Interview with "The Sun" newspaper from October 2003 - Barbara is speaking to Matt Bendoris.
I LOVE BLINK 182, THE DARKNESS & NU-METAL :
Mum of 3 Barbara Dickson's most shocking interview
Legendary Scots songstress Barbara Dickson has revealed she's a secret fan of some of the most outrageous acts in today's music charts.
The middle-of-the-road mum of three is still best known for her 1985 No. 1 smash I Know Him So Well.
She's also a favourite with the blue-rinse brigade thanks to her roles in epic musicals Blood Brothers and Spend, Spend, Spend. But these days, it's shock rockers like The Darkness who are more likely to be blasting out of Barbara's hi-fi. Yep, that's right, the leotard-wearing glam rockers who are gunning for the Christmas No.1 slot with their cheeky track Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End).
The Dunfermline-born 55-year-old said: "It may shock some people to know, but I am very up on new bands thanks to my 17-year-old son Colm.
"He's really into music and plays bass guitar and sings in a group at school. I listen to his CDs a lot and lately he's got me into Blink 182, The Darkness and some nu-metal - I'm also quite into the San Diego punk movement.
"But I like The Darkness the most as they've made no bones about ripping off the great glam rockers. They're a breath of fresh air. I'm definitely not one of these mums who's like 'Call that music? In my day...'
"I didn't raise my boys on Little Richard and Marvin Gaye for nothing. They all know good music and I'd be a little worried if they were into my songs - they're too boring for teenagers."
Barbara's own singing career is nothing to be ashamed of though - an evergreen performer who first hit the charts when the original glam rockers like T-Rex were strutting their stuff.
Her debut single Answer Me reached the top 10 in 1976, followed by Another Suitcase in Another Hall and January February before bowing out on a high in 1985 with the duet with Elaine Paige from the hit musical Chess.
But it didn't stop there for Barbara, who turned her attention to the stage, earning two Olivier awards.
And now Barbara will be returning to Scotland over Christmas for Fame The Musical at the Edinburgh Playhouse. She'll be appearing alongside Noel Sullivan the former Hear'Say star - but fame and talent shows are something Barbara also feels very strongly about.
Barbara said: "In Fame I play the academic teacher who's the voice of reason. Having three teenagers myself, I feel this is very important as she's always hammering home the need for academic ability. Everyone else around her is always on about fame, but despite all these talent shows like Pop Idol or Fame Academy, the reality is that 95 per cent of actors and singers are out of work most of the time. There are more actresses working as secretarial temps than in acting parts."
That's why Barbara isn't too happy that her sons Colm, 17, Gabriel, 15, and 13-year-old Archie will follow her into showbiz. Dickson - who lives in Lincolnshire with hubby Oliver Cookson and their boys - said: "My kids are sadly becoming interested in performing despite me spending a fortune in their education and hoping they'd get real jobs.
"But my husband is a really fine singer and comes from an acting family, so they've been surrounded by it all their lives so we can hardly blame them."
Fame The Musical will be at the Edinburgh Playhouse from December 18, 2003 January 10, 2004. Box office 0870 606 3424.
