Swindon Concert Interview
Saturday 15 August 1998 almost a year to the day I last saw Bonnie in
Portsmouth and almost a year since we last spoke. I'm on a train to meet a
friend who's driving me to the concert. I get a bit of a strange look from the
woman opposite me on the train and with horror realize my jeans (the ONLY
trousers I have with me) have split between the legs!! Now they say things
come in three's!!
Wham! I notice the back of my tape machine is missing (black insulating tape
from a garage solves that) and half way through the concert the battery in my
camera decided to pack in. Did I have a spare? Nope!!! Oh well on with the
show!
I was due to interview Bonnie around 7.00pm. Bonnie was delayed and did not
arrive until 7.45pm. What I didn't know was that she was waiting for me to go
up and introduce myself. I was waiting for her manager to come and see me!!!
8.15pm no sign of Bonnie and no sign of David Aspden (Bonnie's manager) so I
now reckon the interview must be off. After all Bonnie is due on stage at 9.15pm.
I decide to write a brief note to David asking if he can re-schedule for the
Pontefract concert and make my way backstage to watch "Sam Moore".
While I'm there David spots me and we talk about the mix up and he tells me
Bonnie will do the interview at 8.30pm.
I go back to the Conference Centre where the bands are changing. Bonnie turns
up, doesn't see me, and goes into another room. This is getting silly!!!
8.45pm the concert promoter runs up to me "Are you Steve Lawrence? Bonnie has
been looking everywhere for you. Go down to her dressing room and she'll see
you now".
I knock on the door and Bonnie opens it. We joke a little about what has gone on
and Bonnie makes me promise that next time I see her, if she doesn't see me
first, I shout on top of my voice "I'M HERE!!!".
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Steve: I know we don't have much time and that you're due on stage in half an
hour so I'll keep it short. Can you tell me about your immediate plans?
Bonnie: I'm off to Russia after this show. I'll have a quick shower and 2
hours kip then I'm off to the airport. I'll do a quick show in Russia then I
come home Monday night. I'm home for a few days then I do Pontefract. From
there I go home for two days then I'm off to Germany to finish the last two
songs on my album - which has taken forever! But it is definately coming out
the end of October. Well I say definately they (the record company) say
definately you know. They have a slot for it at the end of October.
Steve: What's the first single?
Bonnie: I think it's going to be "HEAVEN". Because I have a Jose Cerera (opera
singer) show in Germany and that's going to be the first single released in
Germany. I know that much anyway. Which I'm quite happy about because I like
the song very much.
Steve: I'm surprised I thought it was going to be the duet "Live For Love"
with Andrea Bocelli?
Bonnie: I've done it. I've recorded it but it's not going to be on the album
now. It's a fantastic song it's such a shame. The song is amazing. It's a
smash. But the record companies cannot come to an agreement. Hopefully it will
be released sometime in the future. It's too good not to be.
Then when I come back from Germany after finishing the recording, I go
straight to London to work with RICK WAKEMAN. I've got a track on his album -
it's a great song and I'm also doing a track on MIKE BATT'S album. I think
it's for a German series but I'm not sure. It's the old classic "I PUT A SPELL
ON YOU".
Then rehearsals. I'm doing a show on the BBC with FRANKIE MILLER. Frankie is
here, come to see the show and I'm doing two songs on this show in Edinburgh.
I'm doing a song I was going to record on the "Free Spirit" album, but Rod
Stewart ended up recording it, but they've asked me to sing it in Edinburgh and
a new song that Frankie has just written the music for and Will Jennings
has put the words to.
Then the next day I'm off to Portugal for a holiday for hopefully three weeks.
Then I'm back to start promoting my album with the first single HEAVEN. I
also have a gig in Stuttgart around that time, I believe.
Steve: Are there no plans for "Tire Tracks And Broken Hearts" to come out?
Bonnie: Oh "Tire Tracks" can't be on my new album only because you have to
have six months clearence and the compilation album is not even released yet.
So when the compilation "Songs From Whistle Down The Wind" is released, six
months after that I can put it on my album. So it will probably be on the next
one.
Steve: Can I ask you just one question and then I'll leave you as I know you
want to get ready for the show.
Bonnie: Oh I'm sorry it has to be so quick.
Steve: Thats OK. Can you tell me a bit about the song "Desert Is In Your
Heart"?
Bonnie: The Greek song?
Steve: Yes. I get so many questions through the Bonnie Tyler Homepage asking
about that song. It is so hard to get and few people outside Greece have heard
it. I get so many emails about that song. Do you know the page has been accessed
14,000 times?
Bonnie: That's great! Do you know I'm on the Celebrity nude page? I hope they
put my head on the body of Pamela Anderson! I haven't seen it but if it's
naked it ain't me! I have never had a picture taken naked of me in my whole
life I don't even have one of me as a baby!!!
Do you know I've forgotten the name of the girl I sang "Desert Is In Your
Heart" with.
Steve: Sophia Apbanith.
Bonnie: Yeah that's right. You know I can't remember much about it, but it was
very good. Arabic in flavour and it got to Number 1 in Greece. I didn't even
get a copy of it, but my fan club secretary in Germany got me a copy.
Do you remember the last time I saw you. You were on about getting MY MY
HONEYCOMB onto a future compilation CD and were asking if there were any plans
to get the FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF NIGHT album remixed? I told the record
company I thought they were really good ideas, maybe as one of thing but to
deaf ears at the moment darling. But who knows one day?
Steve: I'll leave you now and see you in Pontefract next week.
Bonnie: Are you coming? I'll have more time for you next week because I'm off
for a few days afterwards and we can have a drink after the show and
everything.
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Bonnie then invited me to a small party after the concert - see review - and we
spoke a little more about the concert in Pontefract and arranged to follow
this interview up after the concert. I wished her good luck, we hugged and
kissed and agreed to speak again the following week.
So ended my second interview with Bonnie.
STAY TUNED TO THIS PAGE!!! Want to know about the duets Bonnie has done with
singers in the past? You know the ones you can't get hold of? Want to know
about the tracks on the new album? Want to know about future concerts? Want
to know bout Bonnie's band? These are some of the questions I'll be asking
next week.
But even if you can't interview Bonnie you can get me to do it for you! Have
you got any questions you want asked? Email the page and I'll do my best to
include the best of them.
Stay tuned to next weeks thrilling installment of part two of the
BONNIE TYLER HOMEPAGE 1998 "EXCLUSIVE" INTERVIEW!!!
Steve Bowen Lawrence
16 August 1998