Ask a silly question…: Kim Wilde

With a ‘Best Of’ album out on Guy Fawkes, yesteryear’s sultry pop siren is set to create – hey! – some fireworks of her own as part of a forthcoming ’80s tour alongside frankly inferior chancers like T’Pau and Nick Heyward. Speak to us, Kim!

What was the first gig you remember?
Johnny Nash at Alexandra Palace when I was a child. I went with my parents. It was really vibrant. I can’t wait to take my own kids to gigs.

What’s the question you hate getting asked most?
‘What was it like meeting Michael Jackson?’ It was totally unmemorable really. But when I say unmemorable, I’ll never forget it of course, ‘cos people keep bloody asking me!

Do you read on the toilet?
No. My daughted could have swallowed a 2p piece in that time. No time for a decent shit. Or as Paul Young would say, ‘No time for a good dump’.

Are you nervous about getting back on stage?
I am but I’m looking forward to it. My overriding fear is falling off my five inch platform boots.

How would you sum up the Here And Now Tour?
Huh huh huh huh! It’s such a funny title!

What would you rename it?
Not sure, but ‘Why’ would be one of the words. Maybe the Why Not tour. We’ll all get paid and it’ll keep us in whatever we want and we’ll have a laugh.

Have you seen those guys since the good ol’ days?
Yes, during the tour promotion. Everyone starts giggling a lot and finding everyone genuinely amusing. It’s like we’re all at the back of the coach, acting like a bunch of naughty school children. It brings out my infantile streak.

Have you ever sung your songs at karaoke?
I used to sing heavy metal – Metallica. My husband does karaoke. In the pub, he was made to sing ‘Kids in America’. Except he didn’t know the words – he hardly even knew what the song was.

Can you remember when you started singing?
I loved singing at school. I was Mary once at Christmas and I had to sing, ‘My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord’.

How was it?
It was my moment – my first taste of stardom! I’ve still got a photo of me wearing a veil on my angelic face, with a few people dressed as sheep next to me.

What was the last record you bought?
‘Free at last’, the Blue Nile album. I’ve got the Travis album too. There’s this lovely song about flowers in the window or something. But my favourite single of the year is ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. The first time I heard it, I thought a girl was singing – which of course puts a very curious twist on the song – a really clever, sexy, naughty twist. I kind of got into that.

What’s your favourite piece of useless information?
If you shout at sunflowers it helps them grow. I read it in a book called ‘Anatomy of a rose: exploring the secret life of flowers’. I have this sunflower which was doing really well. I, um, sang to it – very loud – but it has now keeled over. It’s passed out and bent the other way. I bet you found that about as interesting as picking your toenails.