NOW’S WHEN I’LL
From the backstreets of Peckham to a record-breaking run in Las Vegas... His career may read like a fairy tale but as he embarks on his latest venture, Matt Goss tells GARRY BUSHELL the incredible story is certainly not over yet.
IT HAS been the most amazing journey since Phileas Fogg. Growing up poor in south-east London, Matt Goss conquered the charts in Bros with his twin brother Luke, has sold more than 17 million records worldwide, and enjoyed a recordbreaking 11-year run in Lasvegas.
And now he’s back, doing the business in Britain again.
As we speak his new album, The Beautiful Unknown, is “Number one on Amazon, number three on itunes, number two in the indie chart,” he says – and number 7 in the official UK Top Ten. Matt, 53, is happy but exhausted.
He’s returning from a solid week of personal appearances in record stores all over the country, from Manchester’s Arndale Centre to the small independent Crashed Records in Leeds, where fans queued out in the snow.
Every two-hour signing session turned into four hours. Even on the short walk from Newcastle HMV to his parked car this morning, Matt had to pose for scores of selfies.
“My fans are awe inspiring,” he says. “They’ve turned out in their hundreds everywhere, lines out the doors. I spend a lot of time with my fans – they treat me like family. The connection goes beyond music.
“One gentleman, who was terminally ill, had been out tovegas to see me.you hug these people and hope you’re going to see them again.”
Matt’s album has been released on his own independent label, Lewisham Records. “We decided to do it ourselves and we smashed it,” he grins. He’s now taking on his friend Michael Buble. “It’s like David and Goliath,” he laughs. “We’re very close on itunes.”
Born in Lewisham Hospital, Goss is south-east London born and bred. He was 19 when Bros had their first huge hit, When Will I Be Famous? in 1988. Instant fame saw the family home in Camberley Way, Peckham, besieged by fans day and night.their phone number was on sale at the local school (£2 a throw), and every morning the answer machine was full of messages of love from devoted Brosettes – making life hard for his maintenance man step-father Tony.
“All my mum’s things got nicked, it was bonkers,” says, Matt. But fans also gave his late mother Carol gifts, including flowers, wine and sweets.
Bros, the brothers plus bassist Craig Logan, had 11 hits over four years including I Owe You Nothing and Drop The Boy.
Their first album Push went to number one in 19 countries, selling more than 12 million copies.
“If you’d told me I’d be in the charts 35 years later…,” he laughs. “There’s definitely a sense of south-east London boy done good with me.”
Matt Goss has worked with Dean Martin, taken advice from Jerry Lewis and even sung for Joe Biden – “a gentleman, he asked me about my mum and talked about his late son”.
But you get the sense he is most chuffed about being mentioned by Del-boy Trotter.
“Only Fools and Horses was a religion for us. Bros being put into a storyline was one of my proudest moments – Rodney was going on a cruise with the Brosettes.
“Brilliant. It makes you feel part of the tapestry of our culture! Spitting Image spoofed us with ‘when will I, will I start shaving?’ The Young Ones too, I loved it.”
He met Russ Abbot on a plane to Barbados and the much-loved comedian ended up staying at Matt’s villa.
“We had dinner with Bob Monkhouse. Lovely people – it felt like the old guard helping the young guard.”
After Bros Matt went solo, notching up four hit singles, but he was reborn as a cabaret star in Lasvegas, starting at the Palm Springs hotel and moving to Caesar’s Palace for an incredible 10-year residency. “I was there for 11 years – a record for a British performer – doing four shows a week, and world tours every year.
“You learn your craft.” Famous fans include Sharon Stone, Jason
Statham, Kim Kardashian and Jerry Lewis. But Matt met his own hero.
“I was the last person to sing for Muhammad Ali, in his house,” he says. “I had the shorts he wore for Rumble In The Jungle – they still had blood on them and he didn’t want to sign them.
“I sang These Arms Of Mine and his face just lit up and he signed. I gave his wife a diamond ring to say thank you.”
Matt has worked with Jay Leno, David Copperfield, and Dean Martin – “I did his TV special, it was so good…he was always warm.”
He did TV shows and concerts with Bob Hope too. “I’d do comedy with him, he taught me the timing…i went shopping with his wife Delores. I thought I could shop, but I couldn’t hold a candle to her.”
Matt even played a part in “the new Rat Pack”, with P Diddy,aaron Paul from Breaking Bad and Sopranos star Frank Vincent in a Ciroc vodka ad.
Goss loves Sin City and the affection is mutual.
He won the Icon Award at Caesars Palace, was given the keys to the Vegas Strip and August 8 was declared Matt Goss Day there.
“I was made an honorary captain in the US Army for singing for troops – British and American.” He also received a UN Humanitarian award for raising millions for breast cancer.
He quit last year. “It was time to call it a day – for my voice. I might go back but never for four nights a week again.
“I enjoyed flying the flag for us in America though, I’m a royalist, and a proud Briton.
“My grandad, who was born in East London, was a gunner in the Second World War.”
A thoughtful man, Matt has strong views on modern Britain. “We’re too politically correct, as a nation we’ve lost our way. We have to find our way back to our sarcastic sense of humour.”
Matt is irritated by the culture of envy – “Nobody keys someone else’s car in America, success is a good word there” – and car-hating authorities who “won’t allow working people to get to work without being charged to drive through our own city”. He declared: “Let’s have some freedom! Let’s lift each other up.”
Music was always part of his life. His grandad Samuel, known as Harry, loved crooners like Sinatra. “That’s where I got my love of air in the voice.” His aunt Sally turned him on to Stevie Wonder, and “Dad was into Cream and Free, Thin Lizzy…the Rolling Stones had a surprising amount of soul in their music.”
Growing up he loved lovers’ rock and Ska: “Madness, the Specials, Bad Manners…we were obsessed, we had proper crops and trilby hats. Then we became new romantics. The first concert I saw was Depeche Mode.”
Bros sold more than 16 million records worldwide, yet snooty music critics still dismissed them as teeny-boppers.
This irks him. “We were discovered as a band, then we got screamed at and were labelled teen idols. We recorded Push before we got a deal.”
They reformed for two London O2 gigs in 2017, the first selling out in seven seconds, and then starred in Bafta-winning documentary Bros: After The Screaming Stops that was watched 20 million times.the twins stay in touch via Playstation.
Critics have compared The Beautiful Unknown to Push. And it is a triumphant return to pop for the national treasure, weaving deep themes into strong tunes. Highlights include the stadium anthem title track and the ballad Soldiers Of War, about broken relationships.
And Matt, who has homes in Vegas and LA, is still looking for Miss Right. He has signed up for a lead role in his first movie, currently in preproduction, and plans to release at least three more songs from the album.
“I wanted to come back to my own country where I’m treated like family,” he says.
“My fans create life memories for me and it’s a reciprocal exchange. It moves me to this day. This trip back to the UK is what my soul needed.”
Matt Goss headlines The London Palladium, April 23
‘I’m a royalist and a proud Briton’