From Wham! to Woo - A Life on the Mic
...Is it too late to back out of publication?
I regularly post my old pics, usually of ridiculous 1980’s big hair or daft costumes I’ve worn on facebook, and last week I posted the ultimate #throwbackthursday My memoir From Wham! To Woo - A life on the mic! is out in October and just as I was feeling panicky about the whole project, The first actual book arrived!
Too late to back out now then! Just as was about to call the publisher and ask if was too late to pull the plug! My previous books were all based around health and wellbeing, and included a fair bit of personal experience and recommendations, but this is the first time I’ve written about personal relationships, the highs and lows of working in the media, and well…laid bare my insecurities.
I’ve heard it is quite common to feel a bit wobbly if it’s you’re own life you’re laying out there! Best Selling author Clare Pooley (who gave me a lovely line of praise for the book,) said she had dreams of walking down the street naked before her first book The Sober Diaries came out! (the book that was the catalyst for my ditching the booze!)
If you’re a certain age, hope you’ll love the blast through the 80’s and 90’s in my backing singer days with WHAM! Boy George, Kim Wilde, Mari Wilson et al and my five minutes of chart success with Cola Boy (7 Ways to Love) then the radio years at BBC London, Virgin Radio and of course 24 years at Radio 2 with #stevewright all alongside my developing interest in well-being, holistic health and in more recent years, spirituality as an author and a radio gig for
and my work as a therapist / family constellations / Matrix practitioner and coach. ( The ‘Woo bit )I go into some detail about my slow ‘uplevelling’ from pop singer, and radio presenter to holistic living advocate and I share my interest in the ‘Woo’, and how I recently discovered that I am in fact off the scale ‘WOO’, not in the spiritual sense, but in terms of Winning Others Over…..Fully signed up to pretty much everything ‘Woo Woo,’ but also passionate about the stuff I am enthusiastic about, and often endeavouring to ‘win others over’ to live their best life. I only discovered this new version of WOO when I took a ‘personality test’ by Clifton Strengths, yep those of Gallup Poll fame. Who Knew!
Some other themes in the book include: Fashion and Hairstyles Through the Decades. As someone who has been in the public eye since the 80s, I’ve witnessed and embodied the evolution of fashion and hairstyles, from big hair and bold colours, to more minimalist styles. I will always remember the ‘fight’ I had with a trendy Record Company stylist who insisted I wore a mustard tank top and knee length tartan kilt for my Cola Boy photo session and Top of the Pops appearance ….When she left the studio, the photographer lent me his leather biker jacket!
The stuff no-one would get away with now! In my early days as a traffic reporter on Virgin Radio, the term 'traffic crumpet' was commonly used to describe the female broadcasters. Oh how far we’ve come in terms of gender equality and respect in the media,
Faith and resilience is another theme, Throughout my career, my Christian faith has been a cornerstone, but with a very inclusive and flexible approach to faith and spirituality.
‘Leading from the back’ Apart from my 5 mins of fame with Cola Boy, I spent much of my career as a backing singer, highlighting the importance of support roles in any team, - how to shine without being in the spotlight.
Its never too late to reinvent yourself
I do believe it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. From singer to radio presenter to author, coach, speaker and (sort of) influencer, I’ve continually evolved my career to stay aligned with my passions and strengths. Age really is no barrier; in fact, it’s an asset in this journey of continuous growth and self-discovery
Come and see me and bring your memorabilia and daft pics!
I so hope you’ll come and see me at one of the events in Oct / November - Several Waterstone's Booksellers Wantage Literary Festival Louder Than Words Festival Manchester Linghams Booksellers. Bow Books Olympic Studios Rough Trade East and lots more Book your tickets otherwise they’ll cancel the events and I will be a total no-mates!
Bring your 80 ‘s and 90’s pics and T shirts / memorabilia and we can compare daft pics of big hair. Just as I was panicking I hadn’t got any ‘copyright’ free pics for the book, I found ‘gold’ in my attic in the form of old photo albums from the Wham! tours that I’d completely forgotten about.
A big thanks to my indie publisher, we don’t really have a PR budget, so if you are a top Journo / producer or your best mate books for TV / Radio Shows, various mags et all please recommend!