Farian, Boney M and Milli Vanilli

[David Votoupal]

At the end of last year, Bobby Farrell, the male face of 70s group Boney M, died in St Petersburg while on tour.

The story of Farrell and Boney M went like this. German producer Frank Farian is known for dodgy and sneaky practices. Farrell, like Maizie Williams, did not actually sing on the Boney M records you listened to. In fact, Farian was the real male singer while Farrell was the face of the group. What Farrell and Williams did do, however, was actually sing live in concert. It's been a source of controversy ever since, even when the group is no longer together. In fact, the members of the group keep on touring with their own lineups.

Fast forward to the 80s, where dance-pop was all the rage. This genre of music was rightly criticised for the fact that it was the producers and not the singers (if they indeed could sing) were the creative focal points. Now it becomes easier to understand why Michael Jackson's accomplishments in pop music are monumental- because he worked in a genre where creative freedom was at a premium.

Here we saw two guys, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, who wanted to find a way to fame, and Frank Farian gave them just that. They were to be the public faces and lip-sync while session singers did the rest. And it worked a treat. Milli Vanilli became all the rage.

They went as far as to win the Grammy, but by then speculation was intense- especially when that track skipped during concert. So when the truth was revealed, the public reaction and media circus had to be seen to be believed. The two guys were marked men, people steamrollered their records, and they lost their Grammy.

What most people don't know, however, is the true story behind Milli Vanilli. It was easier to have sympathy for the two guys when you learned the whole truth, which VH1's "Behind the Music" special did.

In short, Morvan and Pilatus had always wanted to sing, but the contract was signed without the benefit of a manager, lawyer or union, and they couldn't get out of it. There was even a press conference where the two guys actually did sing live (and, from what I hear, a voice coach said they were perfectly capable to do the job they didn't do!).

The music industry basically ran for cover. These sort of practices had been tolerated for too long, and the public seemed not to care then. It happened with C + C Music Factory with Martha Wash's voice being used, which was also the case with Black Box. Wash, however, did both sing and appear in a clip at a later date. What did eventuate was that the music industry was forced to change its practices, although let's face it, pop music today is manufactured garbage anyway so it matters less.

So what brought Milli Vanilli down then? The bid difference between Milli Vanilli and other such cases was the elaborate marketing and the fact that it was such a brilliantly devised plan, which pretty much worked a treat on everyone. Secondly was the fact that the two men's egos grew with success- Rob Pilatus actually compared himself to Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney, and was deservedly ridiculed. Furthermore, their success in the USA riled up the African-American pop culture establishment, which is why the skit show "In Living Color" and talk-show host Arsenio Hall poked fun at them endlessly.

The lives of the two men after the scandal turned out differently. It was really how they responded to it all. For Rob Pilatus, the son of an African-American GI and a German stripper, and raised in Germany, it was a pretty farked up upbringing. So the fall from grace was too hard to take, which is what led to his eventual death. Fab Morvan, on the other hand, settled down and began to pursue a solo career- he was the one who was said to have some musical talent in him.

It's actually a lot easier to have sympathy for Morvan and Pilatus when you consider the fact they were taken for a ride by Frank Farian. The fact that Farian and the record companies got away with it was a disgrace. It was no secret in the music industry then.

[Agostinho]

So what brought Milli Vanilli down then?

For Rob Pilatus, the son of an African-American GI and a German stripper, and raised in Germany, it was a pretty farked up upbringing.

Multiculturalism, obviously.

[David Votoupal]

So what brought Milli Vanilli down then?

For Rob Pilatus, the son of an African-American GI and a German stripper, and raised in Germany, it was a pretty farked up upbringing.

Multiculturalism, obviously.

Get farked if you want to play that game with me. You're really on some kind of neo-McCarthyist witchhunt against me are you?

[Mr. Happy]

wouldn't McCarthyism be after me, or him, not me.