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This episode features Gyles Brandreth in conversation with musician, songwriter, and actor Gary Kemp, best known as the lead guitarist and principal songwriter of Spandau Ballet. Kemp reflects on his working-class upbringing in Islington, his early creative sparks nurtured by drama pioneer Anna Schur and local mentors, and the accidental start of his musical journey with a five-pound Christmas guitar. He discusses the meteoric rise of Spandau Ballet during the 1980s new romantic movement, the enduring legacy of hits like True and Gold, and the painful fractures that later occurred within the band, including a major legal dispute.
Beyond his music career, Kemp shares fascinating anecdotes from his acting work, including meeting Ronnie Kray while preparing to portray the gangster, and his recent deep-dive into pop history via Brian Epstein's 1967 personal address book, which he purchased at auction and turned into a book. Throughout the conversation, Kemp offers a thoughtful look at ambition, family bonds, resilience after heartbreak, and the profound impact of having mentors who believed in him early on.
Gyles Brandreth introduces the episode, setting the scene and mentioning past guests before announcing Gary Kemp.
Kemp recounts childhood memories, his relationship with his brother, and details about his parents’ occupations and upbringing.
Gary Kemp explains how he wrote songs for Spandau Ballet, focusing on melody first and using a synthesizer to craft the band’s early hits.
Kemp recounts meeting his first girlfriend, Lee Andrews, and his living situation while achieving early success.
Discussion of Kemp’s financial stability from hit singles and his decision to retain publishing rights instead of selling them.
A moving account of Kemp’s parents’ deaths, the emotional toll, and the subsequent reunion of the band with his brother.
Kemp reflects on Live Aid’s impact and his encounters with David Bowie and other icons, highlighting the cultural significance of the event.
Kemp talks about his marriages, children, and the importance of mentors like his brother and industry figures.
Kemp shares insights on mentorship, supporting young musicians, and the value of community and mutual support.
The episode concludes with Kemp offering a favorite lyric line and reflecting on his journey and the power of music.
Buying Epstein's Address Bookstory
Gary Kemp explains how he bought Brian Epstein's personal 1967 address book at auction for £10,000, leading him to research all 404 contacts and write a book about that pivotal year in pop history.
Childhood Brotherly Experimentsstory
Reflecting on his earliest memories, Kemp humorously recounts trying to eliminate his newborn brother Martin by pouring treacle and sugar on his face, and later pushing his pram into the road.
Writing Songs From Four Chordsinsight
After receiving a cheap acoustic guitar and a Burt Weeden instruction book at age eleven, Kemp learned four basic chords and immediately began reworking them into his own original melodies.
Bishop Trevor Huddleston unexpectedly visited Kemp's home after hearing him perform at a school prize giving and gifted him a brand-new Philips cassette recorder to record his ongoing songwriting.
Recruiting His Brother Martinstrategy
Manager Steve Dagger insisted on replacing Spandau Ballet's bass player with Gary's younger brother Martin simply because Martin was the best-looking guy they knew, despite not yet knowing how to play bass.
Meeting Ronnie Kray in Broadmoorstory
While preparing to play the gangster in a film, Kemp visited Ronnie Kray in Broadmoor, where Kray wore a diamond-encrusted silk suit and unsettlingly never broke eye contact while discussing murder.
“It was an incredible year for pop music, you know, Sgt Pepper was coming out.”
“I was experimenting, I think, on this breathing object that had arrived and somehow usurped me.”
“I think the point of this story is that, is having a mentor in one's life is hugely important.”
“I just went home and started rewriting the entire repertoire of this band on a keyboard, thinking of melody first, because if you're a band trying to sell a song in the pop charts, melody is the most important.”
“I never sold my publishing. I was encouraged by my lawyer not to sell it to a publishing company, to hang on to it.”
“I had a bangle on, because he wore a bangle, so I was wearing a bangle. And I took one of these little cheap bangles off. And I go, "David, David, David." And he suddenly comes over and he crouches down, and he looks me in the eye, and he takes the bangle from my hand. He says, "Thank you."”
“When I was twenty-three, I was still living in a council house with my mum and dad, because we still hadn't made enough money to buy a flat each or a house each.”
“I had to take his false teeth out. It was really, I'd never seen my dad naked and there he is on the floor with his trousers down, he'd been on the loo.”
Gary Kemp is the lead guitarist of the legendary 80s band Spandau Ballet, and the author of all of their greatest hits, including True, Gold, Through The Barricades and To Cut a Long Story Short. He is also a successful movie star, in films as diverse as The Bodyguard and The Krays. In this brilliant and wide-ranging conversation with Gyles, Gary talks about his working class boyhood in Islington, north London, sharing an outside toilet with two other families. He talks about getting his first guitar and impressing his dad with his songwriting skills. He talks about the importance of mentors, and the key roles Bishop Trevor Huddleston and the drama teacher Anna Scher played in his life. He talks about the beginnings of Spandau Ballet, the Blitz club and still living at home well into his twenties. Gary talks about the court case between him and the rest of the band, and he talks about Live Aid and meeting David Bowie. And he talks about his unbreakable bond with his brother, Martin, and the deaths of their parents within four days of each other. This is a really in-depth, sensitive and humane discussion which will impress you, inform you and inspire you. Gary's book, 1967, is out now and tells the story of Brian Epstein's final address book - it is a fascinating cultural history of Britain in the sixties. It's available here https://www.waterstones.com/book/1967-the-world-of-brian-epstein-and-the-beatles/gary-kemp/simon-halfon/9780008822606. Our heartfelt thanks to Gary for this brilliant chat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
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