Behind the music: Jem and the Holograms

Written by Craig Phillips

The characters herein this story is the property, copyright © and registered ® trademarks of Hasbro. The series Jem was created by Christy Marx, VH1's Behind the Music is a registered ® trademark of Viacom. The story is my own creation, the character Chrystal Taylor, is my own creation as are the middle names of Jerrica, Jacqui, and Kimber, and may not be reproduced or duplicated without my written consent.

Glamour, fortune and fame. Jem and the Holograms were one of the biggest selling bands of the mid 1980's.

"Jem and the Holograms are legendary for what they did, and they were always professional," talk show host Lindsey Pierce remembered fondly.

(Flashback 1986) A large crowd of fans are gathered outside of LAX International airport, watching the band enter a limousine.

"Jem! Jem! Jem! Jem! Jem! Jem! Jem!" Came the the screams of their rabid fans.

Their catchy songs and memorable hooks drove their fans into a feeding frenzy.

"Oh my God, this was so intense for me," Raya admitted, "I was not prepared for this at all."

"When I first saw the Billboard Charts, and our debut album at number one, all I could do was cry," remarked bassist Shana Julian.

Girls wanted to be like them, "I made this Jem costume just for this night," a young girl said while being interviewed before the concert.

Guys wanted to be with them, "I'd love to marry that hottie Kimber Benton," a twenty year old guy remarked.

And one band would stop at nothing to ruin Jem's success, "They came out of nowhere, and took the world by storm," remarked Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor, leader of their once rival band the Misfits. "Ugh, I hated them so much for stealing my spotlight," Phyllis chuckled.

"Sabotaging their events was our way of saying stay outta our way," laughed Roxanne "Roxy" Pelligrini.

Mary "Stormer" Phillips was the one and only Misfit who saw talent in their rival band, "I loved their sound, and Kimber is an amazing writer. I'm glad we worked on an album together."

Even new comers, The Stingers were impressed by Jem and the Holograms success, when they arrived in town in 1988.

"I knew my band was perfection, but seeing Jem I knew I had found my equal, "admitted Rory "Riot" Llewelyn.

Ingrid "Minx" Krueger's first impressions of Jem and the Holograms were less than blown away, "while I admit they were good, in mind we were The Stingers and we rocked harder."

"All I saw were five girls playing to sold out shows around the world, God I wanted that just as bad," reflected Phoebe "Rapture" Ashe.

The rollercoaster ride for the band took them from Los Angeles, to the mountains of Tibet. Raising awareness on illiteracy, the perils of drug abuse, love, and so much more, brought Jem and the Holograms to super star status.

"We had one major goal in mind, helping to change the world," Jerrica Benton remarked.

The girls had been the best of friends, and even in the dark days of family tragedy when the Benton sisters lost their parents; the band and the friendships soldiered on.

"I was in hell when mom died, then losing my dad a few years later…I just didn't want to live anymore," Kimber Harrison reflected about the time she tried to commit suicide.

Jem and the Holograms had it all, but internal tensions, creative differences, and endless touring began to take its toll.

"It was bitch about this, and bitch about that. Some days I wanted to kill them all," drummer Carmen "Raya" Alonso remarked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

And the paradigm shift in the music industry soon ripped the the band apart.

"You could really feel a collective shudder in the music industry as the 90's ushered in a new era of music," Jerrica Benton said half-heartedly.

Now for the first time in 23 years, Jerrica Benton, Kimber Benton, Aja Leith, Shana Elmsford, and Carmen "Raya" Alonso tell their story, riding the highs, and surviving the lows. While they embark on their first leg US tour.

"It's like our song "Something is Missing in My Life," it's exactly how I felt after the break up. And now it's like "All's Right in the World, smiled Shana.

"This is our dream, and we wanted to show the fans we never forgot them," Kimber smiled backstage doing some simple stretches.

And the Holograms finally shed light on the mysteries of Emmett Benton's creation, Synergy.

"I have to admit sadly, I was really pissed off at Jerrica for lying about her alter ego Jem, but Aja smacked some sense into me, literally," Rio Pacheco laughed.

"Without Synergy, there never would have been a "Jem and the Holograms"," smiled Aja Leith.

"Joining them: Former manager, and Jerrica Benton's husband Rio Pacheco; former British teen sensation Sean Harrison and husband of Kimber Benton; former Hollywood stuntman Jeff Wright; talk show host Lindsey Pierce; choreographer Giselle "Danse" Dvorak, former rival bands The Misfits; and The Stingers.

Now VH1 presents Behind the Music: Jem and the Holograms.

(August 16, 2008. Backstage: Madison Square Garden). Jerrica is running through her vocal warm ups. Kimber is doing some stretches in the corner of the dressing room. Shana and Aja are putting the finishing touches on their make-up. Raya is quietly saying a prayer in preparation for their last show in NYC.

"I can't believe this is our last gig here, I swear New Yorkers are louder than Californians," commented Aja as she dabbed a little more blue make-up into her trademark blue star.

"What I can't get over is how good we still sound," mused Shana.

A knock was heard over the small talk in the room. "Hey Holograms, Video is here."

The entire room burst into squeals of delight. No one had seen Vivian "Video" Montgomery in ten years. She had hit it big as a Hollywood cinematographer, and had since had a daughter, Chrystal Taylor.

"Outrageous, you look great Vid," Kimber looked over Video and could not believe how young the blond haired girl was.

"Thanks Kimber, I didn't think I'd ever drop the baby weight," said a blushing Video.

"We are so glad you could make it, it has been far too long," confessed Jerrica, "we were all…."

The story of Jem and the Holograms starts back in 1964, when Emmett Benton, a hard working scientist met a young blond singer by the name of Jacqui Lynn Dayton at a local music club called The Scene. It was love at first site. Emmett could not believe the voice that Jacqui had.

"Mom always said that dad had charmed her like there was no tomorrow," Jerrica smiled, fondly remembering the stories she was told, "of course dad was never one to shy away his affections for her."

Emmett and Jacqui dated for about 6 months before Emmett proposed to her. Not long after, Emmett and Jacqui tied the knot.

"I remember seeing the wedding pictures I gave daddy a little heat for the cheesy grin he had on his face," youngest daughter Kimber giggled.

On June 1st 1965, Jacqui and Emmett welcomed Jerrica Anne Benton into the world. Three years later, the Benton's were blessed with a second daughter, Kimber Denise Benton.

"It was so fun having a sister to play with, but one thing that was undeniable Kimber had a talent for music," Jerrica looked over at her younger red headed sister and smiled fondly. Kimber was visibly blushing

In the mid 1970s, Jerrica and Kimber's parents started an organization called The Starlight Foundation. Created to support young foster girls, and give them a good home. This was a very important thing for Jacqui Benton as the girls soon found out.

"Mom sat me and Kimber down and confessed that she was in fact a foster girl," said Jerrica, "after our Grandparents died in a car accident, mom had no close relatives. So she was placed in foster care."

Soon after organizing the Starlight Foundation, Emmett and Jacqui purchased an old Victorian mansion on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and named it Starlight House. Though the mansion was over one hundred years old, the Benton family felt at home.

"I loved that old mansion," admitted Kimber, "when I got into trouble, I could hide practically anywhere."

"I remember how big the yard was, and Kimber and I would play tag out there for hours with the other kids from the neighborhood," Jerrica shifted a little in her chair.

In 1978 the Benton's took in their very first foster girl, named Aja Leith, "Aja was a bit of a tomboy, but we loved her just the same," said Kimber as she once again reflected.

"I just hated to wear a dress; it felt too weird for me," Aja laughed, "I guess I was more concerned about it than they were."

One afternoon Jerrica Benton met someone who would not only have an impact in her career, but also in her personal life. The young man was twelve year old Rio Pacheco.

"I had noticed a lot of kids playing outside at Starlight House, and being the new kid I hoped to make new friends." When Rio made his way over to the Starlight House, he was greeted by Emmett Benton. "Emmett was the most wonderful man you could ever meet. He never lost his temper, and he always had a smile on his face, "said Rio.

Jerrica spent her time chasing Rio hoping that he'd notice the ten year old, "Did I have a crush on Rio? Oh yea I did," blushed Jerrica, "he was cute, and so handsome."

Kimber however was not amused by her sister's infatuations over the young brunette boy, "Every time I wanted to play dolls, Jerrica was ogling Rio. Yeah I was jealous, I mean I was only seven," laughed Kimber.

By the end of the summer 1978, The Starlight House took in another foster girl. A very quiet and shy Shana Elmsford came into their lives.

"I had just lost my parents six months before coming to Starlight House. I had really isolated myself, and really didn't want to mingle," Shana remarked, "Somehow though, mom always found a way cheer me up."

Shana sat alone out under an elm tree, grieving over the loss of her parents. Oblivious to her pain, Jerrica ran into the house to ask her mom for advice on catching Rio.

"That was one thing about mom, she was eternally wise. Not because she told me to lay off chasing Rio, but to take the time to get to know Shana," Jerrica blushed because she knew that it had taken some time getting used to Shana.

"When Jerrica, Kimber and even Aja spent time getting to know me, I felt so relaxed I finally opened up," Shana said while sipping on some herbal tea.

Kimber remembered a time when Shana got really mad at her stealing her clothes. "The girl had a great eye for clothes back then, I would go into her room and of course take the best items and put them on," she began laughing.

During this time, Rio had become an electronic wizard, and Emmett was most impressed by the boy. "Emmett taught me a lot about electronics, and computers back then. It is rather hard talking about the Emmett and Jacqui without getting choked up," he confessed.

Emmett and Jacqui also began to show their kids the wonders of music, and they took to it with vigor.

"I wanted to be a singer for as long as I could remember, I loved being the center of attention," this was something that not many people knew about Jerrica.

"Mom and dad spent hours with me, Aja, and Shana playing guitars, drums and piano. Having jams with them was always a treat," Kimber smiled warmly.

"Oh man those were some of my favorite memories. In fact, at Craig's and my house I have a photo that Emmett took of mom teaching me guitar. I even have the first guitar they got me for Christmas," Aja pointed to her stand that held a pink and white guitar.

In January of 1979, Emmet and Jacqui officially adopted Shana and Aja. Though, the girls chose to keep their last names. Jacqui told her husband that she yearned for the stage again. Obliging, Emmett and his wife founded a music company called Starlight Music. This was to promote Jacqui's music, and to help fund the Starlight House.

Jacqui went on several regional and national tours, but this never sat well with Jerrica. "I really began missing my mom, so much so, I started getting mad at her for leaving me and Kimber," Jerrica choked up a little, knowing that her anger was the last memory she had with her mother.

"I loved it when mom went on tour, because she always came back with the best presents," Kimber reached over and grabbed her Mickey Mouse plushy. "Sean teases me that I hung on to this, but I remind him that when we have a child, it will be passed on."

On November 9th, 1979, Jacqui Benton was taken to the airport to begin her final tour before the New Year. It had been raining for the past two hours, but the flight was never held over. Emmett, Jerrica, Kimber, Aja, and Shana walked with her to the gangplank. Jerrica didn't say a word to anyone, but Jacqui saw the pain in her daughter's eyes.

"I was filled with so much anger at my mom for leaving again," commented Jerrica, "I asked why she had to go? I knew it was her job, but dammit I wanted my mother, you know?" Jerrica's blue eyes watered with tears.

"I was only seven when mom left for her tour, of course I was excited and I rushed over to her and hugged her goodbye," the mood in Kimber's voice said that she was close to breaking down.

"When I look back at that night, I can't figure out why the flight had not been delayed," Aja felt anger welling inside her.

Shana didn't want to comment on this portion of the story; the memories for her are still too painful for her.

Jacqui walked up the steps to board the plane, but stopped at the top and looked back to see her oldest daughter. Jerrica was at the window of the terminal, arms folded and a look of anger that Jacqui knew ran deep. She just sighed and boarded the plane. No one knew at that moment, that it would be the last time anyone would see Jacqui Benton alive again.

"Last night, at around midnight, Flight 909 crashed outside of Los Angeles city limits. The National Transportation Safety Board, have not disclosed the reasons why the plane went down; however, weather may have played a roll…"

Jerrica's eyes welled up with tears, "I just remember the phone ringing at around one in the morning, and dad immediately waking all of us up. I knew something bad happened."

Emmett Benton and his daughters immediately drove to the crash site. They hoped that a miracle saved their mother. But this did not come to pass.

"As soon as I saw the look in the police officers eyes, I knew my mom was dead," Kimber began crying.

"The only thing I heard was dad cry out "my beloved Jacqui is dead." Then I saw him fall to the ground," Aja teared up, reaching for a tissue.

Rio glanced out the window, "I felt like I lost my own mother when I got word of the plane crash," all I wanted to do was be there for Jerrica and her family. I admit, I was scared she would not want me around."

Five days later, the Benton's laid their mother to rest. Ironically it had been raining during the precession.

"I hated myself so much, I blamed my selfishness on my mom's death," Jerrica said while tears spilled from her blue eyes, "but I did realize that I had to be there for my dad, and my sisters."

Kimber sat mildly shaking, as if there was a cold breeze filling the room, "There is nothing worse in life then burying your parents. All mom wanted was to sing for the world, and God took her…way too soon," Kimber broke down, but cried softly in her hands.

Emmett felt lost without Jacqui; in his journal he wrote that life did not seem all that important without her. But a sign of hope and love shined a bright light into his heart.

"Aja and I were so scared that we'd be sent to a new foster home after mom died," Shana started, while crossing her right leg over her left, "granted, we were adopted by them, but at that age you just don't know."

"So I just ran over to dad, and fell to my knees sobbing 'please don' send Shana and me away,' and to see the tears well in his eyes…well I just knew in my heart we were all a family," Aja's smile lit up the room when she talked about her father.

As the girls got older, their love for playing music started to take shape. Jerrica decided to take on vocals; Kimber loved her guitar, but wanted to experiment with a new synthesizer her father just got. Aja decided on the guitar and Shana the drums.

Jerrica cringed when she played an old four track recording of their earliest song "Only the Beginning," Ugh, we were really out of tune, but we all thought it sounded awesome."

"Yeah, we sucked back then, I did not have very nimble fingers as I do now," Kimber said while she wiggled them in the air.

No one at the time knew that Emmet was secretly working on a super computer that would revolutionize music. He named his creation Synergy. Emmett wanted to link music and holograms together, so every house hold could experience music in a new way. Aja read a passage from Emmett's journal on his invention.

"November 9th. Have made amazing breakthroughs in computer generated holograms. But I must find a new place to work on the system; I need privacy and quiet for the delicate tasks ahead."

Aja then closed the book. "None of us knew he had been working on Synergy, it was always under our noses."

"Dad kept Synergy a secret, because he had not sent in the documents for the patents. He also knew that in the wrong hands, Synergy could be modified to be used as a weapon. Which is why he bought out the old Starlight Drive-In."

By 1983, the girls had started to come into their own as musicians. America was buzzing over a new cable station called MTV. An all music television station, playing music videos twenty-four hours a day.

"God, I was such a flippin MTV junkie. Soon as school let out, I got a snack and plopped my ass on the floor for hours watching," Kimber mused.

Aja spoke of the music of the early days of the band, "I think that the early groups of the 80's helped define some of our early sounds. Bands like Devo, The Cars, and even Soft Cell's Tainted Love, really proved that a synth could be cool in music."

"I do have a small confession, I really hated our early sound," Jerrica began laughing, "I'm such a fan of bands like The Runaways, Heart, Pat Benetar, Journey, and even AC/DC. Putting electronic drums, or even sequencers into the songs…well just never felt warm. Don' get me wrong, I like It now, but back then Joan Jett, Anne Wilson, that's what I wanted to be."

Two more years went by, and Emmett's creation of Synergy was finished. The last touch was what the "Synergy" hologram would look like. But it was much too painful to duplicate Jacqui's image, so he made her as plain as possible.

"It's weird to think about this now, but Synergy did look a lot like Jacqui," Rio said while rubbing the side of his temple.

The girls pressed on with the music, but began to notice their father was slowing down.

"I remember one night I was saying good night to him, and when I looked into his eyes…something just scared me," Shana remembered.

Then on December 15, 1984 Emmett Benton died. It was unclear as to why he passed away. Some have said that Emmett died of a broken heart after losing his wife. Whatever the reason, once again the girls had to face another devastating loss.

"I was in hell when mom died, then losing my dad a few years later…I just didn't want to live anymore," Kimber reflected about the time she tried to commit suicide, "I was really messed in the head. I remember going to a friend's house, and taking a bottle of bourbon and downing like half of it. Then when she passed out, I grabbed some pills and took what I think was like ten…maybe more," Kimber shuddered about this haunting memory.

No one knew that the pills Kimber took were sleeping pills, and mixed with alcohol it was a recipe for disaster. Jerrica remembered getting the frantic call from Kimber's friend Emily.

"I freaked out, I screamed at the top of my lungs, I was so full of anger, pain…damn near every bad conceivable emotion there is."

Aja, remembered seeing her sister's lips turning blue as life slowly slipped away from the 16 year olds body, "I fell to the floor sobbing, begging for Kimber to wake up."

Paramedics arrived and immediately worked on reviving her lifeless body.

"She flat lined 3 times, and went into ventricular fibrillation two times. Holy shit, watching them shock her…." Shana's voice trailed off.

The paramedics were able to revive Kimber, and took her to the local emergency room. Where she stayed for four days in recovery, and on suicide watch.

"God, I was so pissed at her, I wanted to rip her a new one, you know?" Jerrica clenched her fists a little as the pain of remembering that day came back in a torrent flood.

Kimber made a full recovery, and showed no signs of brain damage. "Right there, is the main reason I don't drink, or do drugs. Remember kids, you're not invincible."

The New Year brought a whole new set of challenges. Nothing was more brutal then when former business manager Eric Raymond attempt to take over Starlight Music.

"I get this question all the time, how did Eric even have controlling interest in Starlight Music? I was only twenty when my dad died, and in California, the law states you cannot own controlling interest in a company unless you are twenty-one. I still owned half, but I did not control the board votes, Eric did."

In a 1985 interview with the queen of gossip, Harriet Horne, Eric Raymond had this to say about Jerrica Benton, Starlight Music, and the Misfits," Jerrica has no idea what it takes to run a record company. I hold business degrees from two of the best universities in America," Eric sneered, "When I signed the Misfits, they had raw talent, they had attitude, and they were all about rock and roll. Jerrica could and would never have seen that."

The only way Jerrica and her sister Kimber could gain control, was a Battle of the Bands contest. Winner takes all, including a movie contract and 12,000 square foot mansion. This came courtesy of the late film director Howard Sands. One thing the girls did not count on was Eric's methods of sabotaging.

Jerrica sat outside on her deck in dark sunglasses, the wind blowing through her hair. As she thought about that event, she knew it was do or die. "I put my family's name, reputation, and honor on the line for that contest. I was just bent on keeping Eric from destroying it.

"Jerrica really pushed us hard, especially me as the only songwriter in the band," Kimber reflected, "I don't know how much caffeine I had during that time, I just know I didn't sleep for what seemed like weeks." Kimber began laughing.

Aja remembered the pressure she felt, "When I look back on that event, I really wanted to kill Jerrica. When she gets in that 'take no prisoners' mode, she is a taskmaster."

The major change for their band, was who was going to front them. Before his death Emmett Benton created two mini holographic projectors, and mounted them in a pair of ruby red earrings. He called them Jemstar's.

"Funny thing about these earrings," Jerrica pointed to them as they dangled from her delicate earlobes, "is dad never gave them to me, Kimber said that a small box was left for me. She had placed it on my dresser. When I opened the box and tried them on, a brilliant purple light flooded my room, and Synergy appeared."

That was the day that changed Jerrica and her sisters forever. After learning about Synergy, they received the gifts their father left for them at the Starlight Drive In. The last thing they needed was a clever catch all band name.

"I can't take credit for the band name, that was Aja all the way," joked Jerrica.

"Well I though Jem and the Holograms out there as kind of a joke name. I didn't really think they were going to grab it like they did."

"I first heard the name, and thought it's kind of cheesy. But then, well it grew on me," Shana chuckled, "what gets me is that the name has become legendary to millions of fans. Goes to show what I knew back then."

On the other side of town, Eric was plotting to cheat at every corner and was going to stop at nothing to win. He hired Zipper, a local street thug itching for a little money.

"Of course his damn thug Zipper decided to burn down Starlight House. God I hated Eric even more than ever."

To Be Continued…