February 13, 2025 • 20 mins
Debbie Gibson plays the Key West Theater on Feb 16. As a teen, she became one of the most iconic singer songwriters of the late 80's, with her debut album, "Out of the Blue" going triple platinum behind songs like "Foolish Beat." She became the youngest female to write and produce a Billboard Hot 100 #1 single, which still stands to this day. Britt Myers catches up with Gibson on what it was like to emerge and be discovered before social media, the female artists she admires today and her love for Broadway & the big screen. For tickets visit: thekeywesttheater.com and be on the lookout for Debbie's new memoir, "Eternally Electric" in September of 25.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome back to the Florida Keys Weekly podcast. I'm your host,
Brett Myers. I'm excited. I have an incredible guest today,
one that I'm personally, uh, just, just pumped up in
an awe about. This is a nostalgic moment for me.
Before we get started, I want to thank our listeners
in Radio land who get up early. I appreciate you
guys and ladies and gentlemen and and and humans who
get up at uh the crack of dawn at 103.3
(00:24):
FM WKWF, thank you.
Of course, all of our podcast listeners on Spotify, Apple,
Amazon or or uh Keys Weekly.com, you can grab this
podcast and others there and I just wanna thank everyone
for continuing to listen and support and we are brought
to you by Overseas Media Group, that's OMG Overseas Media Group.com,
that's your local digital company.
(00:45):
Brings you all the world of services and expertise with
the local with the local service that you need to
come out and take care of you. So, uh, websites,
digital marketing, you name it, those are the folks you
wanna give a call to overseas Media group. Now with
that I'm, uh, incredibly excited. First of all, uh, I'm
gonna do a quick intro and get and get this
person started because you want to hear from her, I promise, um.
(01:06):
But I will say this, and she's heard this, she's
gonna roll her eyes right now because she's heard this, um.
As a 10 year old boy, I had a reoccurring
dream that I had a date with Debbie Gibson and
if you were 10 years old in my day, everyone
dreamed that that was just, you know, you were in
awe she's amazing, um, sing, you know, singer, actress, songwriter,
she is an icon so you can try try to
(01:27):
take a guess who is on the podcast today, but
I will say we had a podcast set up yesterday
some things fell through the crack and my dream of
being stood up by Debbie Gibson after about 40 years
came true, so I, I miss Debbie but.
But I will say I am so honored to have
the Debbie Gibson, um, on the podcast today and Debbie,
(01:47):
I could go through your catalog, your debut album 1987
out of the blue went triple platinum. We can talk
about Foolish Beat. You're the youngest female to write, produce
and perform a Billboard Hot number one single. That's a
Guinness World Book of Records still stands today. I could
go on and on even all your 20 Billboard hits for, uh,
you know, Songwriter of the Year back with Bruce Springsteen
(02:08):
at 89.
Uh, Electric Youth of course is ingrained in all of us.
Double platinum, number one song Lost in your eyes. We
can all sing it by heart. Uh, please don't make
me do it because you don't wanna hear it. I
could go on and on about your accolades and who
you are, but everyone already knows, everyone, the Debbie Gibson
on the podcast today. Debbie, thank you so much for
joining us.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Thank you. What an intro. And you know, I, I
didn't think I was fulfilling a dream of standing you
up when that, when the schedule got crazy yesterday, but glad, listen,
glad to be a tourist. I'm glad that I had
like a side benefit.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's awesome. Absolutely. Well, the big news is, and I
want to point this out before we talk here for
a little bit and uh catch up on what you've
been up to.
And a little about about your life that we all
love to hear about and talk about, but you are
coming down to Key West and you will be performing here. Yeah, so, uh,
February 16th, I want folks to know about that. I
don't know if tickets are left. If they're not, I
(03:02):
mean if they are, they will not be left
Speaker 2 (03:03):
for long. I think there are literally a few because
it's an intimate, intimate theater, the Key West Theater. I'm
so excited to see it. I hear great things.
We're always very particular about where we book shows and
this is an intimate kind of like in in the
um in the spirit of it being Valentine's Month.
Um, and my, this show is called Love Songs. I've
(03:25):
written a love song or two, and I realized doing this.
I've also written a sad love song or two.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, I, I think those are ingrained in us. That's
February 16th. Debbie, you're gonna be here in just a
few days, and that's you can get if tickets do
remain by the time this airs, uh, here shortly, uh,
you can try and find those at the Key West Theater.com,
the Key West Theater.com. February 16th. Debbie Gibson, I'll be there. Uh,
there is a buzz in the air down here in
Key West to come see you.
(03:52):
And I can promise you by the time you get
here there will not be tickets left. I can guarantee
you that. So if you if you're listening, you get
a chance, now is your time to grab a ticket
or two to see Debbie Gibson. Debbie, have you been?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah. We, we just sold out, we just sold out
the two shows in New York that I just did.
So come on, Key West, bring it. We want to
keep the streak going.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Debbie, you've been everywhere, all over the world, you've toured,
you've seen it, you've done it. Um, have you been
to Key West before?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You know, in passing through, like I've not ever spent
time and all I keep hearing is, uh, how beautiful
it is. That's all I keep, um, so you have
to tell me what do you and the locals recommend
I do see, I mean, listen, I'm kind of in
and out quick.
But if I had to grab a nice meal somewhere, listen,
(04:43):
I'm a girl, if I had to go to a
little boutique or something unique, what would be the recommendation?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well, the boutique you've got to go to is Kirby's Closet,
so I can tell you that right now it kind
of now I don't know what you're wearing today when
I think of Debby Debbie Gibson.
Uh, and here's a, uh, a hint on my bias
that's my wife's boutique, but it is well known down here.
In fact, she's putting on a fashion show today for
uh LGTBQ event that she's doing for the community, and
(05:10):
then that, yeah, so that, that boutique, if I, if
I'm being selfish, you wanna visit Kirby's closet, there's some
great ones out there though, not just hers. There's some
really good ones. Float's a great one. There's some other
great boutiques, the food, Debbie.
Um, you can't go wrong because if I say something
on the podcast, we've got so many supporters, uh, restaurants,
you really can't go wrong. Key West. Just grab some
seafood while you're here, maybe try some conch chowder, maybe
(05:33):
try some uh conch fritters, you know, just indulge in
some shrimp, uh, in Rams Head, your folks over at
the Key West Theater, they'll have plenty of places for
you to go as well, but, um, I just hope
you get to get out and enjoy it and and Debbie,
let me ask you, when you get out.
And you walk around today. I, I mean for me,
you're so recognizable, um, I know there's a younger base
of fans. I know that you continued on in your career.
(05:54):
I don't know how many people realize how busy you've
been with Broadway, uh, how talented you are on television.
Uh, whether it be Lucifer, uh, you know, you really
just are an icon, but when you go out to today,
do you still get mobbed by people? Do you find
places you can go where someone says, you know, we're
gonna leave Debbie alone or don't necessarily recognize, you know.
You
Speaker 2 (06:12):
know, people are just friendly. Like they treat me like
I'm an old friend. Um, so it's, it's really, really awesome. And,
you know, being like, listen, when we were all kids,
you know, kids, there's like, there was that maniac period.
And then there was a quieter period where I did
theater and people came to see me on Broadway and
they waited outside the stage door and all that. But
(06:33):
now it's like, so like people will kind of be like,
you know, I'll walk into Starbucks and they'll turn around
and go, oh my God, you know, and it's just
a lovely moment of recognition.
Um, here's a, an interesting one too. People recognize my
speaking voice. and people turn around online, like, you know,
at a grocery store or getting coffee, and they're like,
(06:54):
I knew your voice, and I think to myself,
I, how many interviews or whatever, like, how do they
know my speaking when we were kids. But, but they do,
like all that press and, and all the stuff, you know, I,
I guess we all spent time with one another is
what I'm trying to say. But people are super respectful,
super excited. My favorite thing in the world and it
(07:17):
never gets old, is for people to tell me, uh,
you know, kind of what, what my music meant to them,
how it fit into their life. You know, you mentioned
the LGBTQ community.
Um, I constantly hear about how, um, you know, my
being an ally helped them in their youth, um, helps
people in that community. And so there's just, uh, there's
(07:39):
a lot of nostalgia, a lot of meaning right now
for people in the music of this era and artists
like myself. So it's a really nice time.
Uh, to be me out in the world because people
are really, really lovely.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
That's amazing and and Debbie, I think about when I
say our time, I, I'm, I'm close to your age
and we you know growing up in the 80s and
for people like you that found stardom, now you know, again,
you're still unique, the way that you wrote your own songs,
I feel and I and I know somewhat of your story.
Uh, but I'd like for folks to hear it from
you and me to hear it from you to know
the whole story. I feel like you controlled a lot
(08:15):
of your own destiny. I know you were discovered like
a lot of young people during that time. You were
particularly young in your teens and sent a tape to
a radio station, I believe like a lot of people
did and and then you yeah
Speaker 2 (08:28):
yeah. Well, I won a songwriting contest, but that wasn't
really like the discovery per se. That was just one
of the many things that I did that kind of get.
My music heard and, um, my late great mom, Diane
was one of the original mas, if you will. And
she really protected my creative freedom, you know, she knew,
(08:49):
she knew that I was writing songs as a young person.
Yeah. Particularly speaking to people my age. And at the time,
nobody was writing for people my age, except older people. Um, and, and,
you know, not that that's obviously, now, that's not a thing.
Now it's common, which is, which does my heart so good.
(09:11):
I mean, it's like, to know that there's a Billie Eilish.
And a lord and a chaperone and, you know, speaking
directly to their generation is amazing. But when I, when
I was starting out, the thing was, oh, we're gonna
get an older male to write a record for a
young girl singing to primarily young girls and boys, but
(09:33):
like young people. And it was like, huh?
Um, so, you know, I, there's a, by the way,
I'm working on my book and this, I go into
great detail in the book, um, uh, on my early
childhood and how I got my record deal, but essentially,
my mom just did not stop helping me knock on doors,
and we eventually made our way to Atlantic Records, but
(09:55):
it was a, it was, uh, it was a, a
lot of hoop jumping, a lot of goals. They had me.
weeks before they would go for the next, you know,
like they didn't just say, Hey, here's a million dollar
record deal. It was actually, um, you know, it was
a lot of legwork. And now you can sit in your,
and listen, I think it's a great thing that kids
(10:16):
can sit in their room and make a video on
TikTok and get a million views and launch a career,
but I had to literally pound the pavement, you know,
and perform for 100 people at a time in a club.
Clubs and, and, um,
And radio promo and all the things, took a lot
of hands and kissed a lot of babies, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, and I would think it's gotta be a, you know, again,
I'm not comparing, you know, competing between the two arrows,
but I feel like it had to be more difficult, uh,
to do that, but you did it with such grace, um,
and I think about people like you that came into
stardom as a teenager and just knowing that world from
that point on because you're such an icon, people recognize you.
Um, do you ever look back? I mean, and I
(10:55):
asked it I always wanna ask this question of everybody
who's made it at that age. Do you ever look
back and are you one of those people who wish
you had more of a childhood, or do you have
any regrets with that or do you feel like that was,
that was your path and and you're happy with that
because I mean you were writing such
Speaker 2 (11:08):
amazing things at that was my path. Yeah,
that was my path. Every choice I made was my own, um,
but there were sacrifices, you know, I definitely sacrificed having
a normal, even though I stayed in high school.
Um, it was an abnormal existence to be, like, everybody
wants to blend in high school. I don't care who
you are. You just want to blend. Um, and so
(11:31):
that's not gonna be possible when you're doing what I
was doing. So, you know, but it's not, it's, it's
not a world's smallest violent story. It's like, that's what
I chose. Um, and
Yeah, I would, I wouldn't have it any other way.
It was so much my path. And like you said,
I kind of create, I've, I've created my own world
(11:52):
my entire life, and I continue to do so. I
continue to design and again, this is the book about.
Uh, I continue to design my life, you know, the
way I want it. And I feel like a lot
of people, obviously, if you have kids, um, your life
is going to be geared towards them. Um, you know,
(12:13):
people have to earn a living or I think. I've
somehow managed to kind of maintain a freedom about my
life that really suits me. Um, and I hope that
people can.
Kind of gain inspiration from that. Like wherever you can,
wherever you can design your life to suit you, do it.
It's like, people are so stuck on what society deems
(12:33):
as conventional. Um, I don't have children. Uh, you know,
I'm not married, like that marriage could happen in my 50s.
Who knows? Um, I'm open to everything, but I'm not
stuck on anything, you know, and that's how I was
as a kid. And so my path has really been
my own, and it's, uh, it's.
(12:53):
It's been amazing. Like, like my fan community and I
have such an unbelievable relationship. I hardly even ever use
the word fan because they're beyond.
Um, they're, they're, they're like family, and they stuck with
me through all the twists and the turns. And so
the thing that we've all managed to build and, and
maintain and, and celebrate for now 38 years is extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But I was, I was joking, you're gonna have a
line of guys out at the theater but um um
you know, talk about being married but you have, you
have kind of carried your life to your own beat
and I think that's what people love about you.
Um, you know, I will ask you, you talked about
you being younger and writing songs at such a young
age and being a singer-songwriter, um, and all the talent
that you have to write those songs at age at
(13:38):
that age and for those to be timeless songs that
people still know today and still resonate with people, um,
do you look, are you ever in awe of yourself
to know that, hey, I wrote that when I was
16 or 17? Like how, how old were you when
you wrote Lost in Your Eyes? You had to be
Speaker 2 (13:50):
what, 16? Yeah, I mean I was like 15 and
you know, I
Uh, it's more like I'm mystified by the art of
songwriting because, you know, yes, I, I've studied classical piano
and I, I know the, the structure of songwriting and
all of those things. But to me, songwriting is a magical,
(14:12):
mystical thing that nobody can explain, in my opinion, like
those songs.
Oh
Oh, is that a song I already know, or is
that a song coming to me that I'm supposed to
write down? Now, I fine-tune it and, you know, try
to come up with the best possible ways of saying things.
But those early songs in particular, literally, the, the very
(14:35):
first time I kind of heard them in my head
and played them.
Not much changed from what you heard on the radio.
It was so direct from, again, whatever that, you know,
like the universe is kind of, I'd say the song fairies,
the song angels. Um, it, it is astounding. Like, yes,
to see a crowd of, um, you know, yes, there
(14:59):
are younger fans too. I have fans from 8 to 80,
but like, you get the fans in their, you know,
40s and 50s and 60s, and they're all singing we
could be together and
Um, you know, it's.
It's like those melodies that stand the test of time
and the sentiments, the very simple sentiments stand the test
(15:19):
of time. Like when I was a kid and I
was writing, I was not trying to be something else.
I was just, I was just singing very universal themes.
And it was, yeah, those universal love themes.
Um, you know, and, and themes of, I I think
I use the word together a lot, togetherness, unity, um,
(15:40):
they stand the test of time, and, and, and I
think people need that now more than ever. People, people
need what music does because music does unify and we're
in a, we're in a world right now where we're,
we are trying to be divided by outside forces and
so to, to be in a room and, and to
have music as that unifying thing and to
(16:01):
For me to be at the helm of that, but
for me to be the person on stage kind of
leading that party is
incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
So we got a couple more minutes with uh Debbie
Gibson here and getting ready for her to come down
to the uh Key West Theater February 16th. A couple
more questions. I know how busy you are, and I
was just saying I've never had anyone jump on a
podcast as early. It shows you your work ethic, how
busy you are, um, just a couple quick questions for
people that might be interested.
Uh, I'm always interested because you came up at such
a young age, who, who were your influences, Debbie? I
(16:30):
get you, I'm sure you get that question a lot,
and then who do you follow today? Who do you
like to listen to?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Oh my gosh, there's so many artists today that I
like to listen to. But growing up, um, I was
a huge Billy Joel fan. It's funny. I just saw
Pink with Billy Joel on Howard Stern, and she was
talking about she was saying something I've always said, which
is nobody tells, nobody tells a story like Billy Joel,
in my opinion.
There's like it's just unparalleled with uh with his, with
(16:59):
his writing and Elton, but, you know, because I, I
was a piano girl. I own one of Liberace's pianos.
I was a piano fan. Um, and then I was
always a fan of the theater women and all and
the timeless.
The timeless ageless women Sha Tina Turner inspirational to me.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
And uh and that makes sense and I and and
today I I had to have a selfish question real
quick before we go. There was a song I've always
wondered about this because I'm such a movie fan you
wrote a song one time for Ethan Coen when he
was doing a movie, uh, the Naked Man, but it
it never released. Is that still right? Is that a uh,
I was amazed that you had a song as as
amazing as you are and.
And your body of work, is that song ever released
(17:42):
or is that still something that's that's secured?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
No, it wasn't released and it was something on the
business end between the labels or something happened. I don't
quite remember exactly what. But yes, I got to spend
a moment in the studio with those guys, which was awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
I got you. Well, last couple of questions with you, Debbie,
I know you gotta go. This is one that everyone.
likes to ask you, and I'm just curious, did you
and Tiffany know each other, uh, you know, did you
guys ever speak, you ladies ever speak and someone you
still know today, or, uh, I I wouldn't say there
was a,
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I, I guess, I guess you did not see the
sci-fi movie we did together or the tour we did
Speaker 1 (18:15):
together or
Speaker 2 (18:16):
or or Good Morning America. We did, yes, we've done
a lot of things together, uh, she's a
Dear friend of mine always has been.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's
awesome, alright, because uh you know you get mentioned together. Uh,
last question, we're gonna let you get out of here, uh,
and we won't talk about Tiffany anymore, but it's really
cool that you two really shaped music, uh, the way
you did, particularly you, Debbie, and um I'll ask you now,
when you come to Key West, um, what, what can
we listen for, um, what will you be performing and, uh, uh,
(18:46):
anything that's gonna stand out for us here when you
when you do this show here in Key
Speaker 2 (18:49):
West.
Well, of course, it'll be the hits, mainly the love-related hits. Um, but,
but as my diehards will tell you, anything can happen.
Like I did two shows in New York and both
nights were completely different. I mean, like, there's a certain
amount of the setlist that's set, and then there's a
certain amount that it's like anything can happen. So, um,
(19:10):
you know, a couple.
Came up and they made a request and I did
it on the spot. I mean, things, things like that
happen when you have a piano and you can kind
of be off the cuff. And I love to be
off the cuff. So expect the unexpected, uh, expect, you know,
definitely traditional love songs, but love songs can mean anything.
It doesn't mean it's just an evening of ballads. There's
some energy to the show, uh, as well.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Awesome. And
Speaker 2 (19:34):
a
Speaker 1 (19:34):
lot
Speaker 2 (19:34):
of banter. My, my sister Karen always says I need
a stand-up comedy. You'll see it's a, it's a lot,
it's a lot of fun. I love to play with
the audience and be in the moment, and that's really
what my shows are about.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Well, we can't wait to see you. You've been very
gracious with your time. I had a few my few
technical difficulties this morning after we talked about yesterday, so
you have my sincere apologies, but we can't wait to
see you, Debbie Gibson.
Um, so honored to have you on the show today
and so thankful, yeah, so thankful for your career, uh,
the way you've carried yourself, what you mean to so
many people, uh, of all ages. I mean you've really,
(20:07):
you've really resonated and touched so many different generations, which
is difficult for any entertainer, performer, artist to do what
you have. So thank you for what you do and
thank you for joining the show today, can't wait to
see you down here.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Thanks so much, Britt. Have a great day.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Thank you. OK,
Speaker 2 (20:24):
bye.
Welcome back to the Florida Keys Weekly podcast. I'm your host,
Brett Myers. I'm excited. I have an incredible guest today,
one that I'm personally, uh, just, just pumped up in
an awe about. This is a nostalgic moment for me.
Before we get started, I want to thank our listeners
in Radio land who get up early. I appreciate you
guys and ladies and gentlemen and and and humans who
get up at uh the crack of dawn at 103.3
(00:24):
FM WKWF, thank you.
Of course, all of our podcast listeners on Spotify, Apple,
Amazon or or uh Keys Weekly.com, you can grab this
podcast and others there and I just wanna thank everyone
for continuing to listen and support and we are brought
to you by Overseas Media Group, that's OMG Overseas Media Group.com,
that's your local digital company.
(00:45):
Brings you all the world of services and expertise with
the local with the local service that you need to
come out and take care of you. So, uh, websites,
digital marketing, you name it, those are the folks you
wanna give a call to overseas Media group. Now with
that I'm, uh, incredibly excited. First of all, uh, I'm
gonna do a quick intro and get and get this
person started because you want to hear from her, I promise, um.
(01:06):
But I will say this, and she's heard this, she's
gonna roll her eyes right now because she's heard this, um.
As a 10 year old boy, I had a reoccurring
dream that I had a date with Debbie Gibson and
if you were 10 years old in my day, everyone
dreamed that that was just, you know, you were in
awe she's amazing, um, sing, you know, singer, actress, songwriter,
she is an icon so you can try try to
(01:27):
take a guess who is on the podcast today, but
I will say we had a podcast set up yesterday
some things fell through the crack and my dream of
being stood up by Debbie Gibson after about 40 years
came true, so I, I miss Debbie but.
But I will say I am so honored to have
the Debbie Gibson, um, on the podcast today and Debbie,
(01:47):
I could go through your catalog, your debut album 1987
out of the blue went triple platinum. We can talk
about Foolish Beat. You're the youngest female to write, produce
and perform a Billboard Hot number one single. That's a
Guinness World Book of Records still stands today. I could
go on and on even all your 20 Billboard hits for, uh,
you know, Songwriter of the Year back with Bruce Springsteen
(02:08):
at 89.
Uh, Electric Youth of course is ingrained in all of us.
Double platinum, number one song Lost in your eyes. We
can all sing it by heart. Uh, please don't make
me do it because you don't wanna hear it. I
could go on and on about your accolades and who
you are, but everyone already knows, everyone, the Debbie Gibson
on the podcast today. Debbie, thank you so much for
joining us.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Thank you. What an intro. And you know, I, I
didn't think I was fulfilling a dream of standing you
up when that, when the schedule got crazy yesterday, but glad, listen,
glad to be a tourist. I'm glad that I had
like a side benefit.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's awesome. Absolutely. Well, the big news is, and I
want to point this out before we talk here for
a little bit and uh catch up on what you've
been up to.
And a little about about your life that we all
love to hear about and talk about, but you are
coming down to Key West and you will be performing here. Yeah, so, uh,
February 16th, I want folks to know about that. I
don't know if tickets are left. If they're not, I
(03:02):
mean if they are, they will not be left
Speaker 2 (03:03):
for long. I think there are literally a few because
it's an intimate, intimate theater, the Key West Theater. I'm
so excited to see it. I hear great things.
We're always very particular about where we book shows and
this is an intimate kind of like in in the
um in the spirit of it being Valentine's Month.
Um, and my, this show is called Love Songs. I've
(03:25):
written a love song or two, and I realized doing this.
I've also written a sad love song or two.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, I, I think those are ingrained in us. That's
February 16th. Debbie, you're gonna be here in just a
few days, and that's you can get if tickets do
remain by the time this airs, uh, here shortly, uh,
you can try and find those at the Key West Theater.com,
the Key West Theater.com. February 16th. Debbie Gibson, I'll be there. Uh,
there is a buzz in the air down here in
Key West to come see you.
(03:52):
And I can promise you by the time you get
here there will not be tickets left. I can guarantee
you that. So if you if you're listening, you get
a chance, now is your time to grab a ticket
or two to see Debbie Gibson. Debbie, have you been?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah. We, we just sold out, we just sold out
the two shows in New York that I just did.
So come on, Key West, bring it. We want to
keep the streak going.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Debbie, you've been everywhere, all over the world, you've toured,
you've seen it, you've done it. Um, have you been
to Key West before?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
You know, in passing through, like I've not ever spent
time and all I keep hearing is, uh, how beautiful
it is. That's all I keep, um, so you have
to tell me what do you and the locals recommend
I do see, I mean, listen, I'm kind of in
and out quick.
But if I had to grab a nice meal somewhere, listen,
(04:43):
I'm a girl, if I had to go to a
little boutique or something unique, what would be the recommendation?
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Well, the boutique you've got to go to is Kirby's Closet,
so I can tell you that right now it kind
of now I don't know what you're wearing today when
I think of Debby Debbie Gibson.
Uh, and here's a, uh, a hint on my bias
that's my wife's boutique, but it is well known down here.
In fact, she's putting on a fashion show today for
uh LGTBQ event that she's doing for the community, and
(05:10):
then that, yeah, so that, that boutique, if I, if
I'm being selfish, you wanna visit Kirby's closet, there's some
great ones out there though, not just hers. There's some
really good ones. Float's a great one. There's some other
great boutiques, the food, Debbie.
Um, you can't go wrong because if I say something
on the podcast, we've got so many supporters, uh, restaurants,
you really can't go wrong. Key West. Just grab some
seafood while you're here, maybe try some conch chowder, maybe
(05:33):
try some uh conch fritters, you know, just indulge in
some shrimp, uh, in Rams Head, your folks over at
the Key West Theater, they'll have plenty of places for
you to go as well, but, um, I just hope
you get to get out and enjoy it and and Debbie,
let me ask you, when you get out.
And you walk around today. I, I mean for me,
you're so recognizable, um, I know there's a younger base
of fans. I know that you continued on in your career.
(05:54):
I don't know how many people realize how busy you've
been with Broadway, uh, how talented you are on television.
Uh, whether it be Lucifer, uh, you know, you really
just are an icon, but when you go out to today,
do you still get mobbed by people? Do you find
places you can go where someone says, you know, we're
gonna leave Debbie alone or don't necessarily recognize, you know.
You
Speaker 2 (06:12):
know, people are just friendly. Like they treat me like
I'm an old friend. Um, so it's, it's really, really awesome. And,
you know, being like, listen, when we were all kids,
you know, kids, there's like, there was that maniac period.
And then there was a quieter period where I did
theater and people came to see me on Broadway and
they waited outside the stage door and all that. But
(06:33):
now it's like, so like people will kind of be like,
you know, I'll walk into Starbucks and they'll turn around
and go, oh my God, you know, and it's just
a lovely moment of recognition.
Um, here's a, an interesting one too. People recognize my
speaking voice. and people turn around online, like, you know,
at a grocery store or getting coffee, and they're like,
(06:54):
I knew your voice, and I think to myself,
I, how many interviews or whatever, like, how do they
know my speaking when we were kids. But, but they do,
like all that press and, and all the stuff, you know, I,
I guess we all spent time with one another is
what I'm trying to say. But people are super respectful,
super excited. My favorite thing in the world and it
(07:17):
never gets old, is for people to tell me, uh,
you know, kind of what, what my music meant to them,
how it fit into their life. You know, you mentioned
the LGBTQ community.
Um, I constantly hear about how, um, you know, my
being an ally helped them in their youth, um, helps
people in that community. And so there's just, uh, there's
(07:39):
a lot of nostalgia, a lot of meaning right now
for people in the music of this era and artists
like myself. So it's a really nice time.
Uh, to be me out in the world because people
are really, really lovely.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
That's amazing and and Debbie, I think about when I
say our time, I, I'm, I'm close to your age
and we you know growing up in the 80s and
for people like you that found stardom, now you know, again,
you're still unique, the way that you wrote your own songs,
I feel and I and I know somewhat of your story.
Uh, but I'd like for folks to hear it from
you and me to hear it from you to know
the whole story. I feel like you controlled a lot
(08:15):
of your own destiny. I know you were discovered like
a lot of young people during that time. You were
particularly young in your teens and sent a tape to
a radio station, I believe like a lot of people
did and and then you yeah
Speaker 2 (08:28):
yeah. Well, I won a songwriting contest, but that wasn't
really like the discovery per se. That was just one
of the many things that I did that kind of get.
My music heard and, um, my late great mom, Diane
was one of the original mas, if you will. And
she really protected my creative freedom, you know, she knew,
(08:49):
she knew that I was writing songs as a young person.
Yeah. Particularly speaking to people my age. And at the time,
nobody was writing for people my age, except older people. Um, and, and,
you know, not that that's obviously, now, that's not a thing.
Now it's common, which is, which does my heart so good.
(09:11):
I mean, it's like, to know that there's a Billie Eilish.
And a lord and a chaperone and, you know, speaking
directly to their generation is amazing. But when I, when
I was starting out, the thing was, oh, we're gonna
get an older male to write a record for a
young girl singing to primarily young girls and boys, but
(09:33):
like young people. And it was like, huh?
Um, so, you know, I, there's a, by the way,
I'm working on my book and this, I go into
great detail in the book, um, uh, on my early
childhood and how I got my record deal, but essentially,
my mom just did not stop helping me knock on doors,
and we eventually made our way to Atlantic Records, but
(09:55):
it was a, it was, uh, it was a, a
lot of hoop jumping, a lot of goals. They had me.
weeks before they would go for the next, you know,
like they didn't just say, Hey, here's a million dollar
record deal. It was actually, um, you know, it was
a lot of legwork. And now you can sit in your,
and listen, I think it's a great thing that kids
(10:16):
can sit in their room and make a video on
TikTok and get a million views and launch a career,
but I had to literally pound the pavement, you know,
and perform for 100 people at a time in a club.
Clubs and, and, um,
And radio promo and all the things, took a lot
of hands and kissed a lot of babies, so to speak.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Yeah, and I would think it's gotta be a, you know, again,
I'm not comparing, you know, competing between the two arrows,
but I feel like it had to be more difficult, uh,
to do that, but you did it with such grace, um,
and I think about people like you that came into
stardom as a teenager and just knowing that world from
that point on because you're such an icon, people recognize you.
Um, do you ever look back? I mean, and I
(10:55):
asked it I always wanna ask this question of everybody
who's made it at that age. Do you ever look
back and are you one of those people who wish
you had more of a childhood, or do you have
any regrets with that or do you feel like that was,
that was your path and and you're happy with that
because I mean you were writing such
Speaker 2 (11:08):
amazing things at that was my path. Yeah,
that was my path. Every choice I made was my own, um,
but there were sacrifices, you know, I definitely sacrificed having
a normal, even though I stayed in high school.
Um, it was an abnormal existence to be, like, everybody
wants to blend in high school. I don't care who
you are. You just want to blend. Um, and so
(11:31):
that's not gonna be possible when you're doing what I
was doing. So, you know, but it's not, it's, it's
not a world's smallest violent story. It's like, that's what
I chose. Um, and
Yeah, I would, I wouldn't have it any other way.
It was so much my path. And like you said,
I kind of create, I've, I've created my own world
(11:52):
my entire life, and I continue to do so. I
continue to design and again, this is the book about.
Uh, I continue to design my life, you know, the
way I want it. And I feel like a lot
of people, obviously, if you have kids, um, your life
is going to be geared towards them. Um, you know,
(12:13):
people have to earn a living or I think. I've
somehow managed to kind of maintain a freedom about my
life that really suits me. Um, and I hope that
people can.
Kind of gain inspiration from that. Like wherever you can,
wherever you can design your life to suit you, do it.
It's like, people are so stuck on what society deems
(12:33):
as conventional. Um, I don't have children. Uh, you know,
I'm not married, like that marriage could happen in my 50s.
Who knows? Um, I'm open to everything, but I'm not
stuck on anything, you know, and that's how I was
as a kid. And so my path has really been
my own, and it's, uh, it's.
(12:53):
It's been amazing. Like, like my fan community and I
have such an unbelievable relationship. I hardly even ever use
the word fan because they're beyond.
Um, they're, they're, they're like family, and they stuck with
me through all the twists and the turns. And so
the thing that we've all managed to build and, and
maintain and, and celebrate for now 38 years is extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
But I was, I was joking, you're gonna have a
line of guys out at the theater but um um
you know, talk about being married but you have, you
have kind of carried your life to your own beat
and I think that's what people love about you.
Um, you know, I will ask you, you talked about
you being younger and writing songs at such a young
age and being a singer-songwriter, um, and all the talent
that you have to write those songs at age at
(13:38):
that age and for those to be timeless songs that
people still know today and still resonate with people, um,
do you look, are you ever in awe of yourself
to know that, hey, I wrote that when I was
16 or 17? Like how, how old were you when
you wrote Lost in Your Eyes? You had to be
Speaker 2 (13:50):
what, 16? Yeah, I mean I was like 15 and
you know, I
Uh, it's more like I'm mystified by the art of
songwriting because, you know, yes, I, I've studied classical piano
and I, I know the, the structure of songwriting and
all of those things. But to me, songwriting is a magical,
(14:12):
mystical thing that nobody can explain, in my opinion, like
those songs.
Oh
Oh, is that a song I already know, or is
that a song coming to me that I'm supposed to
write down? Now, I fine-tune it and, you know, try
to come up with the best possible ways of saying things.
But those early songs in particular, literally, the, the very
(14:35):
first time I kind of heard them in my head
and played them.
Not much changed from what you heard on the radio.
It was so direct from, again, whatever that, you know,
like the universe is kind of, I'd say the song fairies,
the song angels. Um, it, it is astounding. Like, yes,
to see a crowd of, um, you know, yes, there
(14:59):
are younger fans too. I have fans from 8 to 80,
but like, you get the fans in their, you know,
40s and 50s and 60s, and they're all singing we
could be together and
Um, you know, it's.
It's like those melodies that stand the test of time
and the sentiments, the very simple sentiments stand the test
(15:19):
of time. Like when I was a kid and I
was writing, I was not trying to be something else.
I was just, I was just singing very universal themes.
And it was, yeah, those universal love themes.
Um, you know, and, and themes of, I I think
I use the word together a lot, togetherness, unity, um,
(15:40):
they stand the test of time, and, and, and I
think people need that now more than ever. People, people
need what music does because music does unify and we're
in a, we're in a world right now where we're,
we are trying to be divided by outside forces and
so to, to be in a room and, and to
have music as that unifying thing and to
(16:01):
For me to be at the helm of that, but
for me to be the person on stage kind of
leading that party is
incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
So we got a couple more minutes with uh Debbie
Gibson here and getting ready for her to come down
to the uh Key West Theater February 16th. A couple
more questions. I know how busy you are, and I
was just saying I've never had anyone jump on a
podcast as early. It shows you your work ethic, how
busy you are, um, just a couple quick questions for
people that might be interested.
Uh, I'm always interested because you came up at such
a young age, who, who were your influences, Debbie? I
(16:30):
get you, I'm sure you get that question a lot,
and then who do you follow today? Who do you
like to listen to?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Oh my gosh, there's so many artists today that I
like to listen to. But growing up, um, I was
a huge Billy Joel fan. It's funny. I just saw
Pink with Billy Joel on Howard Stern, and she was
talking about she was saying something I've always said, which
is nobody tells, nobody tells a story like Billy Joel,
in my opinion.
There's like it's just unparalleled with uh with his, with
(16:59):
his writing and Elton, but, you know, because I, I
was a piano girl. I own one of Liberace's pianos.
I was a piano fan. Um, and then I was
always a fan of the theater women and all and
the timeless.
The timeless ageless women Sha Tina Turner inspirational to me.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
And uh and that makes sense and I and and
today I I had to have a selfish question real
quick before we go. There was a song I've always
wondered about this because I'm such a movie fan you
wrote a song one time for Ethan Coen when he
was doing a movie, uh, the Naked Man, but it
it never released. Is that still right? Is that a uh,
I was amazed that you had a song as as
amazing as you are and.
And your body of work, is that song ever released
(17:42):
or is that still something that's that's secured?
Speaker 2 (17:44):
No, it wasn't released and it was something on the
business end between the labels or something happened. I don't
quite remember exactly what. But yes, I got to spend
a moment in the studio with those guys, which was awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
I got you. Well, last couple of questions with you, Debbie,
I know you gotta go. This is one that everyone.
likes to ask you, and I'm just curious, did you
and Tiffany know each other, uh, you know, did you
guys ever speak, you ladies ever speak and someone you
still know today, or, uh, I I wouldn't say there
was a,
Speaker 2 (18:10):
I, I guess, I guess you did not see the
sci-fi movie we did together or the tour we did
Speaker 1 (18:15):
together or
Speaker 2 (18:16):
or or Good Morning America. We did, yes, we've done
a lot of things together, uh, she's a
Dear friend of mine always has been.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
That's
awesome, alright, because uh you know you get mentioned together. Uh,
last question, we're gonna let you get out of here, uh,
and we won't talk about Tiffany anymore, but it's really
cool that you two really shaped music, uh, the way
you did, particularly you, Debbie, and um I'll ask you now,
when you come to Key West, um, what, what can
we listen for, um, what will you be performing and, uh, uh,
(18:46):
anything that's gonna stand out for us here when you
when you do this show here in Key
Speaker 2 (18:49):
West.
Well, of course, it'll be the hits, mainly the love-related hits. Um, but,
but as my diehards will tell you, anything can happen.
Like I did two shows in New York and both
nights were completely different. I mean, like, there's a certain
amount of the setlist that's set, and then there's a
certain amount that it's like anything can happen. So, um,
(19:10):
you know, a couple.
Came up and they made a request and I did
it on the spot. I mean, things, things like that
happen when you have a piano and you can kind
of be off the cuff. And I love to be
off the cuff. So expect the unexpected, uh, expect, you know,
definitely traditional love songs, but love songs can mean anything.
It doesn't mean it's just an evening of ballads. There's
some energy to the show, uh, as well.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Awesome. And
Speaker 2 (19:34):
a
Speaker 1 (19:34):
lot
Speaker 2 (19:34):
of banter. My, my sister Karen always says I need
a stand-up comedy. You'll see it's a, it's a lot,
it's a lot of fun. I love to play with
the audience and be in the moment, and that's really
what my shows are about.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Well, we can't wait to see you. You've been very
gracious with your time. I had a few my few
technical difficulties this morning after we talked about yesterday, so
you have my sincere apologies, but we can't wait to
see you, Debbie Gibson.
Um, so honored to have you on the show today
and so thankful, yeah, so thankful for your career, uh,
the way you've carried yourself, what you mean to so
many people, uh, of all ages. I mean you've really,
(20:07):
you've really resonated and touched so many different generations, which
is difficult for any entertainer, performer, artist to do what
you have. So thank you for what you do and
thank you for joining the show today, can't wait to
see you down here.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Thanks so much, Britt. Have a great day.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Thank you. OK,
Speaker 2 (20:24):
bye.
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