GERI AOL CHAT

OnlineHost:
OnlineHost: *** You are in "The Globe". ***
OnlineHost:
EAMusic1: Send in your q's for GERI!!
EAMusic1: To send in a question
EAMusic1: go to participate in event
EAMusic1: in big yellow letters
EAMusic1: click on it
EAMusic1: then type in question and clcik on ask a question
EAMusic1: GERI WILL BE HERE
EAMusic1: VERY SOON
EAMusic1: and she is very excited to talk to you all!
EAMusic1: She has a new album coming out
EAMusic1: called Schizophonic
EAMusic1: GERI WILL BE HERE SOON EVERYONE
EAMusic1: I can see the rows are rockin!!
EAMusic1: Geri is in Los Angeles right now
EAMusic1: YOU HAVE FOUND THE RIGHT PLACE
EAMusic1: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GERI!!!
EAMusic1: SHE WILL BE RIGHT UP!!!
EAMusic1: GERI IS READY TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!!
OnlineHost: Copyright 1999 America Online, Inc. All
: Rights Reserved.
OnlineHost: The auditorium consists of the audience
: (where you are) and the stage, where
: the MC/host and guests appear. Text
: which you type onscreen shows only to
: your row, prefaced by the row number in
: use the "Participate in Event" button.
OnlineHost: To interact with those onstage, click
: the "Participate in Event" button.
: Select either "Ask a Question" or "Send
: a Comment." Please be aware that it may
: not be possible to address all items
: sent to the stage due to time
: constraints. Questions or comments not
EAMusic1: HELLO GERI HALLIWELL!!
EAGeriHlwl: Hello!
EAMusic1: WELCOME TO AOL !
EAMusic1: WE ALL LOVE YOUR NEW CD - let's find a first question!!
EAGeriHlwl: Oh, thank you!
Question: *Crazy4JRT6: Hey Geri! Just wanted to say that you are sooooo cool and
Question: I can't wait to get your album Tuesday (which happens to be the first day od
Question: summer vacation for me). Anyways, when are you going to start touring to
Question: promote "Schizophonic"?
EAGeriHlwl: that depends on you lot!
EAGeriHlwl: If you want me to, then I will.
EAGeriHlwl: I love touring, but I really enjoyed myself and I'm disappointed that
EAGeriHlwl: I didn't finish the American tour, so,
EAGeriHlwl: perhaps, I'll be given a second chance.
Question: GeriHRoks:Hi Geri, Im A Huge Fan And I Herd Your Album It Kicks Bum
Question: "Lol" And I Like That Song Some Ones Watching Over Me?... Whats The Means Of
Question: That Song???
EAGeriHlwl: It's about my father because he died
EAGeriHlwl: six months before I started Spice Girls
EAGeriHlwl: and I was always daddy's little girl
EAGeriHlwl: and sometimes I find comfort and try
EAGeriHlwl: to convince myself that he's with me.
EAGeriHlwl: But I think you can identify with this
EAGeriHlwl: even if you have a living relative looking
EAGeriHlwl: out for you. I think we all need
EAGeriHlwl: a bit of protection now and then.
Question: ScariestSG: Hi Geri, my name's Nikki and I'm so excited for your CD,
Question: and also your book. When will your book be released in the US?
EAGeriHlwl: It's coming out in the Fall
Question: TaraManiac: What will your next video be?
EAGeriHlwl: The next single is Mi Chico Latino
EAGeriHlwl: and whatever I do with the video
EAGeriHlwl: it always comes from my heart and
EAGeriHlwl: my imagination.
EAGeriHlwl: You have to wait and see.
Question: Lynett1985: Geri do you still have girl power?
EAGeriHlwl: I think Girl Power has evolved for me into a real power and something that
EAGeriHlwl: is more conscience. It's woman power
EAGeriHlwl: and people power and will power.
EAGeriHlwl: The most important thing is to have
EAGeriHlwl: strength within rgardless of your race, sex or gender.
Question: Lauren8150: Hey Geri~ I'm Lauren! Okay, so i loved you as a spice girl!
Question: I would always pretend I was you and like stuff like that ~ My question is do
Question: you still talk and keep in touch with them? ~ Love the new song!
EAGeriHlwl: Thank you very much.
EAGeriHlwl: It's like ex-boyfriends or ex-lovers, you
EAGeriHlwl: always care about them,but when you
EAGeriHlwl: first separate you need time and space
EAGeriHlwl: but you always wish them well.
Question: LaurenRRD: what exzactly was the reason, or reasons, you left the spice
Question: girls. I've heard tons of rumors. I'd like to know the truth.
EAGeriHlwl: I was going to leave anyway at the end of the tour and I had
EAGeriHlwl: originally planned that and told them that.
EAGeriHlwl: I had given my heart and soul to the group and wanted to finish after
EAGeriHlwl: the American tour and after Wembley stadium
EAGeriHlwl: but the other four wanted to take it further and
EAGeriHlwl: I respect them for that.
EAGeriHlwl: But I wasn't able to do Breast Cancer interview which was
EAGeriHlwl: very important to me and I felt I had
EAGeriHlwl: to do that and it made me question my
EAGeriHlwl: integrity and principles so I had to decide
EAGeriHlwl: to leave and get my feet back on the ground
EAGeriHlwl: and so it was one of my instinctive decisions.
Question: NofearSF: Geri, first and foremost I want to let you know, you are
Question: extremely attractive. Secondly, who has been the most influential person in
Question: your life and your career?
EAGeriHlwl: Well, thank you for finding me attractive.
EAGeriHlwl: I think lots of people along the way,
EAGeriHlwl: you know, it could just be a person
EAGeriHlwl: you sit next to on the bus who you
EAGeriHlwl: had a chat with and you say, you know
EAGeriHlwl: waht, you're right. And how people
EAGeriHlwl: live their own life. You can find
EAGeriHlwl: anyone inspirign. When I find
EAGeriHlwl: someone who's faced adversity in their
EAGeriHlwl: lives whether it be kids bringing themselves
EAGeriHlwl: up or working hard on their exams or
EAGeriHlwl: even a public figure like Mandella
EAGeriHlwl: or George my friend or my mom or
EAGeriHlwl: anyone. So lots of people.
Question: LeLeBeth: Geri, do you plan to start an acting career??
EAGeriHlwl: I think I'm always plya acting a little bit in my videos
EAGeriHlwl: so that exercises that need.
EAGeriHlwl: Maybe, I don't know.
EAGeriHlwl: If the right script came along.
EAGeriHlwl: I think at the moment I've got to focus on my music career.
Question: *IceSktr27:What is your middle name??
EAGeriHlwl: Estelle
EAGeriHlwl: I always ask that question too!
EAGeriHlwl: LOL
EAMusic1: do you have any nicknames?
EAGeriHlwl: When I was a teenager, I was called pancake because I was so flat chested
EAGeriHlwl: and also a Spanish name for little pooh
EAGeriHlwl: because I always went to the bathroom a lot
EAGeriHlwl: and my mother is Spanish.
EAGeriHlwl: so...
Question: Azt4: What/Who was the inpiration of the song "Look At Me"
EAGeriHlwl: I think through what I've learned about
EAGeriHlwl: how we all sometimes get obsessed
EAGeriHlwl: with public image and I think we shoiuld
EAGeriHlwl: look beyond that. We shoud look into
EAGeriHlwl: each others' eyes and treat each other
EAGeriHlwl: as human beings regardless of what you
EAGeriHlwl: wear or how you look. And it's more
EAGeriHlwl: about poking fun of myself.
Question: Angbuffy22: hi geri this is Sarah J and i have been a fan of u sinc3e4 u
Question: where a spice girl and i wanted to ask you from someone who is doing my dream
Question: career what would be your advice to a young singer/musican that wants to do
Question: that as a career?
EAGeriHlwl: First of all I'd say that have persistence.
EAGeriHlwl: Keep knocking on those doors.
EAGeriHlwl: If you want something bad enough,
EAGeriHlwl: and with the right heart and spirit, it
EAGeriHlwl: will happen. You have to believe it.
EAGeriHlwl: But I will tell you that it does take
EAGeriHlwl: a lot of hard work, whatever moment you
EAGeriHlwl: reach in your career, even when you
EAGeriHlwl: have a number one single or reach
EAGeriHlwl: a certain part of success, the work
EAGeriHlwl: never stops. It's always hard work.
EAGeriHlwl: The most joyous part is writing the songs
EAGeriHlwl: and enjoying that. When it comes
EAGeriHlwl: down to a career, and what you have
EAGeriHlwl: to do to make it work.
Question: BrokinNick: Geri - If you could start all over again, would u have
Question: picked the same path to music? - Amanda, TX
EAGeriHlwl: I've always wanted to do music.
EAGeriHlwl: I found something I really like doing.
EAGeriHlwl: I love writing pop songs, you know, songs
EAGeriHlwl: that bring joy to people and make them happy.
EAGeriHlwl: I think even when it's been hard, I think those moments enrich you and
EAGeriHlwl: you learn through mistakes and
EAGeriHlwl: adversity. Sometimes the mistakes
EAGeriHlwl: can be more important than anything
EAGeriHlwl: because that's what makes yougrow.
EAGeriHlwl: If I hadn't gone into music or entertainment.
EAGeriHlwl: I'd probably like to have been a school teacher.
Question: How did you meet George michaels?
EAGeriHlwl: I went up to him at a radio charity convention and I gave him my telephone
EAGeriHlwl: number and did the biggest flirt eyes
EAGeriHlwl: I could muster up. And then we became
EAGeriHlwl: telephone buddies.
Question: BOBSPICE5: what address can yuor fans reach you at? do you really
Question: respond to any fan mail?
EAGeriHlwl: that's very nice!
EAGeriHlwl: I do. When somebody hands me, or if
EAGeriHlwl: a fan letter is handed to me or comes
EAGeriHlwl: into my posesssion I always read it.
EAGeriHlwl: I love reading them. Either on a plane
EAGeriHlwl: or eating my breakfast, it makes me
EAGeriHlwl: feel good. It the best and most honest
EAGeriHlwl: feedback. I really take notice of what
EAGeriHlwl: a fan says. If they think I coud have
EAGeriHlwl: done something better or
EAGeriHlwl: they'd like to see something
EAGeriHlwl: because at the end of the day that's
EAGeriHlwl: who I'mdoing music for. Right
EAGeriHlwl: now you can send mail to my record
EAGeriHlwl: company. I am starting a fan club, but
EAGeriHlwl: it's not finished yet. I want to do it right
EAGeriHlwl: and take my time.
Question: *MarieSab00: Geri, will you be participating in party in the park on the
Question: 4th of July??Marie (london/US)??
EAGeriHlwl: Maybe.
Question: Samikool7: Does being a beautiful, bigshot, hot, attractive superstar
Question: ever get annoying?
EAGeriHlwl: I think, if I'm honest, there are highs
EAGeriHlwl: and lows in everything you do.
EAGeriHlwl: There's an expression that you never
EAGeriHlwl: get your cake and eat it in life.
EAGeriHlwl: There's always a compromise.
EAGeriHlwl: I get to sing my songs on stage to
EAGeriHlwl: people and bring joy. But the down side
EAGeriHlwl: is doing a lot of traveling which is tiring
EAGeriHlwl: But sometimes I don't have a great
EAGeriHlwl: social life because I work hard.
EAGeriHlwl: but I think there are lots of people
EAGeriHlwl: in the same position whether they
EAGeriHlwl: are famous or not.
EAGeriHlwl: it's the same. You never get
EAGeriHlwl: everything in life. All at once, anyway.
Question: SooTies: geri how old were you when you started singing
EAGeriHlwl: I think when I was a child about 7, I'd always be writing poems and
EAGeriHlwl: then I'd sing Elvis songs
EAGeriHlwl: And I listened to pop music and sang
EAGeriHlwl: along to ABBA, Super Tropper
EAGeriHlwl: Trooper
Question: StargirlAB: Geri, where are you currently living?
EAGeriHlwl: I live in the countryside just outside London
EAGeriHlwl: With my dog Harry
EAGeriHlwl: Shitsu
Question: Nialc99: why did you call your album "Schizophonic"??
EAGeriHlwl: Originally i was going to call it Schizophrenic
EAGeriHlwl: but I didn't want to offend anyone because
EAGeriHlwl: it's obviously a serious illness
EAGeriHlwl: but I was looking for a word to describe
EAGeriHlwl: that we're all multi-faceted split personalities
EAGeriHlwl: and I've found that even in music so
EAGeriHlwl: I made up the word Schizophonic which
EAGeriHlwl: means split sound.
EAGeriHlwl: There are both types on the albutm
EAGeriHlwl: The white songs are more reflective
EAGeriHlwl: and have conscience.
Question: ViviVieT: do u have a bf?
EAGeriHlwl: When I wrote the album I had made a conscious decision not to have any kind
EAGeriHlwl: of boyfriend or sex. Not that I had
EAGeriHlwl: the opportunity anyway. But I knew
EAGeriHlwl: my writing would be better if I didn't
EAGeriHlwl: participate in that type of action.
EAGeriHlwl: But I'm finished with the album now
EAGeriHlwl: and so I'mlooking. I just want to cuddle
EAGeriHlwl: more than anything I think. That's
EAGeriHlwl: whats' nice, the affection.
Question: DrtyLdryG: Geri, I love your new album, and respect your decision for
Question: leaving the Spice Girls.I wanna know tho was your crush when you were a teen,
Question: like now there's Ricky Martin and David Dychovny, but who did you like?
EAGeriHlwl: Thanks. I think as a child I loved George Michael. There's no secret about that.
EAGeriHlwl: Elvis when he was slim!
EAGeriHlwl: Um, who else?
EAGeriHlwl: that's it really.
EAGeriHlwl: Oh, I know who I fancy. and who I
EAGeriHlwl: thought was quite attractive...
EAGeriHlwl: Brendan Fraser from Gods And Monsters
Question: RBri747162:Geri - hi from your home town, Watford, UK, are you pleased
Question: the local football team got promoted last week?
EAGeriHlwl: Oh my God! That's fantastic!
EAGeriHlwl: I'm just really proud!
Question: TMAGICT: were you happy with your finished album?
EAGeriHlwl: Yeah. It was a big mountain for me to climb so there's a lot of
EAGeriHlwl: personal satisfaction. But it's like anything you hand over, afterwards
EAGeriHlwl: you always think you could have
EAGeriHlwl: added something here and there, but
EAGeriHlwl: you've got to have a cut-off point and
EAGeriHlwl: let it go. When you write music
EAGeriHlwl: it's like a snapshot in time.
Question: KBROWN2439: How did you get in such great shape?
EAGeriHlwl: I'm one of these people, probably like a lot of the majority, where I have
EAGeriHlwl: to be careful what I eat. I have to
EAGeriHlwl: eat sensibly. You know, I've been that
EAGeriHlwl: down that road of crash dieting and
EAGeriHlwl: it doesn't work and I have the tendency to
EAGeriHlwl: overeat, like whole packages of biscuits
EAGeriHlwl: when I'm stressed. But what I try to
EAGeriHlwl: do is have a balanced diet. I have a lot
EAGeriHlwl: of fish and salads now. I do a bit of running
EAGeriHlwl: and I've started yoga now which is fantastic
EAGeriHlwl: and I'd recommend to anybody.
Question: *Lanalynn: what musical influences do you draw from
EAGeriHlwl: I just go with what I feel and what I like to hear. And I write music that
EAGeriHlwl: I say, you know what, today I feel
EAGeriHlwl: very Spanish and I want to express that.
EAGeriHlwl: You know, today I've got fire in my heart
EAGeriHlwl: and so I'll express that and then the next
EAGeriHlwl: day I might write a song because
EAGeriHlwl: I heard a guitar riff on an old blues
EAGeriHlwl: track or something and think, oh yeah,
EAGeriHlwl: I really like that. that might inspire me.
EAGeriHlwl: My dad was 60 when I was born so all
EAGeriHlwl: his influences were like Judy Garland
EAGeriHlwl: and Frank Sinatra and so that influenced
EAGeriHlwl: me a bit. But you don't realize
EAGeriHlwl: until the music takes shape that you
EAGeriHlwl: think, gosh I didn't realize how much that
EAGeriHlwl: influenced me.
Question: AmberLJS: Are you still working with the United Nations?
EAGeriHlwl: Yeah, I'm just about to go on a trip tonight to the Philippines. I'm going
EAGeriHlwl: on my first project.
Question: EmMaGrl40: i love your new look..did you change right after you left
Question: spice girls???
EAGeriHlwl: No. What happened was I was changing maybe six months before that.
EAGeriHlwl: When I got to Chicago I went shopping
EAGeriHlwl: and decided I wanted to buy some more
EAGeriHlwl: conservative clothing. It was about six
EAGeriHlwl: months before I left. then I was progressively changing off-stage.
EAGeriHlwl: It was liberating and refreshing to wipe off the make up and wear lowe shoes.
EAGeriHlwl: It's not about concerted effort, but everybody changes. I think image
EAGeriHlwl: is bullshit and we shouldn't get so hung
EAGeriHlwl: is bullshit and we shouldn't get so hung
EAGeriHlwl: up on it. It's nice to dress up and play
EAGeriHlwl: around, but we sometimes get enslaved
EAGeriHlwl: by it which is kind of crap.
EAGeriHlwl: I do sometimes.
Question: Bicky47: What was the greatest thing that you have ever received from a
Question: fan?
EAGeriHlwl: I've had all sorts.
EAGeriHlwl: I mean I've had expensive presents
EAGeriHlwl: where someone sent me a real silve
EAGeriHlwl: silver bangle from Tiffanys
EAGeriHlwl: or sometimes I'll get a phone or
EAGeriHlwl: someone will have weaved a friendship[
EAGeriHlwl: band and that takes loads of teim.
EAGeriHlwl: And I get people writing poetry to me, which is quite nice.
EAGeriHlwl: And someone, which I find amazing, had the exact same tattoos as me.
EAGeriHlwl: It's very flattering.
EAGeriHlwl: But if anyone's thinking of tattoos, I would say think about it really wisely and carefull
EAGeriHlwl: because it's there forever!
EAGeriHlwl: I look back at mine and I sometimes
EAGeriHlwl: think I'm not sure if I want them anymore.
EAMusic1: how old were you when you got em?
EAGeriHlwl: It wasn't so long ago. I was about 22 or 23.
EAGeriHlwl: Something like that.
Question: Fruit226: What do you do with your free time?
EAGeriHlwl: Normally in my free time I'm like most
EAGeriHlwl: and just kind of veg on a sofa and eat
EAGeriHlwl: biscuits and watch videos and
EAGeriHlwl: catch up with my friends.
EAGeriHlwl: I run around with my dog.
EAGeriHlwl: And I read.
OnlineHost: AOL's Entertainment Asylum
: Music welcomes Geri Halliwell!
: Get all the Geri you could ever
: want at Keyword: Geri Halliwell!
Question: JWJ0811: Will u marry me?
EAGeriHlwl: Maybe. if we meet one day. Fate will decide.
EAMusic1: Is there anything you'd like to say to you fans?
EAGeriHlwl: I'd like to take this opportunity to say a mighty thank you for everyone
EAGeriHlwl: who has supported me and I think of
EAGeriHlwl: music as a friend and companion and
EAGeriHlwl: I hope that when you put on my CD
EAGeriHlwl: you find it that way. When you need
EAGeriHlwl: a friend or someone to turn to just
EAGeriHlwl: I hope you find that through my CD.
EAGeriHlwl: Big, big, big BIG Kiss to everyone out there!
EAMusic1: THANK YOU SO MUCH GERI!!
EAGeriHlwl: Thank YOU!
EAMusic1: What a great chat and great questions!!!
EAMusic1: THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE
EAMusic1: to comment on this chat and to read the transcript if you got here late
EAMusic1: be sure to go to Keyword: Geri Halliwell
EAMusic1: to comment on the chat
EAMusic1: go to keyword: EA FEEDBACK
EAMusic1: to see all the geri
EAMusic1: you could ever want
EAMusic1: go to keyword: Geri Halliwell!
EAMusic1: Thanks everyone, sorry we could not answer every question!
OnlineHost: Copyright 1999 America Online, Inc. All
: Rights Reserved.
EAMusic1: TAKE CARE EVERONE
EAMusic1: and have a great day!!!!!
EAMusic1: and evening for you folks on the eastcoast

AOL's Transcript

Entertainment Asylum
Geri Halliwell Chat
June 11, 1999
AOL's Entertainment Asylum Music welcomes Geri Halliwell. Once known as Ginger Spice, Geri now has a solo career and will be chatting about her new album, "Schizophonic". The transcript of the session follows.
EAMusic1: Hello Geri Halliwell!
Geri Halliwell: Hello!
Question: When are you going to start touring to promote "Schizophonic?"
Geri Halliwell: If you want me to, then I will. I love touring, but I really enjoyed myself and I'm disappointed that I didn't finish the American tour, so, perhaps, I'll be given a second chance.
Question: "Someone's Watching Over Me". What's the meaning of that song?
Geri Halliwell: It's about my father, because he died six months before I started Spice Girls, and I was always daddy's little girl, and sometimes I find comfort and try to convince myself that he's with me.
Question: When will your book be released in the US?
Geri Halliwell: It's coming out in the fall.
Question: What will your next video be?
Geri Halliwell: The next single is "Mi Chico Latino," and whatever I do with the video, it always comes from my heart and my imagination. You have to wait and see.
Question: Do you still have "girl power"?
Geri Halliwell: I think "girl power" has evolved for me, into a real power and something that is more conscience. It's womanpower, people power, and will power. The most important thing is to have strength within, regardless of your race, sex or gender.
Question: Do you still talk and keep in touch with them?
Geri Halliwell: It's like ex-boyfriends or ex-lovers, you always care about them, but when you first separate, you need time and space, but you always wish them well.
Question: Why did you leave the Spice Girls?
Geri Halliwell: I was going to leave anyway at the end of the tour, and I had originally planned that, and told them that. I had given my heart and soul to the group and wanted to finish after the American tour, and after Wembley Stadium. The other four wanted to take it further, and I respect them for that. But I wasn't able to do Breast Cancer interview, which was very important to me, and I felt I had to do that and it made me question my integrity and principles, so I had to decide to leave and get my feet back on the ground. It was one of my instinctive decisions.
Question: Who has been the most influential person in your life and your career?
Geri Halliwell: You can find anyone inspiring. When I find someone who's faced adversity in their lives, whether it be kids bringing themselves up, or working hard on their exams, or even a public figure like Mandella, or my friend George, or my mom, or anyone. Lots of people.
Question: Do you plan to start an acting career?
Geri Halliwell: Maybe, I don't know. If the right script came along, I think, at the moment, I've got to focus on my music career.
Question: What is your middle name?
Geri Halliwell: Estelle. I always ask that question too!
EAMusic1: Do you have any nicknames?
Geri Halliwell: When I was a teenager, I was called pancake because I was so flat chested, and also Spanish name for little pooh, because I always went to the bathroom a lot, and my mother is Spanish.
Question: What/Who was the inspiration for the song "Look At Me"?
Geri Halliwell: I think through what I've learned about how we all sometimes get obsessed with public image, and I think we should look beyond that. We should look into each other's eyes and treat each other as human beings, regardless of what you wear or how you look. And it's more about poking fun of myself.
Question: What would be your advice to a young aspiring singer/musician?
Geri Halliwell: First of all, I'd say, have persistence. Keep knocking on those doors. If you want something bad enough, and with the right heart and spirit, it will happen. You have to believe it.
Question: If you could start all over again, would you have picked the same path to music?
Geri Halliwell: I've always wanted to do music. I found something I really like doing. I love writing pop songs, you know songs that bring joy to people and make them happy.
Question: What address can your fans reach you at? Do you read and respond to any fan mail?
Geri Halliwell: I do. When somebody hands me, or if a fan letter is handed to me or comes into my possession, I always read it. I love reading them. Either on a plane, or eating my breakfast, it makes me feel good.
Question: Will you be participating in party in the park on the 4th of July?
Geri Halliwell: Maybe.
Question: Does being a beautiful, bigshot, hot, attractive superstar ever get annoying?
Geri Halliwell: I think if I'm honest, there are highs and lows in everything you do. There's an expression that you never get your cake and eat it in life. There's always a compromise. I get to sing my songs on stage to people and bring joy. The down side is doing a lot of traveling, which is tiring, but sometimes I don't have a great social life because I work hard.
Question: How old were you when you started singing?
Geri Halliwell: I think when I was about 7, I'd always be writing poems and then I'd sing Elvis songs.
Question: Where are you currently living?
Geri Halliwell: I live in the countryside, just outside London, with my dog Harry.
Question: Why did you call your album "Schizophonic?"
Geri Halliwell: Originally, I was going to call it "Schizophrenic" but I didn't want to offend anyone because it's obviously a serious illness. But I was looking for a word to describe that we're all multi-faceted split personalities, and I've found that even in music so I made up the word Schizophonic, which means split sound.
Question: Do you have a boyfriend?
Geri Halliwell: When I wrote the album, I had made a conscious decision not to have any kind of boyfriend or sex. Not that I had the opportunity anyway. But I knew my writing would be better if I didn't participate in that type of action. But I'm finished with the album now, so I'm looking. I just want to cuddle more than anything I think. That's what is nice, the affection.
Question: Who was your crush when you were a teen?
Geri Halliwell: I think, as a child, I loved George Michael. There's no secret about that. Elvis when he was slim! Brendan Fraser from "Gods And Monsters."
Question: Were you happy with your finished album?
Geri Halliwell: Yeah. It was a big mountain for me to climb, so there's a lot of personal satisfaction. But it's like anything you hand over, afterwards you always think you could have added something here and there, but you've got to have a cut-off point and let it go. When you write music, it's like a snapshot in time.
Question: How did you get in such great shape?
Geri Halliwell: I'm one of these people, probably like a lot of the majority, where I have to be careful what I eat. I have to eat sensibly. You know I've been down that road of crash dieting, and it doesn't work. I have the tendency to overeat, like whole packages of biscuits when I'm stressed. What I try to do is have a balanced diet. Also, I do a bit of running, and I've started yoga now, which is fantastic.
Question: What musical influences do you draw from?
Geri Halliwell: I just go with what I feel, and what I like to hear. I write music that I say, you know what, today I feel very Spanish, and I want to express that. You know, today I've got fire in my heart, and so I'll express that. Then the next day I might write a song because I heard a guitar riff on an old blues track and think, oh yeah, I really like that. That might inspire me. My dad was 60 when I was born, so all his influences were like Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, so that influenced me a bit.
Question: Are you still working with the United Nations?
Geri Halliwell: Yeah, I'm just about to go on a trip tonight to the Philippines. I'm going on my first project.
Question: Did you change your look right after you left Spice Girls?
Geri Halliwell: No. What happened was I was changing maybe six months before that. When I got to Chicago, I went shopping and decided I wanted to buy some more conservative clothing. It was about six months before I left. Then I was progressively changing off-stage. It was liberating, and refreshing, to wipe off the make up and wear low shoes. It's not about concerted effort, but everybody changes. I think image is , and we shouldn't get so hung up on it. It's nice to dress up and play around, but it sometimes enslaves us, which is kind of crap. I do sometimes.
Question: What was the greatest thing that you have ever received from a fan?
Geri Halliwell: I've had all sorts. I've had expensive presents where someone sent me a real silver bangle from Tiffany's. Sometimes I'll get a phone, or someone will have woven a friendship band, and that takes loads of time. I get people writing poetry to me, which is quite nice. And someone, which I find amazing, had the exact same tattoos as me. It's very flattering.
Question: What do you do with your free time?
Geri Halliwell: Normally, in my free time, I'm like most and just kind of vegetate on a sofa, eat biscuits, watch videos and catch up with my friends. I run around with my dog, and I read.
Question: Will you marry me?
Geri Halliwell: Maybe, if we meet one day, fate will decide.
EAMusic1: Is there anything you'd like to say to you fans?
Geri Halliwell: I'd like to take this opportunity to say a mighty thank you for everyone who has supported me, and I think of music as a friend and companion, and I hope that when you put on my CD, you find it that way. When you need a friend, or someone to turn to, I hope you find that through my CD. Big, big, kiss to everyone out there!
EAMusic1: Thank you so much Geri!
Geri Halliwell: Thank YOU!
(c) 1999, Entertainment Asylum & America Online.