WeeklySA_AdminDECEPTION: In loving music so much, the infamous duo faked it all the way to glory until they got caught…
By Gugu Sibiya
An intriguing tell-all doccie-film about the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli, the outfit that exploded onto the showbiz scene in the heady 80s, will spill the beans when it airs on Netflix.
Once the darlings of an insatiable audience, Milli Vanilli made up of Fabrice Morven and Robert Pilatus rapidly became the toast of the entertainment industry globally. Their debut single, Girl You Know It’s True, mesmerised aficionados, earning staple status at celebrations, events and enthusiastic sing-alongs at concerts.
With their infectious music, drop-dead gorgeous looks, snazzy attire, sculpted bodies to die for, their image was indisputably marketable. While planning their journey, they studied iconic stars like the late Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe and Bob Marley for inspiration.
Brand Milli Vanilli had arrived!
Their follow-up single, Blame It On The Rain, stayed on the same upward trajectory. Awards were overflowing on the mantelpiece. Billboard magazine executives suggested their nomination for a Grammy Award. Performing on that gigantic stage and scooping the big one, further elevated their star-studded brand. By then, the duo was taking drugs.
On their triumphant night, they were as high as kites. When Paul McCartney came to congratulate them, an arrogant Rob dismissed him. Later he was overheard asking: “Who’s Paul McCartney?”
After the Grammys, Rob and Fabrice belonged to that circle of highly coveted and admired celebrities. Chauffeur-driven around in Limos, scoring their own dressing rooms and girls galore, they were enjoying the trappings of fame.
But, not everyone was happy for them, including their producer, Frank Farian, and Brad Howell, who sang the lead vocals in their songs. It wasn’t long after before it all came crashing down. This happened while they were performing and there was a technical glitch.
Instead of stopping, the music went on, exposing their lip-synching deception. They bolted off stage. Public outrage ensued, the drama even leading to a few irate fans suing them, but eventually simmered down over time.
They were supposed to drop more music when over-confidence fooled them to believe they were ready to strike out on their own and prove they could sing live. Determined, they set up a tete a tete with their producer, Farian, but he rejected the idea.
Threatening to go solo and come clean to the media about their lip-synching scam galvanised Farian to fly to the USA to expose their secret to the media, concealing his mastermind role in it. The backlash from the music lovers who called them all sorts of names was harsh. The press had a field day, hanging the two musos to dry.
Things got so bad the album they dropped sold only 2 000 copies. It was great but the timing was off. People needed to heal. Fabrice was determined to prove their weight in gold, but Rob was too overwhelmed, eventually taking solace in drugs.
The brothers drifted apart. At the time, Rob said: “It’s too much. The only thing that makes sense to me at the moment is drugs.”
Rob was from Paris and had just moved to Munich, Germany, when he met Fabrice at a club where they both gave electrifying dance performances. A brotherhood was formed and they moved in together. Dancing wherever they could until Rob got a club, which became their base.
Within their hearts, they longed for a flourishing music career. With his track record in the industry, Farian agreed to make it happen. The only fly in the ointment was his insistence on their lip-synching. Brad Howell was the lead singer for Milli Vanilli recordings, while Charles Shaw was the rapper. At some point, a disgruntled Howell, who also had his eyes set on a music career, went to the media to reveal all. He failed to cause trouble.
After living in fear of being exposed for so long and wanting to sing, Fabrice was traumatised but also relieved when the truth came out. On the other hand, it just stirred Rob’s demons. A conciliatory Howell said it was sad that Milli Vanilli got exposed, yet they were not the only lip-sync culprits.
“Most groups do. Besides, we were all young and wanted a music career. Rob was in and out of rehab centre. I’ll be one of the few to kick the habit and stay clean. In 1998, a day after Rob’s return from his last rehab stint, he was found dead in his hotel room. He’d been drinking alcohol and taking tablets.
Fabrice dusted himself, got back on the saddle. He’s doing what they’ve always wanted to do – sing. By all accounts, he’s doing extremely well. We wanted to sing so much, we ended up making a pact with the devil,” he states.
