"I want to be David Lee Roth!"
"That's my goal in life," Terri Nunn tells Steve Korte. "And Rob wants to be Elvis Costello, and I don't know who John wants to be."
Okay. So maybe that's not exactly the first person you expect Berlin chanteuse Terri Nunn to identify with, but then it has been a mighty long day, jampacked with interviews, photo sessions, and even a shopping spree on Hollywood's fashionable Melrose Avenue. Or maybe it's the excitement of "Take My Breath Away" topping the Billboard charts (it's Berlin's first ever Number One song) that inspires these extraordinary comments. Whatever the reason, the diminutive (5'4") singer has dropped that topic, and now she's launching into the story of how trashy 'n' thrashy Berlin came to record such a, erm, soggy ballad.
"Giorgio Moroder gave us a choice of 'Take My Breath Away' or 'Danger Zone,'" she explains, "although he originally wanted 'Danger Zone' to be a duet."
Yikes! You mean we were almost subjected, er, treated to a duet with Terri Nunn and Kenny Loggins? "Yep. Coulda been," Terri chokes back her laughter, "but fortunately I liked 'Breath' better. I know it's not a typical Berlin song, but I do like it."
"When we first heard the song, it was in such an early phase, and we didn't know anything about the movie," bass player John Crawford admits. "And to be perfectly honest, we did it because we needed a little bit of money."
"CBS Records was originally pushing for Aimee Mann and 'til Tuesday to record the song," drummer Rob Brill reveals. "We didn't have a clue that it was going to be released as a single or balloon this big."
Hmmm. Not exactly biting the hand that's fed them, but it stills sounds like Berlin are a tad ambivalent about their big hit. Did they at least like the movie?
After a long pause, John says rather diplomatically, "Well, it wasn't awful. It was shot beautifully, and it was entertaining watching all the planes flying around. But I thought the relationships of Tom Cruise with his father and with Kelly McGillis were rather weak."
Rob is a bit blunter: "It exploited this anti-Commie fervor that's in the US., and I can't stand that. I read in the paper today that in various movie theaters they have recruiting centers in the lobbies, and when kids come out they go up and sign up to be top gun pilots and shoot people down. That's sick!"
Asked if she ever got the chance to meet Tom Cruise, Terri sadly shakes her head. "No I didn't, but I do find him sexy. He's personally... well, I don't find him a sexy-looking man... but I was intrigued by his wit and the fact that he shows so much attention to the woman in the movie. That's what makes him sexy."
As long as the subject of sexy men has come up (are we crafty or what?), we broach the subject of Michael Hutchence. "Michael Hutchence?" she replies evasively. "What do you want to know about him?" First of all, we want to know if it's true that she dated the handsome lead singer of INXS. And second, we want to know if the rumors are true that Star Hits brought them together?
Terri chooses her words carefully: "I will say that Star Hits was literally an integral ingredient in my meeting Michael Hutchence." C'mon Terri, spill it. We want details. How did you meet him?
"'Cause you asked me in an interview to rate five guys," she sighs, "and I chose Michael as the sexiest one. I'd never met him, and I didn't really care to, but I just thought he was sexy looking-wise. And then it happened that INXS were playing in London, and we were just down the street in a studio, and well..."
Yes? Yes? Did he call you?
"For our first date, yeah," she smiles. "Actually, I was embarrassed - I was hoping he hadn't seen the article. He said he hadn't, but I don't know. Anyway, he's a great guy, and INXS are great live," she states with a certain tone of finality on this particular subject.
Well, since Berlin have just released Count Three and Pray, their first LP in two years, perhaps we could talk about their music. What have they been up to for the past two years?
"Writing, rehearsing, arguing, recording, hiring, firing..." John begins, which explains why the quintet known as Berlin is now a trio. And the new album?
"It's the exact opposite extreme of 'Take My Breath Away,'" Rob insists. "It's pretty brash and raw. It's not a slick album and it's not refined."
"You know," John continues, "after 'Breath' came out a lot of people were saying, 'Wow I didn't know Terri could sing that well.' And that's great 'cause she does have a beautiful voice. But we usually try to come on as a group where you hear the music and the voice is just one part of it."
"That's right," Terri agrees. "We're Berlin. Not Terri Nunn and Berlin."
We seem to have come full circle back to that big song again, so we ask Terri if the band has picked up any new fans with "Take My Breath Away."
"Yeah! My mom's friends!" she laughs. "They're coming up to me and saying, 'Oh Terri, that's such a lovely song." And before they would say, 'Oh, my kids really like your music.'" Does that make her feel good?
"Yeah, I suppose so," she muses, "but I guess the next step is to get the dogs. That'd be great... having people come up to me and say 'My puppies love your music!'" No jokes about Berlin's music going to the dogs please.