Date
16 February 1996
Channel
VH1 (UK)
Kim Wilde fan John Kassim is on the phone for an interview. He requests a video from Kim, which is shown after the interview: ‘This I swear’.
Website tag: 1996
VH1
Thursday review
Date
15 February 1996
Channel
VH1 (UK)
Interview with Kim Wilde, starting with a video of Kim’s 1981 performance of ‘Kids in America’ in the German music programme Musikladen.
I never really thought about the future in 1981. I was really happy that I was making records and just taking each day as it came. So I didn’t really think about the future. I did worry about it a lot, though, I used to worry what unemployed popstars did, that was a big worry for me for a long time.
The initial hit, the ‘Kids in America’ time, that was really great, I was just 21, I was having a great time. After about five or six years when things got a bit tough, it was tough growing up in public and it was tough taking the knocks and experiencing my first taste of failure, I suppose. Or what was perceived as failure. Records that didn’t do so well, albums that didn’t sell, my career sort of winding down a bit. So those were hard pills to swallow initially. But you know, my life in the last five years are amongst the happiest years in my life.
(Music video for ‘You keep me hangin’ on’)
My attitudes as I’ve gotten older have changed. If I see something and I want it I go for it, I don’t think ‘well I’ll never be able to do that’.
(Music video for ‘This I swear’)
‘Now & forever’ is a project that’s begun right on the back end of the greatest hits project, which took forever and I was doing tours and promoting that and it was doing really well and it was obviously very retrospective. And at the end of it, after about a two, three year period which it took, I was getting into all kinds of different kinds of music, much more soul-orientated. I’ve always been a bit of a soul girl, but I’ve also been a bit of a rock chick and it’s a bit of a dilemma really.
On top of a music career, acting and the occasional television presenting, Kim would like to write a book.
I kind of always written down things like dreams and just about life really. Not so much, you know, it won’t be kiss and tell about the time Steve Strange tried to snog me or that night when I went home with Adam Ant and in the end he made me coffee, so it won’t be like that… (laughs) Though I might throw in a few of those, but it would be more to do with my life and how I see life and… I don’t know. I’ve got a few ideas at the moment which I’m mulling around.
‘Now and forever’ is an album of music that I felt totally right in doing. I feel very happy in the soul and dance arena and that’s where I intend to stay. And if I can continue to do that I will, irrespective of how well it goes down. It sounds a bit arrogant, doesn’t it? But I’ve always got on with doing what I wanted to do, irrespective of what happened. So I should continue to do that.
RSH Gold Awards
Date
11 February 1996
Channel
RTL2 (Germany)
Kim lipsynchs ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On’ and ‘This I swear’ solo on stage. After this, she is presented an RSH Gold award by a man with golden body paint all over him and a female presenter. Kim thanks the audience for this award.
Take it to the bridge
Date
10 February 1996
Channel
VH1 (UK)
Interview with Kim about her recent album and the clips for ‘Breakin’ away’ and ‘This I swear’. Short clips of these are also shown.
Pebble mill
Date
2 February 1996
Channel
BBC (UK)
Most of this daily daytime show is devoted to the new musical Tommy. From this musical, ‘Acid Queen’ is performed at the start of the program. After this, Kim Wilde performs ‘This I swear’, her recent single, followed by an interview with Pete Townsend. Kim later joins him on the bench wearing her ‘Mrs Walker’ costume. The program ends with the TV premiere of ‘I believe my own eyes’, performed by Kim and Alistair Robins.
Electric Circus
Date
2 February 1996
Channel
BBC (UK)
Interview with Kim Wilde about her new job as mother of Tommy in the musical ‘Tommy’. Kim is interviewed on location in a rehearsal studio, where she is sitting on a metal chair. The female presenter is seated on a garbage can.
Kim Wilde released her first single 15 years ago and it sounded like this:
(clip of music video for ‘Kids in America’ shown)
Since then she’s released over 30 singles, 10 albums, travelled all over the world and is about to make her West End debut in the rock musical ‘Tommy’. And I’ve come here in this beautiful set to find out more about it.
So Kim, congratulations on the role to start with. How did it all come about?
It was about three months ago. I think it was about November, and the album had just come out, and I was promoting that. We were sent through the script. And I thought ‘Wow, that’s really interesting’, because I loved ‘Tommy’ as a kid, I had the album in the house when I was 13 or 12 and I loved that. So I thought ‘This looks really interesting’. And I read it, and I heard the music and I thought ‘Wow, this is gotta be done. So I went to the audition, which was very scary because I’d never been to an audition before…
What was the audition like, describe the audition, what did you have to do?
It was at a studio in Covent Garden, and Pete Townshend was there, director Des McAnuff, they all sat on tables a bit like these tables over here, and I basically had to sing the songs that Mrs. Walker sings. I play Tommy’s mum, Mrs. Walker. And I had to do some reading, dramatic reading which I’d never done. It was pretty scary.
So the ultimate question is, how nervous are you Kim?
I haven’t had time to think about it, probably on opening night I don’t know quite where I’ll be, what planet, but up until then I’m so busy rehearsing and so busy concentrating on what I’m doing I haven’t had time to be nervous about anything. I’m absolutely hoping that will continue right up until opening night, but you know what opening nights are like… I’ll just be as nervous as you would expect me to be.
(Music video for ‘This I swear’ shown)
I’m still making records, I’ve got my record out and I’ll still be recording in the coming years so I’m not turning my back on my recording career at all. And actually I found out I got the part for Tommy when I was making that video, so… good memories.
Stars magazine
Date
1 February 1996
Channel
France
Short report about the musical Tommy in the London West End, starring Kim Wilde and Paul Keating. Short clips of ‘Smash the mirror’ and ‘Pinball wizard’ (featuring Hal Fowler) are shown.
This I swear (music video)
Date
29 January 1996
Channel
Directed by Daniela Federici.
This video was filmed in the Chelsea Hotel, New York, US, which is a famous Rock ‘n’ Roll hangout. There are a few shots from couples to alternate with the shots from Kim: an elderly couple, an African American couple, etc.
Kim is wearing a beautiful light blue shirt, and sings both inside the hotel, as well as near a window.
The Big Breakfast
Date
29 January 1996
Channel
Channel 4 (UK)
Kim appears in the program as a special guest. She is interviewed by Zig and Zag, the house puppets, and also by the two presenters. Because of the news of her going to do the musical ‘Tommy’ she also has to do a pinball challenge. Halfway through this, she is dressed up as a ‘pinball wizard’ (groan).
Sunday brunch
Date
28 January 1996
Channel
VH1 (UK)
Interview with Kim Wilde, who is busy rehearsing for ‘Tommy’.
Talking telephone numbers
Date
27 January 1996
Channel
ITV (UK)
Kim lipsynchs ‘This I swear’, backed by three backing vocalists, one cellist and two violinists. All the musicians are miming.
Pyjama party
Date
27 January 1996
Channel
UK
Kim appears a few times in this programme for interviews.
Is this the kind of thing you wear in the sack, generally speaking?
No actually, I wear nothing in the sack.
And why is that? Because these things kind of get caught up all around your face?
Exactly! It’s not for any other reason than that.
Right. Well have you ever been to one of these pyjama parties before?
Actually I used to have a few with my girlfriends yeah. We had them quite regularly. We’d go round to each other’s house, quick dinner, talk about a lot of stuff all night, you know, ‘stuff’. And then we stopped doing that after a while because we started falling in love with our boyfriends instead of just going out with them.
Before you got serious with your boyfriends, when you were just kindof sampling the talent, is that when you were really dishing the dirt?
It was, we dished the dirt and I learnt a lot. You know, I learnt everything I know girls, thank you.
But did you practise on each other?
Pardon?
You know what I mean…
No, no, no not exactly. We practised on our men.
But you swapped tips, exchanged…
Well that tip about Vicks, that Vicks stuff you rub on your chest? Don’t try it. Bad trick, just don’t try it.
(…)
Tonight’s poll asks ‘how faithful are you?’.
(…)
So how do you characterise yourself, Kim?
I’m a pretty faithful sort of person. You know, my best friend I’ve known since I was eight and she’s still my best friend, Claire. I’m also faithful to my boyfriends.
But what about one of these questions, if you ran into an old beau on holiday, ran into Chris Evans, and you had a lot of drink, would you…? Would it reignite that fire, there?
No, I don’t think you can step into the same river twice.
No good stuff there, but how about love stuff now? Are you… What’s going on with you?
Well… Do you wanna be… honest? It’s just really lousy actually (laughs). I tell you what, there’s some really cute guys in the company I’m working on, the Tommy project.
Oh yeah, because you’re performing in Tommy.
I start Tommy at the 20th of February and there’s some major cute guys there.
And what are they doing? Are they working backstage?
I don’t know them very well yet, I’ve only known them for two weeks.
