No area in the US loves ‘80s music with the ferocity SoCal does. Yes, yes, people all over the world love ‘80s staples like Thompson Twins, Bow Wow Wow, Men Without Hats, Naked Eyes, Gene Loves Jezebel, and Animotion, but there is just something about SoCal and ‘80s new wave that belongs together. It is only fitting that the area hosts the new ‘80s OC Rewind Fest when it debuts in September.
OC Music News will bring you details and interviews with several of the artists involved, but up first, Mr. Bill Wadhams from Animotion. The synth pop band from Los Angeles became legends thanks to the monster hit “Obsession.” Any ‘80s playlist is required by law to have this song included – sorry, I don’t make the rules – but the band would also release fan favorites “Let Him Go” and “Room to Move.” Animotion of today still features founding members and co-vocalists Wadhams and Astrid Plane, plus super-longtime members Greg Smith (keyboards) and Jim Blair (drums). They are sometimes joined by Chris Wadhams, Bill’s son, on bass.
Traci: Hey Bill! You are in Oregon, right?
Bill: I am.
Traci: That sounds creepy of me, but then Google wanted me to search “Bill Wadhams wife” as the first thing, which seems extra creepy.
Bill: Okay… (laughing)
Traci: Well, if it not too personal, how did you meet your wife?
Bill: [After a previous relationship ended], it took me a while to just even consider the idea of being back in the playing field. Then I went on my one and only blind date, and that’s how I met Kate. I was new to Portland, and I met someone, and then they paired me with Kate.
Traci: Wow! That person knew it was a good match then!
Bill: It was. I say I finally let go of the reins and let somebody else choose my next partner. But we fell in love and been together ever since.
Traci: And from that union, a bass player was born?
Bill: Yeah, my son, Chris, has been playing bass with Animotion for about 15 years, I think. There was a point in time when the original bass player [left]. I said, “My son is a bass player. Let’s do it.” That was great for us. Astrid likes his style and his vibe on stage; brings this youthful exuberance.
Traci: I’m enjoying going out to shows with my teen and seeing bands I loved back in the day – like Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, OMD, and Depeche Mode – and seeing the people my age with their kids at all these shows. Are you seeing that as well as yours?
Bill: Yeah, there’s a really broad scope of people that come to the shows. Getting a chance to talk to people afterwards, we often are talking to families, and it is fun to hear their take. One of my favorite things about being on tour or playing shows with Animotion is that people share their stories of how they first heard “Obsession” and how they reacted or what they were doing at the time, or they remember this or that. That’s the shared connection that I really enjoy.
Traci: I read that KIIS FM in Los Angeles was the station that first played and broke “Obsession.” Where were you the first time you heard it?
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Bill: Well, I should say it was KROQ that played it first, but it was KIIS that really broke it nationally. I remember the first time I heard I was driving a very old car. I think around that time, I was painting houses to make a living in Los Angeles, and I was driving down the highway from Universal Studios into Hollywood. Is it Cahuenga? Driving down Cahuenga Boulevard, hearing it on the radio for the first time, and it took my breath away.
Traci: I guess it was within a year that it just took off up the charts, right?
Bill: I think it was put out initially in mid ‘84, and it was getting a lot of play on KROQ, but nowhere else. I really thought “This is just going to fade away.” But it was January ‘85 when KIIS FM had a battle of the unknown bands. They played two bands relatively unknown on this big station, and “Obsession” won five nights in a row, so they added it to their playlist. Then it got into the top ten in LA, and then other stations around the country took note. That’s when between January and May, it started just steadily climbing the charts until it reached number six on May fourth, when “We Are the World” was number one.
Traci: I re-watched the “Obsession” video last night and it’s such a quintessential ‘80s video! Her hair, the band members’ fashion, and your jawline is like, *pow!* That video is a perfect representation of an incredible time in music.
Bill: Oh, man. At that time, I was engaged to be married, but not to Astrid, of course. And so preparing for the video, I told the director, “I don’t want this to look like I’m in love with Astrid.” So he – Amos Poe – said, “Okay, let’s make this like a Fellini movie with lots of wild characters.” And so we went down to Hollywood Costume Supply, this big, huge place, and I came out as Marc Antony, and she was Cleopatra. Of course, that’s a loving couple. But anyway, it all worked out.
Traci: Yes, you guys are still working together, having fun together, enjoying performing. I see you do many of the ‘80s stuff in California with other staples like A Flock of Seagulls, English Beat, Bow Wow Wow. I take you guys all get along; is it like a party every time you guys get together?
Bill: Next question. (laughing) No, that’s a joke. I was going to do a podcast in 2018, when Animotion was playing more shows in one year with the cast of characters, Flock of Seagulls, Missing Persons, Naked Eyes, Wang Chung. I started to do that interviewing people. It’s just what I wanted to show is that it’s crazy. Backstage, it’s crazy. Some venues have plenty of room, some have tight quarters backstage, and with so many bands, you can bump into each other. Then it’s like, “Who’s on first? Who’s on second?” There’s a lot of craziness, but at the same time, it usually is a feel good show. But this one – with Tom Bailey. I’m a fan of Tom Bailey, The Thompson Twins, Men Without Hats, Annabella, Naked Eyes.
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Traci: I love Annabella! She is so sweet.
Bill: She’s awesome. We’ve been playing some shows with her this summer, and she brings it. She’s got the most unique groove of anybody out there. It’s tribal rock with her fabulous voice.
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Traci: Who is coming with you in September?
Bill: Astrid and I are the original singers, of course. Our keyboard player, Greg Smith, has been with us since the first album and played on “Obsession.” Our drummer, Jim Blair, joined us for our second album. Typically this summer, we’ve been playing just the four of us. When we get to Southern California, I think we may add my son back into the picture. But we’re one of the few bands that when we go out on stage, we’ve got four people from the ‘80s, from our ‘80s lineup. We’re intact and proud of it.
Traci: That is indeed rare because, yes, a lot of times, I am thinking, “Who are these people?”
Bill: Yeah.
Traci: Even just having you and Astrid, the original singers, is a big deal for these kinds of shows.
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Bill: Yeah. Greg Smith, our keyboard player, he played on the “Thriller” album. He played with a number of people, so he’s really got huge credits. Our drummer, Jim, we met him when he was playing with Shalamar. We loved his drumming; we needed a new drummer. We were very lucky to have some first-class musicians backing us up, Astrid and I.
Traci: I know the Rewind Fest will be a blast, but I also saw your musical memoir that you perform live and I hope to catch that sometime too.
Bill: Thank you. Thank you so much. I hope to get my musical memoir up and running. I’ve played in Oregon half a dozen times. I’ve taken it to my hometown of Rochester, New York. I’ve played in Philadelphia at a festival there. I hope to get it a little bit more far and wide. The name of the show is “Up in the Air.” I hope to get that on its feet.
Traci: I am a sucker for biographies, even if I know zero about the person going into. I like hearing the journey of what got people to where they are.
Bill: I’ll tease you with one of the points in my story. It’s about how my younger brother Tad and I got pulled into the music business. First, we see The Beatles on February 9th, 1964. Later that year, my brother was in the hospital having very serious surgery. In order to cheer him up, my father took a longshot and wrote to Paul McCartney and he just addressed it “Paul McCartney, Care of The Beatles, Liverpool, England.” “Would you please write a letter to cheer up my son who’s in the hospital?”
Tad got a two-page, handwritten letter from Paul that I turned into a song. Tad became a bass player and toured the world with Sheryl Crow on her “Tuesday Night Music Club” tour. He’s still playing to this day. But it was a letter from Paul McCartney – he was nine, I was 11 – and we were already in it. That made us feel like we had been in the door. Paul had written, “I hope you learn a few of our songs.” We learned a few of his songs, but it made us feel that much closer to The Beatles and to the possibility that we might someday become rock stars.
Traci: And you did.
Bill: For a minute, yeah.
Traci: You’re a piece of music history. You really are.
Bill: I mean, it’s just, wow. It is mind boggling. There’s a post out somebody just sent to me. It’s like “10 songs from the ‘80s you have to hear before you die.” That was one of them. I was going to start my one-man memoir by saying, “If you look me up on Google, it’ll say Bill Wadhams is the singer of the song ‘Obsession.’ I would do anything to replace that with, fill in the blank.” Bill did something else. He put out another album. He wrote a musical. He raised a family. He paid for his mortgage with graphic design. But as time passes, I’m just very grateful. I am just so grateful that I’ve made some small mark in the music business.
Thank you to the very gracious and charming Bill Wadhams and we look forward to seeing Animotion at the HB Sports Complex on September 27th.
You too can spend the day with Animotion, Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey, Men Without Hats, Annabella Lwin’s Bow Wow Wow, Naked Eyes, Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel, Gary G. Myrick, Clive Farrington of When in Rome, and Flashback Heart Attack, plus enjoy craft beer tastings, a VW car show, tons of food trucks, games, shopping, and more! Grab tickets now!
