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RECORD MIRROR, 24 SEPTEMBER 1988
THE ANGELA RIPPON OF HI-NRG
Yet far from reading the news, one week back in July, Hazell Dean
became news as stories of her supposed sexploits appeared in a
certain daily newspaper. As she releases a new single and LP, Roger Morton
meets the cuddly queen of disco and tries not to mention the
peanuts...
BIG FUN
The happy, bubbly, pop, fun, and definitely NICE Hazell Dean sits on the
far side of a business desk looking not very much like the secretary she
was once supposed to resemble. She looks great. A casually denim
bundle of health and NRG.
We all know about Hazell Dean. Or we think we do. A big Euro-beat hit
with 'Searchin'' in 1983, and the recent surge of 'Whatever I Do's and
'Who's Leaving Who's. She's the Angela Rippon of Hi-NRG. A politely
glowing beacon for the 'Come Dancing' jollity of the Stock Aitken
Waterman hit factory.
Not the sort of person to star in sordid Sun sex stories. Not
particularly the sort of person to be taken seriously. more a sort of
'What's your favourite nail varnish?' person. Let's try.
What's your favourite ... philosophy, Hazell?
"Oh God ... That's a heavy one ... Well basically ... erm ... I wish
people could live in harmony a bit more. I wish people could accept
each other a bit more. That's a world thing. And my own philosophy is
that I just want to be happy.
"The records I make at the moment are pop, fun, dance records. I take
my career very seriously, but I can also laugh at myself. And I make
pop, fun music, so I can't take that too seriously."
Fun, right. The fun-pub soundtrack ... Good for a laugh, but ultimately
disposable trash. Right Hazell?
"But you could still say that about anything really. It's popular music
of it's time. I'm not going to knock what I do, because I'm very
successful at it and I love every minute of it.
"I like melodies basically and that's what these songs are about. And I
certainly think you'd remember a Mel & Kim song, or a Hazell Dean
song before you'd remember a Morrissey or a Smiths song.
LITTLE MISERIES
It hasn't all been calm cruising for Hazell. First off, there was the
maths teacher in her Chelmsford school who told her to ditch the music
because she'd never make it. Then, after the singing school, there was
the job fronting a cover versions and in Stoke On Trent night-clubs. Not
easy.
And even once she was out on her own, doing PAs on the club circuit,
there were some close scrapes with fashion disaster. The less said
about the sequinned Diana Ross suit, the better. And should we mention
Jesse Miller?
"I have to admit I went through a stage when I thought maybe I should
change what I was doing. It was awful. I actually changed my name to
Jesse Miller. Don't ask me why. I had my hair cut very short and I
wrote this song called 'Jealous Love' which was quite a heavy rock
thing. But it was just ridiculous. It only lasted about four
months."
Even once she'd established herself as the pearly, twirly Queen of Disco
Dean that we know, there were still some jagged edges around to threaten
Hazell's fun pop bubble.
Like the sexy, scumbag confessions of a former 'friend' which appeared
in the gutter press around the time of 'Who's Leaving Who'. Hazell was
not amused.
"When I have to suffer my family, my nieces and nephews reading rubbish
like that, I get very upset. I didn't work all this time for such
ridiculous stories.
"And the story was absolute rubbish. I'd like to see anyone standing
up, having peanuts poured on their chest. I'd like to see them
pick them off with their teeth ... Can you do that?"
I haven't tried.
"No, well. A few of my friends have, and it's VERY difficult."
THE BIG RED ONE
Following the story in question Hazell now refuses to have her photo
taken with fans in case they're misused in a similar fashion. And her
private life, she says, is simply not for discussion. She did however
point out that the 'Hazell is gay' rumours were rather silly.
"I don't really care what people think, but I'm not. Obviously I do
have a big gay following, and I always have had. Any woman, like
myself, if you look at Judy Garland, or Barbra Streisand, they all have
a big gay following, because they like to see that independent woman up
there, doing her own thing, saying 'I'll get through ... I will
survive'."
Despite showers of peanuts and Stock Aitken Waterman slurs, the happy,
bubbly, fun, pop Hazell Dean is surviving ... rather nicely, of
course.
Do you think you're pretty normal, basically?
"Yeah. I think I'm very normal. Perhaps that's the problem."
Perhaps you should develop some abnormalities.
"Well I suffer from allergies ... And I'm now called Big Red."
I beg your pardon?
"After my title in the Sun. What was the headline? 'Red Hot Lover' or
something. A lot of my friends call me Big Red now."
Big Red's red hot new single 'Turn It Into Love' and hot new album
'Always' are out now!
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