=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S [tm] Volume 6, Issue 4 - July 11, 1994 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 CHRIS DAVIS - Chris Davis INTRO BY PATRICK S. LEE - Patrick S. Lee INTRO BY HAYDEN JONES - Hayden Jones DEBBIE GIBSON IN NEW YORK NEWSDAY - Ronald Coulter STORM THE CASTLE! -- A MAGIC NIGHT - Michael Falkner 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 =- Between the Lines has a new central account and e-mail address. Please send all administrative requests and submissions to: btl@egbt.org 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 by sending e-mail to the address the 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 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@ucsd.edu mkwong@ucsd.bitnet Felix Ng : fng@acca.nmsu.edu 1:153/915 on Fidonet =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY CHRIS DAVIS =- Chris Davis - Atascadero, California (cdavis@cdss.win.net) May 25, 1994 Hello everyone! My name is Chris and I live in Central California. I am a new member of the Between the Lines mailing list and am happy to find this source of information about Debbie Gibson. I don't find myself in the category with fans who collect everything they can about Debbie. I am just someone who started listening to her music over seven years ago and I have thoroughly enjoyed that music ever since. Remember when the media was trying to decide who was hotter, Debbie Gibson or Tiffany? NO CONTEST!! I've got my favorite songs from each of Debbie's albums, this covers just about every song on each album. I like the _Body Mind Soul_ album the best. But the song that causes me to "melt" each time I hear it isn't on the albums _Out of the Blue_ to _Body Mind Soul_. Anyone who has the "Live Around the World" video will remember "Love Under My Pillow," when Debbie sings a duet with Keeth Stewart. The only time I've ever written to Debbie was a birthday card for her 21st birthday, which included a suggestion for this song to appear on an upcoming album. Of course, if she took suggestions from everyone, the next album would have somewhere around 50 tracks on it. Hey, what a concept!! I feel sad when I read about the threats made against Debbie and about people stalking her. This should not be the price someone has to pay for doing something that they love. I join everyone here in wishing Debbie the best in her future endeavours. I'll be looking forward to the release of her next album and beyond... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY PATRICK S. LEE =- Patrick S. Lee - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (pl1h+@andrew.cmu.edu) June 1, 1994 Hello everyone! My name's Pat Lee and I will be a senior at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall studying electrical and computer engineering. I come from Poughkeepsie, New York. Currently, I do research for the ECE department on image processing during the day. At night, I'm a musician (I play guitar, keyboards, sing, write and produce). I guess I'll tell you how I became a Debbie Gibson fan. I remember my time when I was sick for a couple of weeks way back when I was a sophomore in high school in the fall of 1987. I turned on the television to VH-1 and saw "Only in My Dreams." When I saw that video, it brought a positive message to me, because it was 'only in my dreams' that I would feel better and recover. Of course, that dream became a reality eventually. Of course, I did find out that it was by a 16 year old girl named Debbie Gibson. A couple months later, I heard "Shake Your Love" on my local radio. I said to myself, "It's a cool song to dance away to!" And the same was true for "Out of the Blue" as well. Since I wanted to know what and who Debbie G. was, I decided to look at her articles in some teen magazines (especially "16," my favorite). What was interesting was that she and I shared may things in common...among them the natural birthplace of Brooklyn, New York! She played the piano at a relatively young age; and so did I! I was going to see Debbie in concert during the One Step Ahead Tour over here in Poughkeepsie, New York, during July of '91, but unfortunately the concert was cancelled. I still hope to see her in concert someday, and hopefully meet her in person. I've been a fan of hers up until today, and ever since then, I've been getting every single Debbie Gibson album. And, I'm sure more is yet to come! By the way, I hope that the death threats and scares that I have been hearing about of her have stopped, and I hope she takes full precautions in regards to her safety, even if she returns back to the States. So, other than Debbie, I'm also a fan of Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Mariah Carey, and some classic rock groups (especially the Rolling Stones), and various club-dance groups. I really don't have anything else to say, but I hope that Debbie will continue to mature in her music and her acting, and, who knows? I may be able to play some guitar parts on her future albums! So, if anyone else out there that wishes to write to me, feel free to do so. My address is: Box 4932, 5115 Margaret Morrison Pittsburgh, PA 15213 I'm a new BtL member, so I hope all of you old members out there can give me a warm welcome here! And to Deborah (as she prefers to be called), here's a message for you: Dear Deborah, Well, all I can say is, keep up the good work! Although your last album was considered a "flop" by today's recording industry folks, keep in mind that it's your music, your feelings that is being brought across that is important. I'll be looking forward for another album of yours and good luck with your new deal with SBK Records! -Patrick S. Lee =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY HAYDEN JONES =- Hayden Jones - Toronto, Canada (cs922026@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca) June 14, 1994 Hi, being a new Debhead, I've finally decided to take the initiation ritual (as it were) and tell you a little about myself. My name is Hayden Jones, and I'm a 22 year old Computer Science student at York University in Toronto, Canada. As well as being a big Debbie Gibson fan, I'm also fond of Douglas Adams, Star Trek, playing the piano, tennis and Billy Joel. I'm also a member of the Serial Diners, who are a group of people who are systematically going to each restaurant in the Toronto Yellow Pages, in alphabetical order. (We're on Year 3 of an approximately 42 year gastronomical mission.) On the whole, I'm a pretty cheerful guy (except when playing the piano or tennis), who's a little prudish and tends to take things more literally than the next fellow. (I miss a few jokes because of this.) I was not a fan of popular music until I saw Debbie's "Foolish Beat" video, I was really captivated by the music and the images that I saw. So, I went down to the music store and saw two Debbie Gibson tapes, one was "Out of the Blue" and the other was the "Foolish Beat" tape. I bought the "Foolish Beat" tape and was struck by how different it was from the video. I didn't realize that this was a remix at the time I bought it. The album grew on me and so I bought the _Out of the Blue_ tape as well and, suffice it to say, the rest is history. More than anything else, I would like to thank Deborah for being the positive, energetic, honest and decent person that she is. All too often the media portray a pessimistic view of the world, Deborah Gibson stands out as a glaring counter-example. From a fellow Debhead, Take care and best wishes, Hayden Jones =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBBIE GIBSON IN NEW YORK NEWSDAY =- Ronald Coulter - St. Paul, Minnesota (GBSB67A@prodigy.com) June 25, 1994 NEW YORK NEWSDAY, Friday, June 24, 1994 (c) 1994 Newsday Inc. All rts. reserv. Reprinted without permission. GIBSON'S GOT A NEW DREAM: VERSATILITY By Ian M. James, Staff Writer Some may say that Debbie Gibson is a has-been at 23. Once the teen queen who rocked the nation with two No. 1 singles (and three other Top 10 hits), Gibson has received much less attention in the '90s. Her two latest albums were relative sales disappointments, and she appears to have lost her mass audience. Gibson, however, remains ambitious and persistent - she still believes she can accomplish her dreams. "You know, if you start young, you're pigeonholed automatically," she said at a recent rehearsal for a concert tonight at Oheka Castle in Cold Spring Hills in the Town of Huntington. The $300-a-seat performance benefits St. Mary's Children and Family Services, an agency that provides treatment for abused and neglected children. Lately Gibson has been trying to break out of her pigeonhole. She wants to do it all - as a singer, a songwriter, a producer and an actress. After a year as Sandy in the London production of "Grease," Gibson is working on her next album, to be released early next year. She hopes, she said, to emulate heros Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. "I love people like Bette Midler, because she can have a radio hit, and she can go and do a film, and then she can go and do a show," she said. "To me, it means being versatile." Versatile is what Gibson is determined to be. Frustrated because Atlantic Records did not make the effort to develop her as a producer, she said, Gibson moved to SBK Records for her next album. She thinks this company is more receptive to a style that she says some radio people have called "too musical" for popular appeal. "It's so hard to get musical music played on the radio right now," she said. "Everything's got to have a groove under it ... some kind of hip-hop, R&B base." For singer-songwriters such as herself, who work more with the piano, "it's not as easy right now." It was easy, however, to sing musical music for "Grease," where she felt completely at home playing Sandy, a goody-two-shoes character who - like Gibson - doesn't drink or swear. "I'm somewhere in between," she said. "I don't think I'm quite so prissy as Sandy in the beginning, but I definitely don't walk around in black spandex either." Gibson is not new to theater. She began performing seriously at age 12, sang in the Metropolitan Opera's children's chorus during her early teens and in 1992 made her Broadway debut playing Eponine in "Les Miserables." The stint in Britain was longer, however, and an important step in growing up. "The year in London was just great," she said. "I had actually never gone away to college, so that was like my college year, only a little later in life." At home she splits her time between an apartment in Manhattan and a house she shares with her sisters and her mother, who is her manager, in Huntington. "I'm not really a city person, but it's a lot more convenient for what I do," she said. "To me, Long Island is so real. I went into a salon the other day to get a facial, and there was a woman there complaining about the lack of air-conditioning in just the thickest Long Island accent, and I thought, 'This is great. This is why I live here.'" The concert tonight is an effort to support a charity to which she has a very personal connection: Her father, Joseph, spent a large portion of his childhood at the St. Mary's facility in Syosset. "My dad never had a family. He just met his real father for the first time this year," she said. "And my dad turned out OK, so there you go." Before starting to rehearse, Gibson took a sip of her mother's diet soda and walked to the center of the sound studio, a bare room with padded white walls. Taking the microphone, she joked with the band as they started to play. She opened her mouth and began to sing with confidence and conviction. A note on the sleeve of "Anything Is Possible" - the 1990 recording that didn't sell as well as she had hoped - describes Gibson's determination: "Throughout this album, there is an ongoing theme. This theme is about being positive, standing up for yourself and others, reaching for the brass ring, and getting what you feel you deserve out of life." For information about the 7:30 p.m. dinner and the 9 p.m. show call 921-0808. CAPTION: Newsday Photo by Bruce Gilbert-(Debbie) Gibson sings tonight in Cold Spring Hills. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= STORM THE CASTLE! -- A MAGIC NIGHT =- Michael Falkner - Eau Claire, Wisconsin (FALKNEMJ@CNSVAX.UWEC.EDU) July 2, 1994 When an opportunity that you have waited five years for finally arrives, you can get very nervous. But for one magical and very scary night, I was finally able to realize a dream -- two, actually. One to see a Debbie Gibson concert, and the second, to meet the Electric Youth herself. When I got the initial flyer in the mail regarding the show, I thought the ticket price was nuts. But, after thinking about it a while and realizing that I could not only offset the cost of the ticket through going on the bus rather than flying, but also that I could actually afford it, I made my reservation, and was going. This article is a chronicle of that magic day. Manhattan, New York -- Friday, June 24, 1994, 6:50 A.M. Finally. 6:50 A.M. Friday morning. A driving rainstorm. We are talking pouring rain. But I was in New York, and I was happy! I got into the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and the first obstacle hit me: I couldn't store my suitcase -- ANYWHERE! They don't have storage lockers in NYC like they do everywhere else. I then had to get to Long Island, and take the Long Island Railroad to do so. The Long Island Railroad is beautiful. I took a one-hour literal tour of the mid-Manhattan, through the Bronx, over into Nassau, and it gives you a great perspective of the urban persona and how hard it is to actually get by in this city. I have a new admiration for the people that live there, including Deborah and her family. 10:30 A.M. -- Huntington Township, Proceeding North On New York Avenue I proceeded north from the Huntington station, for two reasons. First, that seemed the general direction of the Hills on the map I saw, and, second, that was the only West Gate anything I could find on my map! Turns out I went the wrong direction, and I was walking with that suitcase! 90 minutes wasted going the wrong way, another 90 wasted getting back. By then, it's 1:00. In fact, I would find out later that the place that I needed to go was not ON the map that I looked at all! This was a very frustrating experience. And then, IT hit me... My God, TONIGHT!!! THIS IS IT!!! And my stomach let me know this as I was waiting for the bus. Eventually, I got a taxi to get me into the place. And then, I found out the kookiest thing. The driver got the directions from the ticket, and dissected them perfectly and got me there, but we had an interesting discussion en route. As I showed him the front of the ticket to tell him why I am going there, I found out... ...he used to work for Diane! No Joke! I am not making this up! My jaw dropped literally through the car when I heard that. I asked the obvious question, whether Diane was as negatively inclined towards fans as many thought. He said that she could be, but could be nice too. He said something like, "When your daughter's worth a million dollars, that's to be expected." I also liked the way he termed Deborah: "a little whipper-snapper." Obviously, this guy has not seen Deborah in some time. 5:30 P.M. -- Cold Spring Hills, Heading To The Castle Well, I was there. 5:30, and I could not believe what I was seeing. The outside of the place was absolutely stunning, as it's all it's cooked up to being and more. We [the driver and I] were met by two guys -- rather casually decked out [they dressed up later], and they told me I was WAY TOO EARLY!! So, I had to turn around and go back. I had about 90 minutes to kill, and I went to the nearest place of business on the island, a Chinese restaurant, and chose just to order soup. As I finished the soup, I noticed a picture of the proprietor with someone familiar. I was quickly reminded to myself that I was literally in my favorite celebrity's backyard. My stomach twinged again as the clock heads to 7:00 and I headed to call another taxi to get back to the Castle. I called the cab to go back to the Castle -- even though I could have easily walk it, I found out a car is NECESSARY to get in and out due to the make-up of the place, that's just a design of courtesy and manners. Ten minutes later, my cab came. I got to the Castle, was greeted by the same men, who, smiling and recognizing me from the first time I tried to get in, gladly got me inside. And what an inside it was! 7:25 P.M. -- Inside The Oheka Castle 90 minutes. That's all that remained, as a dinner was about to be served, but let me set this up. This building was MAJESTIC! Chandelier, probably the biggest I've ever seen, flanked by enough decorations to make a Beverly Hills prom look tacky. And that's just the entry-way. I found the coat-check, drop the suitcase there [thank God!!] and went over to the check-in table. Check-in went smoothly; no objections to my navy blue suit and badly mismanaged tie. Although I was definitely under-dressed for the evening [seeing most of my fellow fans in black tie stuff really scared me], it didn't seem to hamper things that badly on that respect. I then went up the stairs. There were three sets. A small one to get to a landing, and then one on the left and the right coming together at a top landing where the second floor began. Through a doorway, there was a big reception room right in the middle as I got up. As you walked in, there was a double door set in the middle of the far wall in that went to a room with a balcony to the outside. This was where the concert was to be held, and they were going through light check at that time. Original plans had had the concert to be, as was mentioned, "Under the Stars" -- outside -- but the night was still wet. There was still rain, and it was VERY humid. So, they decided to get it inside. When I first got into that first center room, there were four LARGE pictures of Deb, spanning the last 2+ years of her career. One from her with her bonnet, one with her as Sandy, one as Eponine, and I forget the fourth. More decorations, and dinner, including caviar, ham, turkey, a bar, desserts, full catering, the whole ten yards. And it looked SO GOOD! And I could barely eat a bite. Not the soup filling me, but I WAS SCARED! And I may have lost a friend on this list because of it, because I seemed to get real annoyed that I was alone here, and that I began to really wonder if my place was to be here or not. As I was trying to talk to some of the people there present that I have already met on the e-mail and the phone, I knew they were getting annoyed at me, but there really was not much I could do, as it was just that I was SO NERVOUS that I needed SOMEBODY to calm me down. I spent the better part of about 35 minutes wondering that and wandering aimlessly. I decided to grab my camera for some atmosphere shots. But I was scared, and I don't scare that easily. I mean, here I was, in a $300/seat concert, about to see my favorite performer of all perform and quite probably meet her as well. I then got pulled over by the security person, who gave me the [obvious] notification about that no photos during the show, blah, blah, blah... I did meet some fans, and went to tell one that I saw with a camera the same thing, and that it seemed obvious. That almost got the security guy a bit miffed, so I had to explain to him what I had told the other fan. All I said to the fan was that that seemed obvious that that restriction was going to be made, but that I was going to need to take some atmosphere shots pre-concert. I then took the camera and put it downstairs with my suitcase. At this point, I seemed to have ticked both my favorite Debheads that were going to be there, and now I was getting scared that I might really do something stupid, so I set off for the room with the chairs, and got to my seat. Seating was based on the order you bought your ticket. Seat #1 was in the front row, #300 in the back. Moreover, I got stuck behind a projector [for the time being -- it was for a pre-concert presentation]. Hence, that as not a problem. I was in the middle of about the seventh row. It wasn't too bad, but no front row interaction, I guess, for me. 9:00 P.M. -- In The Concert Room As the golden moment approached, more and more of the people were getting seated, but that meant the concert and preceding presentations were going to be delayed until everyone could get seated. There was some media there, as there was also some cameras by them that you could hear quite audibly. Then, about five after nine, Liz Giordano, the director of St. Mary's, came out to greet us, gave a brief statement, and showed a video of what St. Mary's does. Then, John Johnson, an acclaimed reporter that was hosting the show came out. He talked about how some of the stories he does ties into the problem of kids not being watched or treated properly, and all the good things that St. Mary's has done for 100 years. Then, he started talking about the show, and assured the crowd that they could probably have enough fun to at least take off their jackets and ties [something I had done long ago -- there was NO air conditioning and it was HUMID!]. Johnson then said that he was turning the show over to a real pro... (Inhale) ...Richard Jay Alexander... (NOW, I'm getting impatient!!) For those of you who don't remember, Richard Jay is the executive producer of the Broadway version of Les Miserables who was instrumental in getting Deborah on the show. He was also the producer of this concert. Alexander came out, and he went into a presentation of his own. He talked about St. Mary's, and that when Deb contacted him regarding this show, there was no way he could say no. He's supposed to be in France(!), so this was quite a night for him. After a couple more minutes discussing St. Mary's, he was finally ready to turn it over to a person who was not going to dwell on the past [Deb-fans: How do you respond to that statement?] ... Deborah. SHOWTIME!!!! 9:30 P.M. -- Deborah Comes Out And Begins The Show SET ONE: Deborah comes out in a black, flowered sundress and white opaque nylons. She looked stunning. She seemed more bouncy and vibrant than in anything I had ever seen her do beforehand, maybe because she was doing it in front of my face. First impressions: Have you ever felt like you're about to get blown out the back wall of the building by a vocal pitch?? Deborah has such POWER in her voice that it seemed to begin to overwhelm at times, but she can carry it well and with a lot of confidence. Umm, errr... She looked more, ummm, errr... womanly figured [if you can understand that tactful way of putting it] than I thought she was. I'll leave it at that. She also seemed that she liked to flirt with her skirt JUST a little bit. Is it just me, or are we getting a little cheesecaker on our hands?? [Playfully so, of course.] But I will say that she now does really seem confident about her looks -- really. NRG UP!! She jumped all over that stage, and played to some people in the front row, as she began with a Broadway standard: DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE ("Funny Girl") It took a moment to take in that it was finally started. [And, I will say this now, I did not write a thing down; I thought that might look stupid.] It was no wonder that she used this song as part of her "Grease" audition. And she just POWERED IT OUT!! Does this woman HAVE a mezzo-piano or softer?? Of course, the poor wireless microphone couldn't handle her power, and got KOed in the crossfire, so she had to hold up, grab the wired mike, so they could work on the other one. She just EMOTES!! It's like she wants you to see through her eyes why she doesn't want to have that parade rained on. [Possible joke, given the NYC weather moving the concert inside? =)] And it's like she just kept going and going, just rolling along without a care on the planet, and when appeared to be done, we, those of her fans who were there, went nuts. "HEY, I'm not done yet!" Deborah insisted. And she wasn't. One more majestic runthrough, probably perfect for a kickline or a "big finish" of sorts, and she was done with the first song. Of course, then I thought, if that's the first song, this was going to be GOOD!!! She welcomeed us to the show, and we were ready to begin in earnest. A children's choir came out, The Blessed Sacrament Children's Chorus of Staten Island, and Deborah wanted us to listen and take heed to the words of this next song from "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," in which this choir had performed. I don't remember the name of this song, but a friend of mine told me that this was a piece of the prelude to the play. This was where Deb's forte gets her in trouble. She killed the choir. You couldn't hear them, and the only way you knew they were involved was by watching their mouths move. Beautiful song, but Deborah should've gotten out of double forte when she had some assistance like that. Then, a familiar bassline. The bass guitar broke into the strains of the bassline from "Only In My Dreams." _OUT OF THE BLUE_ MEDLEY: Only In My Dreams, Out Of The Blue, Shake Your Love You could now separate the fans from those here for the event otherwise, as the fans began to jam a bit to the familiar strains of that bassline from "Only In My Dreams." Deb explained to the rest how she got started, and was off into medley territory. No male backup dancers at all. Not even a sign of Buddy or the like in the place. Surprise! She had two female backup singers to give an assist, but no dancers. This was a different style of Deb-concert than we're used to. She even threw one arm in the air, like she would if she wanted the fans to wave them in the air. She did that once before she got the better of herself not to do it again, but one fan was seen throwing his/her arm up as well. She jammed with her two backup singers as they shook it up to "Shake Your Love," and introduced them at the conclusion of the medley. That got the crowd pumped. Then, I hope this order is right, I think the only song she did from "Grease": HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU Way to shoot yourselves in the foot, whoever is trying to release singles from that soundtrack. Boy did you goof, and Deb showed it here as she just used emotion and power to really drive this song home, and send chills [honest!] up my spine. I was left after that song just shaking my head -- wondering about the magic. [For the record, the Epic Records people has had Sonia, Deborah's replacement as Sandy, release "Hopelessly Devoted To You" as a single from the "Grease" soundtrack in the United Kingdom.] Then, Deborah had to go change. For the intermission, we got Richard Jay chatting with the crowd, trying, vainly, to kill time. He's great fun to listen to, as he relayed the story about how Joan Crawford was going to get the main role in "Sunset Blvd.," but mangled the singing so badly that they decided to close the show the following Sunday instead. Then, he does something REAL INTERESTING. Announcing that when he does charity shows, he wants to make sure they're worth it. (Comment to self: HEY! It's enough we got Deb, but I appreciate the effort.) He started picking numbers from 1-300 off the top of his head, and would give each number he picks two tickets and a backstage tour to one of his shows [once he gets back from the south of France]. He did this for Les Miz, Phantom, and a couple of others. I think he gave away five sets of tickets. I did not win, however. (AW!) Then, Deb was ready. Richard asked if he should continue a second (drawing a hopefully not-heard "no" from me), and he did for a second, but then Deborah came out for the second set. SET TWO: Full length strapped red dress. THE PERFECT YEAR ("Sunset Blvd.") Deborah came out and transitioned Richard Jay off with a friendly waltz. DAMN! This woman can sing it!! Couldn't they find some way to make her look older. Of course, if we found out Deb was in "Sunset Blvd." You figure it out. It was an unusual song, BUT, done VERY well. And I think that's what impresses Richard Jay about it so much is that she can adjust and change gears, which seemed to be what she did a lot in this concert. DON'T CRY FOR ME, ARGENTINA ("Evita") She just transformed into Eva Peron and just proceeded to blow you out the back wall again. The good thing, I discovered, about being in the front row, is that she can see you and play to you. The bad thing, I also discovered, is that you may need your ears checked for damage. She is LOUD in person!! A lot of smoke was used in a bit of theatrical flair in this and some of the other songs in this concert, to good effect. I think during this song, she also turned her back to the audience during one of the interludes and did one of those slow, dramatic rolls of her shoulders. Looking around, I can see I wasn't the only one about one iota from fainting. Anyway, she really could power it out, and I am now convinced that she will make a fine Broadway actress. And am also convinced that if this next album doesn't work out well in terms of sales, that that might be the permanent direction she should go. Heck, she could go on tour with just Broadway stuff and do VERY well. This concert was evidence of that. Then, she asked us to get clapping, and... MEDLEY #2: Anything Is Possible, Electric Youth, and a surprise Interesting open to this, showing that Deborah can change those gears so readily. She was so fun to listen to when she did this. My comment on "Electric Youth," and excuse the digression: YES!!! YES!! You remember that one, and go with it!! [It took every bit of control I had not to get too intense for the situation right then. Sorry guys, but to me, EY is a personal thing, a reason for me to still have faith in a heartless world.] ...and then, "We Could Be Together." First reaction: HUH?? Obviously not looking back on the past, she includes WCBT in a medley, and not the last song. So that leads us to: What is she going to do at the end of THIS concert?? She makes up for it. Believe me, just wait... Then... FOOLISH BEAT At this point, I began to question Richard Jay's pronouncement about not looking back on the past. As we would later note, nothing from _Body Mind Soul_, and only "Anything Is Possible" in the medley again from _Anything Is Possible_. She similarly ignored AIP from the Ritz concert in 1993, but this seemed to have more rhyme and reason, due to the nature of the show and the audience. As always, quite solid. I think she also did "Lost In Your Eyes" [completely from the piano] and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" [alone, no other accompaniment, and with a couple of goofs, one which REALLY annoyed her -- perfectionists like us tend to get that way sometimes] in this set, and told THE band to go chat among themselves before the latter. I think those were the last two songs of this set. She then went off, and Richard Jay began chatting about Deborah, Les Miz, and the absolute fascination he had with getting Deborah on stage -- using a couple double entendres to do so. Richard Jay is a man with a good sense of humor, and I almost am beginning to think that he and Deborah are quite alike. I really think, also, that he is truly in love with Deborah, at least in a professional sense. [Not only by his tone in speaking, but also with his opinions and stories about Deborah from a D.G.I.F. about a year ago.] He then pronounced that he has decided, after seeing the boys from St. Mary's, that he's going to take all of them to a showing of Les Miz. I think I know another reason why Deborah and Richard Jay get along -- they both give a damn. Just before the start of set 3, Richard Jay said Deborah was going to perform in "an old friend." The next song, and the costume, was obvious: SET THREE: Begun in Eponine drab... ON MY OWN ("Les Miserables") You learn why Deborah really opened the door for a lot of the other singers when you hear her do this. [Richard Jay said that Deborah was the first of the real current crop of pop musicians to take to the stage as an alternate to their music careers.] One interesting thing, none of the real what I'll call "concert holds" -- the extended rest at the end of LIYE, leaving the piano at the LIYE key change, nor the big high C here, but a lot cleaner and more polished. When she was finished, she discarded the Eponine outfit. [Yes, I almost was going to wave my finger like "Please, don't..." She does make one joking stab at doing a strip, but nothing major, and no mention of "Losin' Myself." (Let's hope that's one indication about how she's not looking back.)] She's now wearing a VERY good looking three-tiered white dress. She then brought out a boy soprano "friend," Anthony Roth Constantino, and they did... I DREAMED A DREAM ("Les Miserables") A bit unusual to see her duet this song with a 10-12 year old [I think the program said he had graduated from the sixth grade]. This kid was the real deal, and was very good. I hope his vocal quality can remain with him when his voice finally has to deepen. It just seemed unusual for Deb to do that song, with him. But he was darn good, and showed it here. More power and confidence than I expect from such a person. She introduced the rest of the band [had done some of it during the second medley] and then the boys from St. Mary's came out. I wondered if this was the entire group, or just a few of them. About 15 boys came out, and got onto the risers [which Deb seemed to have no end of problems getting off from a couple of times]. They were there for the last song. STAND BY ME I tell you, right now, if this is the kind of thing, instilling the confidence and faith in life in these abused and neglected children that you can see when they perform in a song such as this. If this is what St. Mary's does, then I know that the money that we gave them is not only well-spent, but a recognition of being very well done. Like they said in the tape, a lot of these kids walk in with a lot of hate and resentment, but you could tell that they worked hard toward a common goal here, as they rose the roof of the Castle about 500 feet. Although Deb, in trying to get the group to go all one way or the other, reversed her own field [she was going left when they went right], and then they had a blast, Deb jumped in with them to dance-jam, and a couple of the boys in the back corner really got into it. For me to tell it to you would do you no justice, that had to be seen to be understood and enjoyed. She called us to our feet, and even the high-brows joined in. What a blast!! At the end, the kids left, she thanked us for coming, and the reporter came out with a big bouquet, and Deb got a standing O. [What else did she deserve??], and another person also presented her with a bouquet, and then the concert was over. Time: 10:35. A 65-minute show. 10:40 P.M. -- The Meet And Greet Immediately upon the conclusion of the concert [there was no encore], I ran downstairs and grabbed my camera and my gifts [two candles, one of which a pyramid candle with trinkets inside, packed in a plastic bag] and a card for Deborah. When I returned up the stairs to that first main room, a pack of at least 100 people were outside the room where the concert was held. This time, we were to go to the left. To the left, other than the restrooms and the room with the phone in it, both of which I would need by the end of the night, was another gathering room and a study. Deb was in the study. [I sound like a Clue game: It was Ms. Gibson, in the Study, with the autograph pen.] Now, as the better part of the group, mostly fans and such, proceeded en masse to the left, we had to wait because Deb was with some of her "Friends" from the performance. This took what must've been 20 minutes. Then, the two security men -- who must be commended for their fine work -- called for the first 20 people to go in, I was #24 in line. Others can better tell you what happened in that first group. Stay tuned for more reviews in this or later editions of "Between the Lines." Meanwhile, on the outside, I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. Understand that 5 1/2 years of waiting was about to be over. I was talking to myself about something -- probably about something I can't remember, and one of the security people advised me that I probably should just get an autograph and a picture and move on. This was one of the things that I complement them on. They tried to deflate any inflated expectations. That point was underscored when the security and crew start getting fidgety outside the study after the first group must've been in there for 15-20 minutes or so. Finally, they came to the decision to notify us of two "requests": [I put this in quotes because they were not requests, if you catch my drift.] 1> Get the autograph and the picture and move on. 2> No personalization. [Assumed to mean no personal remarks.] Hate to say this, people, but all my plans went out the door after #2 was announced. I had planned to say something personal. I really did. I wanted to tell Deborah how much she has meant to me over all this time. But I interpreted that whatever I was going to say was going to be in violation of #2 Anyway, that said, I had to scramble for a new plan, and never really came up with one. Anyway, Jeff Tharp comes out of the room, and sighs, almost as if to say, "Go get it, sport!" And then they called for the next ten people. I was sixth in that group [lost two places somehow] and I entered the study. 11:15 P.M. -- Finally, In The Same Room Imagine a Victorian study/library. Refreshments were served to those with the nerve to try them. I could've probably used something. I turned the corner and faced a table. The security person inside there debriefed us, giving the two "requests" again, and then turned us loose, one at a time. Deb was sitting at the table, the omni-present Diane behind her. I learned something that night about Diane that I think you all should know. I think that her perception by the fans is only because we all want as much access to Deborah as possible, and if we cut her some slack, she will gladly help us as much as she can. Deb was seated at a table, in the white dress she ended the concert with. She was signing a bunch of promo pictures -- the one with the bonnet -- and chatting. Hugs and kisses were accepted from others in the group. I had to find someone to get this picture taken with her, and got the mom of the person behind me to do it. Well, the last person was done ahead of me, and it was time. With a deep breath, I stepped forward, congratulate Deborah, and the next three minutes or so was a blur. A complete and utter blur. I'll try to remember as much as I can, and if anyone who was in there saw any of this, please elaborate. It was hard to put into words the emotions of that moment. I mean, at the same time I was 200 feet off the ground, and in fog. Not only could I barely remember a lot of what happened, but I was still scared that I might do something stupid, which led to me not saying much. I congratulated Deborah, introduced myself to Diane and told her that she looked nice, and Diane thanked me, with a chuckle. I made small talk with Deborah until she finished with the autograph on the picture of her with the bonnet. (I think it was a rather generic Deb-graph: "To Mike, Glad we met! [heart] Debbie Gibson") Then, the picture. Suffice it to say, the odds are not good you guys will be getting the picture we took, and I will explain why. O.K. I got real nice and close. Snuggled in tight. She didn't SEEM to mind [but it is something that has scared me ever since, since that is something I have had problems with for a long time], but I was looking into the camera. Anyway, all of a sudden, all around me I heard, "You've got the camera the wrong way!" I took a one-use camera. I didn't have a full one of my own, but I got the one-use and took it. Problem was I came to for a second, and realized that the camera was completely reversed. Even Diane was trying to hand the poor woman with my camera an assist. Finally, I just turned the camera around, showed her the button to push, and we were ready again. I got back to Deborah, and put my left arm around Deborah, right about the middle of the shoulderblades, like I hug any of my other friends if they are seated. All of a sudden, I felt something at my arm that is behind Deborah. Yup. Diane!!! She's trying to get my arm up over the top of Deborah's shoulder. Right now, I'm not sure what that was all about. I've got it down to two possibilities... 1> A quiet admonition, as if to say "Mike, your hand is a bit too low..." or 2> Knowing that I was emotionally out at this point, Diane hands me an assist. I was convinced at #1, and knee-jerked, turning to Diane to see if anything was wrong. I was flexible, so I could understand that. It would not have been so pertinent, or so hilarious, except... AT THAT MOMENT, the woman with the camera found the right button and pushed it. No time for a second shot. Of course, I then apologized to Diane, and she said that there was no problem, and left. Of course, out the wrong door, the one we came in; I was redirected in the proper direction. To make a VERY long story short, I got back on the taxi, which got there in WORLD RECORD time, with a new friend, Dominic, and then we took the railroad back to Manhattan, chortling about my camera caper at the meet and greet. I then killed 12-odd hours at the bus terminal before coming home Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. Some final comments and words: First, to some individuals that may or may not read this: Deborah, I really hope you get this issue and are able to read it. I want to thank you for everything you've given me. You have given me so much that I doubt I will ever get a chance to thank you enough. I never got the chance nor the nerve to tell you personally at the meet and greet. Your concert that night was, to paraphrase a title of my favorite song, electric. It was wonderful to finally see you and meet you, and I hope that the next time, I not only will not have to wait another 5 1/2 years, but I also won't be so darned clumsy about it. I love you dearly, Deborah, and will see you again soon, I hope... To Diane, thanks as well. You taught me some things I hope to give to the rest of this group. In talking with some of these people sometimes, the image of you as the heartless manager comes out. I know different. If we are patient with you, you do reciprocate. And for that, I am thankful. Maybe next time, the three of us should get a picture. That way I know where you are!! Thanks again. To the people at St. Mary's: A wonderful night. Thanks for all of your help, and for putting together a stellar night that raised over $90,000 for your Children and Families Foundation. Spend the money wisely; it appears that you do, from seeing those boys in action. God bless you all. To Tammie and Jeff, two BtLers that I finally got to meet in person: I am sorry. I apologize for being such a rattled person that I was impossible to get along with, but I really wanted to incorporate you into the fun. Let's get together someday, and we'll see what happens. To the readers of "Between the Lines": You have not lived until you have seen Deborah live. I assure you of this. It's my hope that maybe we all learned a little something from this, although I am still concerned that I just might have done something wrong. I have felt that maybe I was the kind of fan that set Deborah off. I may not know the answer to that question until we meet again. It was a magic night. One I will NEVER forget. P.S.: Anyone that needs to get a hold of me, I have a new address for the rest of the summer until I graduate. Mike Falkner 360 Sutherland Hall Eau Claire, WI 54701 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- After being offered in D.G.I.F. 6.2, a new poster was sent out. It featured a color, full-length picture of Debbie in black tights and an off the shoulder mid-riff top. The poster also was printed with an autograph that reads, "Love, Debbie Gibson." Thanks to Hayden Jones (cs922026@red.ariel.cs.yorku.ca), there is now a transcription of the interview on the Debbie Gibson U.K. Interview Picture Disc. The file is available via anonymous FTP on ftp.uwp.edu in the directory /pub/music/lists/btl/transcriptions and on ftp.dungeon.com in /pub/music/BTL/transcriptions. BtL 6.5 will be released on August 31, 1994 -- Debbie Gibson's 24th birthday. This will be a regular BtL issue, but will include a special section for birthday wishes. They may be a few lines to a few paragraphs in length. Please send any submissions for the upcoming issue to btl@egbt.org by Wednesday, August 24th.