My mother picked up the phone when Shakin' Stevens rang. Well, you can guess what happened can't you? Think how your mum would react to a call from the great Shaky/ After an audible pause her voice came trailing down the corridor. . . "I think it's a joke - it must be one of your friends pretending to be Shakin' Stevens. " I don't know what she'd said to him, but the poor guy was quite upset at not being believed After all it was me who was meant to be interviewing him, not her!

      PRESS HOUNDS

After this initial problem had been sorted out things went much more smoothly. Shaky chats amiably enough and once you've got past his first air of reservation he speaks quitefrankly. But he won't answer some questions at all, and keeps whole sections of his life well away from the prying eyes of the press - hardly surprising when anything he says out of place is apt to be quoted out of context by the gossip hungry daily papers of Fleet Street. Look what happens to those poor young men George Michael and Andrew Ridgely when they say a single word And that Simon Le Bon couldn't even get married in peace! So we'll excuse Shaky his moments of reticence.

      20 HITS IN A ROW

After all he's been in the business long enough to know the rules, and long enough to know how to play the game. And his success has been gradual (and hard work), rather than the instant stardom that can leave just as quickly as it arrived So he's here, and it looks like he's here to stay - his latest recording is his 20th hit single! A staggering feat when' you think that bands like the Thompson Twins and Duran Duran have only had about half that number!

      HARD WORK

Shaky becomes more direct than ever when you ask him to what he attributes his success. He takes the quickest of breaths. and then utters two simple words. "hard" and "work ': I suspect there's more to it than that, but Shaky issues a strenuous denial. Ah such modesty!

      SHAKY!!!

After such a curt reply (and perhaps even stuck for words!) I ask him what his friends call him? I mean Shakin' Stevens isn't a very ordinary name, and even though he’s not a very ordinary bloke Id hardly expect people to actually call him "Shakin': But near enough that's exactly what they do. All my friends call me Shaky. I think it's a fine name, and it's how I think of myself now. " Wel!, I suppose it's an appropriate enough name after all - and I've heard even less likely nicknames!!!

      THRILLERS

By the time we get onto entertainment Shaky’s loosened up considerably. He enthuses about the films he's been seeing on the television and his special favorite seems to be thrillers judging from the selection he lists for me (most professionally too, I wondered afterwards if he wasn't reading off the backs of his video tapes). Marlon Brando's fifties classic of dockland violence and rebellion "On The Waterfront" is singled out for a special mention

      HOME ENTERTAINMENT

So much for home entertainment but doesn't Shaky go out to the pictures? Not really seems to be the answer - he'd rather watch what's on the television or on video than go out Then again I suspect that if you're as well known as this man is then it isn’t all that easy to go out to the pictures without getting mobbed by the fans.

      THAT GOOD OLD FIFTIES ROCK N ROLL

One of the few things that Shaky does go out for is the odd concert. But with his musical .heritage mainly lying in the fifties rock and roll tradition (though he confesses later to being a great Beatles and Rolling Stones fan), there aren't that many current bands that he really likes. When pushed to name his current favorite single, album and band he refuses, citing some of the Better known (and mostly now sadly gone) rock and roll stars of thirty years ago! And his record Collection seems to be almost exclusively from that era too! So much for the WhamDuran SpandauJonesTwins!!

      A GOLFING MAN

As you've already seen, Shaky's a great believer in hard work but what does he do when he's not on tour or in the studio? What's his daytime relaxation? "It all depends on the weather." The weather? What? "Well, when the weather's good then I Iike to play golf. It's very relaxing. "This sounds incredibly unlikely when I think about it after the phone's gone dead (Really, can you imagine Shaky in plus fours calling out "Fore!''?? I can't!), but for some reason I let it go at the time - anyway Shaky's still in full flow. . .

      WRITE A SONG FOR SHAKY

If it's not nice then I Iike to sit and listen to some of the songs which new writers have sent to Me. If I hear something really good then I’ll record it" Wow! This is your chance, songwriters - send it off to Shaky today, and if it's good enough it could make you rich. Mind you the Competition’s pretty tough:. Shaky already gets nearly as many as he can hear as it is, but That shouldn't put you off - many of his hits have been written for him in this way already. And here's his personal guarantee: "I do listen to ALL the songs that come in" Well!' what are you waiting for? . . . Get writing!!!

FORWARD TO THE PAST: Is all sounds like the life of the stars (a round of gait reading your fan mad listening to a few New songs' recording the odd hit singles and albums. . .), but Shaky has come a very very long way from his roots to get here. His past bears no resemblance at all to his present situation and so it's worthwhile taking a look back.. SO WHERE DID IT ALL START: A WOUTH WALES SUCCES STORY. Across the Taff from Cardiff's city centre is the small suburb of Ely. It’s famous mainly for the rambling fly hospital which dominates the neighborhood of small wet streets. It is one of the Least well off of the areas on Cardiff's outskirts, and it is perennially damp, having been built on the marshland west of the river. This then was the atmosphere in which an ordinary boy called Mike Barratt was born and grew up. It was to be over a decade before a more appropriate stage name was found for him: Shakin' Stevens! . MAKE IT BIG The strong Welsh Protestant work ethic (which as you know' he still!! possesses) was instilled Into Mike at an early age, but at the same time something stronger was being born in him too. The seed which was to grow into the ambition to be up there in front of the lights - to be a star STAR QUALITY For this young Welshman was determined to make a better life for himself than that which was Offered by the limited choices available to his generation. Then as now Cardiff was no place to Make your fortune, and unemployment has always been higher there than in most parts of the country. It was fortunate that our Mike had something above the other boys in his class star quality! REMEMBRANCES OF THINGS PAST One of his classmates at school in Ely, now holding down a sensible white collar office job in nearby Newport, remembers the young Shaky fondly: 'He was always a busy lad was Mike, Always trying hard though he wasn't what you'd call an academic. Popular too, but you know I don't think he knew it - he was always a bit shy, see, and he could be really distant right off in a dream I think. But he’s done well for himself now hasn't he? I saw him on the telly the other night you know and he made me quite jealous! I don't think any of the other kids at our School did as well as he has. There weren't the opportunities in those days see. " FROM SCHOOL TO STAGE Shaky doesn't talk much about the early part of this life or career, but he did tell me that he had known for as long as he could remember that he had wanted to do what he is doing now. No dreams of driving trains or being an astronaut for our Shaky! As he says, "/'ve always Wanted to do it and as soon as I left school I started a group. FROM CABARET TO PUBS AND BACK! This was the start of a long period of hard work for Shakin' Stevens. Years of touring and playing a different venue every night, from the tiniest clubs and cabaret venues, to seedy pubs and dilapidated theatres. Shakin' Stevens has probably played more gigs in disreputable corners of the country than just about any other major star. It's no wonder that his stage act is so exciting! The man's had plenty of chances to practice FAN CLUB Finally the hard work began to pay oft and by the middle of the seventies he had built up a Sizeable following of fans, some of whom had followed him from venue to venue over literally Hundreds of appearances. You can still see some of them today- the REAL fans who haven't Missed a concert yet! THE BIG TIME Then towards the end of the seventies (at the same time as punk arrived by coincidence The whole world suddenly sat up and took a whole lot more notice of Shakin' Stevens. He Was signed by a major record label, and produced the first of his immense string of hit singles. Fame was well on its way, and the hard work was finally paying off.. THE BRIGHT LIGHTS Since then Shaky has become ever more popular. Eight years ago he left South Wales (where he had spent all his Life, up to this point) and moved towards the smoky metropolis. So why did he finally decide to leave home? Shaky explains: "I was brought up in Ely, but the work was more and more here (London). And you've got to move to where your work is. haven't you?" Fair enough. . . A SERIOUS OCCUPATION His move to London meant that Shaky could make more and better records, and was also Available for more intensive tour schedules - and he really does want to do all this: it's not some kind of hobby for Shaky at all, but a serious occupation - at which he works very hard Indeed. He rarely gets out at all, but one occasion from the not too distant past which he Remembers with a smile, was going to see one of his childhood Idols, Cliff Richard: TALES OF ICE-CREAM AND CLIFF RICHARD It's quite hard sometimes being recognized in the street One of the worst times was when I went to see Cliff Richard and I was buying ice-creams when I was recognized and mobbed by fans. It was terrible; I was standing there with ice-cream running down my hands and all these people asking me for autographs. But it was worth it Cliff Richard was great ~ you've got to admire the man, I take my hat off to him. "

HONESTY, HONESTLY: As you can see, even with an ice-cream in his hand Shaky's a nice bloke. And unlike so many of the younger stars he has a sense of decency and honesty which doesn't quite fit with the rest of the shark infested waters of the music business. Ask him what makes him angry and he'll turn quite serious: "Well, mostly, I don't like people that take money under false pretences. If you work hard then you deserve to be paid but I don't like dishonesty at all. " Nor do I Shaky, nor do I . AN ORDINARY STAR On the face of it some people think that Shakin' Stevens is a very ordinary pop star. After all he Doesn’t nearly drown in very expensive yachts, he doesn't crash racing cars at different circuits around the country, and he hasn't got a terrible drink or drugs problem. On the other hand he has sincerity unmatched by the more media-orientated stars, and more than anything it's the music and the shows he does which have gained Shaky his wide following and international reputation. UP THE CATWALK On stage he doesn't have to worry about selecting songs the audience are going to like - just Playing the best of the singles will have the audience out of their seats in a moment. And with nearly a score of hits under his belt he's certainly got plenty to choose from! Like many Singers however there are parts of the touring process that Shaky doesn't like, and parts he loves - here's his View of it all. SHAKY SPEAKS I like touring because records are alright but with a tour you get closer to the people. It’s great Being on stage, but obviously all the traveling is the poor side of it It's important to take the Whole thing, really. " He also knows the places where he’d rather play. These days it's: 'The Theatres, because of the atmosphere, but also because they've got an appeal right across the board You get people coming to see you who wouldn't normally go to a rock concert, and I Iike that. Stadiums aren’t my thing - somewhere Iike Wembley loses the atmosphere, if all you see is a dot in the distance!" LAUGHTER One of the reasons for the success of Shaky's live shows is the band behind him. Currently there are no less than nine in the group, including last year's new addition the brass section. Asked at another time what it was that amused him in me, Shaky's first answer was this bunch of nine People who go out on the road with him! It's reassuring to find that its people who make him Laugh rather than television. At any rate! FOOD AND DRINK Whether he's on the road or not Shaky doesn't forget his stomach. His favorite food is Indian and just for a complete change he claims his favorite drink is water!! Later, on taking the question a little further he admits to liking wine and a Cardiff brewed beer called Brains SA. The SA stands for Special Ale, but due to it's quite unnatural effects Shaky (and just about anyone else who knows it) calls it Skull Attack! ON A SERIOUS NOTE Perhaps as a result of all this I talk about drink we move on to more serious things. Politics Responsibilities and other ugly words. Shaky shrugs it all off. On the first matter he makes some Oblique remarks about politicians (!) and changes the subject ("I'm an entertainer) on responsibilities he is equally obscure: Listen to the man. . . "The public make their own mind up . . . you can fool some of the people some of time. . . " and then he changes the subject. Again!! AMBITION Move quickly on time's running out. Obviously we all want to know what Shaky wants to do next. After all, he's one of the few people who have achieved their major ambitions already. So what on earth can he go for next. In Shaky's case the answer is quite simple. He wants just two things - to keep making records and to crack the American market. The first ambition is easy enough for a man of Shaky's talents, but about the second I'm not so sure. If he does succeed then he'll be spending more time in the States and WE won't see so much of him. . . And we certainly don't want that!! HEALTH, WEALTH AND HAPPINESS Other thing that Shaky is more preoccupied about than you might imagine is his health. Although hardly what you'd call a health food nut he mentions health several times in. the conversation and says at one point that it was the most important thing of the year for him - staying in good health! As far as money goes you needn't worry too much about Shaky's account at the bank. Without a single flop single to his name he can't be doing too badly can he? Happiness is always more subjective, but I caught Shaky in a contented mood He seemed delighted with his lot and was pleased that he had achieved so much through honest work rather than chance success. And wouldn't you be happy with hits to your name like Green Door and Breaking Up My Heart? AND A LAST WORD FROM THE MAN Shaky, what would YOU say to any of your fans reading this? I can feel him hesitating at the other end of the line - he might even be blushing. .. ''Oh what can I say?" That'll do nicely.