Introduction
Join Alison Moyet as she sits down with Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt on Rockonteurs for an intimate, full-length conversation on her distinguished career.
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Rockonteurs is a music podcast hosted by Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp, who wrote numerous classic songs including "Gold" and "True", and Guy Pratt, a bass player who has performed with the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd.
Offering a fascinating insight behind the music, with exclusive stories of life on the road, in the studio and what really happened behind the scenes from two artists who wrote, performed and produced some of the biggest songs of the 20th century. Guests have included Bob Geldof, Noel Gallagher and Jon Bon Jovi, to name but a few. Now into their seventh season, they are relative veterans of the podcasting scene.
After years of persistence, they finally persuaded singer Alison Moyet to come onto the show, and she was well worth the wait.
Rising to prominence in the 80s as a vocalist in the iconic synth-pop duo Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America), whose hits included "Only You" and "Don't Go", Moyet grew to an even higher level of fame as a solo artist, with acclaimed tracks such as, "That Ole Devil Called Love" and "All Cried Out", with over 23 million album sales worldwide as well as over two million singles sold. In fact, all of Moyet's ten studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart, with two of them reaching number one, five reaching the top 10, and nine making the top 30 in the UK singles chart.
From the very start of the episode, Moyet brings a candid and brazen tone to the conversation, aided by her familiarity and admiration for Kemp and Pratt. Commencing with a discussion of her musical influences, pursuit into printmaking and her latest album, "Key".
Regarding her love of print making, she explains, "There is something final about a print which is not something we really feel in music. They are imperfect, but they are finished and laid out".
The interview really expands, with Alisson frankly reflecting on seeking validation in a harmful industry and the therapeutic nature of writing lyrics.
She reflects on her childhood, attending the same school in Basildon as members of The Cure and Depeche Mode, and forming Yazoo with Vince Clarke, as well as her training to become a piano tuner before making it big. Recalling her journey to finding her unique voice, Alison colorfully comments, "I had the front, and I was really good at shouting."
Regarding her notable songwriting partnership with Clarke, she bluntly states, "Vince would go, 'got any songs' and I would say 'yeah', I had a brilliant musical memory, I could remember a song played twice to me word for word".
Recollecting the meteoric rise of Yazoo, she states, "It was a really good learning curve, but all happened very fast, and because we hadn't been in a band for years, it was very much just a working relationship—we never had the chance to bond. We never really knew each other".
On her solo career, she remarks, "I didn't watch other people's careers, I didn't know you set your flag and are expected to ever cycle it".
Among her numerous collaborative projects, her work with Eurythmics' Dave Stewart (including the hit single "Is This Love?") stands out as among her best. Contemplating this, Moyet shares, "He was perfect for me because he was full of energy, bouncing, and almost oblivious. I didn't see my strangeness in his eyes. That really worked well for me".
Discussing her image, she forthrightly notes, "I didn't know my identity because for so long I felt that my identity was not acceptable. I had a peasant aggression that people found really unappealing, so you try to fit a shape and read the room. I had the Essex accent, so they would be words into my mouth that would always make me sound profoundly thick. But I would say awkward, stupid things. And then go away and live with the intrusive thinking".
Ending the conversation, the talk turns to world tours and how to deal with the constraints that come with them. Alisson divulges, "I don't do them every year; the last one was 7 years ago, so you kind of forget. I have no problem with solitude, but of course, I miss the family and feel guilt".
Kemp and Pratt's insight as seasoned musicians (and now podcasters too!) really elevates the chat, bringing their unique anecdotes of the 80s music scene, intimate details of the music industry and enlightening nuances of live performance, which allows Alisson to relax and open up, resulting in an exchange that feels effortlessly like a precious conversation between old friends. You can feel the towering mutual respect between the interviewer and the interviewee.
A must-watch not just for 80s music lovers but for anyone interested in an artist's unique and open wisdom.