=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S [tm] Volume 7, Issue 11 - July 26, 1995 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 MATT RUSKOWSKI - Matt Ruskowski ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY REVIEWS TWYH - Carrie Sapp LONG ISLAND'S NEWSDAY REVIEWS TWYH - Neil Brookins DEBORAH THINKS WITH HER HEART - Mike Falkner "FOR BETTER OR WORSE" AIRPLAY - Ray Wong DEBBIE GIBSON IN PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS - Britta Reida DEBWATCH CLOSING REMARKS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DISCLAIMER =- Between the Lines (ISSN 1201-4826, electronic publication ISSN 1201-4834) 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 1995, Between the Lines. This forum does not necessarily reflect the views of Deborah Gibson, Gibson Management Inc. (GMI), Electronic Music Industries (EMI), 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 EMI April Music, Inc./Possibilities Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP). =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES =- Between the Lines has a central account and e-mail address. Please send all administrative requests and submissions to: BtL@btl.org 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 laser 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 $5.00 U.S. for 5 issues / $4.00 U.S. 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= INTRO BY MATT RUSKOWSKI =- Matt Ruskowski - Bothell, Washington (ruskowsk@cwu.edu) July 12, 1995 Hello all you Deb fans!! My name is Matt and I am 21 years old. I go to school in Ellensburg, Washington. I am definitely a Debbie fan. My walls are covered with Debbie pictures. I have been a fan since 1987 when I heard "Shake Your Love." It is an upbeat and fun song. I loved the song so I went and bought "Out Of The Blue." During high school, I was very closeted about being a Debbie fan. Many people did not like her and I did not want people to razz me about liking somebody so "teeny bopperish". My close friends knew that I liked her and they even liked her then, but not anymore. They always told me I was obsessed with her. From 10th grade to my 2nd year in college, all I ever really listened to was Debbie. I knew who a couple of other artists were like Paula Abdul and Mariah Carey but mostly it was all Debbie. My car stereo was always playing Debbie and all my friends would get upset cause she was all I was listened to. My all-time favorite song is "Lost In Your Eyes." It has deep meaning and I get really excited when I hear it. It is the best!! I have been lucky to be able to have seen Debbie in concert on all three of her tours. Each concert had its own unique aspects, but the best one was her One Step Ahead tour when she performed at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. It was in August of 1991. I was on the main floor. This is the first time being on the main floor at one of Deb's concerts. The concert was nearing its conclusion and some girl told Debbie happy birthday to the girl. When she was done, I yelled "Hey, my birthday was two weeks ago." Debbie said, "Sorry, only one song per concert." I was so distraught. But she did "in a sense" talk to me!! After many months, I was about to give up on Debbie releasing any new songs until one day I came upon _Body Mind Soul_ by surprise. I was just looking through CD's and saw it. So I did what any other person would do. I bought it! I especially like the songs "Goodbye" and "Tear Down These Walls." I now know not to ever give up hope on Debbie. She is the greatest singer around. I hope she goes on tour with _Think With Your Heart_. I will definitely be there giving her all my support. She is the best!! I love talking about Debbie, so if you want to talk, write me. I will write back and answer any and all questions. I can't wait to talk to other Debbie fans! I will be getting e-mail in October when I go back to school and will be using e-mail then. Take care and good luck to you all!! Matt 12118 NE 169th Street Bothell, WA 98011 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY REVIEWS TWYH =- Carrie Sapp - Columbus, Ohio (CASapp@aol.com) July 16, 1995 Well, unfortunately, chalk another negative album review up on our pile. Once again, Entertainment Weekly (July 21, 1995) decided to trash Deborah. The capsule text is as follows: DEBBIE GIBSON Think With Your Heart (SBK/EMI) Following a turn in Les Miserables and a stint in Atlantic City, the former pop princess takes her latest shot at musical adulthood as an AOR balladeer. But except for the big band stomper "Don't You Want Me Now" and the cabaret cutie "Too Fancy," her new tunes could only make her a superstar at Hallmark. GRADE: D -- Bob Cannon There is a pretty good-sized color photo of her (the one in the CD booklet where she's wearing the suit). The caption reads, "GIBSON GIRL: The Debster would do well to think with her head rather than her heart next time out." I won't even comment on this one... (Yes, I will comment briefly. AOR stands for Album Oriented Rock. He should have said AC (Adult Contemporary) because Album Oriented Rock is usually associated with alternative bands like Live, Green Day, Pearl Jam, etc. It makes no sense to me.) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= LONG ISLAND'S NEWSDAY REVIEWS TWYH =- Neil Brookins (neil@fnx.com) July 24, 1995 The following review appears in the Sunday, July 23, 1995 issue of NEWSDAY, a Long Island based newspaper. The section is called "FanFare," page 23, Column 3. A picture appears in the upper right corner. It's the same as the CD's front cover, but without the lettering and star-shaped symbol. Caption: Debbie Gibson seeks the middle ground DEBBIE GIBSON 'Think With Your Heart' (SBK/EMI) Back in the late '80s, teenager Debbie Gibson was a true phenomenon, writing and performing such bubblegum hits as "Only in My Dreams" and "Out of the Blue." Now, reckoning she's beyond fluff, the 24-year-old Merrick native attempts an album of highfalutin' romantic ballads. While Gibson remains a skilled tunesmith, these sentimental epics lack the chirpy (albeit juvenile) charm that made her a chart-topper; grand tunes like "Let's Run Away" and "For Better or Worse" seem more formulaic than heartfelt. Only "Two Young Kids," a tender meditation on eternal lone, transcends cookie-cutter predictability. In pursuing a more sophisticated sound, Gibson exposes her vocal limitations. This capable, but not overpowering, singer simply can't pass for a schmaltzy diva. By contrast, the uptempo "Dontcha Want Me Now?" is a breath of fresh air, because Gibson's not trying to prove her maturity. Next time, she needs to find a middle ground between the desire to seem adult and her knack for lightweight pop. Obviously, growing up is hard to do. --- Jon Young =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBORAH THINKS WITH HER HEART =- Mike Falkner - Milwaukee, Wisconsin (mfalkner@csd.uwm.edu) July 10, 1995 ...AND BRINGS HEAVEN WITH HER VOICE AND MATURITY! My opposition to the last album was clear. Deborah had not lived up to the expectations that the talent that she had shown beforehand seemed to indicate. I said to myself that I was giving her one more chance... ...and I am so glad that I did. _Think With Your Heart_ is a masterpiece of feeling and emotion that is so lacking in today's music. Deborah mixes the Gibson flair so missing from her last album with a 40+ piece orchestra that complements her voice so beautifully. And the music and messages given in this album are so beautiful. So, track by track: FOR BETTER OR WORSE -- When I first heard this song in Nashville at Tin Pan South, I just thought how beautiful of a first single that it was, Deborah and her piano. I was not prepared to hear the orchestra tacked onto it, and Deborah scores well in a smashing opening track. Deborah builds the dramaticism to the final declaration of ultimately unconditional love so nicely, and the orchestra brings the power and drive to bring this one home well. A definite 10/10. There has been some discussion on the AIP list as to possible vocal distortion on this track. Fortunately, I can't seem to hear any. DIDN'T HAVE THE HEART -- I heard this one in Nashville too, but the song on the album has a life of its own. Gavyn Wright's violin solo will break even the most hardened heart and bring tears to your eyes. Deborah talks of a relationship that has so much love, but just not enough power for either side to finally call it off. Gibson's emotion, always a strong point, almost gets beyond what any person can stand in this song. I've heard of many people calling this album lifeless and bland, and, to be honest, they do not know what the hell they are talking about. Don't listen to this one unless you are in the mood to cry -- 10. WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW? -- Yes, Deborah, but stick to the originals. Sorry, but if this is what Deborah's going to do with a cover song, she should stick to the originals. Gibson just doesn't add much, and I was expecting much better when I had heard she had done the cover with the orchestra. Maybe it's that she's done the song so many times before that I expected so much more. Deborah, I'm sorry... -- 4 DANCIN' IN MY MIND -- What are you guys talking about that this song is too sappy? I think it's PERFECT for what she wants to express here -- a love built on a summer dance in the sunset. Almost makes me wish to ask Deborah for one during the promo tour so I can have us "dancin' in my mind"... [Yeah, right... That's not going to happen.] It's just she puts so much joy into that one summer dance that she relives that night forever, a clear signal of the love she feels. The saxophone and other music tracks do well here, except the wording of the bridge, as well as the orchestra, may not have quite come up to par. -- 8 DONTCHA WANT ME NOW? -- I bet many of the people that aren't Gibson fans heard this song and said HUH??? This jazzy, fired up song is completely out of place on this album. And, you know what?? I DON'T CARE! THIS SONG _RULES_!! I almost take this song as the final retort to the boyfriend figure in the "Losin' Myself" video [she even refers to how her "little black dress" turned him on] as to say that she wants more than this guy is willing to give her. She wants him to want her when she's not being so sexy. Some have even said this might be a retort to Atlantic Records for their handling of Gibson's career. Whatever it ended up being, Gibson scores highly for this, and it's my favorite song on the album. Even though it is NOT representative of the maturity that far exceeds what radio will tolerate [as indicative of the rest of the album], I love Gibson when she turns up the tempo and speaks her mind. She's only done it better once, in my opinion, with a little song about "Electric Youth." -- 11 CAN'T DO IT ALONE -- Dramaticism and maturity show through here so vividly in a song about how it takes two people's energy to really make a relationship work. Gibson is so declarative on this album -- many people say that they think this, they feel that... Gibson says that she HAS this, that she WANTS that, that she WILL give this to the other person, and shows it so well in this song. She's willing to give so much, but she can't do it without the other person. -- 9 THINK WITH YOUR HEART -- I think this song indicates how much Deborah's feeling is in her music. I would almost call this stream-of-consciousness music, in that she doesn't hold herself entirely to keeping the words on-beat. Some may criticize her for trying to cram a line in, but I feel she's just expressing herself so well, without any limitations at all. Many have likened this song to a Disney animated track, and I see this as a song that if Deborah were not the mischievous fairy that she said she had been approached to being [in "A Fairy's Tale," if/when that ever gets off the ground...], but instead the main female character in love with the male -- that this song would fit so beautifully into that character. Gibson's feeling is so strong here, the mind and soul seemingly lacking from the last album are expressed so clearly here! -- 10 TOO FANCY -- Hearing this one at Tin Pan South really jazzed me up. Unfortunately, although Deborah does a very good job with this, something is lacking. THIS is almost the song that I could see Deborah in the Bob Mackie dress -- not necessarily stripping out of it, but in a cabaret-style piano thing. Or, alternatively, Deborah's live character with this song is so expressive and cute, but it just doesn't seem to come through as well without the facial expressions, her cheesy grins, or whatever. It's a good song, but much better live. -- 8 YOU DON'T HAVE TO SEE -- Perhaps a good follow-up to "Too Fancy", as some people may come and try to convince Deborah that the man is not good enough. She shows so much emotion in this song, but the thing that stands out is the musical work. Again, her declarative nature in this song, insisting that this is her man, and you don't have to understand. Deborah does not care. Perhaps a retort to some of us [including and especially myself] for some of the people she is friends with. -- 9 TWO YOUNG KIDS -- A fitting tribute to her grandparents, married 50 years! While I applaud at that achievement, Deborah tries to experiment with a few phrasing changes in this song, and really is effective with the results. This and the song just previous are closer to standard Adult Contemporary fare than a lot of the rest of the ballads, with this one having that soft feel that is almost "soft rock"-ish without it going too far uptempo. Really, a nice track. She said at one point that this was the song that she did the best job on. I can't quite agree with *that*, but... -- 9 INTERLUDE/TONY'S REHERSAL -- Why was this track included? It breaks the flow of the album and really serves no purpose. -- 0 LET'S RUN AWAY -- Almost a "Where Have You Been?"-ish feel to this one. The G-minor chording kind of masks the loving nature of the song. This song really reminds you of Paul Buckmaster's work on the "Mood Swings" side of _Anything Is Possible_, and is really, really well done. This song does drag on a bit, at over five minutes, where most of it seems to be at the end as a finale to the album, not with a blaze of fanfare, but with an emotional statement that we should run away with the love that Deborah has expressed throughout the album. -- 9 OVERALL ALBUM IMPRESSIONS -- Her best. Simply, fully, and completely her best. What _Body Mind Soul_ completely lacked, this one made up for. Her mind and soul are so evident here, and, for those who want to see how good Deborah looks, they get that in the pictures in the booklet as well, but not without having notice given that Deborah's maturity is now front and center in the impression, not just the music. It all just works. MAJOR CONCERN -- The only major concern that I have is that this album will not get the radio play it deserves, for two simple reasons: 1> It's a Debbie Gibson album. -- "Debbie Gibson" is about as welcome to radio as the "Seven Dirty Words." (And it's not Gibson's fault, as I asserted with the "Losin' Myself" video and the Circle Jerks cameo -- for which assertion Deborah will receive an apology from me in Chicago, time permitting -- my personal objections notwithstanding.) 2> The maturity is beyond what many people in radio will choose to handle. It's sad that I still am concerned for Deborah's future. Although Deborah has publicly stated that if she can get the music out to the people, that sales don't really matter, I can only think of SBK's position in this. Their faith in her talent to sign her has been solidified with one of the best albums to be recorded. The main question that must remain is: How much did SBK put into this financially, and can they recoup enough to keep the economic bottom line from forcing Gibson out? In the day and age where many recording people [as was reported in an article posted to the AIP list] are raising CD prices to follow up the increasing costs of talent, Deborah could get squeezed out. But the way she's talking, and the way she put out this music, Deborah, on that July the Fourth of 1995, signed her own "Declaration of Independence", stating that anyone that was willing to listen to her music with an open mind would hear it, and anyone unwilling to do so was irrelevant to the equation. In that, _Think With Your Heart_ is nothing short of a masterpiece. Deborah, with all my love, well done! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= "FOR BETTER OR WORSE" AIRPLAY =- Ray Wong - Hayward, California (negativl@netcom.com) July 25, 1995 There have been three weeks of radio activity for "For Better Or Worse," so now seems as good a time to take a look at where things stand as any. All airplay information is taken from RADIO & RECORDS, the main journal for those inside radio. (BILLBOARD is really much more a general publication, for all of the music industry, and also for the listening public.) FBOW dropped off both the Most Added and Most Increased Plays lists, with only 3 adds this week (July 21). The news is not totally bad, though, as she still seems to be going up in total play, rather substantially. Also, her 3 adds only just miss the list, with After 7, Elton John, and Curtis Stigers all tied for last on the Most Added with 4. As a reminder, these stations have _already_ added FBOW, there is no need to call them from outside their respective markets, which will only cause more problems than help. If and only if you live in the appropriate areas, look up the number in the Yellow Pages (under "Radio Stations") and call. Do I really need to remind people how the last attempt to get outside help was, should I say, "somewhat less than effective?" PLAYS ----------------- Station City 7/21 7/14 7/7 ------- ------------------- ---- ---- --- WSSH Boston, MA 5 5 4 WCOD Cape Cod, MA 5 5 5 WKLI Albany, NY 5 5 10 WLEV Allentown, PA 3 5 3 WOOF Dothan, AL 11 11 7 KQXT San Antonio, TX 5 5 5 WROE Appleton, WI 14 5 5 WLQR Toledo, OH 5 5 5 WQLR Kalamazoo, MI 17 7 2 KYMG Anchorage, AK 26 27 5 WFPG Atlantic City, NJ 7 7 - WTCB Columbia, SC 7 7 - WTFM Johnson City, TN 12 9 - KTDY Lafayette, LA 5 8 - WLTF Cleveland, OH 12 6 - WLQT Dayton, OH 7 7 - WFMK Lansing, MI 8 8 - WWWM Toledo, OH 12 8 - KOSI Denver, CO 5 5 - KLSY Seattle, WA 10 6 - WLTE Minneapolis, MN 5 - - WLIF Baltimore, MD 8 - - WARM York, PA 6 - - -------------------------------------------------- Total Plays: 200 151 51 Just to explain, 5 plays represents a song doing well enough to show up in playlists at all (the only exception being KESZ in Phoenix, who list Peter Cetera with only 2 plays). 12-17 looks pretty much like medium rotation (I'm not absolutely sure where the industry-understood-cutoffs are for AC, I'm just reading gaps in the lists), while heavy rotation (top of playlists) is generally mid 20's, with extreme range for number 1 at stations being 13 (KOSI Denver) to 40 (WLTE Minneapolis). The fact that WLTE has that many plays at its top does seem to indicate that FBOW has passed an important test, as more plays at the top does indicate a reduced in size playlist. The 26 plays at KYMG, Anchorage, also, represents *extremely* heavy airplay, essentially guaranteeing that FBOW is somewhere in the top 10 at that station. This week there are a total of 103 stations reporting playlists, and only the #1 song, Vanessa Williams' "Colors of the Wind" has been added to all 103 stations (2570 plays). This is fairly typical of any airplay charting list, there are big steps every few songs. In general on AC, ranks 1-5 have 2000+ plays, 6-10 have 1500 or so, 11-15 have 1000, 16-20 are around 800, 21-25 with 500-750, 26-30 have a couple hundred plays. Station count is 2-5 w/ 90+, 6-15 w/ 60-80, 16-20 w/50+, 21-30 w/ 20-40. There are no clear boundaries on adds, only on plays. The minimum cutoff for position 30 of the AC top 30 is almost always just over 300, so "For Better Or Worse" is showing some definite potential to reach the big time. In closing, I just want to point out to everyone that FBOW is doing reasonably well, though it can do better, I think. If you live near enough to any of the stations already playing it, please please please, help those of us who don't by calling and requesting FBOW! If you don't, call your local AC stations, and point out to them that FBOW is getting airplay in other places around the country, etc. Be careful not to confuse AC with HOT AC, though, which is a lot more conservative in adds, or you'll just annoy some stations that may be important later (Hot AC either leads AC in songs crossing over from TOP40, or lags behind, in AC songs crossing over INTO Top 40. It's a bridge we may want to cross in the not too distant future, if things go as well as they have.) It is worth noting, however, that BtL Member Thomas Montalto was able to request FBOW on station WPLJ, New York, which is, in fact, a "Hot AC" format station and not a traditional "AC" station. All in all, very encouraging initial results. Deborah clearly has sufficient credibility that she is being given a "fair shot" at success in the AC market. Top 30 chart position is a very realistic possibility, which could easily lead to even more popularity. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBBIE GIBSON IN PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS =- Britta Reida - Cape Cod, Massachusetts (BritSkye@aol.com) July 12, 1995 I was lucky enough to see Deborah in Peabody, Massachusetts, on July 6, for her first performance. Here's my story... My mom and I arrived at Borders at 6:00 P.M.; the parking lot was already pretty full. We hadn't eaten yet, so we had a picnic dinner, yes, on the lawn at Borders. Of course, I was too excited to eat much. After a few bites, I was done, and ready to go in. I got all my stuff: camera, present (Cape Cod souvenirs and an AOL disk with a Post-It message--"HINT, HINT! :)"), and CD booklet. Mom tried to help me re-load the camera, but horror of all horrors, the film accidentally got rewound before a single picture was taken, and the whole roll was RUINED! I was so bummed! Not only did I want pictures, of course, but I had promised to give people copies! As we were leaving the parking lot, a guy walked up and asked, "Are you Britta?" I just have to smile. I was not even in the store yet, and I was being recognized! It was Michael DiBiasio! He was very nice. We talked about Deb, of course, on our way in. Inside, we saw posters with the _Think With Your Heart_ photo, and flyers announcing "Miss Gibson's" performance... but where? I didn't realize Borders was the kind of bookstore so big it had a coffee bar! But that's where the performance was to be held--in the expresso bar upstairs. When mom and I went up there, about 40 minutes before the start time, it was already pretty full! There was a piano off against one wall of the room, and chairs set up all around; filled all the way to the 5th row! Mom and I snagged the closest ones we could find, 5th row seats....and then, wouldn't ya know, there was Fabrice!!! He, too, recognized me, rather than the other way around. We introduced ourselves and shook hands, he showed me how to work his camera so I can take pictures of him and Deb, I "ooh" and "ahh" over his _Anything Is Possible_ piano book and then Doug Trapasso showed up!! More smiles, hand shakes and introductions. I was having just too much fun meeting all my on-line buddies. Mom and I stayed in our 5th row seats, and the guys went over to the other side of the room to stand where they'd be able to take good pictures. The minutes ticked by, and we watched the place fill up. Soon all the seats were gone and it was standing room only. People were still coming, everyone, too: guys, girls, old, young, little kids, teenagers, even a tough-looking guy with long hair, army pants, tattoos and an EY t-shirt! It's cool to see all the different types of people. I got more impatient by the minute. "Where is she, where is she, where is she?!?!" A Borders employee (I think) sat at the piano, testing the microphone and piano keys. At a quarter of seven, Diane appeared off to the side, talking with a border official, getting everything all set up. A thick Webster's dictionary was brought out and plunked down on the piano bench, and two light blue candles were taped down to the sides of the piano and lite. I got real squirmy and impatient as 7:00 came and went. Then at 7:10, there she was! She came out to the piano, the crowd was clapping and cheering loudly, and she said hi and asked how everyone was. I grinned, and couldn't believe it was really happening. I was so close to her!!! She sat down on the dictionary, laughing as she said she had needed a boost. She looked really pretty. Her hair was long and loose, and she was wearing a cream-colored sleeveless vest with a short wrap-around skirt, in a pastel print of some kind. I think it was a picture, but I wasn't too sure. (Hey, I didn't want to keep staring at her butt!) She made a comment about this being her first performance, and said she'll "just have towing it." The look on her face showed very clearly that she was impressed and flattered by the turnout. She goes on to say that she'll be performing some new songs, along with a few oldies (everyone cheers), and she laughed and said saying that "makes her feel old." She started off with "For Better Or Worse," (no surprise there) and it is _beautiful_. Mom loved it, and even got tears in her eyes. She said it reminded her of her and John (my step-dad). Next, she played "Didn't Have The Heart," as I had been hoping she would! Her voice was so powerful; she really didn't hold anything back! Again, a great song. Then, she said she was going to play an old favorite, but needed some help with the rhythm since she didn't have the band with her. As she started to play, we all clapped along as she requested, but I don't think many people realized until she started to sing what it really was..."Only In My Dreams"! She often stopped playing the piano to clap with us and get everyone going. She stopped singing for an entire chorus, and made us sing. We did quite well, if I do say so myself! After a TWYH song, she laughed and commented, "Wow, you guys up front know all the words! Pretty good for only two days!" Her next song was "Too Fancy." She introduced the song by telling a story, which started with, "O.K., now for this next song, in the second to last line, I lied." She softened that up a bit with a "No, not really" and explained that Brian Koppelman had asked her to the Knicks game, saying he had courtside seats, but she had already agreed ahead of time to go with a group of friends, who had seats in the sky. "It was a real moral dilemma. (That's about as exciting as my moral dilemmas get!!) And my friends were saying, 'Go with Brian, we'd do the same thing.' I didn't know how to take that. And Brian was saying, 'Go with your friends.'" She ended up going for the courtside seats. People went "Awww..." and she exclaimed, "Does that surprise you? I know, you wouldn't have guessed that I..." She was interrupted by a guy clapping, and she laughed. She mentioned that in New York, she gets in trouble for mentioning the Knicks. "Ssshhh, don't talk about that!" and that she doesn't talk sports or politics, "even though we're right here by the sports section [of the bookstore]!" When she performed "Too Fancy," it was just incredible--so much better live. It's a song she really _performs_, not just sings. Great facial expressions and emphasis on certain lyrics--it's just a fun song. The actress in her really comes through. For the whole performance, actually, she was very aware of the cameras and would make a point to smile a lot and make eye contact with all the different cameras. "Too Fancy" is another one my mom likes, describing her relationship with her husband, especially the part about the fishing boat and wide-eyed grin. It's just so "him"! After "Too Fancy," Deborah played "Foolish Beat/Lost In Your Eyes" combined--loved it. The final song was "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" one she has "performed on the road many times and wanted to record." And if you think her version is "flat and unemotional," well, you haven't heard her live! All in all, it was a wonderful performance, very up close and personal, with lots of talking, questions, smiles, etc. She then said thank you and said, "They're sticking me over in the corner to meet you guys and say hello." There was a mad dash for the back of the store which kind of surprised me. I had assumed a lot of the people there weren't die-hard fans, but people who had been shopping at Borders, heard all the fuss, and decided to come see what was going on, but no, they were in fact, all there to see Deborah! The line got a little messed up, weaving in and out of rows of books. I was standing behind two guys talking. One asked where he heard about the performance, and the reply was "on my computer..." I quickly jumped in and asked if he was on the AIP list and he smiled and said, "Yes." Then I heard my name called yet again, and looked over to see Anna Man! We had been right next to each other for the whole show without even knowing it! We shook hands over a bookcase, and talked a bit more before we each got swallowed up by the crowd. A few minutes later I caught a glimpse of Fabrice, Michael, and Doug somewhere in the midst of the crowd. My place in line was much closer up, so I dragged them all over with me. We talked and exchanged Deb stories and stuff, showed each other all the things we had brought, planned how and where to have Deb sign the CD booklet--it was fun. Before I had gone tonight, I had been thinking how no one from AIP would recognize me, because I'm much more shy in real life. But after tonight, I think that label is gone for good! You guys knew it wasn't true. If I can't fool you, I think it's time I stopped fooling myself. I only _thought_ I was shy, simply because I always was before, but I think that has changed!!! One of the first things Doug asked upon meeting me was if I was as "quiet and reserved" as I was online. I just automatically answered that I was a lot shyer in real life. Ha! I was fine, talking and laughing and not shy at all. Anyways, I don't really know how long we were in line; I wasn't paying much attention. It couldn't have been more than 15 minutes. Soon we saw Deborah come into view. She was in the corner of the store, at a desk, signing things and talking to each person for a minute. As our turns neared, we planned the whole photo thing, basically agreeing that whoever had a camera would just shoot pictures of whoever they could. Doug and Michael went ahead of me, and when it was my turn, I surprised myself by actually talking! I'm not in the least bit tongue-tied or nervous, and it's was really like, "wow!" It was, I think, because talking with all my on-line buddies has made me really hyper. Also, Deb is about the easiest person there is to talk to!!! I just walked right up and said, "Hi Deborah!" She smiled at me and said, "Hi, how are you?" I handed her her present, and said, "I got you a two-month early birthday present!" She grinned and thanked me, and asked, "Oh, do I have to wait till my birthday to open it?!" I laughed and say no. Then I gave her my CD booklet to sign, mentioning that I loved the new album, and have been listening to it non-stop for the past three days. She said thanks, and asked what my name was. I told her, and she began to write it, me spelling it unnecessarily. She knew how to spell it. She asked the first time I met her; maybe it's possible she remembered it because it was such an unusual name? She looked up from signing, and made a comment about my t-shirt (the autobiography page one my uncle printed). I chose that moment to refresh her memory about my meeting her in London and how I gave her a copy of the same shirt. She said, "Oh yeah, I remember!" but of course she could have said that to everyone to be polite. But halfway through my little story, she said something about "that was all you had to say"--I think she truly did remember me! We laughed about how tongue-tied I had been, and she asked, "Yeah, you were younger then, weren't you?" (See, she remembers) and I said, "Yup, I was 14 then and I'm 16 now..." and well, if she still doesn't remember, she'll get the picture of the two of us in London as part of Jen's collage!!! We wrapped things up so I didn't take up too much time. I said "bye" and "thank you very much" and got a big grin in return. It was so great!!! I quickly turned to Fabrice and got the camera from him to take pictures while he went up there. I had been real nervous about his fancy camera, but he was kind enough to focus it ahead of time, so I'd do O.K.! When our whole little group was done, we quickly got ushered out by a security person. We didn't go far, though. Actually, we only went to a nearby bookcase, where my mom was waiting. (I had lost her in the crowd earlier.) I finally had a chance to look down at my CD booklet, "To Britta- glad we met! (and this time you speak!) [heart] Debbie Gibson" It was so perfect--she didn't even realize how much! "and this time you speak", is that a perfect AIP representation, or what?!?! I speak. Boy, do I speak! So, I found my mom, Fabrice and Doug talked with us a bit. Fabrice started speaking in French; he'd been helping me practice, and boy, is he good; although I suppose that's not much of a compliment, considering it's his first language. I managed a "Je ne comprend pas!" Then, he and my mom got into talking about me being homeschooled. It's a topic I've discussed many, many times, and not only that, how could I talk about _school_, when Deborah was less than 50 feet away?!? I went over to Michael, who was standing at the bookcase closest to the "Deb area" as he could get without being shooed away by security. He had the camera ready for when her head was turned in our direction. We agreed that it was impossible to hold a conversation about anything but Deb when she was _right there_. We also agreed that it was nice to just be able to stand there and watch her, nice to listen to her talk, even if not to us. We watched her talk with other fans, smiling, laughing, going through those Poland spring waters, too. Then we saw Anna across the room--it was almost her turn! She came over to us afterwards, and by now Fabrice and Doug had rejoined us also. We looked at everyone's autographs, and yakked and yakked and yakked. We were getting sillier by the minute, laughing at things that weren't even that funny, being really loud. We were definitely noticed, too. Diane kept looking over at us, and I caught her eye many times and smiled. We stood there, determined to get noticed; staying till the very end, at nine (which was a very firm time because Deb had to catch a plane). I got more hyper by the second, jumping around, rambling of course, giggling, planning how to block all possible exits, etc, etc. We watched Deb and tried to figure out who everyone was. There was her, Diane, two police officers, one official looking guy but we couldn't for the life of us decide who he was, and a girl in a black dress with long black hair, also unidentified. We also kept straining our heads and exclaiming over all the things being signed. We posed for group photos. Security had to tell us to back up a few times; we were blocking the exit door. I kept noticing Diane looking at us and shaking her head with this little smile on her face. Towards the end, at about quarter of nine, I got really antsy, and Anna and I kept egging each other on, I think. Somehow, we end up singing "You Don't Have To See." We really made ourselves noticed. "You don't have to want _this to work_...IT'S MY LIFE _AND A LOVE DESERVED_..." We got louder and louder, and quite a few people start to laugh. The security gaurds began to lighten up, one saying "You guys were unbelievable!" and then Diane started to grin and Deb heard us, too. She was laughing, her head down as she finished signing another autograph. What fun! We started in with "Too Fancy," and by the time we were done, we had everyone smiling, and a bunch of people began to clap! I think there was an interview going on at the time; we probably messed things up a bit. We then noticed people around Deb begin to pack up her things--9:00 was coming. We frantically tried to keep an eye on Deb so as not to lose her, because it was time to go. We had been hanging around so long hoping that Diane would take a group photo of us and Deb. But as it turned out, it came to be 9, and Deb (who was still in the middle of the interview) stood up abruptly and began to walk away. Well, we blocked the exit, and she grinned at each of us in turn, and we all said goodbye. She might've thought that was that, but we weren't done! We never did get our picture, but we scrambled down the aisle, dodging people and bookcases, making sure we stay right by Deb. She was talking to the reporter as she went down the stairs, Diane right behind her. And _right behind_ Diane was _me_! I couldn't hear what was being said, but noticed a definite mother/daughter thing with Deborah going "but mo-om" about something or other, and Diane giving her a look. It was so cute! At the bottom of the stairs, Anna and I stood by the door along with a group of more fans who have gathered now. We made sort of a path for Deborah to follow, and of course, Anna and I were still laughing and goofing around. A Borders employee told us to "settle down," and we covered our mouths, realizing we were interrupting the interview. As Deb and Diane came through, I felt bad about being kind of disruptive, and we all yelled, "Thank you!!!" to her. And as she went out the door, I exclaimed, "By the way, I LOVE your shoes!" They _were_ cool! High-heeled jellies, with sparkles in 'em! She laughed and said thanks. We followed them out to the parking lot. The interview ended, Deborah got into a car--white, that's all I know. She saw all of us waving frantically, and she smiled and waved back. The car pulled out, and I began to run after it!!! I heard about five shocked voices behind me going, "Brit-ta!!!" so with a sheepish grin, I turned around and came right back. But just think, I was the last one closest to Deb before she left! I stayed and chatted for a minute; the guy from the radio station was still there. He was happy to see us so happy, and even went so far as to say Deborah has been his best interview yet! I was just so, so happy! Everything worked out perfectly and I was just so incredibly proud of myself for not being all shy and tongue-tied! I actually had a pretty lengthy conversation with Deborah!! A good two and a half minutes, I'd say, which is a lot when you consider how many people were there. And wow, I can't believe I SANG in front of all those people! Yikes!!! It was a night to remember, forever. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= DEBWATCH =- Here's a summary of significant television appearances shown since that last issue of BtL. 07/11/95 : LIVE! REGIS & KATHIE LEE A brief interview about the new album, Debbie's boyfriend, and living in London for Grease, was followed by a live performance of an abridged version of "For Better Or Worse." 07/12/95 : AMERICA AFTER HOURS (America's Talking) Debbie was interviewed, and she performed "For Better Or Worse" and "Think With Your Heart." 07/18/95 : BREAKFAST TIME (FX) Debbie was interviewed on this casual, spontaneous morning show. She sang "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -= CLOSING REMARKS =- According to Eric Wong at EMI Records, the commercial single of "For Better Or Worse" will be released in the U.S. though a release date has not yet been announced. The video of "For Better Or Worse" was shot at Oheka Castle on Long Island as well as South Street Seaport. Deborah's boyfriend, Chris Bruno, also appears in the video. According to D.G.I.F., Debbie is currently promoting _Think With Your Heart_ in the following countries on her SouthEast Asia tour for nearly four weeks: Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philipines, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. According to Emily Quek , the following appearances are scheduled for Singapore: July 26th Perfect 10's TGIW July 29th 2:00 P.M. Funan Centre July 29th 8:00 P.M. Boat Quay for a special performance According to Yu Jin Lee , Debbie will be in Malaysia on August 5th. Debbie will be making a personal appearance in the Los Angeles area during the week of August 21st. An appearance on "The Mike & Maty Show" has been tentatively scheduled for August 24th. D.G.I.F. is holding a random drawing for a limited number of tickets. Call the D.G.I.F. hotline at (212) 803-5425 for more information. BtL 7.12 is already full and will be released by the end of this week. We've received surprisingly few fan-written album reviews so far. Please submit your album reviews and reports of Deborah's live appearances for an upcoming BtL issue.