Kim Wilde still remembers her fights with her brother Ricky after “borrowing” his LP’s. And Ricky says that the namecalling in their youth never seemed to end. It has changed. Kim and Ricky have become best mates. “More than that”, Kim is happy to admit, “Ricky is my best friend and I can really talk with him about my problems.”
Before she talks about her special relationship with her younger brother, Kim picks the most comfortable chair in the bar of London hotel. “Ricky is somewhere here”, she says. “He is coming in a moment”.
Your relationship used to be a lot worse in the old days.
That is an understatement. A few years back we were like cats and dogs. My parents almost went nuts. We were always fighting and I was usually to blame.”
Why is that?
“I used to be terribly jealous of Ricky. He was very popular at school and I wasn’t. That made me angry. I used to have my revenge by saying things to mum and dad.
Ricky appears behind us and mixes in with the conversation.
“Kim used to tell tales”, he says, winking at his sister. “I was punished a lot at home. But I couldn’t hate her for that. We are doing much better now anyway.”
What made your relationship change so dramatically?
“It was our shared passion for music and maybe just growing up”, says Kim. “But mostly it’s been the music.”
“Our reconciliation started with an enormous fight”, Kim’s brother remembers. “DO you remember you stole a couple of my records because you loved them and you wanted to play them whenever you wanted? When I discovered I was very angry. My father had to separate us.”
“You can bet I would have won the fight”, Kim answers. “But that incident made us realise we like the same music. We sat for hours listening to music. Our taste had a lot of similarities.”
Maybe that is the foundation for your successful teamwork?
“I guess so”, Kim agrees. “I never have to worry about the songs I record. Ricky knows what I like and more importantly, he knows what I can handle with my voice.”
“Kim is too modest”, says Ricky. “It is great to make songs for her. She sings them perfectly. When I write a song I can already hear in my head how the song has to sound. And Kim only needs a few pointers to know what I want. It seems like telepathy.”
When will the third generation of Wildes enter showbiz?
“Do you mean my sister Roxanne and my brother Marty?”, Kim laughs. “That will take some time yet. Roxanne is only two and Marty has yet to become one. I do sing a lullaby for Roxanne sometimes but she can not sing yet.”
“When she is a little older I will write a song for her”, Ricky says.