Gary Kemp believes musicians who struggle with fame "shouldn't be in the business"
The Spandau Ballet guitarist suggested the likes of Chappell Roan - who has repeatedly complained about the scrutiny she has faced and being "yelled at in public" by fans - should lead "anonymous" lives instead, though he acknowledged up-and-coming artists may not realise what life in the public eye is like until it is too late
10 February 2025
He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I mean, really, you shouldn't be in the business If you really feel like that, should you? Maybe you should just go out anonymous and never put a video out or a photograph out... but maybe they don't know until it's happened to them and then it becomes tricky."
Gary believes his brother, former bandmate Martin Kemp, is "more of a celebrity" than he is.
He said: "He's more of a celebrity than me. Years and years ago, fame was something that could get you a table at a restaurant or get you nearer to the front of the queue."
And the 65-year-old songwriter is uncomfortable with the modern idea of stars being more open about their lives, particularly through social media.
He said: "I loved Bowie when he was full of mystique. I didn't really like him when he went on 'TFI [Friday]' and told dad jokes."
Gary - who has Finlay, 34, with ex-wife Sadie Frost, and Milo, 20, Kit, 16, and 12-year-old Rex with wife Lauren Barber - doesn't think Spandau Ballet received the credit they deserved at the height of their fame in the 1980s because of their largely female fanbase.
He said: "If you're a good-looking band, you'll tend to have a lot of girls following you... and if that was the case in the 1980s, you weren't worthy. Blokey bands that had more men following them would be seen to be better musicians, for some reason - I have no idea why that is other than sexism, because you know us and Duran [Duran], who did have a lot of female followers, all played our instruments really well.
"All wrote pretty good songs, were all great singers, but for some reason, we were discredited by that, especially by a lot of the male music writers from the time."
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