Electrifying!!!

From “Smash Hits” magazine (Aust), 24 January 1990 
Title: Electrifying!!!
Writer: Marc Andrews

Intro: “That’s what Debbie Gibson is when she’s bopping around in her ‘stage mode’! On
her recent Aussie tour, our own Marc ‘Electric Oldie’ Andrews went along to have a
chatette to Deborah (who at the time wasn’t feeling incredibly well) - and then witness her
live in action. Zswoosh!

MA (Marc Andrews): “So how come all you pop persons who come to Australia get sick
then?”
DG: “Hihihi! But I’m not sick anymore - I’m just dehydrated. I have to keep drinking
water all the time! It’s like, you have a really hectic schedule and if you get sick its really
hard to get over it - but I’m certainly recovering fast!”

MA: “What have the reactions to the shows been like here in Oz?”
DG: “You know, I think the audiences here have been the loudest and the best audiences
we’ve had on the whole tour. It’s really knocked me out. They knew all the words to every
song - it was amazing.”

MA: “Did you get to see Indecent Obsession**? (The Indecents supported Debbie on her
Aussie tour)” [**Aussie band which Jo Beth Taylor was background singer in]
DG: “Yeah! I mean on the first night I was pretty tired and I just thought I’d take a nap
before the show, but then I heard the guys and I thought, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to go and watch
them’. They have that same thing that I have when I’m on stage - that full-energy attack.
I’m going to buy their album, definitely!”

MA: “What surprises do you perform live?”
DG: “You know, I could have gone on for ages last night - I was just having such a great
time. I do two new songs - “Stand Your Ground”, which is pretty funky - and “Love
Under My Pillow” which is a duet with one of my dancers, Keith. It’s going to be in my
movie Skirts. I’ve also submitted “Stand Your Ground” so I’m hoping that the producers
are going to accept that as well.”
	“I also do a Motown medley. It was good that the audience even knew all the words
to those songs - and they were probably written years before they were born!”

MA: “What’s the funniest thing you’ve noticed so far about Australia?”
DG: “It’s so weird. It’s like America and I feel at home but then as soon as people open
their mouths I realise that I’m very far away, hihihihi! And it’s really strange to see how
you have all these Christmas decorations - like snow and reindeer and stuff but it’s really
hot.”

MA: “How long before we hear some new material from you?”
DG: “Well, I know they’re planning to release The Wonder Years soundtrack here soon -
and I’ve got two songs on that. There’s a version of the old Carole King song “Will You
Love Me Tomorrow” and a new one as well. I’m also trying to talk the record company
into releasing “Who Loves Ya Baby” (from the Electric Youth album) as a single.
	As for something from the Skirts soundtrack - well, they’re looking at getting
something out around August probably.”

MA: “Tell us what’s happening with your protege Ana?”
DG: “Well, she’s not really my protege but I’ve written and produced three songs for her
album which comes out next week in America I think. One of them is a straight pop song,
one is a dance/pop song and the other is a ballad. She’s had a couple of dance hits in
America. In fact I heard one of her songs on the radio and I thought, “Wow, what a voice,
I’d love to work with her!” And then I found out that when she recorded those she was
only 12 years old! The songs of mine that she’s singing are new ones. I couldn’t really sing
them because they were too high for my voice.”

MA: “In five years’ time what do you hope to be doing?”
DG: “Mainly the same thing as I am now - writing, producing, touring and making more
movies. I definitely want to make more movies. I’d also like to write for other people more.
In particular probably Whitney Houston and Paula Abdul. Paula actually choreographed
one of my videos. I also want to have written a screenplay for a movie that I’ve starred in
and also have directed and written a movie that I won’t star in.” (Does this girl ever rest? -
Ed.)

MA: “What’s one word to describe your live shows?”
DG: “Fierce. That’s the ‘in’ word at the moment - I’ve got everyone saying it, it means,
like, cool or great, you know what I mean!?!!”

MA: “What’s the meaning of life?”
DG: “Do what makes you happy because you only go around once.”

[On the same page the writer also wrote about Deb’s performance on stage under the title
“Live”]

On stage there’s only one word you could use for the energy that Debs sustains for the two
hours that she’s on stage - unstoppable. She’s forever bounding around getting the
audience to sing along, clap along, or else she’s playing the piano, dancing up a storm with
her two dancers Buddy and Keith or having a costume change. As I said - unstoppable.

The show itself commences with “Who Loves Ya Baby” and the audience are already out
of their seats and bopping along.

The lighting is quite amazing - spirals of purple and orange and all manner of other colours
squeaking about the stage area.

“Over The Wall”, “Out Of The Blue” (complete with blue lights, of course!), the new and
rappy “Stand Your Ground” and Shake Your Love” continue the frantic pace with Debbie
even getting her film crew to come and film the audience (she’s planning to make a video
of her world tour) at which point the crowd goes absolutely ape.

Things settle down a bit when Debs takes to the piano for the luscious “Lost In Your Eyes”
at which the “throng” fair enough drown out our gal as they sing along with her.

A medley of some great old songs from the sixties follows - wherein she’s joined by
Indecent Obsession to help out a bit. The boys had previously played a solid 40-minute gig
that proved them to be hard-rockin dudes at their best!

The beautiful duet “Love On My Pillow” gets an airing next with Debbie and her back-up
dancer/singer Keith slopping it up. It’s a great song and when it finally gets released should
be huge.

Debs then toddles off for another costume change while Keith takes charge of the
proceedings with his song “Get Up Out Of That Team Spirit” (an odd title -but the crowd
loved it!).

Our pop princess returns in a fetching orange and purple rodeo-styled number and goes
straight into “Only In My Dreams”.

For her encores Debs came up with the big three - “No More Rhyme”, “We Could Be
Together” and “Electric Youth” - which bring the crowd to fever pitch. People begin
dancing in the aisles and screaming at the top of their lungs. And when Debbie finally
leaves the stage, telling us she’ll see us all again “next year”, everyone is only a tiny bit sad
that it would be so long till she returns.

Debbie Gibson - she’s an “electric youth” alright!!!

__________________

[Opposite page has a colour photo of her signed by her:]

“Australia is FIERCE! See you all again soon! Love and Thanks!
			Debbie Gibson”