I have a soft spot for the 80s, it was brilliant
Kim Appleby, of Mel and Kim fame, is off on a TV road trip with Ultravox’s Midge Ure, to discover why the 80s produced so many hits. She spoke to GEORGIA HUMPHREYS about the industry – and how she doesn’t miss being a pop star
THE Eighties didn’t just introduce us to leg warmers, shoulder pads and permed hair, it also brought us music from the likes of The Smiths, Wham! and New Order. Kim Appleby had a string of hits during the decade with her sister Mel in the Stock, Aitken & Watermanproduced band Mel and Kim. Tragically Mel died, aged just 23, of cancer.
Now Kim and Ultravox star and Band Aid co-founder Midge Ure, 64, are hitting the road to revisit the Eighties. The pair set out to determine why certain British and Irish cities produced their own diverse tunes – from London’s New Romantic scene and the rise of Ska in Coventry, to the electo pioneers of Sheffield.
Here, Kim, 56, reveals more about the new three-part BBC4 series.
Tell us what the show – Smashing Hits! The 80s Pop Map Of Britain & Ireland – is all about.
IT’S about how diverse music was in the Eighties and what came out of different areas.
It’s about how we flew the flag for Britain. (Our music) was very prominent in the charts in America to the point that Billboard called it the British Invasion.
It’s about how great we used to be!
Why did you want to do this show? IT’S about the decade I’m very familiar with, a decade I feel I have a very soft spot for. I think we were producing great pop songs, very diverse as well, so I’m very proud to be a part of this project.
It’s not just another Eighties show, it goes a lot deeper... if you watch it you’ll see it’s fascinating stuff, it’s very educational.
You obviously also learned a lot doing the show – what stood out? THE punk period, not that I was too young, it just wasn’t my sound.
I do remember the Sex Pistols and I remember that whole rebel phase, but it wasn’t really music or a movement that I was into, so I learnt a lot about punk.
Also, what I found interesting was about the Thatcher era. There wasn’t a lot to be happy about, but I don’t remember it that way.
I remember it was a very exciting time for music, for fashion, for art.
The Eighties was just brilliant.
What was it like being on the road for this series? FANTASTIC. Midge (Ure) told me fascinating stories and it was great.
I couldn’t have asked for a better Inset:
Glenn and Martyn with Ian Craig Marsh of Heaven 17 circa 1982
Inset: partner to be honest with you.
How was it, making a television show?
I’VE done theatre and obviously I’ve done TV to promote whatever I was doing with my sister (Mel) or as a solo artist, but this was a whole new ball game. I really enjoyed it. I’d like to do more of it – it’s great being with a crew, lots of laughter, it’s not a lonely job.
Do you miss making music?
I THINK the question is, ‘Do I miss being out there?’. I’m always writing (music), I’m always involved in music. I’ve chaired the Ivor Novello contemporary panel, as well as sitting on the committee, so I never left music in that sense. Do I miss being a pop star? No, not really. I love music and I guess I will release (again), but it will be on a different level this time I think, it will just be an easy release, if that makes sense.
The music never goes, it’s always there, it’s just where you want to take it.
How do you think the music industry has changed (with things like social media etc)?
IT’S changed it hugely, for the good and the bad. The good is you no longer need a record label, you can self-release, you can also pick up and create a fan base very quickly.
But also I think that it has created this snacking generation that just snack on music, and get very bored of it quickly, so there’s no longevity anymore and that’s why things fly into the charts.
Everything is being diluted because there is no longevity apart from acts like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Adele, Sade – they still have that market that enjoys the physical – they want to know who produced it, they want to know who played on it, they want that physical thing.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I TEND to listen to music from word of mouth, via friends. I couldn’t tell you what’s going on in the charts at all, I just know what I like. I like electro, so I like a lot of stuff that comes out of France.
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