SMASH HITS
SOME LIKE IT HOT … AND SOME DON’T
A stunning blonde star burst onto the pop scene in 1983. MARILYN had his first hit in November with ‘Calling Your Name’. But his own name hit the headlines earlier in the year – when he went on holiday to Egypt with his friend Boy George.
Debbi Voller talked to MARILYN about his unhappy hol. Snaps by Andre Csillag.
CAIRO
My first impression of Egypt was DISGUSTING! All these cars were bibbing really loudly – BEEB BEEB! All these goats were running around in the street and causing a traffic jam, and there was sand everywhere!
It took us four hours to get to our hotel and it was so hot and sweaty, I felt really aggravated. In fact, I wished I hadn’t gone.
But the next day I got into it and went for a walk. Dirty, smelly and crude as Cairo appears, it still has some human warmth.
Our hotel was horrible, there were all these vile people sitting round the pool going, ‘Hey! Are you Boy George?’. And guess what out exotic hotel was called…? The Holiday Inn!
PYRAMIDS
We didn’t do any set trips to the pyramids; it’s no fun having people telling you where to go and what time to eat. We made our own timetable.
You have to climb up these tiny little corridors in the tombs and there’s a row of people climbing in front of you and a row behind, and you’re pouring with sweat and there’s a real stench because people are sleeping in there and pissing in there and stuff!
CAMELS
We went riding round the pyramids at night. When the sun sets it’s fabulous, everything looks orange. We rode around on camels too, riding out into the desert, and suddenly this guy popped out from behind a sand dune with a bucket of Pepsi Colas on his head! That’s all they drink out there.
They’ve built a new city in Cairo but all the buildings are only half finished – four walls with holes in, and that’s it! And on top of the skyscrapers sit all the tents and huts from the old city.
The old people just don’t want to live in the new buildings.
TURBANS
Egyptian people are really rude and aggressive, they keep touching you up! They thought I was a girl and wouldn’t leave me alone because I’ve got blonde hair.
I got touched up nonstop. The first three days my throat was hoarse from screaming at people to sod off.
I didn’t get to do much shopping because of being attacked all the time. It really got to me in the end, so I started dressing up in a turban and kaftan so I looked like everyone else.
Felt like a right idiot!
We stopped in a market to have our photograph taken by an old man with some ancient camera. It looked 2.000 years old! You had to sit still for ten minutes while he held this bit of old rag up. None of the photos came out though!
You see a lot of animals being slaughtered in the street over there, that’s awful. People point to the animal of their choice and it gets its head chopped off right there and then.
I tried taking pictures of all the animals tied up but they pushed me away. I’m vegetarian now, after that.
SAND
I wouldn’t recommend Cairo, not for two weeks, there’s not a lot you can do unless you’re particularly into museums.
I’m hoping to go to Fiji for Christmas. I’ll just turn up at the airport and go. Or Tahiti!
To me a holiday’s relaxing on the beach. Cairo’s more like a school outing than a holiday!