"LULU BY MAURICE ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY"
(Jan Nesbit, New Musical Express, March 1, 1969)

Transcript by Anne Marie

Lulu and Maurice couldn’t be happier. Chatting to Maurice in their house before Lulu arrived I could see just how contented this quiet romantic man of nineteen now is.

“Look how Lulu’s made this house cosy” he said proudly, pointing to the flowers in the sitting room “She’s a wonderful cook, very domesticated, she’s everything I’ve wanted.

“It’s funny” he went on nostalgically obviously enjoying talking about her “But I always knew I’d marry her

“I didn’t know how or when. She might have got married and divorced but I’d have married her in the end

“When she went away to America and we broke up I felt s terrible seeing her with all those other people. I started drinking and going out a lot but I wasn’t happy although I didn’t think I was still in love with her

“Then one day my road manager mentioned her and I just said automatically ‘m going to marry her. And I have

“When she came back from the States I didn’t think she’d want to see me. I was in a studio with a few friends, we’d got a bottle of scotch and I was playing the piano.

“Suddenly Lu came in, she looked lovely, very brown and wearing a blue and white dress, I couldn’t play a note!

“She came round to my house and we just felt together again. The terrible thing was that I had to go to America for a month the next day!” He rolled his eyes at the agony of it.

Maurice pointed to the plain wedding ring on his finger “I’ll never take this off. I love her and nothing’s going to break it up if I can help it”

Maurice put on his coat to go out “It’s our anniversary today a week last Tuesday we got married. I’m going to get her a present.” As he turned his back “You won’t tell her will you? I want it to be a surprise

Lulu came bounding in missing Maurice by a few seconds “Oh I thought he’d be here” she said disappointed. As we sat drinking coffee I told her how nice I thought Maurice was and how much he appreciated her, as if she didn’t know.

“I know” she said seriously, “He’s so kind and good”

Was there any danger of it being a one-sided relationship, he the adoring she the adored?

“I think at first there was. I always liked Maurice but I thought he was a bit soft. I was a bit of a bitch

“But when I came back from America my love started growing more and more each day. I realised he wasn’t soft I respected him and wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.”

After the Eurovision Song Contest finals in Madrid Lulu and Maurice are off to Acapulco for a month’s honeymoon. Looking at her with a marvellous career and the husband she loves I felt dead jealous.

Did Lulu find people resenting her?

“No, the exact opposite, everybody’s been so nice since I married.

“Taxi drivers lean out of their windows and say ‘congratulations’ and workmen yell ‘there’s Lulu with her Bee Gee, god luck love’”.