Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Holly Johnson

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: 

Holly Johnson

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such gay provocateur?

Holly Johnson.

There are those artists who are so of their time, that they become timeless.

When Frankie said 'relax'? The whole world listened.

This diva created musical moments which are part of the world's cultural DNA.

Undeniably as talented as he is clever, this minx dared when most were still quite scared - of everything.

But, brave as he was, he still stuck to the shadows when it came to his personal life. And in the late 1980's - well, there was only one way such a strategy would play out.

But, first, there were the drawn out legal wranglings with ZTT. He'd win, but it cost him time.

Then a bit of success. Then, a bit of a reckoning.

Initially, he didn't take it well, withdrawing from the public. But he grew stronger, as did his skills as a songwriter.

While he's never fully returned to his former glories, he certainly can and does command center stage with the best of them.

As time will prove, he remains a vital part of the musical and historical landscape of any history. Yes...

Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me, hit me
Hit me with those laser beams

The gospel according to him?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from his lips.

The topic: Not Being A Celebrity

"I always saw myself as a multi media artist."

"Writing is a creatively rewarding occupation but for me very time consuming."

"I wanted to make the kind of records that I heard in the discos that I danced in at that time. Funky, electronic sounds, while the musicians in the band were more rock oriented. This I suppose created the sound we know as Frankie Goes To Hollywood."

"This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves are never really responsible for all of that. That is something that happens to you when you sell millions of records."

"Showbiz is a very strange thing, I’ve got a love-hate relationship with that. In Liverpool your mates say, ‘You’re there, Holly, you’re there’ but they only see the end product, not what that entails."

"Let's face it I am not Joan Collins or Boy George."

"One U.S. hit single and a hit T Shirt in 1985 does not a celebrity make."

"I was in Big In Japan between '77 and '78. Then I went solo, releasing a couple of singles. Then I joined the Dancing Girls who turned into the Sons Of Egypt who were then whittled down into Frankie Goes To Hollywood."

"Although we were The Spice Girls of 1984 in Europe, My work has never been widely promoted in the U.S."

"What can I tell you? I continue to be creative, but have only been commercially successful outside of the U.S."

Americanos - Holly Johnson

Legendary Children - Holly Johnson

Ascension - Holly Johnson 

And one last parting shot...

"When Frankie Goes To Hollywood were still going strong, we made a point of being as Spinal Tap as possible. Yes, we had food fights. Yes, items were thrown out of hotel windows. But one childish prank I liked at the time was when we stayed in those really posh hotels where, at night, you could put your shoes out and in the morning they’ve been cleaned. We amused ourselves by roaming the corridors at night and having a crap in each pair of shoes we found. We even made bets: whoever filled the most shoes, won."