Showbiz

Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp recalls 1980s nightclub where you could be ‘free with your Sєxuality and no one batted an eyelid’ as he says ‘that was one of the loveliest things’

Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp recalls 1980s nightclub where you could be ‘free with your Sєxuality and no one batted an eyelid’ as he says ‘that was one of the loveliest things’

Martin Kemp reflected of his fond memories of a 1980s nightclub, admitting how ‘lovely’ it was ‘to be free with your Sєxuality’ in this week’s episode of the Mail’s podcast Soccer A-Z.

Looking back at the ‘wonderful’ days partying in the famed Blitz club in London, Martin said it was refreshing to be able to wear what you liked and be who you wanted without judgement.

The Spandau Ballet star, 63, who has been married to wife Shirlie since 1988, said: ‘It was a wonderful place to grow up because it was not just being free with what you wore and your clothes, it was being free Sєxually as well. 

‘Your Sєxuality – You could be who you wanted to be. In that club there were boys kissing boys and girls kissing girls, and no one blinked an eyelid. 

‘And it was, that is something that I took with me, and I have handed down to my kids to say you accept people for who they are. 

‘And that, that is one of the loveliest things I think about being involved in that whole pop culture when I was a kid.’

Martin Kemp, 63, reflected of his fond memories of a 1980s nightclub, admitting how 'lovely' it was 'to be free with your Sєxuality' in this week's episode of the Mail's podcast Soccer A-Z

Martin Kemp, 63, reflected of his fond memories of a 1980s nightclub, admitting how ‘lovely’ it was ‘to be free with your Sєxuality’ in this week’s episode of the Mail’s podcast Soccer A-Z

Looking back at the 'wonderful' days partying in the famed Blitz club in London, Martin said it was refreshing to be able to wear what you liked and be who you wanted without judgement (pictured with brother Gary Kemp in Spandau Ballet in 1980)

Looking back at the ‘wonderful’ days partying in the famed Blitz club in London, Martin said it was refreshing to be able to wear what you liked and be who you wanted without judgement (pictured with brother Gary Kemp in Spandau Ballet in 1980)

Martin also poked fun at the iconic shoulder pads and wild hairstyles he wore when he was in the band. 

He said: ‘It was days that I look back so fondly because, you know we all laugh about the fashion, you have to understand how that fashion overtook the high street.

‘Even Princess Diana at one point was wearing that big hair and big shoulder pads that all came from those nights in the Blitz [club].’

It comes after Martin revealed what kind of funeral he would want – after predicting he has 10 years left to live.

The star was diagnosed with two brain tumours in the ’90s and had to undergo radiotherapy and surgery to have them removed. 

And he recently told his son Roman, 31, the diagnoses left him ‘resigned to the fact that I was going to die’.

Speaking on the first episode of his and Roman’s podcast FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp, aptly тιтled Death, Martin and Roman got candid about the subject.

At one point, Roman asked Martin how much longer he thinks he’ll be alive. Martin replies: ‘I’ll be really honest with you, 10 years.’

The Spandau Ballet star, who has been married to wife Shirlie (pictured) since 1988, said: 'It was a wonderful place to grow up because it was not just being free with what you wore and your clothes, it was being free Sєxually as well'

The Spandau Ballet star, who has been married to wife Shirlie (pictured) since 1988, said: ‘It was a wonderful place to grow up because it was not just being free with what you wore and your clothes, it was being free Sєxually as well’

He added: 'Your Sєxuality - You could be who you wanted to be. In that club there were boys kissing boys and girls kissing girls, and no one blinked an eyelid'

He added: ‘Your Sєxuality – You could be who you wanted to be. In that club there were boys kissing boys and girls kissing girls, and no one blinked an eyelid’

New PodcastEXCLUSIVE Original Soccer AM hosts Tim Lovejoy, Helen ‘Hells Bells’ Chamberlain and The Old Gang are BACK TOGETHER for new Mail podcast Soccer A-Z article image

And elsewhere in the podcast episode the father-son duo discussed what kind of funeral Martin would want.

He told how he would want the ceremony to be in a church, with 80s singers playing tunes as people arrived.

Martin added that he would want 20-30 people in attendance – including his wife  Shirlie Holliman – and would like a montage of the best moments of his life playing as part of the service.

However he made one thing very clear to Roman – that he didn’t want the occasion to be sad.

He explained: ‘But don’t make it sad, don’t go anywhere near sadness, make it funny, tell jokes, sad is the last thing I would ever want’.

On the episode Martin told his son Roman that his previous brain tumour diagnoses left him ‘resigned to the fact that I was going to die’.

While the benign growths were successfully removed and have not reoccurred, Martin continued to battle epilepsy as a side effect.

Martin explained: ‘I don’t know how long I’ve got left but I will tell you, since I was the age of 34, when I went through all of that brain tumour scare, I spent two years of my life thinking I was going to die. 

Martin explained: 'I don't know how long I've got left but I will tell you, since I was the age of 34, when I went through all of that brain tumour scare, I spent two years of my life thinking I was going to die'

Martin explained: ‘I don’t know how long I’ve got left but I will tell you, since I was the age of 34, when I went through all of that brain tumour scare, I spent two years of my life thinking I was going to die’ 

‘And I think, after that, everything else, every day, every year, every month that I’ve lived, every experience that I’ve had has been a bonus.

‘I was practically resigned to the fact that I was going to die, but I was quite happy with my lot, because I had lived the most incredible experiences.’

Martin reiterated: ‘By the time I was 34 and I thought I was going to die, I spent two years thinking about it, I was quite happy, I thought: “If I go, do you know what? What a life” and that was back then. So, every year that I live, every month that I’m alive now is like a bonus.’

He told his son he ‘would be happy if I got to 80, that gives me 18 years!’ 

FFS! My Dad Is Martin Kemp airs on all podcast streaming services on Mondays and on YouTube on Saturdays.

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