So, summer’s here (well, on and off) and when my friend Kate asked me to meet her at Sloane Square at 10.30, I got all excited with the vision of Gucci handbags, Mac make-up and cappuccinos. But no, it was compost, clematis and cups of tea! Yes, the Chelsea Flower Show! Actually, I was thrilled – I’ve always wanted to go even though I’m absolutely useless at gardening to be honest. I mean, I can mow the lawn, and tidy things up and love playing with the hose, but no idea how to grow anything – apart
from weeds really. Doesn’t matter though does it? Still took great pleasure in seeing such beauty. Purple seems to be very popular, especially when it comes to Irises.
Some of the flowers were so perfect they looked like they were made of paper, amazing.
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Kate has diabetes too so it was quite an adventure when we had lunch. You know, blood test equipment, insulin etc., we must have looked like a right couple of junkies. Not that anyone would notice, the average age was about 82. The worrying part is that now I understand why people start getting interested in things like gardening as they get older. Oh dear . . . somebody stop me before I buy a knitting pattern.
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Now to a place where everyone wants to look 22 - Los Angeles. Spent three weeks there at Easter. Posh and Becks are over there now aren’t they? Not sure about the blonde hair . . . she’s such a brunette really isn’t she? Anyway, at least all the clothes there will fit her.
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It’s quite shocking when you see “LA-thin”. I went for a wander along Robertson Boulevard and spotted Jessica Simpson, and lots of what looked like ‘celebs’ having lunch in the garden of The Ivy – they all look like Paris Hilton or Nicole Ritchie basically, so it’s hard to tell who’s who and who cares? But the one thing they all have in common is a lack of flesh on their bones, it’s really not a good look, give me Jayne Mansfield any day. I don’t think the whole stretching your face as tight as it will go is a great idea either. I’d love to tickle Cher, just to see what would happen to her face. You know, it’s one extreme or the other – either you tuck into their amazing milkshakes which have a whole day’s calories, or you have a salad without dressing. I have the salad (with dressing)
and the shake - and I’m still gorgeous!!!!
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Great to see girls like Lily Allen and that beautiful newcomer, Kate Nash – how easy is she on the eye? Stunning and curvy. Girl Talk always encourage the audience to stop at a service station after the show and tuck into a family bag of Maltesers. The two T’s – Thighs and Talent, that’s our motto.
| Speaking of Girl Talk, Claire Martin has a new album out –
“He Never Mentioned Love”, the songs of Shirley Horne. Claire’s singing on this album is sublime. She’s touring at the moment so please treat yourself and get along to one of her shows if you can.
Barb will soon be releasing a single – Beautiful Life. |  |
I did a fab gig with The Bays at Brighton Dome a couple of weeks ago. They played the live soundtrack to the fab German film, “Run Lola Run” and I appeared halfway through and sang “What A Difference a Day Made”. It was exhilarating to walk on in the middle of all the loud techno music and sing a jazz standard! Andy Gangadeen is the drummer in The Bays and we’ve been friends for years – he played on Dolled Up and is just amazing – especially live, you can’t take your eyes off him. | Check out their website - www.thebays.com
They only play live, their manifesto being “Performance is the Product”.
In the photo, Andy’s on the left.
After me, its Chris Taylor (bass) and
Simon Richmond (keyboard whizz kid). |
Last weekend I did a gig with Ian Shaw – he’s fab. We did The Motown Songbook.
I’ve always wanted to sing Touch Me In The Morning. We closed with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s The Onion Song. I love singing with other singers, especially when they’re as good as Ian. On the way to the gig we stopped at a motorway services for supplies – extra strong mints (one packet each) mixed nuts, water and the most exciting part – a tin of travel sweets! I don’t know why but I have to buy them when I’m travelling long distances by car. When I was little we weren’t allowed them because they were too expensive, so it’s a big treat for me. There’s something about the fact that they’re in a tin. So every time I wanted one, I would say “Ian, may I have a travel sweet please?” 
| Ian also spent a lot of time doing impersonations of Dandy Nichols adjusting her glasses. . .
you had to be there. |
Go out and buy Ian’s latest cd
of Joni Mitchell songs – brilliant. |
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You may remember in my last newsletter there was a photo of me with Pete Lawson, the writer. Well, Pete and I have been writing my one-woman musical around the songs on Dolled Up. It’s inspired by me and my life but not about me as such. Adrian York and I have written half a dozen new songs for it too. Hopefully it will debut sometime next year.
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25 YEARS SINCE JUST WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED HIT THE CHARTS
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At long last, Showpeople and all the singles will be released on cd this September – hurrah I hear you say! Yes, all that vinyl is just melting away isn’t it? So happy that finally everyone (including me) can have all the tracks on one disc. You will see also, that to coincide with this, I’m taking on a UK tour of about 15 dates. I can’t wait! Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be including some of those 80’s gems – haven’t decided exactly which ones yet but goes without saying that Cry Me A River and Just What. . . will be among them, plus some from Dolled Up and a few surprises and maybe a couple of new ones so you can see where I’m heading. You can email me your suggestions if you like but I will kill anyone who suggests “Telephone Man”. IT WASN’T ME, IT WAS MERI WILSON!!!
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I’m going for a coral shade on the nails this week. Sun is finally out and I always look better with a little glow from the sun and anything in the orange colour spectrum looks good on tanned skin. Just a hint of colour though, real uv rays are dangerous but if you use fake tan you have to be so careful – Tom Jones and Christine Aguilera take note. Mind you, we can’t all look like Dita Von Teese can we?
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Also, got bored with the ‘bob’ hairdo. I was there before Posh I’d like to point out and anyway, it wasn’t really soft enough for my big face so now it’s a bit longer with a few layers, fringe etc. Might let it grow just a couple more inches so I can have lovely Kathy Kirby flick-ups, should the mood take me.
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On my iPod at the moment is a band from the 60’s called The Free Design, which I absolutely love – full of harmonies and distant flutes and you just want to burn some incense and wear cheesecloth. Then, there’s The Bird and The Bee from LA.
Very sixties, jazzy, melodic, plus they look gorgeous. Also, I love Mika, as does my 10 year old daughter, so we put that on in the car and sing Grace Kelly at the tops of our voices. We do that with Stacey’s Mom by The Fountains of Wayne too. Band-wise, I really like The Bees, Maroon 5 and The Feeling – there’s some great stuff happening out there right now – about time too. I mean how long can we really listen to the likes of Girls Aloud, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease!
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Then again, I have to have regular fixes of Brian, Smokey, Marvin, Julie, Barry, Karen, Dusty, etc. Not forgetting, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, and Amy of course. I could go on but
I think you get the idea.
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Right then, I’m off now for a run around the park.
Have a fabulous summer and I hope to seeing some
of you at one of the shows.
Well, more than some obviously . . . Bye! | |
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