GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - August '99 last entry

Firstly, apologies that the August update is a little bit late. I've been travelling a lot lately (mostly Germany) and what with one thing and another I haven't had a chance to put pen to paper (not literally!).  

Anyway, August was the month for Roadshows. I ended up headlining a Red Dragon in Cardiff, Fox FM at Silverstone, GWR in Luton, Key 103's Mardi Gras in Manchester ( more about that fiasco later) and the Radio City Roadshow in Liverpool. I have to say that It was fantastic seeing so many familiar faces at the Roadshows - how do you always manage to get right to the front of the stage? It's impressive, I'll give you all that...  

I guess I should explain about the Mardi Gras in Manchester (much as I want to forget it), as my set was a complete disaster. The way the Roadshows work is that all the groups perform to backing tracks as there is no way that the event organisers can set up everyone's equipment so that you can play a fully live set as there is only 5 minutes changeover between artists. Anyway, to cut a long story short, for the first time ever, my backing track jumped and skipped all over the place because of a technical fault. Every time the track stopped, I tried to sing only to be interrupted by the sound technician trying to start the track again. This happened about 5 times and I have never been so embarrassed in my life. I apologise to all of you who made the effort to come and see me - what a nightmare!!!! Oh yeah, and cheers to all the newspapers who decided to make fun of me the next day saying that I can't sing live (nice!!!!!) If any journalists are in any doubt about my singing abilities they are welcome to come and see me for a one to one performance. Luckily, the City FM Roadshow which I did right afterwards was fantastic and the crowd were brilliant - there is a God!!  

In the middle of August I went off to film the video for 'For All That You Want' in Marlborough, England. I usually find shooting videos pretty boring but this one was top! The story is that a bunch of friends discover a deserted house whilst out on a walk that's full of old fairground equipment. We all start messing about with the equipment (what a hardship!) and then we stumble upon the Dodgem Cars. Apparently, I smile more in this video that in any other and I can tell you now that it's all down to the bumper cars. I love the Dodgems - in fact, the director couldn't keep me away from them - and all in all I had a brilliant day out which was a turn-up for the books.  

The other two exciting things that happened in August were going over to Amsterdam for a few days and the delivery of some new equipment for my studio at home. Firstly I'll talk about Amsterdam. I had to pick a place that I love so that the holiday programme could film me there. Well, it was tough choosing between Amsterdam and Venice, which are two of my favourite cities, but Amsterdam won the day. Basically when you watch 'Holiday Heaven', I'll be surprised if you see me doing anything other than eating because every corner that I turned led to one of my favourite restaurants (funny that!!). Mind you , the film crew made me cycle around the canals too and it was probably a good thing because I definitely needed the exercise. We love Amsterdam!!  

Lastly, but no means least, when I returned home, my new Euphonix studio equipment had arrive and I'm afraid to say that this event eclipsed everything else that happened during August. It is true to say that I was in seventh heaven as the new centre section for my mixing desk was being installed (sad, but true) and without sounding like a studio bore, I just love anything that enables me to produce better records. Luckily, my management company left me, undisturbed, for a few days so that I could familiarise myself with the new desk and as I hate reading instruction manuals, it probably takes me longer than average to bear.  

Anyhow, you'll be pleased to know that I have been inspired enough to write and demo six new songs already and as that's what this job is all about it can't be bad.  

In fact, If you don't mind, I've got a couple of hours spare now so I'll just nip back into the studio, but I'll come out again before my September update's due, I promise!! Actually, I'm going to have to, because with the release of 'For All That You Want' looming I'm going to have a lot of promo to do...

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - July '99

What a long month July has been - I seem to have done so much that I'm not quite sure where to begin...  

Anyway, I guess a good place to start is with The Party In The Park concert in Hyde Park. I just loved that concert! One hundred thousand people, thirty or more great bands and loads of sunshine. I had a really great time and managed to 'chat' to some of you afterwards when I did a live link to the Capital Radio Website.  

I also spent a bit of time in Cologne, Germany when I presented and performed on their version of Top Of The Pops. I love going to Cologne as one of my favourite restaurants in the world is situated there (you know how I love my food), and I always try and take the time to pay a visit. The Leek soup is one of my all time favourites!! I don't know whether I'm supposed to keep this a secret but the chef actually gave me the recipe the last time I went there, so watch out Gordon Ramsay I'm comin' atcha!!  

Towards the tail end of July I actually managed to spend quite a bit of time at home and I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed that. I've spent a lot of time mucking about with the rowing boat on the lake (except that Jess keeps trying to bite off the paddles on the oars) and I have been able to see a lot more of my little nephew Lewis. Actually, he was christened at the beginning of July and I am now officially his godfather - not quite sure if my brother knows what he's letting himself and Lewis in for but there you go! My Dad's bought some peacocks to add to the animal farm and I'm now woken up at the crack of dawn to them screeching... cheers Dad!  

Of course, July 5th saw the launch of my Website and what a success it's been. I can sit for hours reading your messages, so thank you for those.  

I've also been spending time in my studio and I'm about to upgrade the desk so I'm really excited about the arrival of the new equipment. I'll try not to sound like a studio bore but I will have to refer to the arrival of the equipment in my August update. Sorry Folks, but this is a big event for me!  

For those of you who've been asking Dawn is fine but she's been busy working for most of July which means that I'm winning the suntan competition (for once!!).  

We've also decided on the new single and it's called 'For All That You Want' and it'll be out at the end of September. I've already performed it at some of the Roadshows I've been doing and I'd love to know what you think if you've had a chance to hear it. I'll be shooting the video soon so again I'll give you more information about this in next month's update.  

I have managed to meet up with Mike Hrano too and we've started recording the next Fanclub CD already - I hate the sound of my own voice but as long as you don't mind listening to me I'll keep rambling on (and on and on)!!!!  

Well, I'm writing this whilst I'm doing promotion in Finland and as I'm just being called into the TV studio, I'd better finish up.  

A big thank you to all of you who have bought 'Stronger' and for coming along to support me when I've been out 'doing my thing' - I really appreciate it.  

Anyhow, here's to a repeat of all the great weather we've been having for August - you watch it'll start raining now I've said that!! 

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - June '99

This has been a really busy month. It started off with the filming of my Channel 4 Special with Andi Peters - I had great fun doing this but it was a rush as they had to transmit it less than a week after filming finished. Anyway it's on air again on Sunday 13th July so if you didn't catch it at the beginning of June watch out for the repeat. My favourite filmpiece however was for GMTV as it took place at the Jordan Garage. It's a shame really as you won't have got to see what a fantastic time we had at Jordan but we ended up spending virtually the whole day there and Eddie Jordan himself escorted me around and let me into a few of his secrets. Secretly, I was hoping that he'd take me on as his new driver as Damon Hill had announced his retirement the day before I got there but for some reason Eddie wasn't forthcoming with the invitation... odd that!!  

Anyway, I also made a couple of trips to Germany and Italy during June and it was good to see some familiar faces amongst the European fans. I had a great time performing at Festival Bar in Italy but the moment was spoiled as The Sun newspaper decided to print a picture of me with The Cartoons with a really unfair and nasty caption. I wouldn't mind, but when the picture was taken with The Cartoons we were all mucking about and having a good laugh (you only have to look at my double chin in the picture to see what I mean!). Anyway, I asked the photographer to send me a copy of the pic and the next thing I know it's being reported that I threw a tantrum and didn't want anyone to see the picture. Cheeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrssssssss!!!!!!!!!  

Anyhow, at least The Jordan Team had a successful time at The French Grand Prix and to put things in perspective, there are only two weeks to go until the British Grand Prix... remember Eddie I'm still available if you're one driver short ! 

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - MAY '99

This was an odd month as it started off with my face being plastered over The Sun newspaper for two days in a row. Yes, it's true to say that I gave an interview to the Sun because they were huge supporters of the group and they, along with a lot of other papers, had put in a request for an interview with me. I don't really like talking about my private life but of course the tabloids do their best to find out what you get up to in your spare time and if you don't want to talk about it there is always someone waiting to expose you. Anyway, that said, I did the interview and mentioned a few skeletons that were in the cupboard but I couldn't believe they made such a meal out of a few comments about my past life nor that it made headline news for two days in a row. One minute they're writing that I'm all washed up and the next minute they pull everything out of context and it seems they can't devote enough space to you - do you ever get those moments when you wish you could crawl under a stone and stay there???? 

Anyway, at least the month ended with some highlights. I filmed all the bits for my enhanced CD Rom which was great fun (watch the funny moment on the piano when you exit the CD Rom) and I also went down to deepest Surrey to present a cheque to The Rainbow Trust. It's so uplifting and rewarding meeting the families and children who are associated with this Trust and I can only hope that the small amount of time that I spend with them is of some use. By the way, I handed over the cheque with the interest from the tour tickets so thanks to all of you because it is your money and, believe me, it has gone to a brilliant cause. 

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ARTICLES - TV Hits Magazine, April 1996

TV Hits Magazine, April 1996

Gary's about to release his debut single, Forever Love, but he doesn't want it to be as big as his TT hits, believe it or not!

T.V.: So you're going to be first out of the Take That starting blocks with a solo career - are you the most ambitious?

G.B.: I do have a lot of ambition, and probably more so for my own career that the band. It's funny, there'll probably be a bit of competition between us all, but it'll be friendly rivalry.

T.V.: Now that Take That's over, will we notice a difference in your music?

G.B.: I think the music'll probably sound the most like Take That out of all of us, because I sang most of the songs and wrote most of them. But we'll have to wait and see..

T.V.: Is your stuff going to be better?

G.B.: It's definately a move on from what I was writing eighteen months ago. I was lucky because we were just about to start recording a new Take That album, so I had 17 songs ready for that. Since the break up I've written 20 more, so I was faced with the problem of getting 37 songs down to 12!

T.V.: What's your next goal?

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - APRIL '99

It's typical isn't it? Just when you've finished pigging out on choccie Easter eggs then you have to fly off for a video and photo shoot and try your best to look in shape!

 Anyway, mustn't grumble as we jetted off to New Mexico right after Easter and shot all the sleeve photo's for the new single sleeve - we had beautiful weather and went to some fantastic locations including this amazing place called White Sands where we shot the front cover. Next we few into L.A for a short spell where I visited my favourite restaurant, The Ivy, practically every night and then went on to shoot the video for Stronger in Vancouver (It's a hard life). I won't go on and on about the video as you've probably all seen it by now (you can even see the whole video via CD Rom if you buy the second CD for Stronger) and anyway, I talk about the vid at the beginning of this section. It's great to be out there doing promo again and what a top way to start !!!

You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - MARCH '99

This is the month that the big Max arrived!!!! He's my new rescue dog and he's a huge, pure white alsatian who went by the name of 'Snowy' when we took him in. However my dad wasn't too happy about shouting "Snowy" whilst he's out working on the land so a more 'butch' name had to be found.

 Anyway Max it is and he has already fallen hook, line and sinker for my other alsatian Jess - aaaaahhhhhh!!!! No doubt, it'll take a bit of time and effort to get Jim, Jess and Max to live in sweet harmony (not to mention all my mum and dads dogs) but I think we'll get there.

You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - FEBRUARY '99

This was the big one because I got engaged just after Valentine's Day. Dawn and I had gone to New York with my mum and dad and the timing just seemed perfect. We had a fabulous few days away and got to visit Niagara Falls as well as doing tons of shopping in good ol' NYC... Dawn passed her driving test in January too so all in all we had a lot of celebrating to do.

You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - JANUARY '99

Apart from adding a few finishing touches to the album, the main event was taking delivery of my new Porsche 911 and my interview and performance on The Parkinson Show. It was great rehearsing the band for the show but it was really nerve racking doing an interview with someone as famous as Parky and after such a long time away from the bright lights... It was good to hear (& see) a few of you fans in the audience and at the gate to Television Centre, this made me feel a whole heap better. The Porsche by the way is top and was a late Christmas/birthday pressie to myself!!!!!! By the way thanks for all the birthday gifts you sent via The Fanclub... you spoil me!

You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - December '98

The highlight of December was that Howard and I went on a fantastic freebie trip which was organised by the Sultan of Oman in conjunction with Formula 1 and the national pro-karting association. We flew out to Oman to compete in a 48 hour Pro-kart race. Eight teams took part, mainly made up of Formula 1 drivers, pro-karting fanatics and... er... me and Howard. I have to admit that my day's spent on the winners podium whilst go-karting in Cheshire weren't relived in Oman. I knew I was beaten and so I just had a thoroughly good time. 

 Other than Chrimbo, the other big event in December was my holiday. Dawn & I flew off to Jumbly Bay, an island just off Antigua for 10 days and had a super time. I was made up with my tan as I had been turning a rather sickly shade of green from being cooped up in the studio for so long. If anything, our spell in Jumbly Bay made me look a good deal healthier which can only be considered a plus.

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - November '98

I spent most of November mixing the album on a fantastic boat on the river in Surrey and all in all it was pretty quiet. I had been feeling pretty miserable as by rights I should have been on tour and I spent most of my spare time feeling that I'd let all of you down. However, towards the end of the month, I got a call, out of the blue, from Elton and he asked me if I'd like to appear on stage with him at the Nynex Arena in Manchester. I couldn't believe that he was asking me - I felt so chuffed. Without even hesitating I said yes and we decided that we would sing 'Sacrifice' together. I have to say that Elton gave me the nicest introduction that anyone could give you and this moment will stay in my memory for a long time. I couldn't believe the welcome I got - it certainly lifted my spirits and I couldn't stop grinning for week's afterwards. What a night!

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - October '98

On the 22nd I attended the ASCAP dinner (American Society of composers and Publishers). I had been asked along to pick up the award for the most performed British work for 'Back For Good' which I have now won for three years running. It's amazing to think that this song still gets so much airplay in the States. For me, there nothing more rewarding that receiving a publishing award because they are in recognition of the actual songwriter and what I love doing most of all is writing songs. The Spice Girls were all there too and it was a very good night.

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - September '98

The most amazing thing that happened in September was that I became an Uncle for the first time. My little nephew Lewis was born on the 24th September. He's a beaut' - and he's growing so fast it's unbelievable. My brother Ian and his wife Lisa are thrilled to bits with him - he's a great addition to the household. Also in September, the strings for 'Lie To Me' were recorded at CTS studios in Wembley. Will Malone was responsible for the string arrangement ( he did the amazing strings on The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' too ) and he did the song proud. We had a 34 piece orchestra and I invited my Mum and Dad down to watch the recording - it was wonderful. Of course, I had to squeeze in another Grand Prix and the tail end of September and this time it was off to Nurburg in Germany for the Luxembourg Grand Prix. Howard came with me and Hakinnen won by about 4 seconds - Schumacher looked non too pleased if you ask me!

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - August '98

Without sounding like a bore, the highlight of August was the Belgian Grand Prix. I went along with my Dad, firstly we had good weather and secondly we had brilliant seats. In fact, early on in the race there was a massive pile up right in front of our grandstand. There were bits of car flying all over the place which was a bit frightening for my Dad - as he'd never been to a race before - but I found it really exciting. Anyway, because the race was so delayed we had to leave early to catch our flight so we ended up listening to the end of the race on the car radio. It was an amazing day and to top it all Damon Hill won!!

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here

GARY BARLOW'S DIARY - July '98

Two great things happened this month, the first of which was opening Capital Radio's 'Party In The Park' concert on the 5th. It was a beautiful sunny day and the crowd of... thousand were absolutely amazing. Howard joined me on stage for a rendition of 'Never Forget' and all in all it was top!

Then on July 12th I went to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Talk about the wettest day of the year - it was virtually impossible to see the cars, let alone hear what was happening over the loud speakers. The rain was coming down in buckets and it turned into a huge hail storm - in fact the race was stopped for a while as the weather conditions were so bad. All in all it was a bit of a wash out! Schumacher won though - he's a lean, mean, driving machine!

 You can read all the entries of the Diary here