Many remember the 80s as an era of fashion mishaps. What fashion trend did you regret following the most, or is there one you’d like to revive?
I hate shoulder pads now but those rubber bracelets we used to wear were really cool and still are. I saw a little kid wearing some just the other day!

What is it about the music scene that hasn’t changed?
There will always be artistes that critics hate because they are young and popular. Also, there are still acts who deserve to be heard and aren’t. Showbiz has never been and will never be fair. It is not for the faint-hearted.

Any teen idols you personally admire or can’t stand?
Well, there’s no one I dislike, really. I wish everyone the best. I love Taylor Swift because she writes, plays and carries herself with grace.

Which star has made the biggest impact on you?
Without people like Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler, none of us women would be crossing over into film and theater.

Does any particular concert stand out in your memory?
I remember there was one show at the Radio City Music Hall that was sold out where I ran up a tiny staircase along the side of the theater wall and into the balcony. Fans and security were freaking out!

Thank you for “Foolish Beat”; it is such a classic. What’s the story behind it?
Actually, I had yet to experience love when I wrote it! The melody and lyrics just came to me. I was inspired by music that was popular on radio and my two older sisters who were constantly having drama with boys.

Ah… the joys of youth. Was there anything that was not so joyful; like trouble dealing with fame?
I was very young. I had my share of anxiety attacks and meltdowns, but there wasn’t this media addiction that young stars have now. I wanted attention for my music, not my personal life. On the one hand, I didn't feed the media scandalous stories. On the other hand, the media wasn’t looking for them the way they are now.

Describe a bizarre moment in your life as a star.
Happily bizarre and surreal was meeting Michael Jackson and sharing the stage with Billy Joel and Elton John. But it is always bizarre when people ask for autographs in restrooms!

Catch the multi-talented Debbie Gibson in action at the Retrolicious concert on Oct 9, 8pm at Fort Canning Park, 51 Canning Rise, 6332-1300. $48-95 from Sistic.

You know the drill—one seemingly harmless after-work cocktail turns into an all-night drinking championship and the next thing you know, you’re waking up to what sounds like a Cypress Hill concert in your head, snakes swimming in your stomach, acid at the back of your throat and an inability to see straight. Ah, the blessed hangover. So what do you do the morning after? You fight that sonofabitch. Here’s how.

Pop Some Pills
Plenty of people swear by the Berocca Performance tube of multivitamins. Drop one tablet chockfull of vitamin B (brain food) and C (the ultimate virus fighter) into a glass of water, and drink it all up. It’s best consumed before you head out for the night, but that might require more forward planning than you can manage. Australians in particular seem to love the stuff (perhaps because they also created it). We like it because of its refreshing taste (which helps eliminate that sickly-sweet morning-after taste in our mouths) and its alleged ability to fire up the few brain cells we’ve got left. It also makes your pee look golden (because of the excess B vitamins it contains), if you need further proof that it works. Also try consuming cysteine tablets, an amino acid that appears to help combat the toxic effects of acetaldehyde (the culprit for all your morning-after woes). With any luck, it will shorten the duration of your hangover.

Eat It Up
Then there are those days when you’re so hung over you just want to do something, anything, to take your mind off how bad you feel. What better way than with a good ol’ greasy fry-up? Many repeat drinking offenders swear by the restorative properties of such a meal, and they may be on to something. According to nutritionist Yeo, after a night of heavy drinking, you may suffer from an upset stomach and intense migraines because alcohol lowers the body’s production of anti-inflammatory hormones and the protective mucus in the stomach. “Grease or fat actually reduces this effect by coating the stomach lining which prevents inflammation,” she says. If there’s one thing we know as much about as we do about drinking, it’s eating after we’ve been drinking. We highly recommend eating eggs - they are, in fact, a good natural source of cysteine, so put your game face on and head out to settle your mind and stomach with some egg-based breakfasts.

Break a Sweat
Ever wondered why you need to pee so much even after just one or two drinks? Sadly, it’s not your body detoxifying; it’s due to the fact that alcohol is one of the worst of all diuretics, meaning you’re expelling water, but not much else. To get rid of the toxin build up, you’re going to have to take extra measures. It's recommended to sweat out all the toxins from the night before by going for a run or merely walking around in the sun. You need to get rid of all the nasty stuff that’s making your body go into overdrive and causing you pain. Of course, you’ll need to then replenish lost fluids with water or sports drinks that have plenty of sugar or electrolytes. If you can’t bear the thought of pounding the streets, try hot yoga to sweat out all the toxins. At the very least, all that stretching might take your mind of just how awful you feel.

Here's a list of other hangover cures

How did you become a Chippendale?
All the guys have different stories on how they got involved. Years ago, my mom went to see the Chippendales and she was really excited about what she saw and when she came home she was like, “Oh Kevin, you’ll love it. This is so you.” I thought she was crazy. She kept bothering me till I went to an audition.

And it worked! How was it like easing into the role?
When I started practicing, I found out I was actually a terrible dancer. I had to take dance classes before I got started. The dancing part is very difficult. A lot of guys think that because they can dance at the club, they can also dance to a choreographed piece with ten other guys.

What do you look for when you’re scouting for talent?
Personality is very important when it comes to doing this well. We had some guys who thought they were the king of the world and that they were better than everybody. However, that just doesn’t work.

But it helps to have a hot bod, right?
Yeah, of course. But we will work on that along the way. When we’re at home in Vegas, we go to the gym every day. Our diet is also very important; we eat egg whites, chicken breast, brown rice and other kinds of food that are high in protein but low in carbs and fats. We try to cook as much as we can because that’s the cleanest way to eat. Restaurants put butter, oil and sauces into the food to make it taste better but that makes it just harder to maintain the body. Plus, we do a very high energy show and that involves a lot of cardio. So yes, performing is great exercise.

What is the weirdest thing that you’ve had thrown at you on stage?
We get all kinds of stuff—car keys, underwear, flowers, phone numbers written in underwear, stuffed animals—we get all kinds of fun stuff. I don’t know what’s weird anymore. The girls get really excited when they see the show and they always want to meet the guys. We always arrange to meet the girls after the show and some of them make some indecent proposals then.

Indecent proposals sound like fun! What else is fun about being a Chippendale?
Traveling is great! I’m at the Singapore Grand Prix – that’s really cool! To be able to travel the world with my friends and hang out is really amazing. Plus, a lot of locals recognize us and hook us up with clubs and stuff; it’s great.

Is there anything you wish girls would do to you other than what they’re doing now?
We just want the them to come out and enjoy themselves. The best part of the show is that it’s kind of like a dance party.

Is it hard to be in a relationship when you’re a Chippendale?
It’s very difficult. I’m only home maybe six months a year. I travel a lot. It’s also tough when you’re getting attention from girls all over the world.

Why do you keep coming to Singapore? Do we look like we need the action?
I think girls all over the world need the action. There’s just so much entertainment out there for men but barely enough for women. I think Chippendales is a great thing for women. It’s healthy for relationships and its mental stimulation.

987FM DJ and crooner Vanessa Fernandez is in high demand, alright. Despite trudging full steam ahead with her full-time radio career, Fernandez has also been exercising her vocal chords at local music gigs. Now almost a household name in the Lion City’s mini music industry, Fernandez is getting ready to drop it like it’s hot at this year’s Singapore Grand Prix, where she will be sharing the performance arena with superstars such as Mariah Carey, Chris Daughtry and Adam Lambert.

The coolest people on the local hip hop & R&B block are … Sixx, ShiggaShay and Mark Bonafide.

I hate … boys who don’t call you back.

I love … boys who call you back.

My best gig … just happened at TAB with The Brown Note. The crowd was good. OK wait, actually it’s a tie with my gig at the Esplanade, where I did a solo show and folks like Alicia Pan and Budak Pantai jammed with me. It was awesome.

My biggest pet peeve on radio is… stupid callers who call in to join the contest and yet still ask me what the prize is. I’m always like, “I don’t want to give the prize to this guy.”

I would kill for … a collaboration with Mark Ronson.

If I had a million dollars … I would a buy a house in Bali with a recording studio and chill there.

I want to visit … New York because everybody keeps talking about how amazing it is.

My worst habit is … smoking.

When I grow up, I want to … share the dinner table with Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, President Barack Obama, Jay-Z and Jake Gyllenhaal, who will be my date. He could also be the dessert.

I am dying to … see Mariah Carey and Raphael Siddiq in person.

Vanessa Fernandez will be performing on Sep 26, 3:30pm. Zone 4 Esplanade Park Stage, 1 Esplanade Dr., 6471-7631. $128 (Zone 4 Walkabout) from www.singaporegp.sg.

Fab’s Cycle
#01-53 Nankin Row, China Square Central, 3 Pickering St., 6720-8845.
Italian owner Fabrizio believes in creating a personable environment for anyone with a passion for bikes. He stocks or orders bikes from brands such as Kazam, Raleigh, Bionicon, Fuji and Corsair, and also components and accessories from Shimano, Brooks and Holdfast. You can also get cycling-related apparel here. The services are vast and affordable, ranging from full-scale overhauls to small repairs. They’ll even build long-lasting wheels for you from scratch.

Gee Hin Chan
#01-06/07/10/11 Waterloo Centre, Blk 261 Waterloo St., 6337-2948.
While the Crank Arm Steady team prefers to do up their bikes themselves, they still require repairs. For this, they turn to Gee Hin Chian, which stocks components from Japanese brands such as Cat Eye, Panaracer and Shimano. It is a well-known stop for cycling enthusiasts because everything you need to build your bike from scratch can be found here, including forks, seatposts, stems, shifters, derailleurs, crank sets and wheels.

TR Bikes
#01-107 Blk. 7 Jalan Batu, 6345-5085.
Newbies from all over the region have been known to take the first step towards fixie riding at TR Bikes, under guidance from owner Lynten Ong. One of the distributors for renowned custom builders such as Retrotec and Aherne Cycles, TR Bikes also collaborates with an extensive list of suppliers and delivers to anywhere you care to name.

Fixed Gear London

Packed with awe-inspiring photos of the latest tricks and kit, this site shows why the UK continues to set fixie trends around the globe.

People’s Bike

This popular site showcases the latest scene in China. Though founded by expats, the community is now all-inclusive. Besides their now annual Alleycat Races, they also schedule regular bicycle polo games.

Urban Fixed Gear

Despite being based in the US, this online magazine features fixed gear riders from all over the world, including Asia. Check out, amongst other things, the funky Taiwanese girls.