Holly Johnson: mmmmm
Paul Morley: What was the danger about Paul, Holly?
HJ: The danger about Paul?
PM: I mean what made you realise that maybe here was someone you could work with?
HJ: I didn’t until sometime this year in fact
PM: Really?
HJ: It didn’t seem possible up to that point because we both shot off in different directions. I was heavily into the Big In Japan thing and he was like visiting London and giving it loads in that direction. So we had a, a big break from each other, and then he did this Hambi tour giving it much in the dance ooops
Paul Rutherford: (laughs)
HJ: ergh, and he gave it loads right
PM: yеah
HJ: and we were just starting, wе got a few support dates with Hambi, through knowing Hambi
PM: That’s Frankie
HJ: That’s Frankie Goes To Hollywood, in fact. Which was you know (laughs) woooah (laughs)
PR: (laughs)
HJ: Oh yeah. Which was Mark, Ped and Ged and Sonya
PR: Sonya
HJ: Sonya Mazunda
PM: Why did you choose the name?
HJ: Ohh, not, it’s not a too much of an exciting story, ahm (laugh). There was th-this old, this old, this band I was in, I was just jamming with in the reheasal room in the basement
PM: Jamming?
HJ: Yeah you know kind of learning, learning period. Erm we needed a name quick cos we had to get a gig you know and all that stuff and there was a a picture, a piece of the New Yorker magazine stuck to the wall in the reheasal room that said ‘Frankie goes Hollywood’, and a picture of Frank Sinatra, getting ahh, mobbed (laughs) by, what were they called, what were they called (pause)
PR: I really don’t know
HJ: oh you know Teenie Boppers or something like that (laughs)
HJ: Frankie Goes To Hollywood
HJ: We used to give it loads of ‘Hey it’s a movie’ (laughs) and this is your audition. Well that was good at the time
PM: Good at the time but it’s complete nonsense really, wasn’t it?
HJ: Sorry?
PM: Complete nonsense really?
PR: Total bluff yeah
HJ: Yeah it was, but it was entertaining nonsense, we thought. And that’s whatcha got it give it
PM: Entertaining nonsense
HJ: Well yeah. Yeah. Dada! (laughs) You’re into Dada! Zang Tuum Tumb and all that. Oh when are we gonna have these parties then? (laughs) We’ve been promised parties
PR: Where’s these parties you’ve promised us?
PM: I promised you four parties
HJ: You’ve promised us parties
PR: Four? Ahh love
HJ: I’m ahh
(cut off)
PM: Why do you sing Holly?
HJ: Sing?
PM: Yeah
HJ: Why do? I could give it loads of ‘it’s something that comes from within’ but you know…
PM: So why do you sing?
HJ: …it’s just not that? It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do
PM: Yeah?
HJ: One of the things I’ve always wanted to do
PM: Since when?
HJ: Since I was about four and I used to sing to the pigeons (laughs)
PM: Who do you sing to now?
HJ: Eh?
PM: Who do you sing to now?
HJ: I think it’s dead important to sing to yourself really. You know what I mean?
PM: Yeah
HJ: And you gotta enjoy it firstly. And it’s a buzz if other people enjoy it
PM: It’s a what?
HJ: A buzz
PM: Yeah?
HJ: Do you ever think about who’s gonna enjoy it? (pause)
HJ: Think about the people
PR: Yes they crossed my mind once. (laughs)
PM: I mean do you care about who’s going to enjoy it?
PR: Yeah
PM: Yeah
HJ: Do we really, do we really care?
PM: I mean do you. Do you think about like competition, who you’re up against, anything like that?
PR: Totally
HJ: Occasionally, occasionally, occasionally
PM: Like, you know, Culture Club or ABC or anything like that?
PR: No, no not like, erm, no not them
HJ: I don’t see them as competition because it’s a completely different thing what we’re doing
PM: What are you doing then?
HJ: oooh, well you’ll just have to flip it over and see
PR: (laughs)
LATER ON…
HJ: Oh, I don’t wanna get into anything dodgy like that. (laughs)
PM: What were you doing in Big In Japan?
HJ: I was playing bass
PM: You weren’t singing?
HJ: I was doing, I was singing in, in my own way
PM: What, what kinda way was that?
HJ: er, stifled (laughs) Stifled in a very stifled way
PM: So what’s the difference between being stifled and being what you are are now?
HJ: Set free
PM: Set free?
HJ: (laughs) mmm. Free your mind…
HJ & Paul Rutherford: …and your ass will follow…
HJ: …the kingdom of heaven is within
PM: When did’ya meet Paul?
HJ: Paul. We met in a nightclub. We were about 15
PR: We were nightclubbing
PM: A lot of grease involved there or a there was just a casual kinda meeting? I mean a lot of liquid kind of…
PR: Pardon
HJ: Ah . We had a mutual friend
PR: Mutual
PM: Lubrication
HJ: We had a mutual friend. Jayne Casey in fact
PM: Jayne
HJ: mmm
PR: Well we met a lot earlier then that, but, we didn’t, we weren’t knocking around together then
HJ: True. I think we knew of each others existense
PR: Existense
HJ: It was dead strange in fact
PM: How did you know of each others existence?
PR: Sensitive vibes
HJ: Aha
PM: oh yeah
HJ: When you’re in, when you’re in a town like Liverpool (laughs) you know what I mean and you go into town
PM: I don’t know what you mean Holly? Tell me what you mean
PR: It means you put one foot in and one foot out…
HJ: yeah
PR: …and you see everybody on your way
HJ: …and shake it all about (laughs)
HJ: I tell ya, I tell ya