Can't Get Her Out

Of Our Heads

The following is a full unedited transcript of Nigel's interview with Michelle Hespe at the Sydney Xpress News in July 2002...

Michelle: What difficulties did you have when it came to researching and producing the book?

Nigel: Compared to other biographies I have authored, it was pretty straightforward really. And that was largely down to the fact that we obtained literally every British newspaper cutting from the very beginning of her career, so that was a big help even though there were some things that needed to be clarified, and for that I was grateful to have Neil Rees of the Limbo Kylie Minogue Online website on board as our Kylie expert, and considered by many (including Kylie’s manager Terry Blamey) as the leading authority on everything Kylie. I remember spending a whole day (and night!) working on the discography, because Kylie’s discography is a complicated one at best, so I was really pleased when Neil came up with the one that we now have in the book.  

Michelle: What did you learn about your own capabilities while creating 'Kylie - Naked'?

Nigel: That I could still write a biography! It’s kind of daunting going back to it after a break, and I’d had a break of not writing biography for over a year, since writing my book on Demi Moore. You kind of get scared that your not going to be able to construct a sentence again when you get commissioned for a new project. I think it’s a natural fear. But I think that must be how it is for every profession. Like an actor worrying about whether he can remember how to remember his lines. Everyone gets that fear when you’ve taken a lot of time off, that maybe somehow you’ve forgotten how to do what you do.

Michelle: What did you learn about Kylie that was previously unknown to you?

Nigel: There were quite a few things, especially as I hadn’t followed her career from the beginning. I think one of the most intriguing was the fact that she WASN’T dumped by her second UK record label, deConstruction, and I was just very pleased to be able to re-address the facts surrounding that whole saga. The other thing that I found fascinating, simply because I like to look into what isn’t obviously obvious, is that Kylie doesn’t really need a surname, does she? She is the only other artist aside from Elvis that can get away with having just her first name printed on an album or single. I read somewhere that she is now so used to using just her first name professionally that she often forgets to sign Minogue on her cheques! 

Michelle: Is there another project you are working on now? Does the current project utilise your knowledge gained from this book?

Nigel: Not right now, but I do have a few things in proposal with publishers. I really wanted to do Nicole Kidman’s biography next, but with a few others coming out in the UK, there seems little point. I am a great believer that there is no real object in re-telling someone’s life story unless you are going to cover new ground of what’s gone before.

Michelle: Why do you think Kylie is the pop industry's princess?

Nigel: That’s most probably the four million dollar question. I don’t think Kylie knows either, and once said she was more comfortable not knowing. But without too much analysing I think it’s down to the fact that there’s something very tongue-in-cheek about her performances, sort of with a wink in her eye, and a message of  ‘isn’t this fun?’ There are some, I guess, who would label her tarty but if you take a look at any of her performances it’s a role she plays and one that she plays very well. It’s not a pose or put-on but something quite natural and completely unique to herself. So from that point of view, one could say she’s also a brilliant actress, and I’m very fascinated by that too, by the incredible energy that follows her through all her videos. I also think she remains a pop star in the truest sense of the word and brings with her attributes that few other celebrities have. Intelligence, friendliness and approachability.

Michelle: Do you think that there is rivalry between the two sisters that has been diplomatically covered up?

Nigel: No, not at all. I think it is something that has over the years been fabricated by the media.

Michelle: Any recent inside gossip on Kylie's current man? What's your opinion of the boy?

Nigel: Not really. From what Kylie said during the tour, she thinks he is absolutely gorgeous, and that he has been her best friend for a long, long time, and even credits him with the fact that if it wasn’t for him, she probably wouldn’t be where she is today, currently, so I guess he must be quite an influence. There was talk of an after show rendezvous at a hotel here in the UK, so I guess, to do that, just days after it had been announced that they had split says a lot of how they feel about each other. Don’t even think the speculation or media suggestion that James may be bi-sexual is anything more than pure tittle-tattle. An excuse to sensationalise their relationship, which I guess, is common place when it comes to celebrity. Haven’t some journalists in the US just questioned whether American actress Winona Ryder is now gay, simply because she was pictured kissing a girlfriend and holding hands… but don’t girls do that anyway?

Michelle: How do you define success? Why does Kylie have the drive to make it to places that others can only dream of?

Nigel: I think there are different levels of success. But I think the most important is the one that gives the most contentment for the person whose experiencing the success, whether that’s writing a book, making a record or selling a car. That and determination. Certainly for Kylie, I imagine. I remember on the digital press kit for Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Fever, Kylie talks about being in the best place that she has been in her life, that she is more accepting and more challenging of herself, and that, I think, clarifies the contentment thing that I’m talking about.

Michelle: Why Kylie? What was at the core of your decision to create this book?

Nigel: Just the joy of writing. I think with any biography it’s the chance to educate yourself, experience and reap new appreciation of someone’s work. And certainly that has been true for me writing about Kylie.

Michelle: Were you worried about feedback, and what has the feedback for your book been like?

Nigel: I don’t know if worry is the right word. An author is always anxious about how his or her book is going to be received by the media, fans and general public, and of course, by the subject you have just written about. Not that the subject is ever going to say much about an unauthorised biography, no matter how good or bad. Although I was pleased by the positive feedback from her manager backstage at the NEC Birmingham, before meeting Kylie herself, interestingly enough on the day the book was published here in the UK (May 9). Actually I think that was the night she had a late night rendezvous with James. But overall, yes, I am very pleased that so many appear to like the book. There have been some reviews that have accused me and Jenny of sucking up to Kylie, but that’s not really the case. Our idea was to present an accurate and well-balanced portrait.

Michelle: Have you already seen Kylie's latest concert and what do you think?