime next week.) Remember, "Anything is possible," so "keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= SONG POLL FOR _BODY MIND SOUL_ =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu) January 11, 1993 With the release of Deborah's fourth album _Body Mind Soul_, she gives us no less than eleven new songs. I'd like to take this opportunity to take a brief survey of favorite songs from the new album. Please vote for ONLY THREE from the following list of songs. Do You Have It In Your Heart? Losin' Myself Free Me Love or Money Goodbye Shock Your Mama How Can This Be? Tear Down These Walls Kisses 4 One When I Say No Little Birdie Each song will be weighted equally. Results will appear in an upcoming issue of BtL. Please send in your votes as soon as possible by email (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu) or by postal mail to: Myra Wong 9450 Gilman Dr. #921171 La Jolla CA 92092-1171 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH WITHSTANDS THE TESTS OF TIME =- Andrew Vernon - Tuscaloosa, Alabama (avernon1@ua1ix.ua.edu) January 17, 1993 This article ran in THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS Friday, January 15. It is the first decent profile of Deborah I've seen since the Entertainment Weekly story in 1990. {Brackets are my comments.} NOW PAST HER TEEN-STAR YEARS, DEBBIE GIBSON STILL LIVES AT HOME By Tom Maurstad Dallas Morning News Time wears on us all. Its theft of our youth is an act at first welcomed and then mourned. But for those famous for being young, the process is accelerated and intensified, as the experience of growing old(er) provides at least one additional dimension of morbid dread: the death of one's career. Time may be universally unforgiving, but it has a special grudge against child stars; the history of young celebrities is a graveyard procession of drug busts, confessional tell-alls and infomercials. Nowhere is that coming-of-age cliff more precipitous than in pop music, where shoreline is strewn with the tattered husks of has-been cherubs and the teen idols that time forgot. Granted, there have always been high-profile exceptions who have bridged the gap between childhood notoriety and adult adulation. But for every Little Stevie Wonder or Michael Jackson, there are countless others offering dismal counterpoint. Teen idols? Two words: David Cassidy. Cute is as cute does, and what cute does, mostly, is get older and not so cute. If there ever were a teen star whose popular persona seemed inextractably rooted in its adolescent appeal, it is Debbie Gibson. When she pranced into the spotlight in 1987 on a platinum-selling debut, _Out of the Blue_, it was as the sweetest of sweet 16s, all silly hats, apple cheeks and color- coordinated sneakers. She sold records by the ton, captivating an audience for whom puberty was still just a rumor and spearheading a peach-fuzz movement of youth-centered acts such as Tiffany and New Kids on the Block. So successful was Gibson that she came to be pop culture's ultimate eternal teenager; in everything from her Garanimal-chic outfits to her "Dear Diary" world view, the packaging of Gibson cultivated her audience's belief that she was not only one of them, but just like them. Six years later, you would expect the teenager's teenager to be desperately scrambling for a way to shed her pony-tailed reputation and slip into something sultry and sophisticated, while her people thrash through round- the-clock confabs on possible image reconfigurations: Deborah Gibson, song stylist, perhaps, or Lady Miss D Gibson, dance diva. Suggest any part of this scenario, however, to Ms. Gibson, and her dismissal is as steadfast as it is sweeping. "I think all of that's definitely other people's perceptions," she says. "Because what I'm doing and what I've always done is just trying to be true to myself, true to my music, and, really, just going by how I feel. I don't sit around with a bunch of image consultants and put too much thought into that -- truthfully." Other people's perceptions began to gather about her last album, 1991's _Anything Is Possible_ {Actually, AIP was released in November 1990}, which with its name-brand collaborators (Jellybean Benitez) and demi-glamorous posturing, many took to be Gibson's transitional bid for an adult audience. Likewise, when that album failed to even approach the poly-platinum successes of her first two releases, many took that to be the public's rejection of anything like a grown-up Debbie. It could, then, be taken as an act of artistic valor that Gibson's just-released _Body Mind Soul_ {At press time, the album had not been released} continues the womanifying of Debbie Gibson. Throwing the doors open to collaborators -- most prominently, the production team Rhythm Syndicate {specifically Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken} -- Gibson offers her take on the slinky dance pop of Cathy Dennis and Paula Abdul while tossing out little image subversions, from the good-girl renunciation of "Shock Your Mama" to promo pictures that feature a flash of black brassiere. The crowning display may well be the album's first single, "Losin' Myself" and especially its video (set to premiere on MTV on Jan. 19), which captures Debbie strutting, flimsily clad, to complement the song's breathy take on a love not crush-struck and fluttery but obsessive and desirous. In a ritual of passage taken by everyone from Marcia Brady to Brooke Shields, Gibson seems intent on shifting from innocence to sexiness. Not that any of this was calculated, you understand. "It's just that kind of song," Gibson says. "The first single is a very sensual song. It would look more ridiculous if I was performing that video in a T-shirt, jeans and a hat than to be performing in a sexier way. "And really, whatever people's perceptions are is fine. You know, it is true that I'm not singing about puppy love in that particular song, so I guess people will get the message. But I think people will automatically assume that it was this major, calculated move when really I just felt this would be a really cool way to kick off the album, and that's what all of the thought process that was involved." However unconscious, the unalterable fact remains that this swirl of smoky sensuality is coming from the same pop star who on the back of her first album had a smiley face painted on the bared (and adorable) knee peeking through a tear in her jeans. That image may have made her the recess rave of playgrounds, but it hardly establishes her street credibility in the grown-up world. For all the big-girl-now subtext of a song such as "When I Say No," a cautionary take on date rape, the 1993 Debbie Gibson tries to remain connected to the buoyant innocence of her breakthrough incarnation. That desire can be observed in everything from a current promo still of Debbie munching cotton candy to the widely circulated anecdote of Playboy approaching Debbie to appear in the magazine (she's a woman, now) and her adamant refusal (with the heart of a little girl). Not to mention the fact that at 22 she still lives at home with her mom. "Yeah, I'm living at home, although I just got an apartment that I'll probably be splitting my time between. I love living at home, though. I'm around so many flaky people all the time, it could really drive me insane, and I love being able to come home to my mom, my dog and my sister. It is just the best reality check I know of." Still, such an arrangement seems incongruent with her emerging persona as a Madonna-era sophisticate. "Well, my mom doesn't, you know, say, 'You have to be home by midnight' any more. You know what I mean? ... It's funny -- a lot of what comes from my songs is read and some of it's not, and I've had every opportunity to do whatever I want -- basically." Whatever she wants has recently moved her beyond music, into theater with a 1991 stint on Broadway in Les Miserables {Actually Deborah didn't appear in Les Miz until 1992} and plans to tour in a Grease revival, not to mention vague talk of possible movie deals. As for the whole transitional girl-into- woman thing, she insists she's not really thinking about it. "I just want to get to the point where I'm making great music and none of that matters any more, and I'm just trying to get there without giving it too much thought. "A funny thought just crossed my mind, though. I was thinking to myself, I think even within your own family and friends, people always stop at a certain age in your mind. To me, I have a little cousin Albert and to me he will always be 9 years old. But the fact of the matter is that he came to New Year's Eve with his girlfriend -- he's in high school. I've have to deal with that. "It's like a mixed emotion. On the one hand you're thinking, 'Oh that's so great. He's growing up to be this great person.' And on the other hand you're thinking, 'Oh my God. Oh no. He's growing up. What happened to little Albert, my little Albert?' You know?" Though she doesn't seem to notice, she delivers this question in the midst of a giggle that at once titters with a girl's naivete and a woman's weary resignation. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- News about Deborah and her new album has been speeding up, and so have our issues. BtL 5.1 and 5.2 are being released simultaneously on January 18th. We expect numerous album reviews of _Body Mind Soul_ like last time when _Anything Is Possible_ was released, so we are going to service them on a first come, first serve basis. Once an issue hits the 50K limit, we will be deferring submissions pertaining to the album for the next issue. Please concentrate on personal comments rather than describing the new album in your reviews since most BtL members will have already heard the album.