Originally taken from www.raycokes.com/MW%20Friends/special_gone_with_the_wind_edition.htm

Only excerpts mentionning Cyndi Lauper are present here.

 

 

Two hours later, I found myself repeating the whole exercise, although this time the Most Wanted crew had relocated themselves back in their Camden Lock office complex, and I was now chatting real time with the 'Big Cheese', Yvette Cheesman who produces the show.

 

Unbeknown to me at the time of first talking to her, Yvette is a very friendly, fashionable and attractive lady, as I was to find out later in the day. Having never spoken to Yvette before, I explained to her who I am and added that I was hoping to ask Robbie if I could come along to the studios to watch Cyndi Lauper perform, and also maybe take a couple of photos of Ray and Cyndi together for this newsletter. "No problem" said Yvette, adding that it was in fact her and not Robbie that I should be asking anyway. I made my apologies and then asked what time I needed to arrive at Camden. "You will need to here by 7.45" said Yvette, "so we can take you in just before the program starts. That way, you cantake your photos and chat with Ray after the show okay".

 

....Yvette wrote me out a visitors pass and told me she would come back and collect me from reception in approx ten minutes, due to the fact that things were running late because Cyndi Lauper was unconvinced about the sound quality etc.

 

....I thought that Cyndi Lauper was absolutely brilliant, she was also quite funny off air whilst the commercials were being shown. If you saw the show you will have undoubtedly enjoyed 'Gone with the Wind'. I read the script whilst it lay on Yvette's desk and you could tell it was going to be funny when enacted by Ray and Cyndi. If you did watch it, you will remember that it went on for quite some time. In fact it went quite a bit overtime despite the control room frantically trying to get Ray to speed it up. He actually admitted to being unable to shut people up abruptly, during his banter with the control room in the following ad break. During one particularly long ad break, Ray rushed off to the toilet and Chris the sound man came into the control room from his area next door and started laughing. As Russell began to enquire after the reason for his amusement, it suddenly became obvious. Ray was still miked up and you could hear every sound!

 

....Cyndi Lauper and her band soon returned to the studio from the doorway two feet to my left. They played through her final number during the ad break and then played out the end of the show in fine style. Cyndi really does have a fine 'live' voice and her band were really getting into it.

 

....When the show was finally over, I sat alone and watched as Ray and Cyndi posed for the official? MTV photographer and then Ray and Robbie quickly filmed the promo for the following nights show, featuring Whale. Robbie's shouted announcement that the studio was now clear was met with frantic methodical movement by Cyndi's road crew, methodically packing and removing their all too familiar Eight cases to the awaiting lorry. I say all too familiar because I too used to 'Roadie' for a couple of bands, back in the years 1977-1981. Nothing big time I'm afraid, although we did play twice at the Marquee in Wardour Street. Once supporting Ginger Baker's Airforce (who? - I hear you ask) and the other supporting The Vapors, who had a chart hit with 'Turning Japanese'. We also played in quite a few other London venues, including Ronnie Scott's, Dingwalls at Camden Lock and The Greyhound in Fulham to name but a few. The Hammersmith Odeon it weren't, but great fun it most certainly was and the memories are plenty.

 

....Ray was now stood back behind his hotel receptionists desk and gave a couple of glances in my direction. Seizing the moment, I walked towards Ray and set about asking him for a few photographs. With that however, Cyndi Lauper appeared from my right hand side and promptly posed with Ray for a couple of photographs behind Ray's desk together. One of those photos appears on page two of this newsletter. I didn't manage to take any more photographs which was a shame because I had been thinking of all the pictures I would like to take, whilst driving to London earlier in the day. Strangely enough I don't really know why I didn't take more, because I had ample opportunity to actually do so. In retrospect, I believe it was perhaps due to one or two reasons, possibly both. Firstly, I didn't want to miss any opportunity to get to speak to Ray, and secondly, I did feel a little nervous and out of place. I now think it odd to think that I was nervous, because my job actually entails training and talking to quite large groups of people in a traditional classroom type situation, many of whom I have never seen before. I suppose it's due to the fact that they're not international television celebrities. ...

 

....As Ray left I snatched a few words with Robbie and thanked Yvette for allowing me to drop in etc. I then decided to make good my exit. Before doing so, I managed to get myself a much overdue thirst quencher from the hospitality suite where Cyndi and her party were lounging.