- A tender pout, a deafening sex package, rock’s Marilyn Monroe. KIM WILDE collects rave reviews at the same pace as big, dizzying sales figures.
- Have you heard the songs KIDS IN AMERICA, CHEOUERED LOVE and WATER ON GLASS? Then you already know something about the phenomenon called wild, wild KIM WILDE.
- Our super reporter Andy Gray reveals more secrets in the second part of his Wilde story.
- Where do song ideas come from? Why doesn’t Kim perform in concerts yet? How wild is Kim, really?
- Come on — KIDS IN FINLAND!!!
Kim Wilde’s rise to become England’s latest singing sensation was so fierce that it put even the idea of performing on the line.
Fame threatened Kim’s unusually close family relationships so seriously that Kim had to wonder what meant more to her, family and balance within the family or possible fame.
Everything happened very quickly. RAK Records’ producer genius Mickey Most asked Ricky, Kim Wilde’s 19-year-old brother, to the studio to record some of his own compositions, Most’s far-sighted ulterior motive was that he might find a new singing talent in addition to good melodies. Ricky had been making records since he was 12 and although he had been inactive lately, Mickey Most decided it was time to start thinking about a new record.
Ricky set out to record exactly as Most had predicted… but he also took Kim with him. Kim could be of help when singing the backing vocals.
Kim was supposed to sing in the background in the choir, but when Mickey Most saw and heard Kim sing, he wanted to sign a recording contract with the new singer immediately.
Mickie knew she had made Suzi Ouatro a star. Will Kim Wilde become the new Suzi?
The wild news of Mickie Most’s plans for Kim sent shockwaves through the Wilde family community. Ricky swallowed his pride on the outside after losing his chance to his sister, but on the inside Ricky was far from satisfied.
Next, the music journalists started feasting on descriptions of Kim’s 42-year-old father, the legendary rock singer Marty Wilde. Marty was talked about as if he was no more? “Long time ago famous Marty Wilde”, “retired rocker” and “sad dead star” were such quality words that Marty Wilde literally exploded. And what was the cause of this explosion? — Marty’s own daughter Kim’s wild rise to fame.
So which was more important, fading fame or closeness and security in the family circle? Kim openly admits that she idolizes her parents and siblings. The Wildes live in Hertfordshire, near St. Albans, less than 40 kilometers from London. Kim’s mother is also a singer, Vernon Girls soloist Joyce Smith. Ricky, who is a year younger than 20-year-old Kim, has been singing all his life. Roxanne, named after the Police hit, is 2 years old and the family also has a little brother, Marty Junior. Roxanne’s name is Kim’s invention, as Kim is a die-hard Police fan.
After thinking about it for a while, Kim came to the conclusion that if the rise to fame in any way threatens the family’s happiness, Kim would rather give up singing.
Kim was already rejecting Most’s offer when the family made another fuss. Nothing will come of it, the other Wildes declared in true artist style, if Kim lets go of the opportunity of a lifetime. To record and immediately, it was the Wilde’s joint decision, which undoubtedly rose like Elektra from the ashes of family feuds. Kim’s fear — of success — as a threat to the rest of the family turned out to be what it was, namely an exaggeration of emergency protection. Kim Wilde’s popularity has helped Marty and Ricky move forward rather than threatened it, and today the family is tighter together than before. Marty and Ricky Wilde have experienced how their records have become international hits – Kids in America, Water On Glass and many others. In Kim’s own opinion, he is not an individual, but 1/3 of a whole, made up of father Marty, brother Ricky and Kim himself.
– We are one person, Kim Wilde says about her family, only together do we form a whole. We all need each other. Especially Dad and Ricky and I belong together.
Rick Wilde became a wanted producer because he is responsible for Kim’s records. Now Ricky is also a respected musician. Ricky is in charge of the piano and Kim’s accompaniment. Ricky’s career is now on a steady rise. Exactly the same thing happened to Marty Wilde: Marty is busier today than ever before. First he had his own publicity, then there was Kim’s fame and the knowledge that he is Kim’s father. Today, Kim has discovered that Marty Wilde is an admired entertainer and more popular than ever.
— A crisis within the family is not that dangerous at all, Kim admits in his open and forthright way, — when you think about it. The crisis makes you check your own opinions. And they can always be revised. Now I feel like even this collision happened more in my own head than anywhere else. Fortunately, everything ended well.
Do you have a steady boyfriend?
No… and I don’t regret it one bit. Dating at this point would be a mere inconvenience, because I would have to cancel the meetings and postpone them. Maybe I wouldn’t always be completely honest when telling about my past and I already know in advance that I don’t like dishonesty. You know my life is no more only my own, personal life. I deal with business people and record producers and journalists and radlo counters and TV producers all the time… A lot of people, almost 24 hours a day. “He will be in touch.” “Call so and so yourself,”
Don’t like boys?
Don’t joke! I’m a Scorpio by my star sign and scorpions are incredibly passionate. I LOVE BOYS! And sex is hugely important to me. But right now I simply don’t have the time. I love to the point of madness as soon as I have time!
What is your ideal?
A man reminiscent of Robert Redford, Paul Newman, or perhaps Charles Bronson — a dominant type who knows what he’s doing.
Have you met anyone who exceeds the dimensions of the prototype?
A few, but I was still way too young when I met them.
How do you deal with crowds?
I’m not afraid at all. Nevertheless, the situation has changed on some level. When a person becomes well-known, he becomes public property, or at least many people start to think that way. Complete strangers come to you to give you good advice, even though you haven’t even asked for anything. I can’t stand that kind of attitude at all. I don’t even like that some people put other people down all the time. However, that doesn’t happen often. Mostly people are very friendly and it’s nice to meet new people.
When can we see you on stage?
Dad has warned me not to aspire to the stage until the performance is really excellent and different in some way. Father said that at the beginning of his career he had gone on stage without proper training, which had resulted in insane panic in the middle of the performance when something had gone wrong. Dad said he hoped I never had to go through the same thing. And dad is right, I think, as always. Mickie Most has said that I’m in no rush to get on stage. All three of my consecutive hits, Kids In America, Cheguered Love and Water On Glass, have had great success without boosting sales with stage performances. I think it’s fun to go abroad to present my own records, but it’s ridiculously easy. There
you don’t need to know anything other than talking to the dishwasher or opening your mouth in a TV studio to the beat of your own record. I have already done all that in France and Germany and now I’m leaving for Australia.
America is next on my list of conquests. I love traveling and I love being able to come home and give gifts to everyone.
Are you going to move into your own apartment, now that you’re making a lot of money with your records?
…Not really…I love living at home way too much. Far too many girls my age move into their own apartment as soon as they have a little of my own money, but not me… Until now, I have lived at home in a safe and warm atmosphere, surrounded by people who love me. If I lived alone, I would be sad all the time.
You have sparkling white teeth, enigmatic blue-gray eyes, truly blonde hair and the sexiest lips in the world — what do you think is the best aspect of your appearance?
I never thought about that.
Do you bite your bottom lip?
Sometimes. Maybe that’s why my lower lip is bigger than my upper lip. The boys teased me that I’m sexy just by my lips, but I pretended that I didn’t even hear what they said. Someone once said that I resemble Marilyn Monroe. I laughed at the thought then. On the other hand, I like hearing crazy things about myself.
How do you feel about the use of alcoholic beverages and drugs in the entertainment world?
There is something like that – but not for me. I’ve even been offered a sniff of coke line, but I laughed uproariously at the offerer. Sometimes I can drink a glass, but my favorite drink is fresh orange juice…
Kim Wilde is like a magnum bowl of fresh juice, sunshine, zest for life, exemplary virtues and talent inherited from her father. Daddy’s girl will remain in the starry sky for a long, long, long time…
