Beach Baby : Record Mirror, 1985

Parisian nightclubs ... the Rolling Stones ... and that's just Kirsty MacColl's night off.

Mick Jagger is a great little mover says Kirsty MacColl, and she should know. Mick whisked her on to the dance floor in a Paris nightclub and they boogied the night away. Madonna eat your heart out.

Now, don't get the wrong idea out there. Kirsty was in Paris with her hubby - ace producer Steve Lillywhite - who's been twiddling the knobs on the Stones' new album. Steve might be pretty good in the studio but Kirsty says he's got two lead feet when it comes to dancing. God, don't I just know how he feels.

"We didn't spend all our time getting drunk and wrecking things." says Kirsty. "We'd just gone out for a civilised dinner - the Stones are rich old men now, they're quite quiet. Steve doesn't like dancing and neither does Bill Wyman. but Mick wanted to have a go so we both got up. Mick Is very good on his feet for a man of his age. He's got a lot of style. The floor didn't clear when we were in action. The Parisians are very cool and they don't get excited. We had to dance shoulder to shoulder with everybody else. It wasn't like a scene in 'Fame' or anything like that. The Stones are pretty down to earth. They're not paranoid about who they are and they don't have squads of bodyguards going with them everywhere. People like Prince have them because they think that's the way stars should behave. But Prince Is a bit of a wimp really. Real personalities are strong enough without all that."

Whether Kirsty will be adding a couple of guest vocals on the Stones albums remains to be seen. What with looking after her bouncing baby boy Jamie, and working on her own album produced by Steve, Kirsty's been keeping pretty busy. We'll let her rest for a bit with a cigarette (naughty naughty with a voice as good as hers) and talk to Steve. Even after all his hectic years in the rock biz, producing such greats as Simple Minds, U2 and Peter Gabriel. he still doesn't look a day over 21.

"I was on a shortlist of five producers the Rolling Stones were choosing from." he says. "I wasn't afraid or apprehensive of working with them. I just eased myself into it. It's a question of either side building up confidence in each other and they're very stimulating people to work with. They have a lot of ideas and they're still very enthusiastic. They haven't become cynical, their soul is still in it which is good. We've done four backing tracks for the album and it will have a rocky and punchy sound."

"1 don't know what I'll be doing after the Stones and Kirsty. I don't like planning things too far ahead or else things start running away with me. It's amazing, I've been producing for seven years now. Since I started there's whole new generation coming up. It makes me feel like an old man sometimes."

Steve met Kirsty when Simple Minds invited her down to do some backing tracks on an album. "I couldn't resist the offer, Simple Minds are one of my favourite bands," says Kirsty. "There's so much energy there."

"Once she got over her obsession with Simple Minds I could start getting her interested in me," continues Steve. "One thing led to another and here we are."

This afternoon, Kirsty is rehearsing for a spot on the Wogan show singing He's On The Beach. Even for such a short slot it takes three rehearsals getting the camera angles right. Still, as the show has upwards of seven million viewers it's an audience not to be missed. The BBC studio is just down the rood from where Steve and Kirsty live. After they got married Steve moved into Kirsty's tiny one bedroomed flat and life has been so hectic they haven't had time to move out yet. At the moment they're trying to find a nice little place with a garden.

"I'm training Steve to do the housework properly and make a good job on the washing up. We have arguments about who's going to do it," laughs Kirsty.

"I don't want to live in the country. I was brought up there so it would be pretty boring. I'm saving the country for my old age. I'd really like a holiday, but with looking after Jamie there's not much time. He's a good baby though and he's got a good voice. I'm not going to push him into singing if he doesn't want to. A bit of sunshine would do the single a lot of good (as) well... It's a summer single and I'm sure people will rush out and buy it if the clouds cleared. The single has no hidden depths, it's just, about a bloke out in Australia enjoying himself. The Billy Bragg song for the last single was more serious. When I first heard the song I thought that's good, it will be a hit. And for once I was right. It was hell making the video, I was seven months pregnant and it was shot out in the freezing cold."

Sounds nearly as tough as being on stage for the Wagon extravaganza. Kirsty reveals that she's none too keen on being filmed.

"I don't really like being on stage but I am getting better at it," she says. "I get a lot of fun out of recording in the studio. Most people say they want to get out on the road but I prefer writing songs and recording. I like observing people rather than being observed. It's nice when people come up and ask for an autograph but I'd go mad If a whole group of people surrounded me."

So if you see Kirsty on the beach or anywhere else, tread carefully. Thanks very much my dear and good luck with moving house.

Style [ Standard ] [ Cool Blue ] [ Tropical ] [ Hangover ] [ Text ] [ BIG Text ]

Beach Baby : Record Mirror, 1985

Parisian nightclubs ... the Rolling Stones ... and that's just Kirsty MacColl's night off.

Related Pages: