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Current
Limahl News
In chronological order. Scroll down...
July 22, 1998 (Thanks Ilona!)
Transcript of Interview on GMTV at 7.17am BST ITV 22nd July
1998
J = John Stapleton
L = Limahl
J: I am 22, good looking, talented, with imagination, determination, song writing ability and I need four
musicians with the same qualifications...and the person who placed the ad was the lead singer Limahl. Before
we talk to him, a blast from the past; remember this from 1983:
(Clip from Ooh to be Ah video)
J: Well the bands not called Kajagoogoo any more but the barnet's (translation: hair) the same and the
name's still the same.
L: Yes that's right
J: Tell us about it
L: Well basically I think we were very image conscious, and as with the name, anything that could capture
the eye, stand out 'cause its fiercely competitive obviously in the music business so it was just you know do
your best to stand out in the competition basically.
J: For the benefit of new readers who might be starting here, why were you called Kajagoogoo ?
L: Well we had a long list of names, that's for some really crazy names. We had all seen this film called The
Mirror Crack'd and we were actually considering calling ourselves the Mirror Crack'd but that one got
dumped. Nick...
J: Probably wise with the benefit of true reflection
L: ... the base player Nick came up with the name Kajagoogoo he just thought of something that a child
would say something kind of not really meaning anything
J: Kajagoogoo. You're absolutely right. And what about Limahl? How did that come about cause that's not
your real name obviously?
L: No, again. I thought of a one-word name like Sting I just thought you know would be easier to remember
basically
J: Wasn't it a play on your own name? I thought it was
L: It is yeah
J: Your own name backwards isn't it?
L: It is yeah
J: So your own name was?
L: Hamill
J: Hamill, yes Very clever, yes, very clever
L: Boring
(Limahl laughs)
J: No. No. Lovely name
J: But fond memories of the 80s obviously it's a good time for you
L: I mean for me, I basically I made my dream come true. I was from a council estate in Wigan and when I
used to tell my friends I wanted to be a singer basically I got sniggered at and told to go down the mines and
get a proper job.
J: Yes, They thought you were joking but you made it. Now you've not been as quite high profile since then.
What have you been up to?
L: I've got a studio in west London. Actually I've been working with Kim Wilde, Peter Andre , Liv'n Joy
who had a number 1 a couple of years ago I been doing lots of things that you haven't heard of but obviously
now with this 80's revival, they.. you know...
J: You're back in business
J: And what's the group called now?
L: Well its just Limahl and the Limahlettes
(Laughter from the group)
J: we have a Limahlette over there don't we. Why not ?
J: What are you going to do for us?
L: We're gonna go right back to 1983
J: With?
L: Too Shy
J: Too Shy. What else. Limahl and the Limahlettes -take it away
(Too Shy)
End interview: 7:25am
May 1998
The following is an e-mail that Limahl posted on the UK Kajagoogoo page.
Name: Limahl
Time: 1998-04-11 20:18:00
Comments: Dear Ann, I thought I'd pay you a visit after a friend told me about your so
called "official" KAJAGOOGOO Website and I must say that I have read your
message board with great interest and amusement.
Another reason for visiting Ann is that I am actually planning an official LIMAHL
Website soon and am currently gathering inspiration and ideas for it. I hope you don't
mind.
Incidentally, Do I know you ? I must have met you if you go back that far to the early
Leighton Buzzard days !! I'm sorry, if I don't remember you immediately but it is nearly
17 years ago.
I think your site is quite good, but I can't say I'm wild about your "POOF" comment. It
would seem to tie in with your obvious dislike of me from the "story of the band" page.
That's ok though. No artist/performer can ever expect everyone to like him/her all of the time.
As a person though, I can assure you that I'm quite a nice guy !! I can't help feeling that
it might be better if you renamed your site, the official "KAJA" site and leave out any
stuff about me because you seem to know Nick and Steve personally but have had
absolutely no contact with me whatsoever. If you dislike me that much, it means that you
could dedicate all your time and energy to simply "KAJA".
For the record though, I have never slagged off "KAJA". Indeed, I always had great
respect for them as musicians and after living with Nick and his girlfriend at his Leighton
Buzzard flat for over a year in order to dedicate all of our time to writing material and
songs, I had regarded them as my family. It was a great shock to me when they
telephoned me that Monday morning and said that they had decided to fire me and
continue as a four piece. They had been a four piece band for four years before I joined
them and to be suddenly labelled as a packaged teen band with no musical substance
was hurtful for them (although I don't think I was entirely to blame for this perception of
the band). That was probably the main reason for going their own way.
The possible second reason is that I didn't get along too well with the manager Paul
Ryan who had been their friend from school days. I think those two reasons sum it up in
a nutshell.
I have also never tried to take all the credit for the success of "KAJAGOOGOO" but I
would like to say in my defence that I was very, very instrumental in it's process. It was
a friend of mine Roddam, that invested around £10,000 for new keyboards and
equipment in the band. It was also my approach to Nick Rhodes at the Embassy Club
where I was a waiter, that resulted in the deal with EMI records who had previously
turned us down. It was also my friendship with Paul Gambaccini whom I had met at the
gay club "Heaven" that resulted in a TV special on the band, amongst other things.
Finally, I feel very strongly that I also had some very valid musical input. THAT IS THE
TRUTH Ann. TRUTH that is not only omitted from your Website, but also Nick Begg's
too.
Incidentally, I intend to rectify this when I start the LIMAHL Website. I would also like
to say that in my opinion, the band were no less talented after we split up. I thought
"Lions Mouth", "Turn you back on me" and "Shouldn't do that" were all excellent. I
remember listening to them and thinking how I would liked to have sung them.
I had no choice though and I had to move forward with my life. The music business is
riduclously fickle at the best of times and that was very probably the main contributor to
our respective fading popularity. So may I say to you Ann, KAJA and all other KAJA
fans......I wish you all well. Life is too short to hold grudges and wallow in bitterness.
Enjoy it !! This is not a rehearsal.
To all the Limahl fans may I say, thank you for your support and I hope that you will
enjoy my official "LIMAHL" website when it's up and running. For your info, I am
extremely busy in my recording studio writing, remixing and producing for an array of
artists/record companies and am settling quite nicely into my new found role.
Although, some of you already know that you can catch me doing the odd "LIMAHL"
show with a great five piece band that consists of a girl sax player and a black bass
player (very politically correct).
On a final note, many of my friends have passed away or are suffering with their health
coz of AIDS and this is a constant stark reminder to me that I am so lucky and grateful
that I have remained healthy and still have a future in the music business. On top of all
that, after years of traumatic relationships, I finally met and settled down with a really
nice guy called Steve, (sexy bugger too) and we've been blissfully living together for
over five years now. Actually, I met him in the nightclub "Heaven" too, so..........it's a
match made in "heaven"......!!
Bye for now.
PS: Sorry, I don't have an E mail address yet and have sent this via a friends computer.
January 28, 1998
Limahl Plays Live!!!Limahl is
performing live again, and of all places on earth in
Trondheim, Norway the 27th of February. E-mail me if you are
going to be able to make it!
Limahl's
FAQ
Coming Soon
Limahl
History
Today, Limahl is a household
name, but getting there was an uphill struggle…he is
from a far humbler beginning. Born Christopher
Hamill…Limahl is an anagram of his surname…on
December 19th,1958, he was the third child of Eric and
Cynthia Hamill. He was raised in Wigan, Lancashire, with
elder brothers Paul and Anthony and younger sister Caroline.
Music was in his blood and he began to sing as soon as he
began to talk! From a very early age, he would perform at
family gatherings, with Dad on guitar. And later on, he
would just walk into a shop or bar and offer to sing for a
few pence…which often got him out of a tight spot when
he'd spent the bus fare home! In fact Limahl would sing for
just about anyone who would listen!
Although his parents didn't have
much money, when Limahl was ten, they bought a record
player, and he would save up his money to buy singles,
almost always Tamla Mowtown and soul. When he was old enough
he took a job as a paper boy and the record buying got
serious, with every penny he earned being spent in the
record shop. At the age of 14, he entered a talent contest
at the now famous Wigan Casino, the home of Northern Soul.
Although competing against 11 other boys, Limahl
won…his prize, ten albums presented to him by DJ Andy
Peebles, who was then with Piccadilly Radio. When he left
Mesnes High School at 16, the most urgent priority was to
earn a living, so Limahl began training as a hairdresser in
Bolton and Manchester. But the world of music still lured
him and he soon began taking odd jobs at clubs and discos.
After a spell in Spain, Limahl
was drawn to the bright lights and excitement of London, and
once there, he began taking singing lessons and studied
piano. In the future, this would prove to be a sound base to
enable him to write his own songs. Over the next few years,
Limahl had a variety of jobs, including a stint with a band
called Brooks. They never made it, but it's interesting to
note that another of the members was Mike Nolan, who has
gone onto great success with Bucks Fizz. Limahl signed with
a theatrical agency , after an introduction by a friend, and
was helped into a chorus role in the pantomime "Alladin", at
the Grand Theatre, Swansea. A new world was opening up to
him now and more acting jobs in the theatre followed…in
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", "Godspell"
and "Murder at the Vicarage". All this finally led to TV
roles…in "The Gentle Touch" and "Grange Hill". There
was also work as an extra on the Adam and the Ants video of
"Stand and Deliver".
Early in 1980, two singles were
released under the name Chris Hamill, but despite their
failure, Limahl's resoluteness remained and over the next
year, he worked with a variety of bands and singers. In the
summer of 1981, he placed the now infamous ad in Melody
Maker. "I am 22, good looking, talented, with imagination,
song writing ability and I need four musicians with the same
qualifications. No Des O'Connor fans!" As a result, he
joined a band called Art Nouveau. Reformed, they were also
renamed…Kajagoogoo. It seems like an overnight success,
but it was a year later that an introduction to Nick Rhodes
of Duran Duran , led to EMI hearing and liking the demo tape
they were shown. The band signed with EMI on July 14th, 1982
and the wonderful "Too Shy", produced by Nick Rhodes and
Colin Thurston, was released.
A few months later, in the
Autumn, Kaja embarked on their first major tour, supporting
Fashion, whose lead singer was Dee Harris. The album, "White
Feathers" was recorded over Christmas '82 and the band made
their first TV apppearance on The Other Side of the Tracks
in January '83. A week later "Too Shy" made the number One
slot.
Limahl's solo career began seven
short months later, with the surprise splitting up of
Kajagoogoo. He is quoted as saying, "it was a great period
for all of us and it was a pity the way it ended. I
certainly don't wish it never happened". He hid himself away
in studio with Tim Palmer and Dee Harris…with whom Kaja
had worked the previous year…and the fruit of their
labours was, "Only for Love", which sold over half a million
copies throughout Europe and entered the UK Top 20 in
November '83. Over Christmas and the New Year there was
appearances on Supersonic and Pop Goes the New Year, and in
the spring of '84, Limahl appeared at the influential Tokyo
Music Festival. One of the judges was the legendary composer
and producer, Giorgio Moroder. He spotted Limahl and a few
week later, contacted him to ask if he'd be interested in
recording the theme to a new science fiction movie. The
movie was , of course, "The Never Ending Story". Although
Limahl was initially nervous about recording with Moroder,
the result, sung with Beth Anderson, was a hit. Written by
Moroder and Keith Forsey it became the only track on the
"Don't Suppose" album not written by Limahl.
The partnership between Limahl
and Giorgio Moroder proved so successful, with the single
charting in Britain, America, Japan, Australia and all over
Europe and chalking up a staggering seven No. 1's along the
way, that they both decided that they would like to work
with each other again. This time Giorgio wrote the music and
Limahl added his own lyrics. The results of this teamwork
are seven tracks including the first single, "Love in Your
Eyes". Giorgio has also produced an eighth track on the
album, "Inside to Outside" and the other two tracks on the
album have been co-written by Limahl and various musicians
and writers he met and worked with in Los Angeles. The new
single, "Love In Your Eyes" is set for release in Britain at
the beginning of April with the LP, "Colour All My Days"
following at the end of that month.
Source : Limahl fan club (UK)
membership kit sent out June '86
Limahl
Photos
Coming Soon
Limahl
Articles
German
Article With Photo (August 1997)
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