AUTUMN MUSIC SPECIAL
What's KYLIE MINOGUE doing back on the dancefloor after working her impossibly pert buttocks off for years to get out of there? Frailty, thy name is Kylie. Woes: Michael Dwyer/IFA
LAST TIME THE ELDER MINOGUE HIT THE MUSICAL promo trail. it was in defence of an ill-fated lunge for crossoyer credibility called [iii/iiiss‘ili/e l’riiir'ess. You remember: Manic Street Preacher collaborators. Dramatically self-analytical lyrics. Mature musical exploration. .\'o damn hits.
Now. as she prepares to drop her saucy eighth LP. a shamelessly lightweight disco pool party hack- llip called Liglil Years. not eyen the girl in the gold bondage hot pants quite knows who Kylie Minogue is anymore.
‘I tried to understand it with the hook that I did.’ she says. referring to Kylie the hot pink coffee table tome of late last year. ‘but I think it confused me eyen more.. But with that irrepressible giggle back in her throat and her single 'Spinning Around‘ already listed in the Guinness Book of Records (first Australian female solo artist to debut at number one in the 1K). there‘s no doubt about who won.
IAN S AN
The List It sounds like ‘Fuck Art, Let's Dance' might have been the legend on the studio wall here, Kylie. Kylie Yeah, you're right. I've been much happier doing this album. The whole thing felt ilKO a summer holiday, espeoally compared to the last album where 't was one problem after another. When I first met the \.‘..rriters and producers for this one I said, ’These are my key \.‘.ords: poolside, beach, cocktails and disco ' And I think we did it. TL You got an unfair kicking with the last album. You must have felt you had a lot to prove this time.
Kylie Yeah, I (II(I. And Just for myself as well. It's much easier to be working on something that's successful. I couldn’t do that slog again. I wanted to work on something that was fun. And Just abOut everyone I worked ‘.Vllll, aside from their talent, they're funny! We'd Just be tittering and giggling in the studio and some of the lyrics we've gotten away with are really funny.
E E
TL Yeah, my fave is on ’Your Disco Needs You' when you sing ’kick your ass' and the backing vocalists go 'assss!’
Kylie That’s a gooood backing vocal isn’t it? They had ten male vocalists and they tracked them about three times so you’ve got 30 beefy vocalists gomg 'assssl' I think they were slightly embarrassed.
TL Kylie, we need to talk about your arse.
Kylie (Embarrassedl I’ve put it away for a while now . , . TL A friend of mine claims you use an arse double or a stunt bum in the ‘Spinning Around' video: is that true? Kylie Naaooww! Maybe in twenty years’ time I will, for sure. I'll probably have a double of me by then. Ha ha! I’ll get a new one.
TL But this does appear to be the year of Kylie's arse. What made you decide to pop it out? Is it your best bit?
Kylie Well it's some people’s favourite bit. There is a bit of a story to this. One of my producers, Johnny Douglas, said he really liked that Video for ’Some Kind Of Bliss’ and I asked why and he said ‘Well, it was the little denim hot pants’. So I made a mental note. The concept for the (’Spinning Around’) Video is basically people haying fun in a nightclub and I ,iust thought 'hot pants'.
TL Well, it’s working for you.
Kylie Oh, thanks. My friend found them at a market for about 50p and they've been in the back of my cupboard for about five years. They finally had an outing. TL What’s your wildest dream?
Kylie One very good thing would be to have a successful album. It would be nice to see it go Out there with a big smile on its face. Also, I’d love to find a holiday house. TL Yearning for the spotlight and running away at the same time?
Kylie I am a walking contradiction.
Well yes and no. Kylie Minogue is back in control. at her puhlic‘s behest. She's flagrantly bare- arsed and rather embarrassed about it. She‘s nobody's fool and eyei‘yhody's gloye puppet. She’s wafer-thin and indestructible. Kylie is Kylie. and she‘s whatever you want her to he. .\'ow. shut up and dance.
Light Years is released on Parlophone on Mon 25 Sep.
Kylie is whoever you want her to be