My career in journalism began in the dying days of punk, which gave way to the dawn of the New Romantics. I played my part in the latter, being the first music journalist to persuade the then achingly cool Spandau Ballet to do an interview for Sounds which, along with Melody Maker and NME, was one of the three highly influential music weeklies of that era. The headline on my interview was The … [Read more...] about 10 things Boy George taught me about self-promotion
Sounds
Living a story versus living an authentic life
[vimeo 92066732] When Claire Taylor of The Story Mill asked if I'd be interested in doing a video interview about playing a role vs being authentic, I was intrigued. It has been a long time since anyone has asked me about Being Betty Page. To explain: way back in 1979, when I was secretary to the editor of the music paper Sounds, I started to write reviews of bands. Because I was already … [Read more...] about Living a story versus living an authentic life
The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
In the fifth extract from my memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties, I recall my first meeting with Marc Almond and Dave Ball - otherwise known as Soft Cell - who would play a big part in my unfolding story... I first became aware of Soft Cell in 1981, when I heard their haunting track The Girl With The Patent Leather Face. My alter ego Betty Page and I were … [Read more...] about The day Soft Cell saved me from the dance for perfection
The day I met four terrified teenagers called Depeche Mode
In the fourth extract from my Eighties memoir, another brand-new pop group gets interviewed by Sounds' Betty Page, who is fast establishing herself as the go-to writer for up-and-coming New Romantics and Futurists (early adopters of the latest in electronic music gadgetry). Depeche Mode had named themselves after a French fashion magazine. It was an unlikely handle for a bunch of … [Read more...] about The day I met four terrified teenagers called Depeche Mode
How I discovered Duran Duran. Or did they discover me?
In the third extract from my memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties, I tell the story of my first encounter with a bunch of young upstarts who would go on to conquer the globe with their aspirational videos, pretty-boy looks and pop-rock tunes. The resulting interview in Sounds, published in December 1980, was the band's first-ever mainstream press … [Read more...] about How I discovered Duran Duran. Or did they discover me?
How I played my part in inventing the New Romantics
Here is the second extract from my memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties. It is September 1980 and, under my pen name Betty Page, I have just been appointed a staff writer at the music paper Sounds after spending a year being the editor's secretary by day and secret music journalist by night. My first assignment is a tough one: to secure the first music press … [Read more...] about How I played my part in inventing the New Romantics