With her new, spiky hairdo, rock chick solo single and on-stage swearing it
was looking as if Melanie C was better suited to the nickname Scary Spice
than Mel G. Remember - never judge a Spice Girl by her cover!


As Mel walks into the Sheffield studio where the Top Of The Pops Magazine
cover shoot is taking place she's confronted by a huge backdrop covered in
TOTP Spice Girls front covers. "Oh my goodness, how many have we had?" she
gasps and counts up the six different Spice covers.

One in particular catches Mel's eye. It's the June l997 issue where we
promised to reveal: The real truth about The Spice Girls!' In the photo
Mel's standing next to Geri, her arm protectively around the artist
formerly known as Ginger. "Aww, that one makes me feel a bit sad," sighs
Mel and goes off into her own private world for a couple of seconds.

Snapping back into the present, Mel gets in front of the camera and,
despite a dose of flu, poses like a good 'un. When the photographer
describes one of her poses as 'skill' (an '80s playground favourite) Mel
giggles and we all make a pact to start the 'skill' revival. Mel might look
like a scary rocker but as we settle down for a chat we realise that
underneath she's definitely still the same Girl we know and love...


Writing your solo material must be the most personal thing you've ever
done. Did you feel nervous about laying yourself bare?

I did and I still do really because I've been really, really open and
really honest. It's very personal to me. Most of the songs are from
personal experience. With some of the stuff I've made up characters and go
completely off into fantasy land. With some I thought people might
recognise their own situations. It's funny because I ask people who've
heard them, 'OK, so what's it about?' and they always make it fit their own
circumstances. Some people who know how I tick get them and I think some of
the fans'll get them too.


Where do you write your lyrics?

I have a lot of my best ideas in the bath! I'll remember them and write
them down later. I started jotting things down when we were on tour because
you spend quite a lot of the time in your hotel room and it's a nice time
because you're all over the world and you get all these different
influences.


Going Down is about someone who upset you - will they recognise themselves
in the lyrics?

I think there's going to be a couple of people who think it's them. I'm not
going to say who it's about though, I'm just going to let people guess.


How has it been performing to audiences who can be more hostile than a Spice
Girls crowd?

I've found it really, really hard. Y'know, I would have been naive to think
that everyone's going to love me. I know that some people really can't stand
the sight of me and there's a lot of cynical people out there but I just
want people to give me a fair chance. If you hear my album and you choose
not like it, that's fair enough, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but just
give me the chance. That's all I'm asking.


Do you take negative responses to heart?

I do, it's a human thing. When someone says something bad about you, it
doesn't matter who it is, it does hurt, but I try and get strength from it
and just think, 'I'll show you!'


Talking of which, there's been a lot of press about your comments on Geri's
album. Why have you slagged her singing off when she hasn't said anything
bad about you?

Obviously I keep getting asked a lot about Geri and as I said before, I'm
always really honest, probably too honest for my own good. I'd never put
Geri down because I've no reason to slag people and what you say gets
changed. What I said was, I personally don't like Geri's voice. I didn't
say she's got a bad voice, I didn't say she can't sing because she can -
she's just done an album. Of course she can sing but she's not my personal
preference. That's all!


Robbie did a thrash version of Back For Good - which Spice track would you
like to sing in thrash style?

Well me and the band do one actually, it's not a punk version but it's a
bit of a speeded-up version of Wannabe which is quite good fun. (Later at
the recording of TOTP Mel and her band perform their version of Wannabe and
completely rock Sheffield!) I want to do it because it's really good fun
but when Robbie does Back For Good it's in a very mickey-taking way because
he's got a lot of bad feelings about Take That. Any covers I'd do of Spice
Girls would be celebrating them because I'm still a Spice Girl and I'm
really proud of our music. I don't want people to take it the wrong way and
I'd never disrespect the Spice Girls, because I am one so it would be
disrespecting myself, wouldn't it?


You've said that Spice may not go for the Christmas No 1 this year - any
plans to go after it yourself?

No. Going Down's out on October 27 and Northern Star's coming out in
November. I think Emma's got her single coming out in November too. I don't
think any of us would go solo for the Christmas No 1 because that's a group
thing.


You mentioned starring in an action film in our last interview with you -
have you been sent any scripts?

No. As Spice Girls we get sent stuff all the time. If something fitted in
with what we were doing and it was appropriate then we'd look at it but at
the moment I'm concentrating on my album and my tour and Spice Girls'
third album.


How's the Spice album going?

Very very well, we're very excited. We've done 11 tracks already in six
weeks. We're really excited because it sounds so great. Obviously it's the
first album we've written without Geri but as the four of us, it's going
like a dream!


Was it hard to go back into the studio and start recording Spice stuff?
You've been quoted as saying you weren't looking forward to it.

Not at all. I'm more used to writing with Spice Girls because I've done two
albums with them so being on my own's more new to me. I wouldn't say that
I'm more comfortable but I'm more familiar writing with the Spice Girls so
it's not been difficult to go back to - it's what I'm used to!


After getting the rock thing out of your system how's it going to be
singing songs like Wannabe again?

Oh, it's great! It's like anyone, I've got loads of different sides to my
personality, some days if someone treats me badly then I'm angry and I want
to shout but if I'm going out partying with my mates and we're doing
Wannabe then I'm like, 'Yeah!' So all the songs are just different
feelings. People who've seen Spice Girls shows know we've done rock stuff.
When me and Mel did Sisters that was really rocked up so it's not such a
huge departure.


You'll have to watch your mouth on stage!

Well, I know I've had a lot of stick for that but the thing is, I'm not
denying that I use bad language. I'm not saying it's good because it's not
but people my age do swear. What I will say is, I'm not trying to make out
it's right to use bad language and you shouldn't, but I just act in the way
that I think is appropriate to the environment.


If we were naming the Spice Girls now what would you call each of you?

I think we still all quite fit our names but Victoria's never fitted hers
because she's not posh! Well, Mel and Victoria are Mum and Caring Spice,
aren't they? Emm would be Teenage Spice and I'd probably be Nobody
Understands Me Spice or Everybody Gets Me Wrong And I'm Still The Same -
Honest, Spice!


What about Geri - would she be Latino Spice?

Erm, God, what would she be? Supermodel Bod Spice? She looks fab!


Your friendships with the Spice Girls are really strong. When have they
proved their friendship the most?

Oh my God! We really stick up for each other. I mean, we've all rubbed each
other's backs when we've been puking. We're just sooo close! We've all
crapped in front of each other! I remember one time someone had upset me
and they all stuck together and they really gave him a piece of their minds
for me. They won't speak to him! I still speak to him but they don't speak
to him at all. (Hmm, wouldn't be Robbie, would it?) Even now with Geri...
if anyone did anything to hurt Geri then I'd batter them!