Whispers
Band Aid look set to break all record sales records with ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’. Over 300,000 copies were bought on its first day of release and some punters were seen staggering away clutching
Midge Ure, co-writer and producer of the fine project, told Whispers that one of the highpoints of the event was watching Bono deep in conversation with the Bananarama girls. “Well, at least as deep in conversation as it’s possible to be with them,” he sniggered.
Midge and Bob Geldof made a surprise appearance at Imagination’s Ethiopian benefit last week…
Those Spandau boys frolicking round Britain aren’t doing anything on the cheap. They’ve hired three limos which aren’t even going to be used and have decked out their coach driver and staff In special leather livery. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, eh?
Paul Young has been slipping in his versions of ‘Relax’ and ‘I Feel Love’ at selected venues on tour. In Manchester the tab soulster met up apres le gig with Ian McCulloch, an avid Young fan. Whilst the two chatted until the wee small hours, Mac suggested Young record a version of the Bunnies’ super ‘Rescue’ and was surprised to learn that Paul had already considered it. As indeed has Alison Moyet. Mebbe the three furry-haired types could do it together, Whispers suggests magnanimously…
Silly sausage Boy George returned from France last week and forgot his new house keys. Boy, was he in a temper! He even kicked a letter box.
And news reaches Whispersthat well-known ice-skating romantics Torvill and Dean are to appear in Culture Club’s next video. Brrr…
At his summit meeting with Paul Weller —
Duran are in fora hectic 1985. John and Andy have been in Nassau recording an album and single with Robert Palmer, Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson while Nick and Simon finalise their solo projects. A new Duran album is planned for spring (but don’t bet on it) and there’s that James Bond single. As if this wasn’t enough Roger and Giovanna have just moved darn sarf to NW London. They now live at 38… gotcha!…
Japan fans please note: David Sylvian, Riuichi Sakamoto and Holger Czukay will tour here next year when they finally finish their album…
Meanwhile, Malcolm McLaren Goes To Hollywood in ‘85 to work with gore movie director Brian de Palma and Paris, Texas men Sam Shepherd and Kit Carson —
Julian Lennon is spending Xmas in New York and may well even have a family reunion with Yoko and brother Sean. Old Whisperssources who saw Jules on Tarby’s dreadful show were reminded of one day in 1964 when the loathsome so-called comic sat John and Paul on his knee and bored them rigid with his inane prattling…
Orange Juice have made an independently financed TV advert for their album with the assistance of Nick Roeg’s sons Luc and Nick Jnr. They describe the ad as a cross between the pompous and the absurd. You can see it before this week’s Tube…
Marc Reilly of Matt Bianco was at the legendary Monty Cohen’s Bespoke Tailor’s in London’s East End last week when he chanced upon rails full of the most bizarre looking sparkly trousers and satin styled garments. Imagine his surprise when Monty told him that said garments were stage gear for the current Wham tour. “I felt distinctly queasy,” a pallid Riley told Whispers.
New computer games in the pipeline for next spring include a Ghostbusters programme and a Frankie Goes To Hollywood Spectrum and Commodore spectacular. Even more exciting, Whispers hears that the Roland Rat Race is out before Xmas. Roland calls it a “mega-epic”…
At Christies’ recent sale of 20th Century Entertainment Memorabilia, a pair of Levi’s signed by Bowie fetched £500. That’s nothing compared with what No.1 is giving away next week. We’ve got the suit Tony Hadley wore on Spandau’s historic first ever TV appearance —
Thomas Dolby, the Mad Molecule, astounded a nearly all black crowd in Washington D.C. by leaping onstage and performing a furious version of James Brown’s ‘Sex Machine’ with George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Funkadelic. The gig was in honour of James Brown who was reportedly speechless at Dolby’s honky cheek. “I’m speechless, I said I’m speechless two times,” quoth JB. Dolby flew home to start work on the new Prefab Sprout LP.
The Sun’s current Sun Say Frankie Stink campaign may have something to do with the fact they reported that the lads threw popcorn at their reporter. In fact, the popcorn was thrown by Gene ‘Singing In the Rain’ Kelly, 76, who was at a photo-session with the Franks. Really, Paul Rutherford calling someone “a solid gold dickhead” on the radio hardly qualifies as outrage…
Finally, does Simon Le Bon believe in Christmas fairies? Find out in next week’s fun-filled faberoonie No.1…
(Clue… he does).
Aah, sweet. Big Daddy Tony Hadley hoists young Thomas onto his manly shoulder in a break from shooting on the set of Spandau’s ‘Round And Round’ video. At least Tom is several stones lighter than beefy Steve Norman, who’s taken to performing his sax solos live while perched round Hadders’ neck. In the show Spiny Norman even lies down on the floor to blow his big tenor while the overhead video camera zooms towards his infamous crutch. “Frankly, it made me sick” —