Limahl
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Christopher Hamill (born December 19, 1958), better known by his stage name Limahl , was the lead singer of the 1980s pop band Kajagoogoo and subsequently enjoyed a solo career.
Hamill was born in Wigan. He adopted his stage name (an anagram of his surname) at the time he was recruited by the existing members of Kajagoogoo. An advert was placed in a music magazine asking for a 'front man who could sing and look good'. Soon after he joined, the group released their first single Too Shy which went to No.1 in the UK charts.
However, Limahl never enjoyed good relationships with the rest of the band and later in 1983 the others in the band fired him after an acrimonious dispute. Defenders of Limahl claim that the band struggled with fame and Limahl's popularity was proving too much of a diversion from the music. Limahl accused the others of being jealous and told the press that "I've been betrayed!" and that "I was sacked for making them a success."
After leaving the band Limahl launched a solo career, achieving hits with Only For Love and the theme to the successful children's film The Neverending Story. He hit hard times after 1984, although could enjoy a sense of schadenfreude from the low profile of Kajagoogoo after he had left. In the late 1980s he was photographed coming out of a job centre. The pictures were published in a Sunday newspaper, highlighting a story of how the once mighty can fall.
When the boom for 80s nostalgia began, Limahl began to wear an orange wig identical to his original Kajagoogoo hairstyle and started playing gigs, performing the hits he had with the band and by himself. His willingness to send himself and the whole era up gained him plenty of respect, and other declined acts of the 1980s followed him back on to the stage.
Weblinks
- Limahl Official Website (http://www.limahl.com/)
- KajaGooGoo Official Website (http://www.kajagoogoo.com/)de:Limahl