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The words to the audio clips... Stuff (in brackets) are the comments of whoever else
might be in the clip with Melanie. Italicised comments are mine...
Jo Whiley Show
The Artist Formerly Known As...
(Mel B interviewed him) yeah (did she give you any inside gossip?) Well, we
were lucky enough to meet him actually, he came to one of our shows and, err,
we were all a bit nervous about him coming back because, like, we offered
him a drink and he's just like... [shakes head] ...it's like, oh. (So he was
as wierd as you) he doesn't even drink, you know. But, erm, Melanie was
telling us, while she was interviewing him, he wasn't actually wearing any
underwear, so (this was evident?) this was quite evident, and she, like,
couldn't quite, you know, take her eyes away from it... He's small in some
ways but not in others, I guess.
Quite a lot about Geri...
(Did you ever consider replacing Geri though, when she left?) Never (never
had a conversation with the group saying) never (like, what shall we do?)
It'd be so difficult because we're so close knit, d'you know what I mean,
and for someone else to come into that environment, for them it'd be so
difficult 'cause I think you'd be a bit like, ooh, you know.
(When she left and you were having to do performances on your own, did that
feel really strange, like?) It did at first (you know, like your right leg's
fallen off or something) we had two, yeah, we had two gigs left in Europe
without her, and then we had a bit of a break. But then, like, the first
two gigs it was just so strange 'cause, like, so many times I'd like turn
around and, like, we'd interact, you know, on bits and she'd be next to me
or whatever, and it was like she's just not there, and you felt like, you
know, you had a limb missing, it really was like that.
But then when we'd like, you know, re-rehearsed, had a week off, whatever,
went off to America, it felt like she'd never been there in the first place.
(That's terrible) It's really strange, it feels like, you know, she's, you
know, a mate from way back, but it feels like she was never in the band.
(Do you see her, are you still in touch with her?) I haven't seen her,
'cause like I've been back for about a fortnight now, like, from America, so
I've not seen her. But she's busy isn't she. (Have your paths just
completely separated and you doubt very much whether you'll be seeing her
socially or anything) Yeah, I mean, socially I probably wouldn't see her
anyway, but, erm, maybe through work. But I mean, we're still in touch, you
know. She wrote me a letter the other day (what did she say?) don't be nosy!
(was it just a matey letter or what?) yeah, it was just like, hi, you know,
hope things are alright and stuff (yeah), that's it.
(Why did she not go to Mel B's wedding, 'cause that is bound to make people
think) She didn't actually go to Mel's wedding because she was in America,
'cause she was doing, erm, some awards (yeah) some awards, what was it (MTV
I think it was), you know, some awards, the MTV awards (yeah) so she wasn't
in the country (OK, so she probably had an invitation but she couldn't make
it?) Nobody had an invitation, it was hush-hush!
E17's new single
I think, very dangerous calling themselves E 17 after their Brian Harvey
thing (mmm). When I first heard that they were making, you know, coming
back, I thought, oh yeah, nice one, so long as the music's good, you know
what I mean, erm (yeah) I hope they do well. But then I just thought it was
a bit bland (so what did you think of the music, a bit too bland?) yeah. I
thought, if that's the first single off your album that's a bit of a shame,
'cause like, you'd wanna, you wanna have some impact, wouldn't you, but erm,
I mean that was (sounds very American, very much like Boys 2 Men don't you
think?) mmm yeah. I think he's got a good voice, I like his voice, you know,
it's really R'n'B, but it's not my cup of tea anyway, that kind of music.
Music for funerals
(Mel, what tune would you want played as the final curtain falls?) Erm, I
quite like the idea of having something nice and jolly, but erm, I dunno,
immediately when asked that question I just thought of Imagine by John
Lennon, and I don't know why, but that's like really freaky innit (kinda
poignant, isn't it?) 'cause like, well all your family are sitting there,
and he's singing "imagine there's no heaven..."
Melanie "Whamette" C
(So shall we ask Mel what she thinks of Culture Club? I think we should...)
Never liked Culture Club, never liked Duran Duran, 'cause I was a complete
Whamette (right) so it was like, they were (is this peer pressure?) erm
(like everyone liked Wham) I think it was, you don't realise, 'cause I mean
I must have been quite young at the time, I think I was in like junior
school, so how much you're influenced by, even then, like by the media. And
I didn't realise then, 'cause it was either, why couldn't you just like both?
Like now, I listen to the old Duran Duran stuff and I think, you know, great
pop songs, but then it was, no, can't listen to that...
Coping with the pressure
(For the Spice Girls, because there is such a pressure on you to be holier
than thou, and kind of not swear on stage, particularly, and to live this
good life) emm, I'm just, I mean, I'm just back off tour, d'you know what
you were talking about before (yeah) trying to find something to fulfil that
gap, and that's what I think all four of us are coming to terms with now,
and it is really really difficult. You know, I'm not saying I'm going to
turn to drugs or anything, but just to get back, to be living a semi-normal
life, you know, sleeping in your own bed, making your own breakfast.
(How does it feel then, the first couple of days when you come off tour?)
It's strange, I'm still going through it, it's like, phooo, it's like you're
up and down all the time. (But do you get like a depression?) Yeah,
definitely, it's really really difficult. (And how do you deal with it?)
You just have to get on with it. Being busy is the best thing, and looking
forward and moving on, 'cause like it's, you know, it's exciting to be
getting new material together, so...
New audiences...
(Mel, do you think music's just become far too morose and kind of wallowing
in misery for it's own good?) There's room for everything, isn't there, I
think, you know, there's always been that side of things. But I mean, look
at all the, all the pop that's going on as well, it's just all so jolly.
But you know, there's a lot of exciting things going on for kids, 'cause
obviously they're the people who are buying it, aren't they.
(Do you feel like you're leaving that, leaving the kids behind, or do you want
to leave the kids behind and move onto a more mature audience?) I do feel
like I do want an older audience, I do feel that. I do find it quite
frustrating actually, that you know, you've got this sell-out gig and then you
look, and not, not to, you know, be ungrateful for all the support that we
get, but you know, you're giving it loads and you look out there and like,
some of the kids are asleep, and you think, huh (you're not appreciating
what we're doing) it is quite frustrating.
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