Holly Johnson - Talks about 80s, FGH, Hits, 40yrs, Touring & more - Radio Broadcast 07/10/2023
good evening I'm Gary Davis and I'm Holly Johnson and tonight we're celebrating 40 Years of the iconic relax and 35 years of blast so come with us on a journey that starts way back in October [Music] 1983 in 1984 Holly Johnson and Frankie gy Hollywood turned the world of Pop upside down down Forever Three huge number one singles a multiplatinum debut album and the cultural phenomenon of the year but the Story begins 40 years ago this month with the release in October 1983 of their debut single yes relax is 40 so we're celebrating tonight with my special co-host Holly Johnson and this is what's coming [Music] up Holly and I will be chatting all things for Frankie and all things blast and he'll be answering your questions too I'll also be playing you some of my personal favorite tracks from the decade including my very own bit in the middle can't wait to hear it and we're going to get soy on the soy bit aren't we Holly soy indeed and you're playing some of your favorite songs what's coming up next ooh from the legendary dare album The Human League with love action it's my favorite track [Music] Holly Johnson playing a lot of his favorite songs on the show tonight and if that's anything to go by they're all going to be uh pretty fantastic uh you must have met the Human League a loads of times have you a few times backstage I think Phil has a magnificent voice and that was just so ahead of its time that record when it came out out brilliant I love it and your next choice uh is also featuring somebody who you knew pretty well uh P Burns from Dead or Alive oh yes I met him when I was 15 I think he was 16 in town he was Saturday boy at A Cut Above the Rest hairdressing Salon really you met him at the hairdresses no not at the hairdresses during his lunch break we had a little troll around town yeah and he told me about himself and he lived in Port Sunlight and um he had these Amazing shoes on sort of Teddy boy Winkle Pickers with a very onate Buckle yeah and he everything about him was fabulous you did he have the ey patch then no no that the ipat was just a temporary thing later know but he looked amazing and you know before he had any work done he was a good-looking young lad uh and had a great look you know and was he singing at that time no no I mean we talked about you know that we love David Bowie and things like that and he was at the same concert as me and Mark alond and all the other Northern uh singers that uh came up uh but you know we talked about fashion and makeup and you know all kinds of things but music wasn't really on his agenda that time I don't think it was on mine I was you know writing songs and playing acoustic guitar at that time with my friend Peter uh who I went to school with uh but you know he was a very striking person even at the age of 16 and when they had success you still kept in touch um well I think we became a bit competitive towards each other at that time um we still bumped into each other and it was friendly and everything but we weren't best buddies he was more friendly with Paul Rutherford the other member of or gay member of Frankie ghost to Hollywood mhm yeah they were they'd been flat mates and things well clearly you didn't hold it against him because Dead or Alive one of your choices tonight absolutely this is a great record and I think one of the better stock aing and Waterman Productions uh it was all downhill from here [Music] one of Holly Johnson faes dead or alive and you spin me round uh thank you for getting in touch with us tonight it's lovely when we he from him you got some shout outs there Holly I have hi Gary and Holly sitting playing cards in my woo Gary Davis t-shirt Jim Tracy and Katie Buu Roden ah uh evening Gary and Holly can't believe relax is 40 years old I was at college with Frankie's drummer's sister and we were quite excited that you were doing so well looking forward to lots of good Tunes tonight say sandrew Sandra and Andrew in San Diego hi Gary and Holly can you say a shout out to Rob and Tina matk in Western super May hi and Gary and Holly oi oi uh can you give Liam Rich a shout out please we're in our camper in Herford with the dogs and a of beers uh we love the show thanks can't wait to see you Holly at the Liverpool philarmonic Hall two weeks from tonight from Andy and Paula traveling north on the m6 yes you're on tour soon and we'll talk more about that a little bit later on um DAV Roland we've had our listeners uh wanting to ask you lots of different questions so we'll be firing a few of these at you throughout the night is thatting absolutely David Roland said I hope you fully comprehend how much of an impact relax had on so many young people born in the 70s from firsthand experience you had a phenomenally positive influence on so many young secondary school kids in the mid 80s you helped us be loud and proud not filled with doubt and shame we love you Holly thank you a were you aware of this at the time um not totally although when I was at school I had David Bowie's lead when he claimed he was bisexual and it was very comforting uh s such a a luminous character was identifying as gay uh so yeah I was kind of aware of it but didn't think that I would have the similar effect we clearly you did oh well that's nice um so when I first heard relax um I loved it and I remember making my record of the week uh on Radio One wow you're welcome um how did you feel when just as the song was gaining traction cuz it took a while um Mike Reed and the BBC then banned it were you delighted they Bandit probably in hindsight you were but at the time were you delighted or you think oh no it's all going to go wrong uh I kind of felt like that it was a bit depressing for me I I wanted my moment with a number one record on top of the pops which you know was denied us but the record company were thrilled of course and and it gave us a kind of rebelliousness Aura and oh but it also made everything that we did scr the scrutiny for something controversial in everything and so there were good and bad things about it really did you set out to be controversial not particularly it wasn't my in my master plan although the way we dressed on stage that was just designed to scare the horses a little bit I must admit that um but you know the pr machine uh sort of grabbed it and run with it you know this these five Liverpool people who I remember being described as ferociously homosexual if you please uh but there you go by the way there's nothing wrong with being ferociously uh homosexual we're not laughing at that but it it's just a funny concept yeah um David Clemens says Frankie was edt's first signing uh how did Trevor Horn get to hear about you and then shape the iconic Frankie sound uh well Trevor Horn was in the studio with yes and they were watching the tube the tin teas TV show and uh we were miming I think to a demo of relax in the State ball room in Liverpool that they'd agreed to film in the first series for the tube and wow and they and Trevor was like oh I could make a hit out of that song and uh uh he then forgot about us and again later we got a kid Jensen session after we' done a jump peel session and we did another version of relax and he heard it in his car when he was on his way home from the studio and Bob's your uncle got in touch with us through our manager Bob Johnson at the time and signed us to ztt uh how different is the version that you released that he produced to the demo version that you originally performed well it was technologically a lot more advanced than our drums Bas guitar vocal version was obviously he had lots of amazing equipment like a fur light sampling synthesizer and you know he had technical expertise and musical taste and an experience so he he tarted it up somewhat let's say uh but it was still the same basic song uh that we' written back in Liverpool he TS things up really well Des that's that's his job isn't it so relax an absolutely epic single uh I mean how how did you follow that well you follow it with this when you hear the [Music] attack what a Sho it's amazing still sounds fresh it still sounds relevant I mean amazing number one in the UK for nine weeks over the summer of 1984 uh what was the inspiration for this song well it was the political iCal sort of freeze of the Cold War and also the um Falon uh F Fon Island F Islands the whole Margaret thater and it was a very scary atmosphere for a young man in Liverpool living in Liverpool 8 in 1982 I think about that time when the you know it was just a bit scary got a message saying hi Gary and uh sitting listening live for the first time usually I listen on BBC sounds and loving the song so far Holly my dad used to play me your songs growing up and two tribes is still one of my favorite ever songs says Emily ferocious homosexual she's written here oh well it's a 60 piece Orchestra that's uh seducing you into liking that song as well as all the bangs and whistles and thundering Baseline it's uh it is a great track it always impresses me when I hear it again but Trevor Horn didn't want this as your next single no he want us to wanted us to or me to try and sing Slave to the Rhythm wow he gave me the demo to learn and it was a much different Slave to the Rhythm that Grace Jones performed later it was a kind of hard rock Slave to the Rhythm you know it was it wasn't as nice as the grace Jon vision and I was saying oh no Trevor you know let's do two tries it's a great track it'll be a winner and he listen number one for nine weeks good job he listen yeah so you had two of the year's biggest hits uh under your belts anticipation for the album welcome to the pleasure Dome was so high pre-sales of 1 million copies yeah I believe so I mean you must have fell on top of the world at that time what was what was life like then well we were still only on 40 quid a week what yeah I mean people thought we were millionaires back in Liverpool but you know that was far from the case it was exciting and I uh I ordered about 25 boxes of the album to come from Island Records who were Distributing the ZT label yeah and uh signed quite a few of them and gave them to Wolf Gang me partner who's still me partner yeah hello if you're listening how's he doing he's okay yeah he's had you know a few issues like we always do in life but he's chugging along sending you our best wishes W yeah and Punky the little pomy dog from bsy dog's home I love you little Punky yes he's lovely so yeah oh where was I I signed a load of albums and said yeah Wolf Gang go and flog these and get your fair to uh New York and come and see us when we play the rits wow uh which which people didn't believe that he had like signed copies of the album in boxes so finally you made a few quit uh well I don't know I saved up me DMS on tour and paid for his ticket on that airline that was new at the time I think I know the one you mean uh welcome to pleasure D it's one of the 80s most defining albums and we'll play a track from well we'll play the title track next [Music] welome is it you doing the welcome of course but slowed down yeah it is me can you do it welcome slow that down a bit and yeah uh amazing song uh title track single number four uh from uh welcome to the pleasure Dome reach number two in April 1985 now your first three singles all went to number one that's right but the this one went this one went to number two but the the album had been out six months true and everyone had the ultimate version on the album so so you weren't upset by that not really I mean the album went to number one so we had four number ones in 1984 how you you can't get better than that really anything you want to say to Phil Collins and Philip Bailey for keeping you off the top slot uh no I Love Phil I don't know who Phil Bailey is sorry he's the guy who was singing the song with Phil Collins Easy Lover he he was in Earth witer fire oh okay well I'm a big fan of Earth Wind of fire and Phil Collins so no I mean they Phil was in Genesis when I was a teenager and yeah what a great singer anding hardworking man you know absolutely uh Patrick will Cox says welcome to the pleasure Dome is an amazing single and such an iconic album uh where did the idea for the title come from that's an interesting thing I think I saw something on a Mary Wilson record Mary Wilson live from the pleasure Dome something like that yeah and also there's a poem um in zanadu did Kuan a stately pleasure Dome decree blah blah blah it'll come to me who wrote it any minute but um my mind's gone blank as it does where did the name for the band uh come from that came from a book called Rock dreams uh a painter called G pil who'd also done David Bowie's Diamond Dogs record cover did a book called Rock dreams and a page of it fell out and someone stuck it on the wall of uh a rehearsal room in a place called the pink and and it was a sort of cartoony painting of a newspaper front front page and it had a picture of Frank sin arer getting off a plane and the headline Frankie Goes Hollywood and he's being mobbed by teeny boppers or whatever they called them in those days uh and that was it really brilliant so from named after Frank Sinatra well sort of uh I named after this paint in and that was an earlier version of Frankie Goes to Hollywood uh I formed another band later on and looking for a name it was Frankie ghost Hollywood was published in rock family trees and sounds magazine and it s of popped out while we were reading the newspaper and that's what we'll call ourselves whose idea was it to do the Frankie say t-shirts and the slogans uh they were in a cupboard in the uh record company and they couldn't give them away as promotional items um and we had to go on tour so we said oh can we have these t-shirts please we'll buy the idea off you for 150 quid I think it was yeah and uh and it was okay and there you go we sold t-shirts it paid for the tour actually kept us afloat cuz we were still only on 40 quid we brilliant I love it great story okay another of your favorite songs now from Sharon red do you want to introduce and us why oh I just love Sharon red she came and to the PA at Jo's gay club in Liverpool next door to the Lisbon and she was just so lovely to everyone and she sang until she was horse you know she had so many encor and I love Beat the Streets and I love in the Name of Love of which this [Music] is Sharon red in the Name of Love such a brilliant performer Holly Oh fabulous she used to be with B Midler and the harlettes oh really at one time yeah ah okay um so uh what was I going to ask you oh we got some shout outs here hav we oh we have yeah good evening ooh Gary and Holly Carolina David here listening to your brilliant show in Lisbon Portugal the'80s were such a brilliant music era Frankie Goes to Hollywood was such a pivotal part of that thanks for all the great memories nice uh hey you Gary and Holly uh what a special show to tune in to tonight my late father Darren was a huge fan of Frankie H and relax was his go-to karaoke song uh we saw Holly at rewind last year in Henley uh and request relaxer every party we go to in Dad's memory the song Always cheers me up so much we played at our recent wedding to fill the Dance Floor too Holly you're amazing love you show Gary from Lauren and new husband Matt and all of Lauren's Brothers isn't that nice oh bless and Sarah in half as just said from the first moment I heard that uh on relax on top of the Pops I was sorry I don't do it as well as you do um I was hooked two tribes at full volume in the car is a good place to be amazing got another one hi Gary and Holly we are on the amaly coast listening to the great Tunes as they always H having a boogie on our roof Terrace great to have you here with us say hi to Julian P lots of love Lisa and Steve uh Gary and Holly loving listening from our balcony in Cypress tonight big shout out to our friends emmer and Dave listen in Halifax from Pete Helen and mom Judy and Dad Graham when did you real realize you could sing oh I didn't really uh I was always told I wasn't a great singer but then I was in the choir at St Mary's Church waver Tre and that's when I got into singing really and we were talking a little bit earlier um how David Bowie has uh really played a big influence in your career oh absolutely Mark bowan first TX and then David Bowie with his amazing songs uh El trick Warrior then Ziggy starst and the spiders from Mars was the first two albums that really inspired me and from that moment I wanted to be a singer and write songs and be in a band and we're going to play de B right now one of your favorites ashes to ashes why this particular one oh well scary monsters the album that it's from is a great album and a great way to start the decade uh Ashes to ases Funk to Funky who new major CHS a junky you know it was just so [Music] great Holly Johnson my co-host tonight picking a lot of his favorite songs and that's DAV Bowie and Ashes too ashes um okay I think we're going to cause a little bit of controversy here if that's all right with you oh yeah okay uh hello Gary and Holly David in the show in south end on SE here welcome to pleasure d one of my favorite albums and I prefer the Frankie's version of Born to Run to the original and John from brms grve said the cover of born of run is better than the original still think so and Chris Barker endorse it says much to my wife andie's annoyance I prefer Frankie's version of Born to Run to the original Bruce Springsteen version whose idea was it to cover the song well it wasn't mine although I did love Bruce Bruce is a God and uh you know that's a great song uh but I was surprised to come into the studio one day and the band were all set up and playing it live and uh it sounded great it sounded like the punk rock version of Born to Run so I had to sing it straight away so but who so the band came up with the idea I'm not sure actually who came up with the idea but I was just said you're doing Born to Run and I said oh well I better sing it well then because you know it's a classic uh Sydney Davis said uh so stoked that you two are co-hosting sat of the 80s I first discovered Frankie go to Hollywood when they appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1984 and performed a brilliant cover of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run that is correct Saturday Night Live live to 40 million people uh in New York Rockefeller Center I mean that's when you know you make made it isn't it well we didn't realize how big it was cuz you know we didn't know about Saturday Night Live coming from Liverpool yeah uh but you know afterwards we were told and we were we were introduced by George Carlin that legendary comedian which was an honor really and met Billy Crystal and people like that uh Cy said it got me wondering is there any song from the ' 80s or any other era that you wish you'd written or would love to record your own version of ooh there are a few and uh I'm working on a project okay so I can't reveal anything okay that's an interesting little clip we better play [Music] Bon Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Born to Run another ref faves coming up oh well it's not my favorite craftwork song but it was a big hit in the'80s for them so I thought everyone will know this one thank you we'll play it fabulous what's it called the model she's and she's look good it's sound of the80s celebrating 40 Years of relax and I'm with you to the very end if you're waiting for Holly's bit in the middle that's going to come out in the next hour of the show uh and also in the next we're going to be celebrating 35 years of blast and those celebrations kick off straight after the news you can be what you wna solo Holly Johnson and Amer caros uh reach number four the second single from your debut solo album blast that's right and uh it's uh celebrating 35 years well it'll be 35 years next year and we're doing a special red vinyl limited edition and a red cassette which was out yesterday oo so it's very exciting if you like red vinyl and you're wearing a blast T-shirt oh yes that's all part of the bundle from Holly johnson.com what else are you plogging on there uh oh all kinds of things tote bag different t-shirts relaxed blast t-shirts all kinds if you have a look at the store on Holly johnson.com okay we charge 10% commission Don't We join your California you're welcome to it uh Jennifer mil says americanos is still one of my all-time favorite songs um and somebody somewhere we can't find the message um asked uh blue jeans or chinos I'm more of a blue jeans person yeah or black jeans very often yeah hi garyan Holly just to say that blast is in my top three albums of the 80s it's absolutely awesome and I still play it loads I was in the audience when Holly appeared on Pop Quiz in 1984 wow and met him outside BBC TV theater what a sweetheart by the way he's still a sweetheart uh went to my first gay club in Glasgow last weekend and had the best time keep on being awesome love from Joe in Port tree in the a of Sky oh thanks Joe m uh now then uh a little bit later than uh advertised and scheduled it is time for BBC Radio 2 Holly's bit in the middle amazing track this why have you chosen this oh well it's just a classic and not a whole lot of people know about it but it's the blueprint for house music in my opinion and uh it's so hopeful and beautiful and Soulful Jo smooth yeah promised [Music] land it's holl's been in the middle still as relevant today as it was back in the 80s Joe Smooth and promis land love that absolutely love that yeah um few more ask Holly questions if that's all right with you oh yes please okay Paul Edwards in Norwich said that Frankie Goes to Hollywood computer game what was that about uh he said I loved it by the way on my ZX Spectrum uh did you have much involvement in the development of it no I didn't but it was designed I think in Liverpool uh but that's all I know about it I didn't have a a spectrum or a Commodore computer to play it on someone I knew did and I know you had to get to the pleasure Dome and that was really difficult uh but I I've seen it since uh like run throughs on YouTube and it was a great game and it's considered an 8 bit classic I think now so you never managed to get to the pleasure D I didn't personally no only in my imagination Gary Craig Langley says uh what did Holly enjoy most about the Eurovision reunion and performance I thought it was amazing and it was like the boys had never been a part A Frankie tour would be incredible how was it getting back to together again after so long well when it actually happened it was lovely you know very cordial everyone was up for it and it was nice to see each other the Preamble was tortuous the amount of emails from the record company the production company the BBC it was just endless in the two weeks prior yeah but it was wonderful to be in Liverpool as it always is and and in front of a Liverpool audience shame we only had one song and the BBC chose welcome to the pleasure D shame you couldn't do like a sneaky little gig in a club around the corner or something I wish but I think the lightning seats had all the clubs booked out that weekend that would have been great would you yeah did you have to do a lot of rehearsal or was it like you know instant you just knew every everybody was together again and like it always was well it's the version of Welcome to the pleasure Dome that I do live on this current tour that I'm doing at the moment and so they all had to learn my version which was the soundtrack of the video yeah I'm I'm performing the video version yeah uh so I knew what I was doing but everyone else was a bit thrown and wasn't sure where to you know come in and things uh but you know but it look fantastic yeah it was great to do it was like a big relief for everyone I think at all uh well you never know Never Say Never Again Gary Tony Green in paur says I really enjoyed your 1994 autobiography a bone in my flute it's been long out of print obviously uh a lot more has happened in the nearly 30 years since any plans for a follow-up Memoir and when I get the time I'd be happy to do that um but you know it would start off in quite a dark period of my life and I'm a bit sort of trepidacious about dealing with that um but yeah one day I'll get round to it I hope and hope I have you know live long enough to uh write it well we all do that yeah yeah just don't go anywhere all right no I'm not going anywhere okay uh so spring 89 s of e your debut solo album blast uh largely written by you straighten at Number One Platinum sales uh but it did come after a hugely stressful time for you didn't it it did it came after a a long- winded court case with ZT and Perfect songs who took me to the high court and uh I won and I won the appeal uh when I was working with Dan Hartman on Atomic City and other album tracks he helped me put together a whole load of ideas that I had for a song uh so got gets a coite on Atomic City and uh it was so much fun working with him I'd worked with Steven hag and um Steve LEL and Andy Richards who were old friends uh but Dan was something new to me he was a real American hustler and uh brilliantly Musical and great to work with well here's the song Atomic City [Music] Holly Johnson anatomic City so as we mentioned produced by Dan Hartman absolutely an amazing guy I met a number of times in the'80s such a lovely blow you're saying he was very driven oh he was he was hustling the next gig on the telephone while he was producing you I think he was on the phone to Tina turn as manager and going to do the best that was his next gig was he fun to work with he was great fun had loads of energy uh I mixed Atomic City uh in the hip Factory in New York with him yeah and stayed at his house in Connecticut and he was very hospitable and just lovely do you know you too just released a single called Atomic City no isn't that a strange coincidence there you go probably inspired by you hly indeed um you know Dan Hartman absolute genius I think we should play um one of his classic disco tracks oh how about this one from uh lilita Holloway oh fantastic and love sensation famously sampled famously sample by blackbox we'll talk more about that after we hear the song [Music] okay take produced by Dan Hartman who we were just talking about who also uh produced tracks for Holly on blast uh what did Dan uh think when blackbox uh sampled the heck out of that song well he was right in there with this Publishing Company saying 30% please did really well so so he wasn't bothered the way that they chopped it up and he felt sorry for Lolita who for the recording aspect didn't get any anything because she it belonged the sample belonged to a record company that she was UN recouped with unfortunately but I think he saw it all right and uh paid it to come and do another session for keep the fires burning one of his last singles yeah he was a lovely man lovely man indeed U Nick George and sry says I ceed to get tickets to Frankie goost Hollywood gig at Hammer Smith Apollo in Spring 1985 uh he said the atmosphere on the night was electri I wondered if Holly had any special memories of that gig or what are your favorite gigs from back in the day any stand out more than any others well H Hammer Smith odan was a fantastic night uh we did two nights I think and we did a live satellite cast of relax for Japan during one of the shows I remember a strange 70s pop star came and flashed me in the dressing room who shall be namess oh come on Holly and uh oh did George Michael get up and sing relax back in vocals I'm not quite sure it was all a bit of a blur wow but do you have one gig that was your favorite um oh the RDS in Dublin M oh the Irish it was the first show of the 1985 tour and the audience reception was fantastic Dublin is the last gig of my tour coming up now really we're going we're going to tell everybody the dates a few minutes um I'm just panicking in case we don't get them in don't worry you'll get all all your plugs you can plug anything you want we've done the merchandise to do theour we've done the merchandise we've done the vinyl we've done the cassette we'll do the tour yes the tour's come in all right now listen we've had three from Welcome to the pleasure Dome uh um but let's turn a light on the follow-up album 1986 is Liverpool great Title by the way what was it like recording that album cuz I guess you would have been under tremendous pressure at that time oh well it was a bit Grim we were in a place called bsam which was a lovely Village outside of uh Amsterdam right and it was very dark and the coldest wintering years all the canals froze over and um May then boyfriend now my tiil partner Wolf Gang was Ill in hospital and I was visiting him every day and going in the studio in the afternoon and um no one kind of understood what was going on with the Wolf Gang and uh there was a bit of friction because I always disappeared to the hospital and they were all working late into the night and I wanted to go home and sleep so it was a very strange world recording the Liverpool was that sort of the beginning of the end well it was the beginning of the darkness that's what I say a Darkness descended on Frankie Goes to Hollywood lots of different reasons that I can't go into really well at least the album I absolutely loved and we're going to play one of our favorites from it right [Music] now owning track and single number two from Liverpool Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Warriors of the Wasteland uh Claire in Warrington uh said Liverpool is still my favorite album of all time Frankie goost to Hollywood was the first band I went to see at 12 years of age in Manchester with my best friend Sam taken by my very cool sister Bev and I'm seeing Holly next month at the philarmonic in Liverpool and I can't wait amazing it's a great song isn't it Warriors it is I always start the show with it yeah giving away Secrets it's it's very the one thing I've noticed Holly is we're playing a lot of Frankie Goes to Hollywood songs and you have got your headphones on and you're really listening to them so I guess you haven't actually listened to them for probably a long time no I don't listen to myself and it's worth watching myself but I don't listen to myself that often and I should do it more I think how they how they sounding they still sound fresh don't they they sound great yeah especially on these headphones have to get some yeah amazing um another of your favorite songs you've been choosing your favorite songs uh tonight we got one from erasion now why why this one well don't you just love Andy Bell and Vince Clark is a genius so you know do you know the guys I don't really know them but I hear they're lovely yeah um this one wasn't a big hit at first except in France and I think think it's one of their best tunes that and ooh sometimes you know that one yeah but I love Ola Mo It's So Glorious and uh fun to listen to and catchy as [Music] hell so we were just chatting so dollar actually had the hit with this uh in the 80s and eraser only had a hit with it in 200 three when they remixed it I believe yeah it was a hit in France yeah oh ol La Mo yeah that makes sense that makes sense um some more uh messages coming in um Liverpool is still my favorite album of all time uh Frankie Goes to Hollywood was the first band I went to see at 12 years of age in Manchester with my best friend Sam taken by my very cool sister beev I'm seeing I've done this one haven't I that from clar and warington well I do it twice anyway uh hi I'm Holly and Gary no hi Holly and Gary such a fantastic show fair to say Holly releasing love train changed my life I listen to every day every single day for over a year and as a result of searching for Frankie stuff on H's compilations developed an obsession with 80s music and Frankie uh that has influenced every aspect of my life even my son is called Frankie can't wait to see at the padium and in Brighton uh that's from Jill in Brighton wow uh Claire says blast reminds me of peak teenage years braces on my teeth posters of Holly on the wall and being annoyed you were just below Jason Donovan in the Smash Hits most fanciable male category oh but what great company the gorgeous Jason I'm so excited to see you on tour um how did you decide which songs to play on the tour oh it was difficult uh I I passed the job on to Vince the musical director made a few suggestions I think it's really hard to do what David Boe once rang me up and asked me what songs he should sing on his next tour you believe that it's the truth what I know wow it's a real that shows you it's a really hard job if he's ringing me up you know it must be diff and which songs do you tell him to sing uh well teenage Wildlife was one of them from the Scary Monsters album yeah I never meant to tell that story well I'm glad you did oh there you go so did you know him quite well well no he rang me up at one night and I you know I did meet him a couple of times but you know he was he was it was like getting a phone call from God how did he get your number uh we had a mutual friend oh who was in the art business who put on both of our exhibitions one year his and then next year mine okay so there there you go loving the show Holly Johnson great guess what a talented man listening to Mary Carno soundtrack in my 20s sounds as fresh to day as it did when released Holly chy music is right up my street looking for tickets to go see him uh says Louise in Sheffield um so you have been touring you've been uh touring Europe and um you've been going down a storm I'm seeing well we've done Amsterdam denh har and Brussels yeah which were amazing and there's a little break now before I do Glasgow do glasgow's Pavilion Theater on the 19th of October and then Liverpool Birmingham Gates head London Brighton Belfast and the aisle of man um and I think we end in Dublin wow okay yeah and and and so what can we expect it's it's basically the best of Frankie and the best of us solo is it basically yeah a few more tracks from blast because it's the 35th Anniversary to coincide with the red vinyl version that we've released and red cassette uh and all the Frankie hits including mine love train americanos hav SE we get them all in amazing uh go to Holly johnson.com for tickets and uh more details about everything else the Fantastic stuff available on that website just check it out Holly johnson.com thank you thank you you're welcome and here is your debut single from BL [Applause] [Music] Hy Johnson solo and love train how of all the songs you've done do you have a favorite well I love love train actually Stoke it up I mean I love that uh I suppose it is the Power of Love uh it's a bit of a an evergreen that will probably last longer than I will you know it's I think it's got a a life of its own that song and people keep doing it which I hate because I want to hear my version or you know the Frankie version please don't do it don't cover this song well you get good royalties though oh I know but it's you know it's not all about the money our version is the best well I agree I I I I I agree with you don't mess with perfection I wonder whether we can fit it in before the end of the show um back to another of your favorite songs this one from Divine Divine love reaction why this Divine was you know a goddess creation and uh I saw Divine perform at that's the end and once in Amsterdam and you know the films of John Waters female trouble what a talent and who left us much too soon [Music] did you get a feeling Holly that uh Divine was listening to New Order at some point I think Bobby O his producer was or her producer and uh basically just ripped them off and got div Divine to go love reaction it's a brilliant song it it you know blue Mund was great wasn't it what a classic but you know anything with Divine and now we have Moments in Love by The Art of Noise as a bed yes as a bed for our soie bit quite inspirational this song to me I remember really yeah why I think I can sing the first bit of The Power of Love over it is that how I wrote it I can't remember go on then dreams are like Angels they keep at at pay better something like that is that how it goes you still got it Holly uh Helen from barow upon Humber said can you please men my wife Debbie a very happy birthday currently sat in the hot tub with a bottle of Fizz introducing her to sounds of the80s uh I usually listen uh alone at work hang on a second I know somebody has got something to say about [Music] that are you got one oh who was that that's Denise Pearson from fivar every time we have you listen to sounds of the 80s she gets very excited yeah good for her yeah you got a shout out a shout out oh sorry hi Gary and Holly loving the show please could you say happy birthday to my lovely husband Michael Kelly he's a massive Frankie Goes to Hollywood fan and we can't wait to see Holly on tour when he comes to Belfast many many thanks if you can mention this love Trisha uh Gary and Holly give a shout out to gorgeous wife Tracy Jackson who's not too well at present we plan to spend the weekend in our Caravan visiting my sister Linda and her husband Patrick helping them knock down a wall in their house in Hampshire I came alone and I'm missing Tracy loads ter I love a miss her and I'm back tomorrow from loving husband Keith we listen every week and uh we love the show a isn't that nice Craig Craig Radford is in wolver Hampton hello hello Gary say hi to Holly hello Craig Hi hi Holly how are you I'm very well well thanks um who's this song request for Craig it's for my wonderful and beautiful wife Dawn it was our fifth wedding anniversary yesterday congratulations thank you she's a massive Frankie ghost to Hollywood fan if probably not the biggest she introduced me to him back in the late 80s when I would listen to the L of Prince and like that I like the sound to Dawn yeah love so had how did you and da get together and where uh well we've been friends she moved around the corner from me back in 1987 we've been best mate since then yeah and we had a we met for an annual catch up about 10 years ago and took the gamble of best mates getting together wow had you always wanted to be together both of you but never really got around to asking each other it was a question of timing that's all it was really but 10 years ago it worked we got married in 2018 and we still having the time of Our Lives it's great oh that's fantastic and where are you at the moment uh we're in the Caravan adur in Paris brilliant um what do you want to say to Dawn Craig just that I love a loads and life wouldn't be the same without her a isn't that nice that's the kind of soy bit I like yeah lovely Dawn I hope you're feeling wonderful and not making too much noise in that Caravan I bet they are um if only if only there was a song that we could play for you do you have one in mind oh well considering with that much in love and Love's a very powerful thing I think the power of love would be amazing gar oh fantastic what you reckon Holly you think that's all right oh I think that's perfect for Dawn and Craig from wolver Hampton in adva mid Wales I'll protect you from the hooded [Music] claw Steve pilton asks uh once and for all is Power of Love a Christmas song well it's not just for Christmas it's for life good answer thank you Holly thank you for having me anytime and that's it thank you to my very special sans's co-host Holly Johnson good night everybody
2023-10-21 11:07
