Steve’s tweet on 19 Jan: “Man overboard in the Red Sea”
◼ A VISAGE FAN HOLIDAYING in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in mid-January asked Steve Strange for an interview and he gave one – his last, as far as we know. Maria Elliott from Huddersfield made the audio recording after she bumped into Steve by chance and realised they both had a love of Northern Soul and these are the reminiscences we can listen to after Maria submitted the recording to her community radio station PhoenixFM where she has become “part of the furniture”.
Maria says: “It was actually broadcast on the Thursday evening of his death before I found out. I was going to tweet Steve to tell him how he could listen to the show, then found out and was totally devastated.” Maria sent the audio file to Shapers of the 80s with the wish that it should reach Steve’s family along with her condolences.
LISTEN TO STEVE’S LAST INTERVIEW, JAN 2015
She says: “My speech therapist put me in touch with Phoenix and the Parkinson’s disease society paid for me to attend a six-week course. Howard Priestley, who runs the station and presents a soul show on Thursdays 8–10pm, asked me to contribute to pre-recorded shows as I can’t really rely on my voice so Howard came up with the idea of recording little snippets and I sometimes call myself Missy Elliott.
“As for me and Steve, we loved the same music. In Egypt we were dancing on the top deck of this boat trip we were on, and we had a fab day.”
On Maria’s 11-minute recording we hear Steve loud and clear, talking 19 to the dozen, as ever. They discuss his teenage years hitch-hiking in pursuit of Northern Soul and how he became a dance champion. He also boasts about his fancy footwork impressing holidaymakers in Egypt: “Last night when I went out here I cleared the floor dancing. I can still move, but I can’t do the backflips.”
Steve’s tweet on 15 Jan: with friends at his hotel in Sharm el-Sheikh
MORE PIX FROM THE HOLIDAY IN EGYPT
❏ Debra Hudson wrote to Shapersofthe80s, 23 Feb: “My husband and myself met Steve and Maria [Elliott, see above] on holiday in Egypt. We spent two weeks with Steve up to 28 January and we have some fab photos and a lovely letter he wrote to me. He has touched my heart with laughter and kindness. It was lovely hearing the interview with Maria. Can’t stop crying now. There’s also a picture of Steve in hospital wearing my scarf he took off me, saying that it will be famous one day. He was right. Here [below] are some photos I took and from friends we also met.”
➢ Also at Shapersofthe80s:
Original Blitz Kids pay tribute to Steve Strange, their host, pivot, style icon, friend
➢➢ Shapers of the 80s ➣➣ 