=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Volume 5, Issue 4 - February 1, 1993 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CONTENTS =- ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES DEBORAH ON RICK DEES' WEEKLY TOP 40 - Sandy Chen ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY PANS BMS - Ray Wilmott DEBORAH TALKS ON "LOVE PHONES" - Ray Wilmott PROMO 12" RECORD SET OF "LOSIN' MYSELF" - Robert MacDowell FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF _BODY MIND SOUL_ - Robert MacDowell LM CASSETTE SINGLE WITH "LOVE OR LUST" - Myra Wong DEBORAH ON THE LOS ANGELES MORNING NEWS - Shaun Stuart ALBUM PARTY IN MIAMI, FLORIDA - Carrie Sapp DEBWATCH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 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. Opinions expressed in Between the Lines are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire forum. All songs by Debbie Gibson are copyrighted by Creative Bloc Music Ltd./Deborah Ann's Music, ASCAP or Possibilities Publishing, Inc./EMI April Music, Inc., 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 via electronic mail should be sent to ALL moderators' respective e-mail addresses listed below. We reserve the right to edit, defer, or reject submissions without notice. 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 e-mail 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 e-mail 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 e-mail to Myra Wong (mkwong@freedom.nmsu.edu). Members without FTP access can obtain these files through two file-mailing services. For more information, send e-mail to Andrew Vernon (avernon1@ua1ix.ua.edu). -= BtL moderators =- Myra Wong : mkwong@freedom.nmsu.edu mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu JSXS97D on Prodigy Felix Ng : fng@nyx.cs.du.edu 1:153/715.4 on Fidonet Andrew Vernon : avernon1@ua1ix.ua.edu avernon1@ua1vm.ua.edu avernon1@ua1vm.bitnet =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH ON RICK DEES' WEEKLY TOP 40 =- Sandy Chen - Los Angeles, California January 24, 1993 Debbie Gibson was the guest on Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 countdown on the weekend of January 23rd and 24th. The segment appears right after #25. RD = Rick Dees DG = Debbie Gibson RD: She's one of the youngest stars ever to have a #1 hit in the countdown. She's starred on Broadway. She's LIVE here now. Bring it on for Debbie Gibson! Background: Yah! RD: Debbie, you look fantastic. I want to show you something here. This is the new Debbie Gibson from MTV. Now, I want to know when these pictures go on. There's a whole thing out on the papers about you stripping on TV. DG: Um...I do a strip...did you ever see the movie "Gypsy?" DG: I did a little take off of the striptease number. RD: Well, you look fantastic... DG: RD: Whoa!!! DG: RD: What does your mom Diane feel about this? DG: You know what's so funny? I get embarrassed...like I did an episode of "Street Justice" and there was this kinda sorta love scene, a kissing scene, and I'm going "Nobody look, Nobody look!" and my mom's going, "SHUT UP AND DO YOUR JOB IT'S NO BIG DEAL!" RD: DG: "...WE DON'T CARE. THE CREW SEES US EVERYDAY!" So, you know, she's a total professional. RD: Catch us up to speed too because a lot has been going on. What else has been going on? DG: Umm...just finished a new album. RD: _Body, Mind, and Soul_ right? DG: Uh-huh. RD: We talked about this last time and it's finally out. It's taken a while to get it together... DG: Yeah, you know what's funny? Well, I did Les Miz for a while and then I, um, started the album...and I had done a bunch of songs, and I decided, you know, I usually write by myself, and I decided, um, there were a couple people that I had never co-written with that I really wanted to try and I said, "Oh let's just see what we come up with." Um...one of these people was Carol Bayer Sager. And the I got together with Sturken/Rogers from Rhythm Syndicate... RD: Oh they're great. DG: Yeah, they are. I've always been fans of their writing, and we got together and wrote six songs in two days, and five of them ended up on the album...so five more of mine got the boot, but hey, uh.. RD: You still live at home? DG: Yeah...yeah I also, um... RD: I would've thought that by now, you're 22... DG: RD: ..you'll be out taking pictures like this and taking them home to your apartment... DG: I have an apartment right now actually that we've been working on so... RD: Seeing anybody? DG: Am I? You don't beat around the bush, huh? He's, "Well he's your apart...Are you seeing anybody?" RD: Hey listen, this is what we do you, see? DG: You gossip, huh....yeah, I am. RD: What a letdown... DG: RD: Debbie, you're supposed to be: "I'm playing the field. I'm looking for Mr. RIGHT." RD: But you're not married? DG: No, no. I was laughing because you said Mr. Right because.. RD: Is that his name? DG: Yeah... Background: WHOA!!! DG: I usually don't say that, but since you said it...it was funny.. RD: We're friends, there's no problem... DG: I didn't want you to think I was laughing over that marriage thing, that I was secretly married or something cause I'm nowhere near ready for that. RD: mmm-hmm.... DG: I'm only 22! RD: Well for Mr. Wright then...whoever and where ever you are listening now, this is for you...Debbie's new one..."Losin' Myself." <"Losin' Myself" was played> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY PANS BMS =- Ray Wilmott - Monroe, New Jersey (wilmott@remus.rutgers.edu) January 22, 1993 In the music section of Entertainment Weekly (January 29) is a blurb about _Body Mind Soul_. The photo has the caption "Gibson On The Rocks - All grown up but nowhere to go." The fluffy Top 40 songstress has outgrown her status as teenage prodigy, but her banal melodies and predictable lyrics haven't grown an inch. On _Body Mind Soul_, Debbie Gibson lunges for the brass ring of artistic validation by piling faux hip-hop touches on curiously prim love songs delivered with frenzied enthusiasm of a cheerleader. She doesn't sound mature. Only desperate. [Rating] D =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH TALKS ON "LOVE PHONES" =- Ray Wilmott - Monroe, New Jersey (wilmott@remus.rutgers.edu) January 23, 1993 Z-100 radio, New York, 1/20/93 Debbie appeared on the New York radio talk show "Love Phones." The show's focus is callers with (usually) questions about sexual topics and the hosts, a doctor and a DJ, answering them. I guess they occasionally have guest stars as Deb was on it on Thursday. For that show, I missed the first half hour of it. What I did catch was interesting, only from the standpoint of Debbie appearing on a show of that type. The calls were pretty much of 2 varieties: 1. Caller asking a question of the doctor. 2. Caller calling to say "Hi" to Deb. For the first type, Deb was usually quiet and let the hosts handle it; they occasionally asked for her opinion which was usually brief or a "No comment." The second type was usually an "I love the new song" or "I'm a really big fan" type of thing. Topics covered included: her new sexy image, her negative feelings about Madonna's _Sex_; her Playboy offer; fans who fantasize about her; word association with words like "sweat," "wet," and "salty"; what kind of underwear she wears - depends on the day, sometimes cotton, sometimes something from Victoria Secrets; pushy guys / anal sex; the relationship she has with her boyfriend; AIDS testing (she's had one); best DG song to have sex to; masturbation; intimacy with friends; etc. There were a FEW interesting comments made during the course of the show - like the "underwear question" perhaps, or the "AIDS testing" bit - she did NOT necessarily say that she had changed her mind about pre-marital sex: the comment was more along the lines of "everyone should have the test because you never know where you could get the virus from...yes, I did have an AIDS test recently." The only caller topics she got into really were "fans fantasizing about her." Her comment was along the lines of that she used to have George Michael posters all over her room and she used to fantasize about meeting him, etc; it's normal so long as it's not taken to extremes; also, "you probably wouldn't feel that way if you knew me personally because I'm very stubborn and FAR from a perfect girlfriend." Also, she got into how she hooked up with her boyfriend - she had a crush on him from day one at Les Miz, eventually he told her that he liked her and wanted to get to know her better. One more segment worth mentioning - a woman called in who said that her husband was totally nuts about Deb back when they were engaged and he used to play her songs all the time while they had sex. As a favor Deb sang "Lost in Your Eyes" to him over the radio while he and his wife danced. I thought that was kind of interesting. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= PROMO 12" RECORD SET OF "LOSIN' MYSELF" =- Robert MacDowell - Franklin, Michigan (bobmacd@well.sf.ca.us) January 23, 1993 Today I went on my usual twice-weekly comb of the used record stores, trying to find among other things the "Losin' Myself" CD single. I didn't find it this trip. I found something BETTER! It's a two-LP single. That's LP vinyl. You know, twelve-inch platters of VINYL, with spiral grooves in 'em. (For your younger folks on the Net, these were used to record music before the CD. Thomas Edison invented them.) Are we talking Seventies Retro-format, or what!? I mean, the last double-LP format I've seen was Fleetwood Mac's _Tusk_ or Pink Floyd _The Wall_. Anyway, this item is over an hour long, which is why it's two LP's. (One LP can hold 50 minutes, tops). It has eleven tracks on it. No, it's not BMS and not _Electric Youth_ either, though it's longer than both of them. And it's not _Anything Is Possible_, which would've been a double album if they'd ever released it on LP. This huge, new 60-minute set is called "Losin' Myself." Here are the tracks. Record 1 Side A Record 2 Side A 12" Masters At Work 5:47 Bass Hit Dub 7:30 12" Dub 5:45 AM Mix 7:30 12" Instrumental 5:49 Record 1 Side B Record 2 Side B Masters At Work Dub 7:30 T-Ray's Hip Hop 0:00 T-Ray's Hip Hop Instrumental 3:38 T-Ray's Acoustic Mix 0:00 Bonus Beats 3:07 LP Version 0:00 And to top it off, nine of the eleven cuts are "new stuff" we haven't heard before. They're not on the LM promo CD, and they're not on the album. The 12"s are packaged in a plain white wrapper, except for the fact that it's a gatefold; i.e. it opens up to 12"x24" and has two pockets for LP's. Being a gatefold it should be fairly easy to spot among other 12"'s, which are almost never gatefolds and *are* never double discs. Inside the pockets, the LP's are in generic "Atlantic, Atco etc." sleeves with no holes in them (so you have to handle the LP to read the notes on the center part). The package is not shrink-wrapped. There's a pink sticker on the upper right that says: D e B B I E G I B S o N (usual typefaces/styles) "LOSIN' MYSELF" Limited Edition Double Pack Promo Only Featuring Remixes by MASTERS AT WORK "LITTLE" LOUIE VEGA & KENNY "DOPE" GONZALEZ & T-RAY DMD 1952 Well that's it! Good luck finding it, if interested. I'll post a review soon as I finish listening to it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= = FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF _BODY MIND SOUL_ =- Robert MacDowell - Franklin, Michigan (bobmacd@well.sf.ca.us) January 23, 1993 First Impressions About The Album --------------------------------- On January 19 at 3:25 P.M., I arrived at Musicland in the mall. This was a shocking 5 hours 25 minutes after the stores opened, awfully late for a fan! I scanned the racks of new CD's on the wall. Disc not found. [Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail] R Disc not found. [Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail] F I looked around the store some more, and shortly found a display containing the picture from the back cover of the booklet and a promotional thing about the "Let's Do Dinner" contest. I grabbed one of the two copies of the CD that they had in the entire store. $16.95, thrice what I usually pay for CD's! I generally refuse to pay more than $10 for a CD; however, I made an "administrative error" and bought it anyway. Finally, me, the disc, a CD player, and electrical power reached a confluence at 6:10 P.M. Over eight hours after release! The reason for the unconscionable delay is that I had to bum transport. (My "NRG UP" hy-rail truck is *still* in Angola, Indiana, after a wheel fell off on my way to Purdue to see The Video. But that is another story). A Thought About The Review Process ---------------------------------- One of the things that amazes me is how record magazines try to describe albums in words. I mean, they're different media. Music is music. Words are words. Each is ill-equipped to describe the other. As a result, most record reviews talk more about the artist: they did background vocals for so-and-so, they have this "attitude," they said this funny thing. Or they get compared to other artists, usually obscure ones chosen more to show how musically well-traveled the reviewer is. Now try reviewing something that the readers have already heard, as is the case on Debhead. I mean, y'all have ears. You know what the music SOUNDS like; which is beyond what my words can describe anyway! So I'll concentrate on what I can add: my reactions to the music. These are my first impressions of the first time I'm hearing this. I am writing as I'm listening, thoughts made electromagnetic as I think them. A caveat: One thing I've found is that my first listen to an album is almost always meaningless. I don't start to form an opinion until the second listen. But first impressions are interesting too, and here are mine. I am posting these out of order because I heard them out of order. Deliberately. Losin' Myself ------------- I really like the extra minute the LP version of "Losin' Myself" adds to the song. It improves the song a lot. As if I haven't said it before, I *like* the song a lot. I do, I do. It has hooked me totally. I say with certainty that, had this been a new song from a new artist, it would also have hooked me. The song's that good. In fact, I've heard this song 100 times, no exaggeration, and I still love it. Hasn't worn a bit. Tech-Note: When dubbing this album to tape, set your levels based on 3:00 into this track. Otherwise, it'll likely distort here. Goodbye ------- Very simple song, opens with just vocals and an electric piano. In the tradition of "So Close to Forever." Very pretty. VERY pretty. It was well into the song before I realized that the song had thickened up with more instrumentation. Little Birdie ------------- The first part (with "Birdie baby baby" in background) definitely reminds me of something old - like really old - Fifties? No - TWENTIES? Whatever it is I love it! I read ahead in the lyric book, and when I saw the line "No one even knocked at the door" I anticipated...sure enough...right on cue...I'm suddenly on the floor cracking up over how perfectly DEBBIE this line sounds! The beat is infectious. I've been bouncing around on my bed like a 12-year- old girl! I played this song a few more times just because I wanted to. Do You Have It In Your Heart? ----------------------------- I find myself with not a lot to say about this song. Except that I like it. (I said that my first listen is usually meaningless). How Can This Be? ---------------- Nice opening. Deb's back in her higher vocal range which, by the way, is sounding better than ever. It has strokes of traditional "Debbie," but it's much more mature than her previous work. When I Say No ------------- Wow! Funky beat for a message song. I don't know if "funky" is the word, but whatever it is, this is the "mostest" I've ever heard in a Deb-song. Kisses 4 One ------------ I like the song's sound a lot. Let's see, following the lyrics, the message here seems more direct, surprisingly, than "When I Say No." Good message though, and good song. Tear Down These Walls --------------------- Again, message song...again, good message and good song! It certainly helps that I agree with Deborah's opinions. I love the booming bass drums! I'm going to play this one in a continuous loop through Colorado. Love or Money ------------- Oh me, oh my. Do I hear a Rhythm Syndicate influence here? Is this good? Is this bad? Undecided. Free Me ------- I really like the sound, the beat of this. I am not undecided at all! Shock Your Mama --------------- Are you ready to jam? (Yes, Miss KLF.) A really heavy-handed beat to this. I think the rap is well done. I check the label... yep, Debbie Gibson! Well this style is far from her past efforts, but she pulled it off. The scream they use to bleep out "kiss my..." is rather unique. Far from the "beep" people said it was. It's definitely a strange thing to go from the ending of this song to the lush harmony of "Losin' Myself." WELL? ----- That's not a song name. It's a summary. Well, do I like this album, or what? Yes, pretty much by definition. I *am* a Debbie Gibson fan, dont'cha know. So of course I like it! Will I like it once I've heard it a few more times, and I've formed an opinion? We will see. But from what I've heard, it's almost a certainty. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= LM CASSETTE SINGLE WITH "LOVE OR LUST" =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu / JSXS97D on Prodigy) January 23, 1993 DeBBIE GIBSoN - LoSin' MYseLF Atlantic 4-87392 (cassette single) The cassette single for the first song from Deborah's new album is now available in stores. Even if you already own _Body Mind Soul_, "Losin' Myself" is worth getting. There are three different tracks on it, none of which appear on the album. It's also split into two cleverly-named sides. HoT SidE (7:54) COoL SidE (7:56) - Losin' Myself (Masters at Work "Hot" Mix) - Losin' Myself (Radio Mix) - Love or Lust - Love or Lust The front picture is similar to the August picture in the 1993 D.G.I.F. Calendar. It's a full-length shot outside with Deb in cut-off jean shorts and a dark blue shirt, only she's looking down here. The lettering on the cover is the same as that described on the promo CD (refer to BtL 4.12). I reviewed the two mixes of "Losin' Myself" in my track-by-track review in BtL 5.2. So I'll just tell you about the third track on this cassette single. "Love or Lust" is the sixth Gibson/Sturken/Rogers collaboration - written, produced, and arranged by this creative threesome. This song has the same flavor as "Love or Money" and "Free Me." It's upbeat and "dancy" in a funky kind of way, complete with snappy, rhyming lyrics and a catchy chorus. The spoken introduction is faintly reminiscent of "Staying Together" although it's much more intimate sounding. Vocally, this song is the complete opposite of "Losin' Myself"; the vocals are high and quick rather than deep and sultry. This makes "Love or Lust" an excellent B-side for the casual buyer who may base their album purchase on the single and its flipside. Let's hope this indicates that future singles will contained more previously unreleased songs. LOVE OR LUST Written by Deborah Gibson, Carl Sturken & Evan Rogers; Copyright 1992 Possibilities Publishing, Inc./EMI April Music., ASCAP/Bayjun Beat Music/Warner-Tamberlane Publishing Corp./Could Be Music, BMI Intro: I feel there's something wrong between us I have no real reason You say you love me But you have one way to show me And I need more So listen to me Verse 1: Another night alone with you Another game you put me through Another tear, another lie Another see-through alibi How can you say "I want you, dear"? You know the words I want to hear But every time that you say that line Can't help but wonder what's really on your mind Chorus: Is it love or is it lust? Are you someone I can trust? Would you take it to the limit for me? Is it truth or is it dare? Tell me if you really care Baby, I don't mean to make a fuss Is it love or is it lust? Is it love or is it lust? So tell me Verse 2: The finest jewels may hypnotize But I don't need what your money buys (oh no) I'm searching for a heart that's true (You know) The kind of love I give to you I can't deny you satisfy I'm not so sure of what you feel inside You don't express your love unless You feel the warmth of my caress CHORUS Bridge: Just talk to me, can't read your mind I hope you're not the selfish kind I could be wrong, I could be right So you tell me Just stay tonight INSTRUMENTAL BREAK Is it love or is it lust? CHORUS I don't mean to make a fuss Tell me is it love or lust? Tell me Baby, is it truth or dare? Tell me darlin' do you care? Is it love or is it lust? Another tear, another lie Just tell me dear 'cause I wonder why I'm searching for a heart so true You always said I could trust you Now I feel that something's wrong I thought we had a bond so strong I can't deny you satisfy I want more Let's try =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH ON THE LOS ANGELES MORNING NEWS =- Shaun Stuart - Fullerton, California (xsstuart@fullerton.edu) January 28, 1993 Debbie appeared on a morning news program on Los Angeles TV this morning and gave a four minute interview. They showed a clip of "Losin' Myself" - the part where she's dressed in the black dress and lets one strap fall. It also showed her crying and singing in the rain. The interviewer made the obligatory comments about the teen-queen growing up. They talked about the song. Deb mentioned again the video-fits-the-lyrics concept of the video. They talked more about the image change. Deb mentioned D.G.I.F. and that she's really in touch with her fans because the fan club isn't run by some big company, but by her sister. She feels the general public may not have seen the image change coming, but felt that members of D.G.I.F. did and that they would not be/are not shocked by the image change. She talked about co-writing and said the standard stuff about how she didn't quite know how to do it at first, etc. They showed more of the video. Actually, they just repeated the same clip they showed two minutes earlier. They then talked some more. The interviewer, who seemed to be a real fan, said he liked Deb's songs when it was just Deb and the piano. Deb said yes, but she also liked doing big production numbers with dancers and the full band, besides just a piano and getting intimate with the audience. They showed more of the video (new scenes this time), then Deb said bye. They continued playing LM (the song, not the video) in the background. Deb was wearing a red blouse with a red open jacket. She also wore a large cross on a necklace that reached down to her waist. The cross had jewels in it, similar to the one Madonna is wearing on the back of the _Like A Prayer_ album, although maybe a bit bigger. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ALBUM PARTY IN MIAMI, FLORIDA =- Carrie Sapp - Columbus, Ohio January 19, 1993 On Monday, January 4, 1993, I received a message from my friend Michael from North Carolina. Before I tell this story, let me clarify something. Both Michael and Felicia, who I'll be talking about frequently, are friends from NC that I met at a Debbie Gibson concert in Atlantic City on July 28, 1991. We've been extremely close friends ever since. Just as I was about to pick up the phone to call Mike, it begins ringing and Felicia was on the line practically screaming with excitement. She warned me to call Mike right away because I was in for a huge surprise. So I called Mike. He told me to sit down and then FINALLY told me the news. It seems that Michael, Felicia, and myself had been invited to an album party for _Body Mind Soul_! The party was on January 11 in Miami, Florida! I arrived at Miami International Airport around 11:00 P.M. on Saturday and took two cabs to my hotel. Around 2:00 A.M., Mike and Felicia called me to make sure everything was O.K. They were in a hotel in Jacksonville, FL because they drove from NC. They still had eight hours to go! On Sunday, Michael and Felicia arrived around 3:00 P.M. and after we ate, we headed straight towards the Stephen Talkhouse, which is where the party was to be held. All three of us were shocked when we pulled up to find just a small club. We were expecting something more elaborate, but just seeing the place made me even more anxious for the following day. I kept telling Mike and Felicia that if Keeth Stewart (now Stepp Stewart) was at the party, then we were set. Stepp and I have gotten to know each other over the past few years and he just named me president of his fan club last month. Monday morning came and the first thing we did was head to the mall to see if Debbie's single was in yet. Not surprisingly, it hadn't arrived in either record store. Oh well, we tried. Enough of that because we were ready for the beach. We got to Miami Beach around noon and stayed until 3:00 P.M. The sun was hot, the breeze was wonderful, and the ocean was clear. I was in heaven. And to think, I wasn't even going to take this trip!! Now it's time to get to the part you've been waiting for. Let me just say that this is all from memory. I didn't take notes or record anything. I wanted this night to be special and I didn't want to worry about anything else. Michael, Felicia and I planned to leave for the party at 5:30 P.M. so that we wouldn't be late. Well, 5:20 P.M. rolls around and we're watching the news and they say, "Coming up on the 5:30 edition, singer Debbie Gibson is in the spotlight." People must've thought that we all had heart attacks because we were screaming and jumping so much. So, of course, we stayed to watch the interview, which didn't come on until 5:55 P.M.! We dashed out the door and still made it to the Talkhouse at 6:45 P.M. The party started at 7:00 P.M.! Well, as soon as we got there, we went to the door and gave them our names. A man, who later turned out to be Debbie's publicist, said, "Oh, you're the ones Julie sent. We're expecting you, come on in." Well, O.K. The only recognizable faces at this point were Michele (her sister) and Mike Portnoy who was running around getting the sound and video straightened around. The Stephen Talkhouse was much more hip inside than we had anticipated. There were new Debbie Gibson display posters hung throughout the club, along with new glossies on every table. Also, in a bag on most tables was a copy of the CD single for "Losin' Myself." I think by this point I had died and gone to heaven. Just then we had turned around and saw Debbie's grandparents sitting at a table pointing to us. They said, "We know you guys from somewhere," and Michael told her that we had talked to her in Atlantic City a year ago. We were so thrilled that somebody actually remembered us. It was getting time to start and more people were coming in so we decided to get a couple of drinks and have a seat. One of the workers, Norma Jean, was so cool to us and brought us out a few more posters and glossies which ended up getting stolen!! At this point, they hadn't started playing _Body Mind Soul_ yet, but some CD that I didn't recognize. Felicia got up to go somewhere and about thirty seconds later she comes back with Stepp Stewart in her arms!! I jumped up and gave him the biggest hug!! I don't think he realized how excited I was to see him. He sat down at our table, we took some pictures, and talked for about ten minutes. I ended up asking Stepp two questions. The first was what he was doing after the party. He said he had to rent a VCR to watch a dance routine back at his hotel. He then said, "Do you guys have a car?" Of course, we said we did and it was settled; we were taking Stepp home after the party. My next question was if he would personally introduce us to Debbie. All three of us had met her before, but we never been formally introduced. He said, of course he would. It would be no problem. Now I was excited! By this time it was going on 7:30 P.M. and still no sign of Debbie. Just then, a person from Atlantic Records began to talk and Stepp went back to his seat next to Michele. The man spoke highly of Debbie announcing that she has sold over seven million records in the U.S. alone! He drew our attention to the huge video screen and introduce the premiere of "Losin' Myself." I had seen clips, but never the whole video. I swear I was about to die! The best part was that Mike, Felicia and I were the only people that sang along with every lyric! Boy, the stares and glares were headed our way. Just after the video, the track of an unfamiliar song started pumping throughout the club and in comes Debbie from outside. She was running around with microphone in hand until she made it to the small stage. I had never heard a more kickin' song in my life! The tune ended up being "Love or Money" and she sang it with so much energy and enthusiasm. It was definitely wonderful seeing her perform "live" again since it had almost been a year! After the applause for "Love or Money," Debbie proceeded to thank everyone for coming out and helping to celebrate the release of _Body Mind Soul_. She then asked if the food was good because she was dying to eat some. Then she began to introduce the next song, which was an acoustic piano version of "Goodbye." Needless to say, the song was beautiful and it reminded me of "Lost in Your Eyes." She sang it wonderfully even though she explained that she had never performed it before. After Debbie finished "Goodbye," she was escorted on the back porch to do more interviews and photo shoots. Most people stayed inside and they FINALLY began playing _Body Mind Soul_. The first song was the recorded version of "Love or Money," which, like I said before, is such a great song. In no particular order, I also remember hearing the following songs: "Do You Have It In Your Heart?," "Free Me," "Shock Your Mama," and "Losin' Myself." Around this time, Stepp came back over to us and told us to go outside where Debbie was and wait for a while. We told him how much we love the album so far and he informed us that "Shock Your Mama" had already been banned in Korea!! Imagine that... Debbie's music actually creating controversy! What is this world coming to?!? Without any hesitation, we walked outside with Stepp. Not two seconds after we went outside, three people approached us. They happened to be the same people who were giving us looks during the "Losin' Myself" video. The first thing out of their mouths was like, "What's your story?" Michael, Felicia, and I didn't know what to say except, "Excuse me?" They then informed us that they worked for local Miami magazines and they were fascinated by us and wanted to know all the specifics about us like where we were from, why we were at the party, how we met, and how we knew the words to "Losin' Myself" when it was just released. What I thought was going to be just small talk turned into two interviews with magazines complete with photos taken of us and everything!! Can you believe it? People actually wanted to know about us! Of course, me NEVER being short on words, was thrilled to tell anyone all about myself! We hung out with the reporters for most of the night, exchanged addresses, etc. Stepp came up and said he wanted to introduce us to someone and that he would be right back. A few minutes later, Stepp returned with - the one and only - Diane Gibson! Stepp said, "Diane, I'd like you to meet Carrie Sapp from Columbus, Ohio," and she shook my hand, SMILED, and said, "It's a pleasure finally getting to meet you. I understand you're the president of Stepp's fan club." (He obviously told her!) I told her how happy I was that he chose me as president and I couldn't wait to get to work and she said, "I'm looking forward to working with you." I couldn't believe how nice she was being. It totally changed my image of her! Mrs. Gibson was also introduced to Michael and Felicia and she knew exactly who they were! Her reply was something like, "Oh you're the crazy ones that know Julie!" We talked to her for a while and told her the story of how Mike, Felicia, and I met in line at a Debbie concert. Diane couldn't get over how special that was and she thanked us for coming once again. She also made a point of telling us that if we could be patient while they got all the other autographs signed and interviews finished, we would be able to spend some quality time with Debbie. That was all she had to say and I was the happiest person in the world. When we thanked her for everything she said, "It's definitely my pleasure." All in all, I'd say we talked to Diane for about ten minutes. To this day, I can't get over her sincere generosity, especially when it came to spending time with her daughter. Well, the time had finally arrived for us to talk to Debbie. To be honest, I wasn't really nervous, just extremely excited. The whole night had been so perfect anyway that I don't think anything could've ruined it now. Stepp escorted us towards her table and Debbie got up to meet us. That's when it hit me. She came right over to us and Stepp said, "Deborah, I'd like you to meet Carrie Sapp from Columbus, Ohio. She's the president of my fan club and she's been a fan of yours forever." Debbie stuck her hand out and began shaking my hand and said, "It's nice to... wait a minute! I've met you before! You're the funniest person I've ever met in my life!?!" Of course I was dying, but I managed to tell her that we've never been formally introduced. I also said that the only time I really get to talk to her is when I'm screaming, "Get it Girl!" from the audience. She started laughing and said, "Yeah, trust me. I know!" After Mike and Felicia were introduced to Debbie, we all began talking. Of course, we explained how we met and all the trouble we went through to get to Miami. She was so happy and couldn't get over our dedication to her. She said that she knew we were coming and wanted to make a point of talking to us. Just that made me feel so special. After about five more minutes of talking, we asked if we could get some pictures and autographs and her answer was, "Sure you can!" We got tons of pictures together including shots of me and Debbie, Mike and Debbie, and Felicia and Debbie. Then we got a couple group shots with all three of us and Debbie! It was so funny because there were so many cameras going off and I didn't know which one to look into. Debbie said you just have to let your eyes hit every one of them and you're bound to get one of the pictures right! I still couldn't believe that was Debbie Gibson, my long time idol, standing next to me cracking jokes with me! The funnest picture was one with Debbie, Felicia, Mike, me, and Stepp! We all had so much fun taking that picture! But my absolute favorite picture that was taken was one of me and Debbie, but it wasn't just your "arm around each other" pose. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm pretty outgoing when it comes to meeting famous people. I like to do things different and that is why I had to "strike a pose" for a humorous picture with me and Debbie. I didn't know if she would go along with it or not, but she did and it turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of all- time. It's just so down-to-earth, which is exactly how she is! After our photo shoot with Debbie, we all got our CD single cover signed. Felicia's message says, "Great meeting ya!" Michael's reads, "Thanks for coming such a long way!" and mine says, "Hey _again_ you crazy girrrl!" (Yes, "girl" is spelled with three r's!) Of course, each autograph is made out personally and signed, "Love, Debbie Gibson." Getting that autograph was one of the best parts of the night! She actually remembered me! Well, unfortunately we said goodbye to Debbie around 10:00 P.M. and she left right after she talked to us. Stepp came back in and we got our things together to leave. I don't think we could thank him enough for everything he had done! He said he was glad we all had a good time and that's all that mattered! After stopping off at Blockbuster to rent a VCR and driving around Miami for about an hour (yes, we were lost!), we finally made it back to Stepp's hotel and went up to his room for a little bit! It was now nearing 12:30 A.M. and we were all exhausted. I had a plane to catch at 7:42 A.M. the next morning and Mike and Felicia had a sixteen hour drive ahead of them. Well, we took a few more pictures, got autographed pictures from Stepp, and said our final goodbyes, not only to Stepp, but to the most wonderful night of our lives! I know this account of my weekend has been quite long, but I not only wrote it for all of you, I wrote it for myself. It was such a fantastic weekend that I never want to forget any details of it. I was on such a high and still every time I think about the whole night with finding Stepp, talking to reporters, meeting Diane, and finally spending close to fifteen minutes with Debbie, a smile comes across my face. My ultimate dream has finally come true after six years and I hope everyone else has a chance to experience the same thing I did. It's hard to say how _Body Mind Soul_ will do, but all I know is that no matter what happens, Debbie will always be my inspiration. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBWATCH =- Here's a summary of the significant TV appearances that Debbie has made between 1/27/93 - 1/31/93: 1/30/93 : FRIDAY NIGHT VIDEOS Deb hosted the show by herself which included her video of "Losin' Myself." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS =- Q. David Hunt (dh1@ukc.ac.uk) I am anxious to hear Debbie's new album. Does anyone know when the album will reach Britain? A. Dave Scutt (CS_D604@atlas.kingston.ac.uk) The release date for _Body Mind Soul_ is sometime in February. I'm not exactly sure, sometime in the middle - about two weeks away. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- For the week ending January 30, "Losin' Myself" jumped up 14 slots to No. 9 on the Billboard's Bubbling Under Chart. For the week ending February 6, "Losin' Myself" debuts on the Hot 100 chart at No. 96. This is Deb's eleventh single to chart on the Hot 100. The "Losin' Myself" video won the "You Pick It, We Play It" poll on the edition of VH-1's Top 21 Countdown which aired January 29. Deborah took 45% of the vote, while k.d. lang received 38% and Bruce Springsteen took 17%. This greatly increases the likelihood of VH-1 placing the video in rotation. The Jukebox Network, available on many cable networks, has "Losin' Myself" as selection #225. They also offer a requestable interview segment of Debbie called "Boxtalk" which is #999. As a reminder, according to D.G.I.F. 5.1, the Mickey Mouse Club show should be airing the segment of Debbie with Ansley Hamrick on tomorrow's show (February 2nd, Tuesday). According to Jonathan Bradshaw who spoke with Deb briefly on the phone Friday, January 29th, she flew to Paris this weekend to film the video for "Shock Your Mama" which will be released in Europe. She tells us that the next single in the U.S. will most probably be "Love or Money." Deb confirms that she knows what BtL is and to "keep up the great work BtL is doing!"