=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S [tm] Volume 6, Issue 1 - February 28, 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 RICHARD ARDEN - Richard Arden INTRO BY KENNY TSE - Kenny Tse DEBBIE GIBSON SIGNS TO SBK RECORDS - Myra Wong D.G.I.F. CALENDAR REVIEW - Justin Scott DEBHEADS - IT'S TIME TO GO TO WORK! - Douglas Trapasso JOURNEY TO LONDON - Ronald Coulter BtL POLL: TWO DIMENSIONAL FUTURE SHOCK? - Mike Falkner AWESTRUCK IN LONDON - Sean Diamond CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DISCLAIMER =- This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Ann Gibson, Gibson Management Inc. (GMI), the Atlantic Recording Corporation, Electronic Music Industries, 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 lyrics by Debbie Gibson are copyrighted by 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. "Between the Lines" and "BtL" are trademarks of Between the Lines. Copyright 1994, Between the Lines. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES =- Information regarding submissions via e-mail, the supplemental "bouncing" mailing list, using Telnet to talk to other BtL members in real time, and obtaining GIFs and BtL back issues via anonymous FTP will now be sent to members upon joining the BtL mailing list. You may request this information from any of the BtL moderators listed below. Complete information will be included in the administrative notes twice a year. To submit articles by postal mail, please proofread and send them to the postal address listed below. Submissions should be typed or written legibly. To submit articles by FAX, please call (604) 322-5936. We reserve the right to edit, defer, or reject submissions without notice. Submissions become the property of BtL. BETWEEN THE LINES c/o Felix Ng 2137 Qualicum Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5P 2M3 CANADA 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 $3.25 Cdn. for 5 issues / $2.75 Cdn. for back issues on disk United States $3.25 U.S. for 5 issues / $2.75 U.S. for back issues on disk International 3 IRCs for 2 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. -= BtL moderators =- Myra Wong : mkwong@scf.nmsu.edu mkwong@ucsd.bitnet Felix Ng : fng@acca.nmsu.edu 1:153/915 on Fidonet =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY RICHARD ARDEN =- Richard Arden - Sheffield, England (R.B.Arden@sheffield.ac.uk) February 22, 1994 Since I am a new member to the BtL mailing list, I figure that I should write a short introduction on who I am. First of all about myself, so that everyone knows, and no one is curious! Well, at the moment I am a 21 year old (young) Economics PhD. student at the University of Sheffield, England. I am also a big Debbie Gibson fan, and have been ever since her first UK hit ("Shake Your Love"), which was so long ago that I have forgotten which year it was, but I think it was 1987! Next my fond childhood memories, aaaah, those were the days, young, innocent, without a care in the world! I remember I was about 15 at the time when I started getting big on chart music, I look back on it as the days when there was actually decent music in the charts! I heard this song on the radio, and thought it sounded pretty good, after a few days I found out it was "Shake Your Love" by Debbie Gibson (remember of course, that SYL was the first single released in this country, unlike the states that got OIMD). The following weekend I was down at the shops and was in the record store, I discovered that she had released an album, _Out of the Blue_. Me being me, hating to buy singles at 1 pound sterling (in those days) thought it was better value to get the album for 5 pounds sterling (I think) so I got it there and then. (Incidently it was the first album that I'd ever bought). Getting it home and playing it, I discovered that "Shake Your Love" was the worst song (in my opinion), the rest were far better. I loved "Foolish Beat" and "Out of the Blue," but the rest came close behind. From then, I kept an ear and an eye out for anything new from her. I joined D.G.I.F for a year, unfortunately getting hold of money orders in U.S. dollars is not the easiest thing in the world from the UK, especially when you are only 15 or so, therefore only one year was possible. I often used to sit up late at the weekends to watch the American Top 10 on TV (about 2.00 A.M. generally) to see how well Deborah was getting on in the States, and it also gave me an early preview of what was soon to come over to the UK. Her appeal in the UK was fairly short lived, and most people think her only album was _Out of the Blue_ (still!). Then _Electric Youth_ came out, I was able to get it the day of release, and to my relief it was just as brilliant as the first album, so I listened to it continuously, usually 4-5 times a day for a month or so! Then everything went quiet for quite a while, I heard nothing new until I by chance happened to be listening to the radio and I heard "Anything Is Possible" being played. Well it took until the next day for me to get around to going down to the shops, and I got the single in the absence of an album. I then had to periodically go to town to look for the new album. When I eventually got it, it was "different," a style much varied from the first two. Although now, I think it is just a good. Then again here, there was a long silence, nothing happened, no noise, no nothing, not until D.G.I.F. sent me a complementary copy which announced the fourth album _Body Mind Soul_. Unfortunately whilst it was out in the states, it took several months to make it to the UK. Although, whilst listening to the American Top 40 on the radio, I heard "Losin' Myself," so it kept me going. Next dreams, ambitions, and anything else. It has always been my dream, and still is to see Debbie in concert. She hasn't really played in this country, so my dream still remains. However, last year I heard that she had got of the part of Sandy in Grease, London. I couldn't believe it, a chance to see her singing, not her own songs admittedly, but it was a second best option. So back in August, me and a friend (another devoted fan) went up to London (without tickets) and managed to get standing on the day (better than nothing) to see the show. It was amazing, I've never been so excited in my life! And when Debbie came on, I realised my dream was partially satisfied!!! I didn't have time to go around to the stage door, although I wished I could have, but with any luck I shall soon I am going down to London again to see the show, so I may try to meet Debbie, a dream which will never be forgotten if it comes true! The final part in my story, is finding the BtL stuff. I've had access to FTP for the last few years, but it is only this year that I happened by chance across it, after being shown the right direction by Davide Guida (thanks!). So now I know a load of other dedicated fans exists, I was beginning to think I was the only one around! Well that was as far as the story went, when I wrote it. However, life has moved on, and now I'm happy to say that my dreams have come true. I went down to London again the other day to see Grease (only for the second time). This time after the show, I went around to the stage door. After a short bit of time, Deborah came out. I managed to call her over, despite being very shocked! I got her to sign my BMS CD inlay card, and had time for a very quick chat to her. So as you see stories have happy endings! Well I think I've summed it all up, so for now, bye. Here is a message for Deborah if she reads this: Dear Deborah, I wish to thank you for the many countless hours of happiness your music as brought to me. Please keep it going, so long as you keep writing, singing and producing, I shall remain a devoted fan. I look forward to your next album, and hopefully a concert tour of England! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY KENNY TSE =- Kenny Tse - Sunnyvale, California (ST340806%SJSUVM1.BITNET@cmsa.Berkeley.EDU) February 21, 1994 The year was 1987 when I bought my first Debbie Gibson record. I got her _Out of the Blue_ record from a store named Rainbow Records. I remember not opening the Debbie's OOTB record for two weeks. Finally one day I opened the seal wrap that covered the record and played it on my stereo. I recall hearing one of her hits on the radio earlier that month. I played the whole album and loved it! Hit after hit, I soon began realizing that this sixteen year old named Debbie Gibson had lots of talent. When her first tour hit in 1988 here at the Concord Pavilion, I immediately thought of going. Unfortunately, I missed Debbie's Out Of The Blue Tour because I had no transportation to go. Debbie's second album hit the stores January 1989 and immediately got her record. This album was great, too, like her first! I was excited that "Lost In Your Eyes" hit #1 on the charts! I followed each of Deb's hits that were released. August 1989 was when Debbie toured again in the Bay Area here at Shoreline Amphitheatre. This time I bought tickets earlier and saw her in concert. All I have to say is that Debbie is truly magnificent performing live! I started collect things on Debbie during 1988 after her first tour. Debbie's third album came out in late 1990. I bought her _Anything Is Possible_ album right away and loved it. Even though this album didn't do well on the charts, I still enjoyed this album, especially her ballads. One of my favorites on this one was "Where Have You Been?". Debbie's third tour One Step Ahead was at the Concord Pavilion in 1991. I saw her again in concert and thought the show was awesome! At the Electric Youth tour I had 10th row seats and at the One Step Ahead tour I had 12th row seats. Between 1992-1993, not much happen with Debbie, except that she was performing Les Miz in New York. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see Debbie in Les Miz. One day after my 21st birthday, January 19th, 1993 Debbie's fourth album was released. Like the _Anything Is Possible_ album, _Body Mind Soul_ didn't do well on the charts. I love this album the best. "Losin' Myself" and "Goodbye" are my favorites. I loved _Body Mind Soul_ so much I bought two CD's! Well this year Deborah is in London performing the musical Grease. I almost went but backed away from going because I didn't have enough money. So far 1994 has been an O.K. year for Debbie as now she changes record labels to SBK Records. I hope Deb does better on SBK Records and I am glad Debbie is expanding her talent doing theatre. I guess the main reason I love Debbie so much is her talent, her down to earth personality and the way she cares about her fans worldwide. Nowadays I try to collect anything I can find on Debbie and find out the latest information on her through other Deb fans. I hope the best for Debbie as her fifth album is going to be released possibly in January 1995. Despite the lack of recognition and popularity Debbie deserves, I will always be a Deb Fan! And, about myself: my name is Kenny Tse, I am 22 years old, I go to San Jose State University majoring in Biology. Besides Debbie, I enjoy the music of Bryan Adams, The Cranberries, U2, and Mariah Carey. Basically I enjoy pop-rock, modern rock type music. My postal address is 1081 Hedera Court, Sunnyvale, California 94086. If you want to e-mail me send to this address: ST340806@sjsuvm1.sjsu.edu Thanks, from Kenny Tse...D.G.I.F.#1383. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBBIE GIBSON SIGNS TO SBK RECORDS =- Myra Wong - San Diego, California (mkwong@sdcc13.ucsd.edu) February 27, 1994 In mid-January, BtL member Jerry Glassman (n.glassman2@genie.geis.com) passed on a message, posted to the Debbie Gibson folder on America Online by "Bdyl" on January 9th, to the Debhead mailing list. This person said: Deborah is switching labels. Her next album will be on SBK records, and it will probably come out in January of 1995. It will be a logical extension of her first two records...great songs, beautiful ballads and honest lyrics. SBK Records is a division of the EMI Records Group. On January 20th, when the Beck Travel group (as announced in BtL 5.13) went to see Grease in London, they, plus two other London BtL members, spoke to Deborah backstage before the show. The next day, Oliver Ho (O.C.Y.Ho@hertfordshire.ac.uk) reported that her change in record label has been effective since January 1st, 1994, and Debbie said that, "It's a new start." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= D.G.I.F. CALENDAR REVIEW =- Justin Scott - Granada Hills, California (hacsc071@huey.csun.edu) February 26, 1994 After what seemed like months of anticipation, I finally received my Debbie Gibson 1994 calendar. Before I got it, I was interested as to what direction would be taken. Would it be the old Deb just being herself, or would it possibly be Dress-Up-Deb? While I don't personally care which one it is (as long as it _is_ Deb), I know some people who were very scared. I was also concerned that just maybe it'd be very tossed together (being as we couldn't order 'til mid-December). Well, I love it! Month by month review: Front: Angle similar to October '93, Deb with hands on shoulders, eyes Cover closed, smiling. She's wearing a white and black striped off the shoulder top. Inside: Deb in that triangle-pattered top and jeans, leaning over, smiling, Cover looks like in front of Buckingham Palace. January: Same as a D.G.I.F. front cover (her in that triangle top) but in colour! February: Lace up black top, leather jacket. Looks like one of the record parties. She also has her darker hair. March: Two pictures. Main: Her in jeans and a multi-colour top and navy hat, which I'm assuming means it's a picture taken from her Memorial Day Intrepid concert. Inset: No hat, but doing what she does best and singing her heart out. April: Close up of her face in her hands, wearing an Easter bonnet. May: Two pictures from the French-look photo shoot, the main one we haven't seen before. It's of her walking away, glancing over her shoulder. The inset is one of the four square D.G.I.F. pics, on her knees getting ready to take a picture. June: Deb with her hair up and wearing the "fluffy" (for lack of a better word) top from the "Losin' Myself" video. July: Deb in an oversized white top on the beach. August: Deb discovers the fountain of youth! (She looks a lot like the Olsen twins from "Full House" in this picture.) Wearing a "Nassau" hat, probably from New York. September: Two shots of her in costumes from Grease, which are somewhat hard to describe. Left: Green/black patterned skirt and black cut-off top. Right: Pink dress, sunglasses, looking at us from over the glasses. October: Her with pom-poms in an all black outfit). Looks like the D.G.I.F. picture. November: Good shot, mostly face, of her wearing (a lot) of make up. Maybe a bit _too_ much, but she still looks good (of course!). December: Deb grinning in a shot from the "Shock Your Mama" video, from the shoulders up. Good picture although she has a bit of a goofy grin. This is probably my favourite shot. Back: Another "Losin' Myself" video shot. Cover Overall, I really like it, it is really good. I like the pictures except the baby picture for her birthday month (August); it's cute but it should've been an inset and not the whole picture, in my opinion. It was very much worth getting. I also like the font used _much_ better for the calendar itself, much more "upscale" looking. I'd say get it if you were worried as I was, you'll be pleasantly surprised. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBHEADS - IT'S TIME TO GO TO WORK! =- Douglas Trapasso - Trumbull, Connecticut (douglas905@aol.com) January 30, 1994 Now that Deborah has switched labels from Atlantic to SBK, it provides a good opportunity for us to introduce ourselves as loyal fans to her new record company. One thing that would be smart is if one of us could find out exactly _who_ at SBK signed Deb. Was it Charles Koppleman himself, or some of his associates? Once we find out, I recommend we send a hard copy of BtL every month to SBK's key people. It's important for them to realize that Deborah still has a loyal fan base, and that if they conduct an organized promotion campaign for the fifth album, they can bring about one of the great career comebacks in recent years (along the lines of Bonnie Raitt's). I personally subscribe to BtL via postal mail, and I certainly would be willing to pay a little more each issue, if I knew that SBK executives were getting it gratis. And then we Debheads should introduce ourselves to SBK personally. What I have in mind is writing a short letter to an SBK executive like the one that follows: Dear Mr. Koppelman: My name is Douglas Trapasso, and I want to congratulate you on your recent signing of Debbie Gibson. I am writing to you on behalf of "Between the Lines," a Debbie Gibson mailing list distributed on the Internet. We are knowledgeable, loyal fans of Deborah's and we often use the mailing list to share stories, critique her music, and to disseminate recent rumors, etc. We publish a newsletter called "Between the Lines" every month (BtL for short) featuring many of the Internet postings. We wish you the best of luck in further developing Debbie's career. We also invite you to share information about her progress on her first album for SBK. Please feel free to consult us if you want to discuss strategy on how to put Debbie's music back on the radio again. Debheads are often a contentious lot, but we are willing to work just as hard as your executives in order to make her next album a success! If you have Internet access, our mailing list is accessed by e-mailing debhead-request@nova.decio.nd.edu. My personal e-mail is Douglas905@aol.com. Once again, congratulations and best of luck with your new signing. We Debheads sincerely hope you will keep in touch. Sincerely, Douglas Trapasso =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= JOURNEY TO LONDON =- Ronald Coulter - St. Paul, Minnesota (GBSB67A@prodigy.com) February 6, 1994 Tuesday, January 18 Well, it's up at 4:45 A.M. It is 27 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. I'm set to go when the taxi arrives a few minutes before 6:00 A.M. I'm at the TWA ticket counter at 6:15, and since I'm all ready to go, they offer me an earlier 7:00 A.M. flight to St. Louis, rather than the 8:15. This gives me a greater time to catch my 9:50 flight to JFK in New York, so I take it. There is lunch on the flight to NY, which arrives at 2:00 P.M. Virgin Atlantic doesn't open their check-in counter until 4:00 P.M., so I must wait until they open to get rid of my suitcase. I finally go to gate 35. We are late boarding the plane because it is late coming in from London by an hour. They hold us captive another 5 hours before we finally take off. Wednesday, January 19 We must have gone full speed, as it only takes us about 5 hours to get to London and we land somewhat after noon. There is some confusion getting the shuttle service to our hotel, since we were not there at 7:00 A.M. when they were to hold out a sign for us, and then only 2 of 6 had shown up from Los Angeles. They pack the 6 of us and our luggage in a little mini-van and off we go to the Royal National Hotel near Russell Square. Thursday, January 20 It's up about 7:30 for the hotel's free continental breakfast served from a room on every floor. I go to the hotel lobby and pay extra for the English breakfast supplement, which also is a disaster. At 9:00 A.M. the bus for our half-day sightseeing tour arrives and the 8 of us board the big bus. They ask us where we want to go. We are limited since the tour includes no admission fees and is only for a little over 3 hours. They do the best they can, and we get quite a view of the city from the bus. We stop briefly at Westminster Abbey to see a small part of the inside and visit the bookstore. We follow on foot the changing of the guard that proceeds from St. James's Palace to Buckingham Palace. We drive across Tower Bridge, saw the outside of the Tower of London and the Houses of Parliament, and even drive by the Dominion Theatre where Grease is. I go to Pizzaland a couple of blocks up the street from the hotel for lunch after the tour. I spend the rest of the afternoon in the British Museum exploring the wonders, following the souvenir guidebook. There are some six miles of corridors, and I manage to see quite a bit. On the way out, I have dinner at the Museum Tavern. Then back to the hotel to change and then a trip on the Picadilly Underground line, changing to the Northern line at Leicester Square to get off at Tottenham Court Road station, which is right in front of The Dominion Theatre. We have quite a discussion with the box office, since our tickets for Grease are back in LA with our group leader. They finally give us our replacement tickets in time for us to go back to the stage door and wait. They knew we were coming and finally at 6:30 we are let in the stage door. We didn't know we were to sign in the guestbook, so we turn around in the narrow passage and sign our names in the book. We walk up several flights of stairs and finally we go into a small room where Debbie shakes hands with each of us as we enter. I know it is the highlight of my trip to spend a half-hour with Deborah talking, getting autographs and taking pictures. She is very natural and friendly and puts everyone at ease. She has a table filled with 8 bowls of snacks and four dips and pleads with us several times to eat some so it wouldn't be left over for her to eat. I have the chance to ask her if the rumor was true that she was changing record labels to SBK, and she says it is no rumor, and that it has just been finalized. The reason she gives is that they have some great computer stuff. She also says that she has been working on some new songs, but hasn't done any recording yet. In addition, she mentions that she will be done with Grease in April, and that they haven't chosen her replacement yet. At 7:00 P.M., Debbie has to go get ready for the show, so we say our goodbyes and go back to the front of the theater to shop for Grease souvenirs and take our seats for the 7:30 show. The show is very good, with a tremendous variety of props, sets and neon lights that really added to the show, making it even better than the cast album. After the show, we go around back to the stage door to say goodnight to Debbie as she leaves. We then take the subway back to the hotel. It is about midnight when I fell asleep. Friday, January 21 I drop off my roll of pictures from last night at the one-hour photo shop up the street. I will pick it up tonight. Then I take the underground to Picadilly Circus and have breakfast at Burger King. I go to Sackville Street nearby and stop for a visit at The Folio Gallery in the Henry Sotheran bookstore. I have subscribed for several years to the wonderfully illustrated, bound and slipcased books the Folio Society publishes every month. So it's a quick taxi ride in one of the big black cabs that are a London tradition over to The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. I pick up the _Twenty Great Paintings_ book in the museum shop and start exploring one of the greatest collections of paintings in the world, which runs from about 1350-1925. There are 66 rooms of paintings, ranging from Giotto, Boticelli, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, El Greco, Vermeer, Rubens, Velazquez all the way up to Turner, Constable, Goya, Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Seurat and Picasso. After seeing some 2600 paintings and walking some 6 miles my mind is in a whirl and my feet are tired. I walk over to Leicester Square to look at all the busy activity of the movies, discos and shops. Then I find the underground station for the trip back to the hotel. I pick up my pictures after getting off the subway. I don't care at all for the ones of me, and hope to find someone else's that turned out better. Saturday, January 22 Today I have planned to go to the Victoria and Albert Museum, but it doesn't work out that way. David Stoeckl is going to get some copies and enlargements of his pictures up at the one-hour photo shop, so he is going to get some made for me too. We are to meet later when they are done, so I run over to Pizzaland for brunch. Some of them aren't finished yet when we go back to the shop, and David is in a hurry to get to the afternoon Grease show. So I have time to get some more enlargements and copies made from David's negatives. They are willing to take the time to print out several test strips for each one to correct the bright flash lighting and make them better. That pretty much takes the afternoon to get everything I want just right. It is worth it, for I now have an 8"x12" and a 6"x8.5" of me together with Debbie for her to sign. I get changed and go over to the Dominion Theatre. The others have finished the afternoon show and are waiting for Debbie to come out. She is trying to keep from standing out in the cold between shows, since she has recently gotten over a cold, so we will have to wait until after the night show to say our farewell to Debbie. They do give us each our big color program signed by all the members of the cast, which I will have along with the smaller program I asked Debbie to sign on Thursday night. They make a beautiful set in the custom frame together with the Grease ticket, keychain, button and enamel pin. My second time at Grease is good. My seat is more in the middle, so I have an even better view. It is amazing that there is virtually a full house for every show. After the show, I scoot around back to the stage door where the others are waiting. It is the end of the week, so it takes a lot longer for Debbie to come out this time, and we are there at least an hour. We give her one of David's group shot enlargements that we have all signed, and I got her to sign my pictures before we all said goodbye. Then we took the subway back to the hotel. Sunday, January 23 Today is my trip out into the country to Aldershot. My goal is to visit the John Hine Studios, home of the famous David Winter Cottages. He too has quite a following around the world, just like Deborah. David Winter creates these wonderful miniature cottages that are then hand made and hand painted for collectors around the world. He has made about 200 different ones in the 15 years, and I've been collecting them for several years. Monday, January 24 Well, we're up to see Tammie and Sharon off to the airport; their shuttle leaves at 8:15 for their flight to LA. I then go have that dreadful breakfast in the hotel restaurant again and then bring the luggage down to be ready for our 10:00 A.M. shuttle for our 2:00 P.M. flight to NY. We get to the airport and decide to see if the girls have left yet. We just miss them at the gate and must come back from the gate through security again. The plane leaves an hour late this time. They serve dinner after we take off. I took in 3 movies this time. Well, the plane gets to the gate about 5:40 P.M., an hour late. It is cutting it quite close to go through passport control, collect my luggage, go through customs, catch the bus to the TWA terminal, check in my luggage again and get to the gate by 6:30 for the last flight of the day that would get me home. I get to the gate at 6:27, but they haven't started boarding, so we wind up taking off 45 minutes late anyway. We get to St. Louis on time at 8:35, which gives me time to catch the 9:35 P.M. flight to the Twin Cities which arrives at 11:00 P.M. I get home about midnight and promptly went to sleep. Unpacking could wait 'til tomorrow. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= BtL POLL: TWO DIMENSIONAL FUTURE SHOCK? =- Mike Falkner - Eau Claire, Wisconsin (FALKNEMJ@CNSVAX.UWEC.EDU) February 3, 1994 Topic: The future only belongs to the future itself. But what does it bring? I asked the following. [Please note this poll was completed before knowledge of the move of Deborah to SBK.] 1a> "Knowing" Deborah as a fan, would you speculate that the next album would be more like? Which or none of the four previous albums? Consensus here was for NONE OF THE ABOVE. I think this can be underscored by the news elsewhere in this BtL that Deborah no longer records for Atlantic, but will record for SBK Records. Others felt especially for _Body Mind Soul_, due to a linear progression of her music and career. Now, here are some of the comments from the responses: Andrew Shurak -- I'd say it would be most like _Body Mind Soul_, because she seems to be evolving in that direction in her material, lyrics and sound. Michelle Chobotar [combining both 1a and 1b] -- I would like to see an album with a feel of EY and AIP. More instruments, especially piano and more mature music with an upbeat feeling just not as youthful as EY. Ted Beers -- None of the above. With each album, Debbie's music has evolved towards perfection; I expect that to continue. Also, each album has a unique feel to it. I hope the next one does as well. Sean Diamond -- None of the above--I think it will be more 50's-like (Grease-influenced). 1b> Which of the five would you HOPE the next album be more like? Many different answers here. Here are excerpts from an especially well done (and long) answer from Andrew Shurak: "I'd hope it would combine the maturity of AIP (particularly on her ballads) with the dance-song catchiness of OOTB and EY. I'd almost compare some of her dancier songs on AIP to the Beatles in the sense that they are simple but very well executed songs. That's harder than it seems, and makes those albums so listenable even today. "Single selection and strong promotion is also important. One reason why Debbie didn't get to build on her modest success of the single "Anything Is Possible" is that very few people heard "(This So-Called) Miracle" - or if they did, it was a weak edit played on the radio, no support from MTV or other video outlets like VH-1. Debbie needs more than one shot per album, and better odds to make that first shot count. The media blitz on "Losin' Myself, while striking some people as an attitude of holier-than-thou, was a very good step in the direction of creating a media buzz for her album's release." 2> Taking into account Deborah's abilities, preferences, etc., what theatrical role would you like to see Deborah play next? Doug Trapasso -- A small part (not a lead) in a comedy (preferably not a musical.) Rusty Shelby -- She's played it. [Sandy in Grease.] Sara Gauchat -- Gypsy Rose Lee/Louise in "Gypsy" -- This is a role she'd be good at, and it would also probably shock some people, which is a trend Deborah has been following over the past couple years. 3> Deborah, in the past, has worked on screenplays, Broadway musicals (with Lamont Dozier), animated stories (like what she's doing now), along with her other projects. At what, other than her singing [or other music-making background] and stage acting, do you feel Deborah would be best qualified for? Rusty Shelby -- "MOVIE ACTING!!!!! That answer mirrored several who felt this way. And then some really interesting answers: Ivo Kroone -- Considering her fine command of foreign languages and her perfect personality she'd make a perfect representative for a Government or charity institution. Ted Beers -- Public relations? Anything that involves making people feel good about--or better understanding--themselves or a situation. And Doug Trapasso comes up with a real good one: "You know what I picture Deb doing? Going to elementary and secondary schools, giving short lectures on the importance of making the arts part of every students' education. Explain to the students that a foundation in classical music is something they can take with them throughout life. Remind them that they don't have to be a big star like Debbie, to receive pleasure from all kinds of music. The people who organize the Grammy awards every year do this kind of "community outreach" with several recent nominees. If Deb could get involved like this, it would make good publicity for her, as well as the music industry, which frankly, could use it." 4> [Submitted by Jeff Tharp] Do you think Deborah should do a mall tour to promote the next album, with autograph sessions? In answering this, keep in mind that she needs to get the public's attention since the radio stations no longer play her material. YES NO 7 4 Rusty Shelby: "A mall tour would only worsen the media's opinion of her." [Much in the same way that it worsened their opinion of Tiffany.] Some others would simply give her directions to the nearest mall to them!! 5> In what other ways should Deborah try to get the public's attention toward her material? Sean Diamond restates Deborah's dilemma in answering this question: "I think she should try to get MTV to play her videos. These days, if you can't get on MTV, you may as well not exist. I think she should try to get on MTV's Unplugged. She sounds great acoustic and Unplugged is very popular lately. I know there's no way they'd let her do it but I think it would definitely give her a lot of publicity." Michelle Chobotar -- I believe she should present herself mature and grown up but nothing that is shocking or overblown or might look like a fake image to some people in the public. Sara Gauchat -- Overall, she could use better publicity people working for her. But for this new album, along with a really strong first single, she really needs something to grab people's attention. [...] Maybe a huge MTV/VH-1 contest of some kind to kick off the album or tour would work. 6> It has been reported that Deborah turned down an attractive movie role made just before the Grease run was to start. [She had already committed to Grease, and this would overlap.] In what kind of movie role would you like to see Deborah? Jeff Croft -- I would like to see her do some kind of dramatic role, something NOT involving music. Too many musical artists get cameos in movies where they do something music-related. I would not like to see too much of this in Deborah's case. Sara Gauchat -- For her first real movie role, I would like to see Deborah not with the lead, but rather in a strong supporting role. I don't want her to fade into the background, but it would be a potential disaster if she had to carry the success or failure of the movie on her shoulders. Other responses included: -- Julia Robert's role in "Mystic Pizza" -- Whitney Houston's in "The Bodyguard" -- Anything other than a musician, or All-American Girl, but not an overtly sexual character to the extreme either. 7> Is it possible that Deborah could overwork herself and wear herself out with the breakneck pace she sometimes has? YES NO 7 8 8> What kind of Debbie Gibson fan do you see yourself as in five years? Jeff Croft -- I was a strong Deborah fan for several years, but this strength has waxed and waned in the years since AIP. I will always be faithful to her earlier albums, but I do not feel so strongly about her last two; it seems as though they are not as true a representation of her, probably because of collaborations and the like. If she were to return to her "true" musical self within the next five years, my faith would be justified. Otherwise, I think I might eventually become less of a fan as the magic continues to wear off. I got a lot of really good answers for last month's poll, and I hope to get many more for this issue's. Beginning with this issue, polls will run every other month for a little while, perhaps until the middle or end of this year. SUBJECT: Top Story: Deborah with SBK As many or all of you know by now, Deborah has either completed or is in the process of completing a deal to record for SBK Records. Some of the questions may seem quite generic, given the circumstances, but it is my intention to mail many of the better poll answers to SBK Records to give them an indication of how much we care for Deborah Gibson and her career, as well as to give them ideas as to how they can best put Deborah forward. So, with that in mind, I hope for a lot of responses, not only from those who have regularly responded, but some others of you who have not. The addresses are: Michael Falkner or FALKNEMJ@CNSVAX.UWEC.EDU 436 1/2 Water St Eau Claire WI 54703 U.S.A. and the deadline for this poll will be: March 25, 1994 1> In your opinion, is the move to SBK Records a good one for Deborah's music career? Why or why not? 2a> How would you respond to the following statement if it were made by a top person at SBK? The statement is: "Debbie Gibson is no more than a washed-up teeny-bopper and will not do well on this label." 2b> How can SBK help Deborah respond to sentiment like the statement above through her work? 3> What things can Deborah now do with SBK that you feel she could not do with Atlantic Records? 4> How should SBK Records convince radio stations and MTV to give Debbie Gibson and her mature material a shot? 5> How would you convince SBK Records that Debbie Gibson, though her last album sold abysmally, deserves a major push forward? 6> In what way does Debbie Gibson have a future in popular music? 7> Finally, if there was any one thing that you'd like SBK to know about your feelings toward Deborah, what would it be and why? Remember, deadline for this poll is March 25, 1994, and I intend to mail many of the better results to SBK Records once the deal has gone through the chain of command over there. So, I encourage as many of you as possible to get involved. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= AWESTRUCK IN LONDON =- Sean Diamond - Sewell, New Jersey (diamond@elvis.rowan.edu) February 24, 1994 So there I was, thousands of miles high and halfway across the Atlantic when it finally hit me: "I'm actually going to see Debbie Gibson!" It didn't matter that our flight had been delayed 6 hours or that I was missing the first few days of the new semester. The only thing I could think about was finally seeing my idol perform live. We arrived in London on Wednesday, January 19 and met with the rest of the group to catch our shuttle to the hotel. We spent the first day getting settled in our hotel and seeing a few sights. Then on Thursday we met up with a pen pal of one of the group members, Ann. First she took us to Rock Island where we saw the "Be nice or get out" sign Debbie was pointing to in D.G.I.F. 6.1. Then after lunch we headed to the Dominion Theatre to wait for Debbie to arrive. Unfortunately we got there too late and missed her so Ann went to the backstage door to see if Debbie would come out to see us. Debbie knew we were coming so when she found out we were outside she told Dave (her chauffeur) to send us up to her dressing room! A little while later Dave let us in and had us sign our names in some book. He then led us up the 4 flights of stairs to The Bainbridge Suite (Debbie's dressing room). My heart was really pounding when Dave stopped and pointed to Debbie's room. I was the first one behind Dave so I nervously stepped into the doorway and there she was! Debbie Gibson! She smiled and said hi. I think I said hi back but I was kind of in awe so I'm not really sure what I said. We all piled into her room and began talking with her. After a few minutes she asked if we wanted to take some pictures so we all whipped out our cameras. She posed for a few pics and then we got individual shots of us and Deb. After that she signed some autographs for us. She was sooooo incredibly nice!! She had even set out some snacks for us to eat although eating was the last thing on our minds. After about half an hour she told us she had to get ready for the show so we all left and found our seats. The show was incredible!! Debbie sounded terrific and the whole production was very well put together. After the show we went behind the theatre to try and catch Deb on her way out. After awhile she came out and started signing autographs. When she finally came to us she asked us how we liked the show and signed a few more autographs for us. I was in awe the whole rest of the night. I couldn't believe I had just met Debbie Gibson! Then on Saturday we managed to get 3rd row seats to the matinee. They were expensive but well worth the price. We were so close that Deb saw us in the audience and looked over at us several times during the show. It was so cool! After the show we went out back to see if she'd come out but Dave told us that she wasn't feeling well and didn't want to come out between performances. He did say however, that she did want to say goodbye to us (there was no show on Sunday and we left Monday morning so this would be the last time we could see her) so she asked if we could come back after the evening show around 10:30. We told him we'd be back and left to do some shopping. We came back around 9:00 (just to be on the safe side) and waited patiently for her to come out. Around 10:45 she came out and came over to us first. We talked to her a bit and took some more pictures and then she went on to sign autographs for other people. When she was finished she came back to us and said something like "Well guys, this is it!" We all said our final goodbyes and gave her hugs and handshakes. She told us it was nice seeing us and she hoped we'd have a nice trip home. She then hopped in her jaguar and was driven off. I couldn't believe how nice and friendly she was. I mean, I always thought she seemed like a nice person but she was absolutely the nicest, sweetest person I've ever met. She even took a bunch of large Grease programs and had the entire cast sign them for us! She was everything I'd imagined her to be and more. Monday finally came and it was time for us to leave but for some reason I wasn't that upset about leaving. After all, not only did I get to see my favorite singer perform live for the first time, I was in her dressing room!! As I flew home I still couldn't get over it. One of my biggest dreams had come true. Then the thought crossed my mind: "Now that I've met her, what else is there to look forward to?" Then the answer came to me... "next time!" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBWATCH =- Here's a list of significant television appearances shown since the last issue of BtL. 1/28/94 : THE WORD (Channel 4, UK) Deb appeared on this slightly trendy chat/music television show, talking about Grease, and how her image is similar to "Sandy." She brought up the fact that she is leaving Grease in April, and said that she wants to get back to recording her own music. The most interesting thing revealed in the interview was that she dropped a water bomb on her teacher once! Thanks to Graeme Lyall (graeme@minerva.demon.co.uk) and Dominic Thomas (d.thomas01@ic.ac.uk) for the information. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- According to the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, December 19, 1993, _Body Mind Soul_ sold only 62,917 copies in the United States. The second single from _Grease - The Original London Cast Recording_ is the title song "Grease" sung solo by Craig McLachlan. The last track on the CD single is "Grease (Megamix)" which is a mix of "You're The One That I Want," "We Go Together," "Summer Nights," and "Greased Lightning." According to Richard Arden (R.B.Arden@sheffield.ac.uk), Debbie "is planning on doing the next album after she finishes in Grease and she is also planning to do a tour in the UK shortly after its release." In England, Deb and three other Grease cast members will appear on the game show "Win, Lose Or Draw" hosted by Shane Ritchie ("Kenickie"). The show will be broadcast on ITV at 9:25 A.M. from Monday, February 28th to Friday, March 4th. According to Oliver Ho (O.C.Y.Ho@hertfordshire.ac.uk), Debbie "really liked the birthday issue of BtL; she said it was excellent!" Deb has been receiving hand-delivered issues of BtL at the theatre, as they are released. Thanks to all the BtL members for getting them to her so quickly!