Man On (the) Line

December 24, 2009
Chris de Burgh:
I would like to wish my friends and fans all over the world a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and fulfilling New Year. I hope that you have enjoyed the concerts of 2009 as much as I did, and there were so many highlights that will live long in my memory; for example, the concert in the salt mines of Merkers, in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall when we performed with the orchestra "You'll never walk alone," with that incredible response by the audience,and the magical night in the Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens by Table Mountain, with a new moon in the sky and the lights of Capetown below, and many other wonderful shows in various different countries. It was great to see "Footsteps" doing so well, and no doubt there will be another one, but before that, I am working on the "Moonfleet" album which I hope to start recording in the spring. There will also be five or six new songs as well as the exciting smuggler's tale of "Moonfleet." When time permits, I hope to start the MOTL section of this terrific website, and thanks to all those who look after it. At this time, let us remember those who have had a difficult year, and those who will be alone or grieving during the festive season. I look forward to being back on stage next summer, and until then, keep healthy and happy. Love from Chris de Burgh.

March 11, 2009:
Chris de Burgh:
I am absolutely horrified and deeply saddened by the terrible events at Winnenden and Wendlingen, and would like to send my sincere and heartfelt sympathies to the families of all those involved. There can be no words to adequately describe the pain that they are going through, we can only offer our love and enduring support. Chris de Burgh

January 26, 2009
Bogdan Sulek (38) from Cracow, Poland:
Hi, Chris! All the best for your 60th birthday! Welcome again to Poland, which you visited so far few times mostly around this part of year, near Christmas. I want you to ask what are your edition plans after "Footsteps"?
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, I have been looking forward to being back in Warsaw last December. By the time you read this, I have already performed on one of your major television shows, which is what we have in the UK and Ireland called “Strictly Come Dancing”. It’s a dancing show, and I would have performed on the Sunday night of the final. After Footsteps? That is an interesting question, because I like to think a year in advance all the time. At the moment there are a few options going around in my head, including hopefully this movie “Though These Eyes”, and various new songs I have written for that. I find that every time I come back to “The Storyman”, I look at it and think that it has got some very, very strong ideas and songs in it, and I don’t really want to be compared by having a “Storyman 2” quite yet, and people might say “oh, it’s not as good as the first one”. It’s a difficult album to follow in that respect. So I am looking at all sorts of things at the moment, and at different ways of using my song writing talent and technique and hopefully in the next few months I will be able to develop these ideas further.
This was the last answer in this particular MOtL section, so let me just say to all my fans out there: Thank you so much for your continued support and your affection and your dedication and your loyalty. I hope you enjoy Footsteps as much as I do. Also I hope that you’ll come and see the concerts that we are doing in 2009, because as always they will be a lot of fun. And I hope as always you will walk away from the concert, or indeed dance away from the concert, feeling high on emotion

January 25, 2009
Beatrix Ouwerkerk (58) from The Netherlands:
One night you were spending the evening with George Harrison and some friends at his home, and he told you about his Beatles time. Later George wrote a song about "being overexposed and commercialised". Did you feel the same in the A&M years, after the first rush of eagerness to be a famous singer was flown? Or were you able to keep it all in your own hands? Do you feel more free now that you've got your own Ferryman Productions?
Chris de Burgh:
An interesting question! May I say that I am very familiar with your name, Beatrix, and also I love going to Holland to perform, and I hope to be there again soon. George Harrison felt fame in a far greater way than I ever have. The heat of being in The Beatles and then subsequently setting up his own Dark Horses record label, which was allied with A&M records, brought him back into the musical world with great records like “Living In The Material World” and another, which was a three-album-set with George Harrison sitting on a black-and-white in the garden of his home, wearing gumboots, and I think there is some kind of a garden gnome there as well. I have the record, but I can’t remember the name right now. Oh wait, I have just remembered the name, it is “All Things Must Pass”. I had quite a lot of independence right from the start with my record label, because they were a record label that wanted to develop song writers as artists. For example Joan Armatrading, The Carpenters, Sting and The Police, Supertramp, Yes. Those were artists, Gallagher & Lyle as well, who were all song writers. So we were given respect and we were given freedom, and we were given a lot of support, not just one album, but throughout our careers. But now that I have got my own label, it means that I can actually do a lot more than I could do in the past. The original record company A&M was bought by the Polygram group and then by the Universal music group. And in some regards I was disappointed by the last few years of my involvement with a major label, because it seemed to me that as the record business is going into a slow down spiral, that a lot of the newcomers into the industry were not particularly interested in whether I had sold 40 million records or not. And I often felt that the input and dedication and enthusiasm for a new record release just wasn’t there. So it was a breath of fresh air when I finally opened up Ferryman Productions and had far more control along with my long-term friend and manager Kenny Thomson over what we call product, i.e. everything to do with career.

January 24, 2009
Angela (41) from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, UK:
Hello Chris. You have been married for a long time now. Have you and your wife considered re-newing your vows like most celebs or do you not do things like that?
Chris de Burgh:
By the time you will read this, I have celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary. And sometimes people say in this profession “How can you stay married for so long?” and I joke that I am very good to my wife, I stay away from home a lot! But in fact I think one of the secrets is to give each other space and time, to be aware of each other’s feelings, to have a great sense of humour, to be affectionate and to regard your relationship as a partnership. As far as renewing vows is concerned, I certainly wouldn’t do that just because other celebs are doing it. It’s a very personal thing, and I know that there are people who do this quietly or go away to a different country to possibly renew their vows or go back to the original church. I am not quite sure why people do this, to be honest. It may be just a romantic idea. It might be something that people feel they need to do. But as far as I am concerned, this has never been an issue with me and my wife. We haven’t even discussed this. I am not sure that either of us would be particularly keen on doing this. The original wedding still resonates well in my head, and in hers as well.

January 23, 2009
Soane Lidia (50) from Argentina:
I was reading about your new album, and it says in the article that it will be released in the central part of Europe first and then, next year, it will be done in the UK. It just called my attention because the UK is your country and, well, why not there first? Thank you for all your songs, they are really moving. Now after 30 years I still enjoy them and I'm showing my grandson most of your compositions . He has fallen in love with "The Road to Freedom" (he's only five years old, and although it is sad as he says, he loves it). Besides I am an English teacher and I was working "Lady in Red" with a group, now they would like to know more about your songs and you as well. It is as one person told you in one of the questions: with your songs we bridge generation gaps and get closer to our students, sons, youths.
Chris de Burgh:
Let me just say from the start that Argentina was the land of my birth. My father’s family moved to Argentina to become farmers in the early 1900’s. I have a very emotional attachment to Argentina and our estancia there, where my aunt Joan still lives. And she is well into her 90s, so obviously there must be something about Argentina that helps people have a long life. It’s not a country unfortunately that I have managed to visit too often, it is a very long way for me. But one day I am absolutely certain that I will be able to go there and perform. I love your question and your comments about your five year old and “The Road To Freedom”, because yes, you are right, there are some sad tunes on this, but they are thoughtful, particularly the first three: When Winter Comes / The Road To Freedom / Snow Is Falling. Your question about why central Europe first and then the UK, this is a decision made by the record companies involved in the release of this album. Although Ferryman, my own label, is the prime mover in the release of the record, the other record companies, like for example in Germany and quite a number of countries in Europe is called Starwatch, based in Munich. They were so impressed by this album that they wanted to advertise it on television. In the UK, unless you start advertising on television by around mid October, you can get totally lost in the Christmas rush. So we decided to leave it until next March, which is when the record comes out. I am delighted that my songs are helping your students so much. I was wondering if you knew that I have done “Lady in Red” in Spanish (“La Dama De Ayer”).

January 22, 2009
Nicolas Larek (30) from France:
After being support act of some tours with Supertamp, and knowing the band well at this time, which bandmate was the most impressive for you and what is your best memory touring with them?
Chris de Burgh:
I think by the time I finished as a support act for Supertramp, I reckon I have done about 150 shows with them. Starting on a solo basis, one guy with a guitar, which was pretty daunting, I can assure you, standing in front of a crowd of people who have come to see a major act like Supertramp, and one guy with a guitar having to perform often before even the advertised show time. And then I put a small band together in Canada, starting with Glenn Morrow, and then adding a couple of the Supertramp road crew, including Jeff Philips on the drums. But I really enjoyed working with these guys. I wouldn’t say there was any one particular person I would take out as most impressive, because I liked them all, got on very well with them all and I think one of the last shows I would have done with them was in 1983 when we did a major tour around Europe in big football stadiums. I learned an awful lot from Supertramp: their imagination, their stage shows, the visuals that they put on. They were on a par at that time with bands like Queen and certainly Pink Floyd. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to spend so much time in their company and learned so much from such a class outfit in terms of sound and vision and visuals. I don’t have any particularly best memory from touring with them. Many of them were fantastic, and for me at the sort of second part of my career, having started in 1974, and started with them in about 1978 or 1979, and carried on for another 4 or 5 years, the chance to then effortlessly move up from support act to a main act on my own was great. As I say I am very happy that I had the opportunity to work with a band, such a good band as Supertramp.

January 21, 2009
Leslie Partridge (62) from London, UK:
Hi Chris, Very much looking forward to your new album "Footsteps" and your version of songs from your musical idols. I will be at the Royal Albert Hall in May next year enjoying your concert and even though I am getting on a bit will rock with the rest of them! My question is this. I have just been looking at an interview you did back in 1981 for Musical Express when you said "You cannot stand factory froth made groups like Boyzone and Westlife. Not one new star will be around in 10 years, let alone 25. Both groups are still around, Ronan Keating has enjoyed huge success and Stephen Gately has enjoyed a good theatrical life outside Boyzone who are currently enjoying a comeback. Would you now not concede that they have earned their stripes ? Surely with these manufactured groups, if there is talent that can be explored and improved upon, that these people deserve a chance to prove themselves?
Chris de Burgh:
I look forward to performing in the Albert Hall, obviously not just my own material, but hopefully a few songs from the album Footsteps. I was quite puzzled by what you say I quoted in the Musical Express in 1981 about Boyzone and Westlife, because Boyzone was not formed until 1993 and Westlife not until 1998. So I am not quite sure what you are referring to here. I stand by my original comment. Real talent will survive, but this, what I described as factory froth, the thing is I have been possibly proven wrong, but you have to remember that both of them slipped away both these bands in I suppose the late 90s or the early 2000’s. Both of them have made a comeback. Now that was unexpected, so I must be forgiven for not anticipating a massive commercial comeback that both these bands and Take That have done. Nevertheless I come from a separate song writing ethos, which I believe is based on imagination and emotion. And I find quite a few of the songs by these bands I mentioned pretty lacking in that area.

January 20, 2009
Lamine Bekkout (35) from Toronto, Canada:
What was the most inspiring book, or books, you ever read?
Chris de Burgh:
I’d like to say hi to Lamine and say that I have always loved being in Toronto. As you may be aware my four members of my old band came from Toronto, so I spent a lot of time in that city. And I particularly liked the area around Yorkville and of course down by the lake. So I had lots of fun times there, some great restaurants and of course some great concerts, even the big ones in the Maple Leaf Gardens, which I think has now changed its name. It’s a very difficult question to answer, the most inspiring book or indeed books, because I love reading and I have been inspired by so many books. I am just looking up at a bookshelf now, you know I am looking and thinking “I love that book, and I could read that one again”. But I think one that amongst many that started my visual imagination working would have been the early books that I read of “Adventures in Africa” by a writer called G.A. Henty, very old-fashioned Victorian-style books. The books of Joseph Conrad for example are very, very interesting. And I would say then one really was really outstanding that I mentioned in the past, it was called “Moonfleet”. Moonfleet was the story of a boy who was living in Cornwall several hundred years ago. It was all about smugglers and all exciting stuff like that and ghosts and coffins underneath the church. Extraordinary things that happened to this boy. And one song that I wrote as a result of “Moonfleet” would have been “Heart Of Darkness”. Just a bit of it, about “I took the old track down”, about sailors and smugglers and all sorts of things that happen. In the beginning of the song certainly I was influenced by that particular book. And another short story that I really recommend people to have a look at is one by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde wrote some stunning plays and poems. And his children stories, which I think are in a book called “The Happy Prince and Other Stories” are absolutely beautiful. And there is one in particular that is awesome, and it’s called “The Selfish Giant”. And I challenge anybody to sit down and read that story out loud to their children in bed and not react emotionally to the amazing idea of what Oscar Wilde came up with towards the end of that story. It’s absolutely beautiful. But as I say, I find it impossible, as you can probably tell, to actually decide on one particular story or one particular book, because I love so many.

January 19, 2009
Sina Mozaffari (20) from Iran:
Hi Chris. I have a question about your song "The Painter" in "Spanish train and other stories" album. What was your motivation for making this song? What did you want to say by making this song. Thanks.
Chris de Burgh:
When I was at secondary school, I had a very influential and charismatic English teacher called Dennis Silk. One day he asked me and my class to read a poem by the English poet Robert Browning. The poem was called “My Last Duchess”. So it was two pages, and it was called a dramatic monologue. And we finished it, and he said now “Read it again, but start picking out the clues and what has happened.” So we read it again and started to realize what happened. We read it a third time, and then the full impact of the poem became apparent. The man, if you read it, those of you who are reading this online, have a chance to read that poem, you’ll notice that the person who is talking has apparently murdered his own wife because of a jealous rage. And I thought this is great, a really clever idea, so I put that into the song “The Painter”. “This is my late queen”, and the chorus is “Madam please do this and madam please do that”. That’s the idea behind the song in as much as it’s not a direct lift of the words, but certainly the idea came from Robert Browning. He is a wonderful poet and he has written many great poems.

January 18, 2009
Adrian Brittlebank (20) from UK:
Hi Chris, What sort of car(s) do you drive and why?
Chris de Burgh:
I can assure you in the early years I could not afford any kind of a decent car. And my first car cost me 50 pounds and it was a Ford Prefect, which was two doors, three forward gears and a reverse. And having a cheap car like that meant that I spent an awful lot of time underneath the bonnet, trying to figure out why it wouldn’t work. So became quite a good car mechanic, obviously covered in grease and oil and an enormous amount of frustration trying to get particularly the electrics of cars working. Subsequently I had cars like Renault 4L which was bizarre. Those who have driven it know it has a very bizarre gear stick, which is beside the steering wheel. However I became a big fan of BMWs, when I could afford to get a BMW. More recently I think Audi is just a terrific car. In my opinion I think Audi and BMW make the best cars in Germany, indeed possibly some of the best in the world. I am not referring to Rolls Royce and Bentley, this is a different area. But I think I would prefer either of those two to a Mercedes having had a couple of Mercedes down the years, I am much more impressed with the driving capabilities of the Audi. I have an Audi S4 cabriolet and an Audi A5 as well as a BMW 7 series. They are all amazing cars to drive and very comfortable and I am quite a fan of cars and of driving.

January 17, 2009
Silvia (39) from Stadtbergen, Germany:
Could you please tell me the Latin lyrics for "The Mirror of the Soul"? I think i got most of them, but i am not sure...my Latin dates back to...well...some years ago!
Chris de Burgh:
Well I have noticed on the website that this song “The Mirror Of The Soul” has become a firm favourite with many, many people. And for me it was a very interesting idea to try and put across about the beginning of religion. Where do religions begin? They have to have a conception moment somewhere. And this is an ironic and indeed, as we say in English, tongue-in-cheek look at a bunch of monks in the 15th century who are trying to raise much needed cash. What I have done in the beginning is that I have put some Latin words in. And I was fortunately enough, although I didn’t realize it at the time, to have studied Latin quite deeply at school, because Latin is the basis of an awful lot of major languages. And it’s extremely useful to have that knowledge behind you, particularly with English language, which is the one I use most of the time. These are the words: AMOR SPECULUM ANIMA LUCET. LUCIFER EX INFERNO CLAMAT. NE NOS INDUCAT IN TENTATIONEM. AMOR SPECULUM ANIMA LUCET. What it means is: Love lights the mirror of the soul. The devil is calling from hell. Do not lead us into temptation. Only love can light the mirror of the soul.

January 16, 2009
Justin (23) from Coleraine, Ireland:
Hi Chris, I hope you are well. I'd just like to start by saying thank you for all your great music over the years, absolute pure talent! I have been a fan since I first heard my dad playing your records in the early 90's. I have recently seen you in concert for the first time in Bundoran, Co Donegal with my girlfriend and we thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. I am very pleased to hear that you are releasing a new album, however, having learned that your new album is a tribute to your musical inspirations over the years, my question is, what inspired you to produce an album almost totally comprised of other artists songs? Have you always wanted to do an album like it or was it just a recent idea? This is not a criticism in any way because i am really looking forward to buying and listening to this album as I have never been disappointed by any of your previous records and I'm sure you won't disappoint with Footsteps but I thought this album to be highly unusual as every one of your past studio albums material has all been written by you except for a few songs on your Beautiful Dreams album. I have to admit as a long time devoted fan I did feel a little disappointed to learn that there is only a couple of pieces written by you, although I love any song sung by you as I do enjoy your live versions of Hey Jude and American Pie etc but I was just very surprised to find that you only produced two songs on the entire 15 track album. I'd be forever grateful if you could explain what inspired you to record an unusual album like this. I look forward to the Footsteps album and seeing you in concert again very soon. I wish you every success with Footsteps and your albums in the years to come, thank you again for your wonderful music and powerful lyrics, thank you for taking the time to read and hopefully answer my question, God Bless...
Chris de Burgh:
Very interesting question! You went to the Bundoran concert earlier last year which was terrific fun. I really enjoyed that evening, what a very unusual venue right on the cliffs in a large marquee and I was really delighted with the reception I got. As I explained to many people subsequently, it was like being in the RDS in the old days. The audience was fantastic. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. The reason behind my album which has been released by the time you read this is that one thing that I have never been particularly good at is looking back on my career. I am very focussed on the future, focussed on climbing that mountain. But once in a while I think everybody should take a little time and stop and take the view and look around and see where you have come from. So literally Footsteps are the songs that I have always loved to sing and particularly the songs that have had an impact on me as a songwriter, songs that I have learned from. And I think it would be of interest to people who want to know where I developed from, this is sort of the beginning of my musical journey. And it’s not that I have stopped writing songs or I can’t write songs anymore. On the contrary! I have got loads of ideas in my head. But I have wanted just to tread water for a little while and look back and particularly when I just turned 60 to look back at my long, 34-year career and say “well, these songs not only influenced me at the beginning, but subsequently during my career”. Each one has a story and I am sure by now many of you have heard the individual stories that have applied to each of the songs. Because each one of them has a particular meaning to me. There were times during the recording of this album, which was incidentally recorded in just eight days, which I can assure you is really quick. Everything was recorded live in the studio with orchestra, with band, with guitar. For example me and my son Hubie, we did Blackbird together. Him in one sound booth, and me in the singing booth. Just all we had was eye contact and were able to talk to each other obviously. Stuff like “The Long And Winding Road” and “Without You”, all performed live with the orchestra, very exciting and very quick. But there were times when I wanted to know “Is this something that just I am the only person to really enjoy listening to this?” Because I get such a thrill listening to some of my hero songs and you know it’s just a fantastic thing for me to be able to do. It’s not just a bunch of covers, because I could have chosen any number of four or five hundred songs, but these ones had a particular importance to me. When the record was taken round to various record companies around the world, almost, I think without exception, they all loved it. They loved the concept, they loved the record, which is why it is getting such a push now, not only all over Europe, but elsewhere in the world. So obviously what I have done, in the opinions of some people certainly in the music industry, that it is going to appeal to many fans out there. So I will be very interested to see people’s opinions in the future, once the record has been released and people have had a chance to listen to it at home.

January 15, 2009
Angela (37) from Bayreuth, Germany:
Hi Chris! First of all thank you very much for these wonderful concerts last summer. And of course thank you very very much for this unforgettable evening in Eltville! It was an absolutely overwhelming feeling there - wow - I had goose-pimples (is this the same as in German?) all the time. Not enough words are existing... thank you! Now to our question: My children Jennifer (11) and Fabian (8) want to know what pets you have at your home (including colours...), also the names of them. You mentioned your dog in Fulda, but unfortunately we didn't understand the name. Thank you.
Chris de Burgh:
Strangely enough Bayreuth in Germany is not only a very beautiful town, but it means a lot to me because in my home here in Ireland I have cobblestones that I found in Bayreuth beside the railway station. And I brought quite a lot of them, I think about 350 tons of cobbles to put all around my home and it looks fantastic. So every time I have visitors who haven’t been in my house before I tell them the story behind the famous cobblestones that I got from Deutsche Bahn. It took me about a year to persuade them and also with a friend in Heidelberg who helped (Jürgen Nödel) and we managed to get these cobbles to come all the way to Ireland and now they have a very good home indeed. I am delighted to hear that your children Jennifer and Fabian are interested in my music and also in pets. We have a dog and her name is Milly. Milly is a 13 year old black Labrador. She is very gentle and a very placid kind of dog and she is terrific fun. She basically transformed our lives when she came into our home 13 years ago. And we always like to think that she chose us from the litter of pups that we went to see. I think Rosanna was totally besotted by this little puppy and we said “oh yes, this is the one”, because I think I had resisted having a pet in the house for quite a while. But this little dog was wonderful, and she is a great laugh and we have such fun with her and play games and kick balls around and she chases and loves swimming in ponds and lakes and rivers close-by. I think life would be very sad if she wasn’t with us anymore. Pets do have that impact on people, they become part of the family.

January 14, 2009
Lynne Smithson (57) from Yate, Bristol, UK:
Would you ever consider doing the TV programme "An Evening With" that has been shown from time to time with different stars? Not sure if you have ever seen one, but the stars sing their popular songs and answer questions from a celebrity audience. I would like to know your views on this type of TV show.
Chris de Burgh:
I know this particular format that I have seen on television called “An Evening With”. I have seen them with people like Elton John and Dame Edna Everage. And basically the idea is to fill up the audience with famous people who admire a particular performer like Tom Jones. And there is great interaction with those people in the audience and the artist. It’s a very kind of friendly style evening. I haven’t been asked to do one, but I can certainly tell you that I would agree immediately if there was a chance to do it, because I think it’s a really nice retrospective for an artist to go back over his old hits and have people that he knows and who admire the music to be in the audience and to support him.

January 13, 2009
Atteya (28) from Pakistan:
What was the theme and story behind the track I'VE BEEN MISSING YOU?
Chris de Burgh:
The idea I think, if you have another look at the lyric, it’s fairly well explained in the lyric about what is going on. But I had this idea that this couple have had a row. Most couples I know do have arguments. And men are not particularly good at apologizing. So in this particular idea in my imagination the man has decided that he really owes an apology and he has booked a favourite restaurant and he has invited her, the girl that he has had the quarrel with, to come over. And she walks in and she is amazed at what she sees, because he has got the flowers and he has got the wine and the music is playing romantically. It’s a very romantic song! So he basically says “I am sorry”. You know “you can break a heart with just a word or two, and take a lifetime to apologize, when the one you love is in front of your eyes”. And he is obviously aware of the fact that she is lovely and that other people are going to think she is beautiful too. So he is realizing that she is an independent person and can end their relationship at any time. But he is kind of basically saying “Listen, I am really sorry for what happened. This is our favourite place and it’s you and me and let’s see if we can get back together again.” And he is saying “Now that I found you, I am never letting go.”

January 12, 2009
Manuel Fraßmann (29) from Freiberg am Neckar, Germany:
Hi Chris, first of all I'd like to say hello to you and everyone. Thank you for the wonderful music. The great lyrics and divine melodies already touch my heart for almost 20 years of my life. Since I was 21 years old I try to create songs by myself. I'm 29 years old. 3, maybe 4 years ago I woke up deep in the night, everyone was sleeping. Only the dream I had was in my mind. And in this dream I was in a CD store. I was listening to some CDs and searched for some rare songs from CHRIS DE BURGH. Suddenly, there is it. A little older one. Maybe from the end of the 80s. But I don't know the songs on it. I was listening to 3-4 songs. Immediately I fell in love with the melody. It was the perfect melody that a song ever can have. And then I woke up. But the melody was still there. I realized that the song isn't there on any album from Chris de Burgh. I thought it's interesting but I was too tired to get my guitar and write down the melody. And when I woke up again in the morning, I couldn't remember anything. Nothing was there anymore. Now it's 4 years ago. And sometimes I'm dreaming of the same CD store, holding the CD in my hand. But unfortunately I dream only parts of the dream. I think it employs me still and charmed me a goose-struck. And finally my question: Do you have an advice for me, Chris? Perhaps you've lived the same adventure in one of your dreams!? I say thank you for your answer. Even now I'm already excited to listen to you new album "footsteps". Thank you for your heavenly, over not to say, divine music. Best wishes, Manuel Fraßmann
Chris de Burgh:
Well, I have quite often had those dreams. In fact quite recently I had a dream where I heard this amazing melody and I couldn’t place it in the dream, I couldn’t understand where it came from. Of course what happens is, unless you are very lucky, when you wake up the memory is gone and the melody as well. It is very frustrating when that happens, to be perfectly honest. But it does happen, and it has happened to me quite a few times. I suppose what you can do is try to provoke the dream to return by when you start falling asleep. Go back to where the dream began and see if anything comes back again to you, to remind you what you heard and saw the first time.

January 11, 2009
Andy Bertaut (37) from Dublin, Ireland:
You have done something rare in music: you have written a sequel to a song!! (more than once the borderline/say goodbye was amazing!) The one I wanted to ask about, though, was Spanish Train/Devil's Eye. I've always loved these but felt somehow the story wasn't finished. The Lord shows up to foil The Devil when he takes over the TV channels...but we never know the outcome. Have you ever thought of turning this into a trilogy and telling us what happens next?
Chris de Burgh:
The “Borderline” / “Say Goodbye To It All” sequel was interesting, because I wanted to explain what happened next in “Say Goodbye To It All”. Also I have done a sequel to “Lady In Red”, which is “called Five Past Dreams”, which was the second part of that song. For a long time I have been considering doing a sequel to my song “Love Of The Heart Divine” to explain what happened after the girl waving goodbye to the young man who is going off to fight in the Great War, the First World War, and she feels the baby kicking inside as she stands on the station platform. I have often wondered what happened next. But I do have a very good and strong idea of the next part of that particular story. I won’t reveal it here, but it’s quite a tear jerker and I think it will work very well in a song. I’ll get round to that at some stage. As far as the Devil is concerned, yes, he is omnipresent and he had a bit of a good time in “Spanish Train” by cheating. This is based on the premise that if there is this extraordinary, supernatural war going on between good and evil in the shape of God and the Devil, there are times when evil is definitely winning. I don’t think anybody can dispute that or disagree with it. Then in “The Devil’s Eye” I just got this idea of maybe as we are watching television, maybe the Devil himself is watching us trying to manipulate. There is no doubt at all, also I am quite sure that particularly the American military, knowing the power of television and the power of mass hypnosis, they must have considered at some stage using television information for propaganda, and I am sure it still goes on a lot, which is why I urge people not to believe anything of what you read and only very little of what you see. Because you have to remember that when you are watching a news programme, you are 1) watching what the editor of the news programme has decided you are going to watch and his particular political affiliations and meanings, maybe in disagreement with what you believe, but that’s you are being told is fact and 2) we are being told a tiny amount of actually what is going on. But many people believe that they are in possession of all the facts and therefore they can make judgements on for example what is going on in Afghanistan or Iraq or Iran or any other part of the world, whereas the real truth is very difficult to find, in my opinion. I think the Devil maybe resurrected as it were in the internet. I think the internet is such a powerful tool now, and you never know, he might make an appearance some time by taking over the internet, which will be a scary thought.

January 10, 2009
Sophia Trummer (43) from Stockstadt, Germany:
Hello Dear Storyman, Last night I looked up your name in the book of names I have on my shelf and consulted the internet on your namesake, St. Christophorus. ("The Golden") Legend tells that he as a ferryman once carried the Christ Child across a river which got swollen and difficult, Christophorus afterward complaining about the weight he had to carry, but then recognising the child as his true king, the moment of his conversion when the child said "You had on your shoulders not only the whole world but him who made it. I am Christ your king, whom you are serving by this work." Christopher is also the patron saint of travellers today. This has been completely new to me (!) and I am having a smile on my face. Here are three questions: When did you first come across this legend and the meaning of your namesake, have you been addressed on this topic already, and what do you think about the saying "nomen est omen"? Have a wonderful time. Love, Sophia
Chris de Burgh:
A question from Sophia, another great supporter – thank you for that! Very interesting question. I knew about the legend of St. Christopher, but I was unaware that he was a ferryman strangely enough. And I didn’t refer to that in my song “Don’t Pay The Ferryman”. I thought St. Christopher was just somebody who helped the Christ child. But you’ll notice that in my other song “The Risen Lord” about a man who believes he has met the Lord and has returned from the grave, almost like the good Samaritan, you’ll notice that I come up with a lyric that he believes that he has felt the weight from another world. This is almost the same story. Based on an interesting old saying which is you should be kind to all strangers, because you never know if it is maybe Christ who has returned in the second coming. So there is quite a number of things in your question which I have referred to in my songs. And I am aware also that St. Christopher is the patron saint of travellers, even to this day. Your questions are – the legend I have known for years, and I have know being Christopher that’s what it refers to. The reason that I am named Christopher is because in Argentina St. Christopher’s Day is the 13th of October. And my mother was unable to give birth to me until the 15th of October, but they liked the name. And in Spanish it is called Cristobal, and I would have been called Cristobal for the first few years of my life living in Argentina. And the saying “nomen est omen”, I presume means the way you are named is some kind of omen for the future. I think there is a lot to be said for the possibilities there, but also numerology is another interesting area to predict destiny.

January 9, 2009
Natasha (22) from Moldova:
What is the history of the song Natasha Dance?
Chris de Burgh:
The background to the song “Natasha Dance” is that I started playing the piano one evening and I was playing a selection of chords that reminded me of Russian music. And following a recent trip there I was thinking about how the history of a country must be reflected in its people of today. Not just because of what they have learned in school and learned from living in their country through the culture and the artistic history, but also I suspect through the DNA that we all have, taking us back through some kind of race memory to a previous time. The Russian history in particular has been in some respects brutal, when millions of people have died in various wars and famines, even in the most recent 20th century. And I am suggesting in this song that I am a visitor from outside, from the West, who has met this beautiful Natasha and has fallen in love. And they are lovers and I am describing a scene where they are in her apartment and it is quite sensual and erotic, and he looks out the window and “the rain is running rivers on my window and shimmers on the streetlights down below.” I immediately had a vision of looking down from the second floor of a man wearing a rain coat and a hat standing underneath the streetlight, possibly he has something to do with the security services. Maybe this man is following me, I don’t know, but it’s just part of the movie that I had in my mind. And the key to this is that when she “whispers of a life I have never known” and “when you dance, will you tell me in a story, the joy and pain of living in your world”, which means that when she dances, in my song, I feel that what she is doing is demonstrating her joy of being alive and in that country, but also the pain that she brought into her life from the past as I have just suggested. And then of course we go into the next part of the song where he wakes up and thinks that this has just been a dream and she was never there at all. And then she has left roses on his pillow and she will come back again to dance for him again. And in the dance she will really release all her inhibitions and all her emotions and teach this man about her own country and her own life, which is so fascinating for us from this part of the world.

January 8, 2009
Andrew Stokes (23) from Dublin, Ireland:
Hi Chris. I don't know if you have come across my name on this page before as I have asked you a question on this site but from studying the archives, I don't think you have gotten the chance to reply. Maybe you might get to read this one! First of all, as I have mentioned before, your music was introduced to me by my older brother who brought home the 1985 album "The Very Best of Chris De Burgh" from Golden Discs. As he was the one who introduced me to you words, I have the ownership to that memorable record today which still plays on my record player. I would just like to ask you, does any of your music or anybody else's music remind you of a time, person or place? For example whenever I listen to that record of yours, it always takes me back to those days when I lived in Inchicore and when my brother would be listening to that record in the living room of our flat. Also your album "Flying Colours", which my brother had on cassette tape, anytime I listen to any of the songs on that album I just think of Inchicore or even when I'm passing through Inchicore, I always start singing "Tender Hands" or "Sailing Away" to myself. Sorry for going on a bit but I just wanted to explain what I wanted to ask you. Your Dublin fan and friend, Andrew. (p.s, you winked at me in Gleneagles in 2005 on stage and shook my hand - thanks)
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, Andrew, I am very familiar with your name. Thank you for the support and indeed the questions down the years. In terms of what music does to remind us of time and place, indeed this is very important, and I think it’s the same way that many of the senses do take us back to somewhere that we have been to before, like a quick sight of a ship or a boat in the harbour might take us back to a childhood memory. Smells as well, of cooking, of summer smells, of something in a garden, a rose, can catapult us back to another time. And the same thing with music, yes I entirely agree with that. For me there are many, many pieces of music that take me back to where I was. And I think that is the wonderful thing about music. It becomes for many people the footsteps and the footprints of their lives. It’s the way that you can suddenly remember where you were when you heard a song first and for me there are many, many instances of this happening. Other people’s music, and in particular when I listen to my own music, I remember the circumstances of the writing of the song, how excited I was about it, the recording process, all the difficulties you go through when you are trying to make a record. A tiny example of this is when I recorded a song that I have written for my eldest son, when he was born, Hubie. It was called “Just A Word Away” from the “Flying Colours” album. I was singing that just with voice and guitar, live. And at the same time there were people outside who were demolishing large sections of that part of London, right outside where the studio was. And we could pick it up all through the studios. Soundproof, we could still hear this hammering going on. So finally one of the guys went out and spoke to a member of the demolishing crew and said “Look, we are trying to record a song inside.” And it turned out that these fellows working were Irish and they said “Oh, it’s Chris de Burgh!” and they put down tools for about 45 minutes. So we finished the song that you hear on the record and they started to work again almost immediately afterwards. It’s incidents like that which are wonderful to remember and of course I think it’s the best thing about enjoying the music. Not just for now, but for future memories.

January 7, 2009
Ayhan Yildiz (38) from Balikesir, Turkey:
What is the story of "A Rainy Night In Paris"? So it's still hurting my heart.
Chris de Burgh:
The story behind “A Rainy Night In Paris” is really about two people who have met and fallen in love in the world’s most beautiful city, and certainly the world’s most romantic city, Paris. And I think they say all those supportive things that lovers say to each other when they are about to be separated. And he is about to fly away across the other side of the world. I like to bring in a little bit of French here into the song. “She gave him words to turn to when the winter nights were long. ‘Nous serons encore amoureux avec les couleurs de printemps.’” which means essentially they will meet again when there are flowers on the Champs Elysées. They both say to each other we will meet again in the spring time, but the sad part of it is, they probably won’t, because in her eyes he sees the words of love are only words to please. And I am afraid this is something that people often do. They don’t do it to hurt, but they realize that in fact the love they have for each other may not survive the difficulties of being so far apart.

January 6, 2009
Donna Rigglesford (38) from East Sussex, England:
Hi Chris, What is your favourite song and album of all time? Thank you for your music for many years and hope it continues. Keep up the good work.
Chris de Burgh:
This question is almost impossible for me to answer. I have so many favourite songs and so many favourite albums. I think a lot of it depends on the mood that I am in, whether I want to be nostalgic, whether I want to be excited. And I presume here you are asking me about other people’s music. If I were to be asked about my own, again it depends on exactly the same criteria: mood. Sometimes I listen to a song like “The Simple Truth (A Child Is Born”) and play it really loudly. And I just float away. I think some of the guitar playing on that record is absolutely extraordinary, by my old friend Phil Palmer who has played on all the albums since The Getaway in 1982. Other times I like to listen to The Beatles for example. Recently I listened to their album version of “Let It Be”. And I remember when I was just a teenager playing that song very, very loudly down in my parents’ castle in Wexford during the summer when we had guests to stay. And I get chilled again listening to the guitar solo in the middle of the song. So I think it all depends on how I am feeling, to be honest. In the classical world there is lots and lots of beautiful classical music that I love to listen to. I’d say one of my favourites is a version of Handel’s Largo which starts with a massive organ introduction, and it sounds absolutely beautiful. It is very, very moving.

January 5, 2009
Thirza Leuhof (32) from Zoetermeer, The Netherlands:
My daughter is 8 years old and she loves your song 'raging storm'. I translated it for her and she was very emotional by the words, you and Kristyna sing. I explained to her that the woman in the song is going to die and that you both will meet each other in heaven someday. It is really a beautiful song, but we want to know what you are singing about? My daughter thinks that Kristyna is going to die......
Chris de Burgh:
I think that you probably got the story slightly wrong and indeed in the album “The Storyman” I have put in the imagination and the story that I believe is the background to the song. Quite simply, it was about a man in a war-torn country, walking through a bombed out village and he sees emerging from a broken-down building a little girl of about the same age as your daughter, 8 years old, clutching her teddy bear. And she is bruised and blooded. And it transpires that her parents have both been killed in the bombs. And a passing stranger takes pity on her and brings her back to his home to live with him and his family. He has children of the same age. So the song really takes place about 10 or 11 years later, when the girl has grown up and the guns of war are still in the background and he, her sort of stepfather, tells her it’s time for her to go and find her own feet and her own place in the world. Although he loves her dearly like a father, he knows that the time will come when she must leave. But she says that they will meet again, and they probably do. So it’s not such a sad story as you and your daughter may have thought it to be. It’s a positive, hopeful one.

January 4, 2009
Sandra Beth Stanton (45) from Montréal, Canada:
I have noticed that some of your songs have two levels of meaning (A Spaceman Came Travelling, Just Another Poor Boy)...the basic story meaning but also a much deeper spiritual meaning...is this intentional on your part or coincidental..... just the way I am hearing them as a listener?
Chris de Burgh:
Hi Sandra Beth! Of course as I have mentioned many times before, I love being in Montréal, full of great memories and great friends. I have had fantastic concerts there. The audiences are always amazing and very warm and very affectionate. The songs you are referring to (“A Spaceman Came Travelling” and “Just Another Poor Boy”) do have deeper meanings. The first one refers to the possibility, and this takes you into the realm of “What If”, what if the star of Bethlehem was a space craft from another world with a message of love and peace coming from other beings to the Christ Child who has just been born. And it just has another look at the famous Christmas story. The second one was a reflection on how Jesus must have been considered and looked upon. At his time many people did not like him and those who believed in him and followed him, must have thought he was an incredible deity, somebody who had extraordinary powers, miraculous powers. But for others he was just another poor boy, just another fellow. And I think the key line in this song is the soldier who says “Who was he anyway? Just another poor boy!” I think when you look at the arrival, the emergence of Jesus in his time, he would not have stood out from the crowd initially until later on in his life and then of course the extraordinary events that preceded his crucifixion and indeed afterwards to create the Christianity we now know in the world today.

January 3, 2009
Nathalie Ménard (42) from Marieville, Québec, Canada:
Hi Chris! First let me thank you for all the wonderful songs and music you have written over the years - It's really hard for me to pick a favorite, there are too many! I have to admit, though, that I have a particular soft spot for the few French versions of some of your hits, like "quand je pense a toi" and "c'est comme un reve". I want to know if you will continue doing this (I didn't see one on The Storyman, although I could not wait for a possible Canadian edition!), because it's really appreciated by the fans out here! We also can't wait to see you back here in concert (I know it's a bit selfish of us, but we do miss you lots!). Take care.
Chris de Burgh:
Thanks for your lovely words about my songs and of course you know full well that I love coming to Québec. I love to speak French and indeed I have recorded, as you pointed out, several songs in French. The most recent one I recorded in French was with Marie-Élaine Thibert, a French-Canadian artist who had enormous success with her album. And the one we recorded was an old song of mine called “Lonely Sky” in French. It did extremely well for her. I would very much like to return to concerts over in Canada and of course I will always be interested in recording not just in French, but also other foreign languages.

January 2, 2009
Sina (17) from Tehran, Iran:
Hi Chris, how are you? Certainly you will see my information when answering my questions and you will know that I am from Iran, but now I am in Taiwan, 6000 km away from my family. and I AM ONLY 17, so I cry sometimes, and I listen to your songs, giving me comfort. Thank you very much for your great songs and voice. Now, my questions! Well, I have read these notes saying " don't ask questions that were asked before and don't blah blah blah... and don't blah blah blah..., so I read all the archives and I found that my questions weren't asked before. So, I hope to get an answer this time, because I had sent questions before, but never got an answer. Anyway, I have two questions. First, I watched your "Beautiful Dreams" concert recently and it was fantastic, especially "The Snows Of New York" that I couldn't stop listening to it, how did you come up with the name "The Snows Of "New York""? I mean how did "New York" come to your mind? And my second question which is very intriguing and maybe "mysterious" to me and perhaps to many other people, is that why are there so many "chairs" on your shirt in that concert? Well, actually it is very beautiful and good looking, but I think you had something in your mind and you wanted to say something by wearing that shirt, didn't you? And by the way, where did you buy it? I really like to have one. Is it possible to have it online sold in your website? Thank you very much, Hope to see you soon in Iran
Chris de Burgh:
I have experienced home sickness and being away from your family, particularly at a young age, and it is very painful. And it’s absolutely horrible, so I have great sympathy for you at the moment and for your situation. “The Snows Of New York” was based on an idea that I had about two brothers, living on a small farm in the West of Ireland. And one of them is about to leave for America to seek his fortune in the new world. And the other is going to have to stay and look after the farm. And I can see the dawn coming up and I can see the hillside, the stone walls, the two men who have been up all night talking about their dreams and hopes for the future. The reason I came up with New York as a destination is because that would have been for very many people from Ireland, particularly during the famine years of the mid 19th century, that’s where they would have the first port of call, if they were going by boat. In my particular imagination on this song, as I was writing the lyric, I just felt that one of them was going to New York and if any of the people reading this have been to New York in winter time, it’s very, very cold and very windy, and there is plenty of snow around. And I just felt that if you are lonely and away from home, to be in somewhere like New York and it’s very cold and you are dreaming of being back home, it would, I think, inspire you to become fairly emotional. That’s why in the song one of them is saying to the other “When you need me in the Snows of New York, lift your heart and think of me.” The second question is about my shirt on the Beautiful Dreams video. There is no significance to that. It is one of several beautiful silk shirts I bought from an English company called Timney Fowler in the Kings Road in Chelsea. And I just particularly liked that one and I thought I would wear it for the concert, because it was light and comfortable to wear. And I think it looks pretty good on the film.

January 1, 2009
Julia (58) from Melbourne, Australia:
Hi Chris, over the years you would have travelled to many parts of the world and seen many interesting places and would have done many exciting things on your travels, but is there a place that you have not yet seen or something that you have not yet done which you would dearly love to do, but due to circumstances still haven't got around to it? Best Wishes, Julia.
Chris de Burgh:
Hi Julia! I know your city of Melbourne very well and I have enjoyed the various occasions I have been there. Most recently, I believe it was about 2 or 3 years ago, on the way back from New Zealand, I did a concert there. One place that I would love to travel, but I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance, is to space. I’d love to see the planet Earth from above and I’d love to have the thrill of seeing our fragile planet from far away. For me that would be just incredibly exciting. Another thing that I have never done is parachuting, but I am not sure I’d have the courage to do that, because it looks pretty scary, even if you are parachuting in tandem. Places that I would like to visit on planet Earth would probably include the Southern part of South America, which I believe is very beautiful: Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. I’d like to see a bit of China and perhaps even India, because I have never been to either of those places, although to China I have been, to Hong Kong and to Hainan. But apart from that there are not a lot of places that I haven’t been to. And I can’t really think of any place that I’d rather go or be than in Europe, because in Europe I love the history and the culture.

December 31, 2008
Sabine Brettschneider (41) from Marktoberdorf, Germany:
Dear Chris, your music has accompanied me for many, many years. Actually the first concert I've ever been to in my life was on the Getaway Tour in Munich. And although my musical taste has changed dramatically since then, your songs still touch my heart and I always enjoy listening to them. I visit this site from time to time and I am very deeply impressed by your answers. They are so detailed, sometimes profound, sometimes funny and always very warm hearted and honest. I just love reading them. Doesn't it take a lot of time to answer all these questions? I'm sure you are very busy, how do you manage it?
Chris de Burgh:
A lovely question! I love to read about the early influences and how you enjoyed my first concert in Munich on The Getaway tour. And you say that your musical taste has changed – I wonder whether you’ve gone more classical orientated in your musical desires or whether you’ve gone into sort of hard rock. But nevertheless when music is being part of your musical journey and takes you back to places that you love to remember, then it’s very important and has a tremendous effect. It certainly has on me, when I think about the songs that influenced me. It makes me sometimes quite emotional, remembering that I was listening to that song for the first time when I was, say for example, 15 and full of dreams or 20 with a heartache or whenever it happened to have been. Answering these questions is wonderful, because I know that a lot of people enjoy reading these answers and it’s a connection that was referred to earlier in a question about connecting with my audience. I really enjoy connecting with my audience, because some artists believe that there should not be a bridge between the stage and the audience and I am the absolute opposite. From the very moment I am on a stage I want people to relax and feel comfortable in my company and this is one of the reasons why I have often been in the audience, or invited people from the audience to come up and sing with me. You know there is no difference between me and anybody else. I just happen to have an ability in one particular area, but everybody has an ability or a talent. And my one happens to be entertaining and song writing. So sharing these gifts is a wonderful thing and part of it is what I am doing right now which is talking directly to people all over the world. To finish the answer, yes it does take a lot of time and energy to answer these questions. It also involves a lot of time for Astrid, so I am extremely grateful to her for her help in getting the MOtL questions and answers onto the website.

December 30, 2008
Rob Lump (39) from Kent, UK:
Hi Chris. Which up and coming singer do you think is the natural heir to your musical legacy?
Chris de Burgh:
It’s a difficult question to answer, because I am not one of these people who has his ear to the current modern sounds. And I have very little idea who is the up and coming next Chris de Burgh. Possibly it could have been James Blunt, but he has gone very quiet. I am sure there are quite a few people out there who are extremely talented and play guitar and sing, but I think what I’d be looking for if I was looking for an heir to what I have done, I would look for somebody with imagination and the ability to think, as we say, outside of the box. Not just follow the well-worn trodden path the current music business is demanding, but be original, be different, be yourself! Because by being yourself you can achieve an awful lot more. And it’s much more satisfying. Even if you fail, at least you know you’ve done it on your own terms. But I do also believe that it’s going to be extremely unlikely that people who are in today’s music business will be able to have a long-lasting career as long as I have had, because there are so many different circumstances involved. However if somebody out there is reading this and feels that they have the chance to have a 34 year international career, well, I wish you the very best of luck.

December 29, 2008
Sophia Trummer (42) from Stockstadt, Germany:
Dear Chris, I had the idea to ask you this question because you say that you use to drink a lot of water during the day - so I guess you know very well the importance of water. I have held this story back for some time - partly because I was afraid of people's reactions and their comments, and partly because I thought I would need it some day. Now this day has come. I would like to tell you a beautiful story about New Zealand and ask you the question subsequently. The story is true. Here it is: When I was on my first visit to New Zealand, and on my last tramp, the Dusky Track which is in one of the remotest places there, in the South West of the South Island (James Cook gave the Sound its name), I was on the fifth day walking up to Centre Pass. Half way up, finding a nice spot for a break with a great view of the valley, I suddenly realised that I had no more water. Only little was left in my bottle. With all the scenery, I simply forgot to fill up my bottle down in the valley at the stream. A nasty situation, knowing that you can survive a long time in the wilderness without any food - but not without water. It's a matter of a few days, and you have to be found rather quickly, if something happens. So I had two options: Either backtracking down to the stream, which would have meant adding another 3 hours to a day's tramp which was already 7 hours, or take the risk and climbing up the Pass, perhaps not finding a stream there. And while I was thinking about that, I heard a small noise. I looked beside me and saw some drops of water falling down from the rock I was leaning on. "Now this is nice, I thought, but not enough to fill my bottle!" Suddenly the drops became more, and finally it was flowing, just slightly, but it was. I instantly put my bottle there, and after about 10 minutes I had my bottle filled with water. I shouldered my backpack, said good-bye to the view, had a big "Thank You" in my mind, and when I turned round to go on, and looked back, the running water suddenly turned into drops again, and ceased. People may have many explanations for this. A small rock must have shifted, perhaps dividing a small stream - and shifting back again, because the water ceased after a few minutes. Or it was an act of God, or an act of Angels, or.... As for me, my common sense at this moment simply told me "Don't think, just take it". Now my question: As so many people seem to search for a proof for the existence of God in life, or hunting for miracles as this one obviously has been - Now is it not only a matter of belief? What do you think? Love, Sophia
Chris de Burgh:
A great story from Sophia Trummer with a question at the end about the existence of God and the existence of angels. Well, I have my own personal strong beliefs about this particular issue, but I do think that sometimes when people send out a message in their minds similar to prayer that you need help, I think quite often if you open your eyes and listen with your ears and internally in your brain, you will hear and see the answers. And what happened to you with the water was one of those moments. You may not even have noticed the drops unless you were desperate to have your water bottle filled. But it happened for you, and you walked away thinking that this is some kind of act of miraculous proportions and it probably was. But I think it was because you were sending out the signals that it actually happened, and I think this is what we need to do when we want something particularly to happen and change. The power of prayer and the energy behind that request will work.

December 28, 2008
Doreen Gardner (51) from Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, UK:
Hi Chris, would you take me through a typical day at home? I.e. meals, favourite tv etc.? I have been a fan for 23 years.
Chris de Burgh:
Well, Doreen, I can’t really tell you there’s a typical day of Chris de Burgh. Until recently, until my youngest could drive and got a driver license, I would take him to school every morning, leaving the house shortly after 8 o’clock. Then I would love to take some exercise like a good strong walk or indeed a swim. And then take care of stuff during the day, phone calls, pay bills, send e-mails and those kinds of things. Maybe meet up with some friends at lunch time or indeed maybe just go somewhere local and have a bite to eat. During the afternoon, if I am working on an album I would go to my studio. But I’m not bound to be in my studio. I am not one of these people that I have read about recently, and I think it’s so sad that some of these guys spend 9 to 5 in their own composing studios. I could not do that, there is too much going on in my life! I like reading, I like sport on TV for example, if it’s golf or football or tennis even, I like to watch that. I watch movies at home on DVD. If I am away on tour, my life is completely upside down and it all depends on what is happening on that day and the amount of travelling. But I do like to lead a busy life.

December 27, 2008
Christina Martin (28) from London, UK:
Chris, I hope you are well. My question is, do you ever serenade your wife? Or do you draw a line between your job of singer songwriter and your home? I suppose I am also asking because I'd love to be serenaded with one of your songs, they are brilliant!
Chris de Burgh:
What a lovely question! I am sure if I had the opportunity to serenade you, I would love to do that. But as far as my wife is concerned, I kind of tend to wander around the house sometimes with a guitar on, or if there is a melody that I am working on in another room on the piano, it does drift around. So by the time I have made a record, my family have often heard quite a lot of the melodies that have been created. But I don’t necessarily sit down with them and play them my new song, because I am quite sure they would all start laughing or something. Possibly not laughing, but I think the best place to hear them is either from a record when the song is completed or live, because quite often when you are just composing a song, there is an awful lot more that has to be changed and added or even reduced from the original piece of music.

December 26, 2008
Monica Ganguly (34) from Wuppertal, Germany:
Hi Chris, I have got an old article from the beginning of the 80's and it reads that you are a good chess player and try to teach your wife Diane playing it. My Dad could also play chess and sometimes we played. Unfortunately, I couldn't play anymore since his death. Are you still playing chess? Regards, Monica
Chris de Burgh:
Thanks very much Monica for your question about chess. Of course chess is an incredibly complicated game. I don’t play it particularly well. I haven’t played chess for a long time. It was one of those games, I suppose, when I was a student, somebody would have a draughts board or a chess board and spend the evenings by laughing a lot, possibly drinking too much and trying to play chess. But it’s not something I was particularly good at. I can’t even remember if I tried to teach my wife. Probably not, because her sister was going out with my friend Paulo, who was very good at chess, and maybe she learned through him. But there is a picture on the front of my album “Best Moves” where there are two pictures of me playing chess with myself. And if you are a chess player, if you look at the board, you’ll see that a move is about to happen that is going to cause a checkmate.

December 25, 2008
Wendy Louwrier (40) from Leidendorp, The Netherlands:
Dear Chris, my best friend (a woman) has a tough life. She has been diagnosed with cancer twice, but fortunately is healthy again. During her illness, she managed to take care of her two little sons (3 and 6 years old) and her husband as well as she could. I admire her for her strength and the courage to fight back. My own life was not so easy either. My husband left me and my kids, 5 years ago, and that was a hard time, but I listened to your music a lot and that helped me through difficult times. And when I was listening to your music, a lot of things came clear to me, and pieces of a puzzle came together. A lot of your songs helped me to figure out how my future life should be. But now my question: my very best friend, the one I told you about, is not very fond of your music, and I don't understand that at all, because I think it would give her power and strength too, and it will make her happy, like it makes me happy. She doesn't need music in her life. Can you imagine that? And do you have any idea how I can make her enthusiastic about your music? I miss you in Holland, please come back soon! Lots of love and thank you for your wonderful and inspiring music, Wendy
Chris de Burgh:
I have spoken about many of the other places in the world that I enjoy visiting and the Netherlands is of course a place that I have been to many times and I have enjoyed performing there and meeting the fans in Holland. Your question is a very interesting one. Firstly may I say how sorry I am that your own difficulties happened 5 years ago, but I am delighted that my music helped you through a tough time. As far as your friend is concerned, well that is completely different, because you can’t impose a taste from somebody although you know in your heart that it will help. It’s possibly one of two things. Either she just doesn’t like the music, which is entirely possible. After all this is one of the great diversities of life that people do not all like the same thing. Or secondly maybe she doesn’t want to listen, in case it takes her to a place inside herself she is scared to go into. I don’t know her, but it’s possible. People who have been deeply hurt and scared are very afraid to return to that place and look into their own hearts, because it can be very difficult and very traumatic. But it sounds like she is a good friend and maybe you can help her to go to that place. If it’s not my music that can help, perhaps she likes classical music. I think one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written is the Largo by Handel. That for me is a sublime and almost spiritual piece of music to listen to. But maybe you could let Astrid know at the website, whether you are successful in persuading her to listen to some of the songs that have moved you so much and helped you in the past.
Editor's Note:
Sorry for the delay in uploading MOtL over the holidays, there were some technical difficulties. We would like to wish all readers of MOtL a wonderful Christmas and aVery Happy New Year! Thanks for all your support!

December 23, 2008
Randy Whitten (50) from St. John's Newfoundland, Canada:
Hi Chris. I've been a fan of yours since Spanish Train and have been going to your shows since we were 'both' young during your first show here in April of 1979. I've always said the best Chris De Burgh song that you never wrote or recorded is "A Criminal Mind" by Canadian performer Lawrence Gowan. Have you ever heard it and are you familiar with his music? Hope to see you back here soon. All the best.
Chris de Burgh:
Whenever I see that name of your city, I smile with so many memories and reflections about this wonderful part of Canada. It’s been so good to me in the past. And I have been to Newfoundland and in particular St. John’s many, many times and always enjoyed the rugged landscape, the humour of the people, the great feelings that we inspire during concerts. I think one of the recent times that I was there was a solo show and just a terrific night. I am very fond of that part of the world. You asked me about Lawrence Gowan. If memory serves me correctly, he was involved with the Princess Diana tribute concert that I performed in, it must have been about 8 to 10 years ago. And it was in the grounds of her former home, where her brother, Charles Spencer, lived, called Althorp. I remember, and I am sure it’s the same guy who played the piano, that a group of us went into the main house and my wife and I stayed there after the concert for the night as guests of Earl Spencer. This guy, Lawrence Gowan, played the piano and he sang loads of songs including Beatles Songs, and I think he sang “Martha my dear” and played the piano brilliantly. Now the song that you are referring to, I don’t know, but I’ll have a look at it and I’ll see if I can agree with your point of view about it

December 22, 2008
Ian McDonald (43) from Vancouver, BC, Canada:
Hi Chris, I have a problem. I have come up with a chorus to a song, not much really, just four simple lines, a little melody and a fantastic title. It popped into my head after a visit with my Mom who has been missing my Dad since he died a few years ago and has been waiting to see him again when her time comes. I know you have some great songs on the subject, The Journey, Carry Me, etc, and so does Diamond Rio, God Only Cries For The Living, I Believe to name a few. Like you, I cannot read or write music, I can't even play an instrument or sing, (actually when I sing I sound like bagpipes on helium), but I know a great song when I hear one. So my question is, what do you think I should do with it? Thanks, Ian.
Chris de Burgh:
This is a name I am familiar with from the past and I am sure you are still enjoying living in one of the most beautiful parts of North America. My advice to you, Ian, about this particular melody line and song is get somebody who doesn’t sound like a set of bagpipes to sing it for you and perhaps record it on a video recorder. And then if you feel that this could be of comfort to other people, watching or listening, then you should post it onto YouTube. And if you do that, maybe you could let the website know and we could all have a look and feel what you felt about your mother missing your Dad who has died. And the feelings and the emotions that come not just to songwriters, but to everybody are worth preserving and worth sharing with other people who need to have their own grief helped by others who are going through the same thing.

December 21, 2008
Christa Korzenietz (53) from Landshut, Germany:
Hi Chris, first of all many thanks for this wonderful open air-concert in Landshut last Sunday. When you came down the stage during "Lady in Red" you passed me, and first I thought you posed for a photo but later on I was pretty sure that was an invitation to dance, because I have worn a red suit. Well I could kill myself now, was probably the only chance in my life. I'm a bereavement counsellor for the last 15 years after I'd lost my husband through a car accident and since then I often use some of your songs to give comfort to this selfaid-groups. I translate the words into German for them, because these your words have helped me so much I wanted to share this experience with others. Songs like "Carry me like a fire in your heart", "Songbird" und "Same Sun". Especially the last one means a lot to me, to me it is like my lost husband would sing this to me from heaven above. I know that you are an Ambassador for the Untied Nations, to me you are an Ambassador for Heaven or Spirit, sent to us to give so many comfort through these words. And this is my question: I know that you are a religious and spiritual person, do you feel that you get this inspiration from the world of spirit? I'm a very spiritual and religious person too, since the death of my husband I was seeking and searching my way and tasks in life and through this I try to help know adults as well as children, to cope again with life after the loss of a parent or partner and so on. And sometimes words come out of my mouth and I wonder where this all came from? I work as a translator in Stansted Hall (Spiritual Center near London) in the German Week and I'm a Healer within SNU, anyway don't bother you with my story, but really sometimes these words are out of these world, and you yourself are an angel heaven sent to me. You touch so many souls with your songs, thank you so much and I hope to get an answer. Well if it is meant to be I will get an answer. I'm looking forward too. Love and best wishes Christa
Chris de Burgh:
I think this question is a stand-alone statement. I think it reads absolutely fantastically well. And I couldn’t really have answered this question any better than the way Christa has put it. But I’ll attempt to answer some of the parts of this and make a comment about the other parts. Landshut was the last concert on my summer tour and it was absolutely fantastic. I loved every minute of it. What a beautiful setting, beautiful buildings and the people hanging out of the buildings above me to the side, and a large enthusiastic crowd! Yes, I probably did want to dance with you, there may have been a difficulty getting my guitar out of the way or something at that particular moment. But what you are saying about being a bereavement counsellor and how sometimes you feel that you are being inspired and helped by a spirit, another power to talk to people and give them comfort. I know exactly what you mean, because there are times when I wonder where on earth my words come from. And you mention specifically “The Same Sun”. I adore listening to the song and I adore singing it, because it takes me somewhere where I never believed I was intending to go. I felt like I was on a journey and I was being transported there by a different kind of imagination that was helping me and inspiring me and pushing me. You ask are you a religious and spiritual person? Well, I would take out the first word there. I am not actually particularly religious, but I respect other people’s religions. But I am definitely a spiritual person. I had the opportunity to go and see a lady recently from England who is a psychic healer and a spiritualist medium, called Margaret Hurdman. And I urge everybody reading these words to click on her website, because her gifts are quite extraordinary. And to see things happening in front of your very eyes and here people gasping in astonishment, when they are told things about their background and those who have died before them, trying to contact them, it is really incredible. So part of my brain is still a little sceptical, because human beings always want to find reasons why things happen, but I certainly feel that there are other powers helping us. And certainly in my life I have been incredibly lucky, extraordinarily fortunate to have achieved what I have achieved and to have a wonderful family and lifestyle and friends around me. But keep on doing what you are doing. I am sure that the angels are looking after you.

December 20, 2008
Chris Williams (56) from Basildon, Essex, UK:
Hi Chris, just a very quick and simple question here.................how do you feel about people putting 'your concert' video bits on YouTube? I'd be very interested in your answer!! Thanks for a great summer 2008 tour......even if it was wet and cold at most of them!! Love and hugs, Chris(W)thebluehealer xxXxx
Chris de Burgh:
Firstly I’d like to say here, Chris, thank you so much again for organizing that amazing book which I am looking at right now, saying “Happy 60th birthday wishes Chris” in gold on the front. And I am wondering when I see the gold letters whether it has anything to do with that song “Saint Peter’s Gate”, that was lying on the bed of the character in the song. Thank you for your question. I am sure I will be seeing a lot of you and the other super fans next year during our concerts. You know this thing about putting videos on YouTube, I suspect it is a difficult question for me to answer, because part of me is saying I don’t approve of it. But on the other hand I think it’s a very good thing for people to see possibly what an event that they were actually attending and enjoyed or other people who weren’t there have a chance to see and perhaps come and see for themselves. The internet has changed drastically and dramatically the music business, sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. For the bad I would suggest that internet piracy is still a huge issue and is causing a lot of people a lot of headaches. Not just the record companies, but spare a thought for people like me who can spend months and months taking time out to write songs and spending a lot of my own money making a record only to have it pirated. This is basically stealing the money from me. And that’s not such a great thing. But the good thing on the other side is that the internet means that a lot of people can be aware of what is going on in live concerts for example. I know that already a large number of the concerts that are on sale for me next year are selling extremely well, and I would put this down to the internet and its availability of information. So YouTube does help that. And next time I look at YouTube and look at some of my stuff, I will have a smile and remember the event that it was recorded at.

December 19, 2008
Ursula (31) from Switzerland:
Dear Chris, One enchanting thing about your music is the stories which are told. I think therefore you kept the precious gift that every child has but most of adults are loosing during lifetime: Imagination. One of my favourite saying says 'imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited'. But the thing I admire most about you is your capability to put situations, feelings and sociocritical matters into straight words - even into lyrics! To come to my question: When I watch you at concerts or read about you in the news or in the list, then you have this image of being perfect, to have no fault. Always amiable, patient and liberal. But nobody is perfect. So please allow me to ask a bit provocative: What would you say is your weakness of character? I wish you all the best, Ursula
Chris de Burgh:
Thank you very much for your most interesting question and of course this comment that imagination is more important than knowledge. Well certainly imagination can take you into realms that knowledge can’t even dream about going into. Because imagination is the ability to fly anywhere with your mental capabilities: do anything, be anybody. It is the one thing that possibly separates human beings from just about every other mammal, it’s this ability to imagine and then create something behind the imagination, which is why the human race is so extraordinary in its creativity and the good things that they have created. I think the bad things are the weapons that we have made, the things that we have created so we can kill as many other fellow human beings as possible. I find that madness. But it’s funny you should ask about perfection, because of course nobody is perfect. I am probably not the person to ask about whether I have weaknesses and things that are not perfect about me. I am a pretty relaxed person. But there are things that get me irritated like everybody. An example of this is that I live in the greater Dublin area in a village that is about half an hour from the city centre, but my broadband capabilities for my internet access are absolutely dreadful. I have done everything I possibly can to change this. Ireland claims to be a country that is at the forefront of technological innovation and education, but sometimes it drives me crazy and I get really irritated and annoyed when a particular service that has been promised doesn’t come through. Similarly, if I am in a restaurant and I get bad service, I don’t like that at all and too many people are scared of saying something, but I don’t. If I need to complain, I always complain by praising some part of the meal and then saying that the other part was dreadful. Maybe you should ask other people around me. I wouldn’t like to think I am an irritable person all the time, but there are things that really get me at it. As far as my moods are concerned, I am in a business that is built on disappointment. Things always go wrong. So I have gotten used to that. I am not a pessimist. Neither am I an optimist. I am a realist, which is just sort of somewhere in the middle. I would like to say that one of my strengths is summed up in this word “empathy”. Empathy is the ability to see and feel what it’s like to be in somebody else’s shoes or situation. I think that can give you a terrific understanding of people around you and maybe those who you have never met. Because with a strong imagination I can imagine what it would be like to be somebody in that particular set of circumstances. As for weaknesses I don’t possibly act on this enough to give some people the sympathy that they deserve. Another one would be the fact that I am not particularly good at looking back at my career and what I have achieved, which is why I went and made a record called “Footsteps” which covers my career to date, the songs that I loved to sing.

December 18, 2008
Daniela Gloatz (46) from Berlin, Germany:
Dear Chris, still very impressed by my experiences from the concert in St. Petersburg there is one thing that moves me: I have seen a lot of your concerts back in the 80ies and during the last years here in Germany. But on this one I became aware for the first time of the fact how much the success and the atmosphere of a concert depends on the audience! I wondered how does it feel for you? You stand in front of the people, you give your utmost and every energy you have on the stage to get us "High on emotion" and the audience is sitting there listening to the music, some are clapping their hands, some are not. Is there a difference from town to town, from country to country? Do you feel during the concert the change of emotions from the audience? Or do you feel "well I have to do this or that more to get them"? And I came aware of the fact that you are the only person in the world who would not be able to sit in the audience and watch a Chris de Burgh concert yourself.. Have you ever realized that? Do you wish to do so? All the best to you and keep on going to make us so lucky by your music and your concerts!!! Daniela
Chris de Burgh:
This is a lovely question about St. Petersburg – which if the readers of this MOtL have not been to, I strongly suggest a visit. Not only is it a very, very beautiful city and I have been there in all sorts of weathers (very cold and lovely and warm), but it’s worth seeing for the architecture and of course for the Hermitage museum. I can tell within about 3 seconds of the houselights going down at the beginning of a concert exactly what is going to happen during the evening. Some places you can feel the audience very excited in the minutes leading up to the beginning of a show. And if we are playing a piece of music like the Storyman theme or When Winter Comes, and they hear that and they start cheering, the anticipation is great. And you know that it’s going to be a very smooth concert where I as a performer and a band leader I don’t have to push too hard to get things to happen the way I want. But sometimes when the houselights go down and you just hear only a little applause, I realize that this has to be treated in a slightly different way. The worst kind of concerts that I certainly have been to where somebody rushes out on stage right from the start and says “Everybody clap your hands!” and of course, if people don’t, then you have lost them. And that is not a good thing to try and do. You must always feel the way your audience wants to be and of course never ever be nervous, which I am not thankfully, but some performers are. The closest description to performance is seduction. And you are gently seducing your audience to come with you and make sure that by the end of the night you have achieved everything you want to and everybody goes home happy and thrilled and wakes up the next day feeling elevated and excited and indeed high on emotion. There are differences from town to town, but more so from country to country. But I think it all depends on the profile that you have enjoyed in that country. If you are a major star in a country you are going to get a lot of excitement. If for example, as I very much hope, I get a chance to perform in Iran, I am quite sure the excitement there is going to be enormous. Some of the countries, there is no point naming them here, but some of the countries can be a bit stiff and even cold in their response, but incredibly even after a performance where you think “well, they didn’t like that very much”, people come and say “this is the best concert we have seen this year”. It’s just that people have a different way of showing their excitement and their respect and their appreciation.

December 17, 2008
Tage Andersson (31) from Atlanta, GA, USA:
Chris - First let me say I've been a fan ever since I heard your records playing at a good friend's house back in 1993. The song was "Transmission Ends" and I was completely glued to the stereo speakers. I wanted to play that song over and over to catch every word. The thought came to my mind back then, "Is there an Afterlife? Or it this all we get? One time around." It is now 2008 (15 years later) and I've finally gotten the courage up to ask you. What do you think about an Afterlife?
Chris de Burgh:
Here is another wonderful question from the United States of America. And may I also take this opportunity to congratulate America and the American voting public on having recently elected Barack Obama, because I do believe that this man and his administration will make a great change to the way that America deals with the world and is perceived by the world. A man who clearly is more interested in negotiation rather than confrontation. “Transmission Ends” was a song that I wrote as what we call a stream of consciousness, very much in the style of James Joyce, where one idea leads to another, not necessarily with a logical connection. But as the man is sitting on this sea shore up on a cliff, I can just see the wavy sea grass moving, and it’s a lovely summer’s day, and he is sitting there with his girlfriend and he is just musing about life. And this develops into maybe later that evening as he sees a shooting star go flashing in the night, he starts to wonder “I wonder if there are other intelligences who have just seen the same thing that I have just seen.” And then he has this appalling vision of seeing the planet from a distance, way out, and imagining he is on a space craft, on a Jupiter mission for example, and because of the time difference to send radio signals, it’s taking sort of 8 to 10 minutes to get the signal. And as he and his crew have left the planet Earth say a year or two before, there has been terrible difficulties between nations and a nuclear war is being threatened. And in fact, what he sees, the speed of light, he sees a bright flash in the distance. And 7 or 8 minutes later he gets the transmission “This is station planet Earth, we’re closing down. Transmission ends.” And every time I see this particular film in my mind it gets me very emotional and I can see it so strongly and powerfully, which is why at the end of the song he refers back to himself. He comes back from this vision of seeing this happening from outer space, back to the girl that matters terribly to him. “I am always going to love you, until the final day, until the final hour, transmission ends.” Then we get this beeping sound which we have heard from heart monitors in hospitals. And as people have noticed, when it goes flat line, when it turns off, it stays that way with kind of space sounds behind it, and then it revives again. And this is the way I always like to write songs, with some kind of hope for the future. Not just leaving people with a bleak landscape to observe. A few days ago I did answer a question about my beliefs about the afterlife and I pointed out then that there is no absolute concrete evidence, but a lot of circumstantial evidence that there is something existing beyond our credibility and our understanding. And I am quite certain that there is another dimension. The fact that it hasn’t been proved by a scientist means absolutely nothing to me. Because if I told a scientist 100 years ago that people would be able to walk on the moon or they would be able to talk to each other while they are walking around on each side of the planet, he would have told me I was mad. Therefore you can’t count anything out in this particular respect and in this particular discussion.

December 16, 2008
Cathy Lavers (43) from Halifax, NS, Canada:
Can you please explain the inspiration behind This Waiting Heart?
Chris de Burgh:
A few days ago I answered a question from a lady from Perth, Western Australia. One of the places I mentioned in that particular answer was an area called Observation City, which is a 24 or 26 story hotel built by a major Australian entrepreneur called Alan Bond, during the Australia-America-Sailing Cup. I hope I got that right. But there was a suite in it called “Australia II”, and even now I can see the colours in that room, which are aquamarine. And you have this incredible view down the beach from the 24th floor in this beautiful open planned suite with a big white piano and views across to Fremantle, where a lot of the action was taking place in this, I think it’s called the America’s Cup competition. And one day I was sitting at the piano and I just got the idea of the song “This Waiting Heart”. I had this image of tribesmen or sailors rowing a wooden boat up a river, and they were singing this song, right at the beginning of it. And that’s why the first lines are “Out on the water I can hear them call”, it’s almost like a tribal feel to it. It’s sort of Amazon or somewhere like that. I have no idea where the idea came from and why I particularly chose that, but this is what the melody was suggesting to me. And I remember playing it to Jeff Philips, my band member and drummer, and he picked up what I was talking about. Hopefully that’s what was conveyed in the song.

December 15, 2008
Mary Kate (40) from Everett, Washington, USA:
Chris, my husband and I were moving today and wanted some good music to pack boxes to. I told my hubby to pick anything and he pulled out Man on the Line to listen to. While I haven't listened to it in years, EVERY word of every song came back to me. Some? Making me mist up. I apologize for forgetting how talented, how emotionally gripping and artful your songs are. Listening to the music as I go through my head of my favorite songs by you, most of them deal with water - the Island, Ship to Shore, etc. I was wondering... what is your connection to the water? I suspect it is why I love your music so... I hear the water in almost every song. Anyhow, I wanted to thank you again for your amazing music. My husband inadvertently reminded me of the beauty of your music, now I must go and get your newer albums! I have some glorious catching up to do. Peace to you - your music changes lives and hearts.
Chris de Burgh:
This is a lovely question! Just reading it made me smile, because I can just imagine the difficulty of packing up to move house. Because having done it about 5 or 6 years ago to move to where I currently live in Enniskerry, it’s a huge amount of work. And to have a piece of music blasting out as you pack stuff up must have been great fun for you, particularly if it takes you back in your memories. I have always loved being close to the sea and whenever I am far from the ocean it gets to me. It makes me feel strangely uncomfortable. Even large bodies of water like lakes, although they are beautiful to look at, they don’t give me the same feeling as when I am beside the sea. I have not only loved to be beside the sea on a beautiful sunny day with soft sand like talcum powder between your toes and the lapping of the waves. It is also thrilling to be at the sea shore when it’s a wild windy day and the waves are crashing down and you can barely stand up right because it is so windy. And you can see the seagulls motionless in the air as they ride the wind, not going forwards but certainly not going backwards either. I mean seagulls, their sense of balance must be incredible to be able to do such a thing in the teeth of a roaring gale. The sea has featured a lot in my songs, but not on purpose, I have to say that. When you think about that more than two thirds of the planet is covered by water and we are physically made up of a huge amount of water that is affected by the moon, and the tides – I feel that we are people of the sea. Also the fact that the main way of getting around until air travel from continent to continent was by the sea. So it’s kind of in us all, as a friend of mine recently said as a joke: “I have the sea in my blood and I think I know where it gets in.”

December 14, 2008
Ariane Bergman (37) from Cologne, Germany:
I'm being your fan since the very early 80's, sometimes reading the MotL-sites, but the following is my first question at all. I would like to know, why there are no saxophone parts at your songs anymore. I loved them a lot. Thanks for answering and best wishes.
Chris de Burgh:
Your question about saxophones is an interesting one, but to be perfectly honest, when I had a band with a saxophone player in, I tended to use the saxophone in the recording studio. It’s not something that you hear very often these days. It does mean that if you wish to reproduce the sound, you really have to have a sax player with you on stage. Although that said, I have often heard keyboard players playing saxophone parts, but it just doesn’t have the same impact. So when Ian Kojima and the other members of the old band went off to do their own things in Canada or America, it just seemed very difficult to replace particularly Ian who was a multi-talented instrumentalist. And he also sang. He could play keyboards, guitar and saxophone! It would have meant getting another member of the band just to play saxophone. So we took a view on this and decided that maybe it wasn’t such a great idea after all. But I do like the sound of a well-played sax, I must admit.

December 13, 2008
Shatner Mohanty (23) from Cuttack, India:
Is it easier to sing while playing an instrument?
Chris de Burgh:
I have never visited India, and those people I know who have been there, talk about it as a magnificent country, rich in history, rich in colour, rich in culture and certainly one of the booming economies of the world at the present time. Singing and playing an instrument I find very simple. I don’t know why this is, but it’s like looking in front of you when you are walking. If you are walking along a country lane and you look in front, you will immediately note if there is a puddle or if there is a hole in the ground or if there is something you are going to trip over. The thing is when you are playing guitar or piano and singing at the same time, part of your brain is always thinking that little bit ahead, about where do I move my fingers now. Your voice kind of follows behind. It’s not difficult to do at all. Perhaps it is not difficult for me, because I have trained myself over the years, but it has never been a problem for me and I have always enjoyed the whole process of singing and performing and playing something at the same time.

December 12, 2008
Chris Raymond (57) from Twickenham, Middx, UK:
Hi Chris, I can't remember if you've been asked this easy question... Do you snore? That's it! Just yes or no will do! Thanks! Love, Chris R xx
Chris de Burgh:
The answer is, I have no idea! So Chris you will have to find out for yourself. But I will say that I am sure most people from time to time do snore a little bit. But the difficult one to live with, if you are sleeping with a bad snorer that is called sleep apnoea where literally somebody stops breathing for a few seconds and then suddenly makes a terrible snorting sound, which wakes them up and also their partner in the bed So that doesn’t sound like a very pleasant thing.

December 11, 2008
Jan Barris (73) from Belleair, Florida, USA:
Chris, your music is incredibly beautiful, intellectual and inspirational. And your performances are electrifying. I am certain that many of your compositions will be appreciated for generations to come, like the great works of Shakespeare. But many of us have unanswered questions about particular songs. I keep wondering when you will publish a reference book of stories behind the songs. I know it would be difficult but there are aspects of the music that we need to understand in depth if we are to fully appreciate these great compositions.
Chris de Burgh:
How very nice to hear from you. And I note your age, Jan, this is very complimentary, the things that you are saying about me and my music. And I had to read this several times to see how good you feel about my music. Thank you so much for that. I have often wanted to put together a book referring to what I had in my mind behind the songs, when I wrote them. I believe this would be a very good idea. You see, every time since really the early 80s, when I made records, as many people actually do know by now, I wrote down a short movie scenario of what I saw in the song, like in “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” for example. And then the band that I was working with in the studio could understand exactly what I had in my mind. And I took this idea and amplified it during my album “The Storyman”. And I am very pleased with the way that worked out. And I think a lot of people benefit from having some idea of the movie that I was seeing in my mind behind songs like “Mirror Of The Soul” or “The Grace Of A Dancer” and “Leningrad”. And I think this is a very good idea of yours, and something that we should be working on and hopefully bring to some kind of fruition.

December 10, 2008
Monika Kluge (47) from Mellrichstadt, Germany:
Hallo mein Freund, do you think the stories you tell in your songs could be inspired by lives you lived before this time? All the best for you, Monika
Chris de Burgh:
Now this is a very interesting question, because there are those out there who are scornful of the idea that human beings have any more than just one mortal life. But the evidence appears to point pretty strongly at there being something else beyond there. Not only are there mediums, professional and even amateur mediums working, who claim to be able to talk to the spirits of the dead, and the spirits of the dead talk to them. But they can often provide detail in astonishing depth about somebody they have never met. I suppose a cynic might look at this and say maybe they are doing a bit of mind reading. But it gets even better than that when you suddenly realize that a medium or a psychic is talking to somebody about something they knew nothing about until they check back and they find out that perhaps their great grandfather was a guy who played the accordion or something. So what I am saying is details do emerge from areas that certainly science is unable to explain. As far as I am concerned, my belief is yes, there is something beyond the grave. And there is plenty of circumstantial evidence about what we call NDEs, which are near death experiences. Many people who have experienced a traumatic event like a car crash or a heart attack have all spoken about floating above their bodies and seeing people working on them. I know recently there was an experiment in the major surgery of a public hospital of placing items towards the ceiling, above the bed where they perform the operations. So these items could not be seen from the ground. You actually had to be floating up in the air or up on a high ladder to see them. I believe that subsequently people who are experiencing NDEs did actually manage to say what they had seen up there. But then again we are back in the area of scientific knowledge, and unfortunately there is always this gulf between science which claims to know everything, and the other people who have beliefs. And I think until there is proof and evidence beyond contradiction about former lives and past lives, then it’s always going to be difficult to convince people. I often wonder where the stories that I come up with in my songs come from. But I have no idea where they come from, to be honest, Monika. But I do have a very rich imagination, and perhaps it is from previous lives? I have a great affinity to certain points in history and areas that have affected me in the past much more than other times. And I cannot explain that, perhaps it is through education. I don’t know.

December 9, 2008
Ute Schäfer (42) from Frankfurt a. Main, Germany:
Dear Chris, if you would buy a painting, what kind of painting would you prefer? Abstract or not? Which colours do you like? If you like concrete paintings, what kind? I am happy to see your concert on 10.8. in Schwetzingen, it is my birthday. Greetings from Ute
Chris de Burgh:
The kinds of paintings that I like are realistic paintings. I have often found that a lot of modern art leaves me absolutely cold. And to be perfectly honest, I have no idea why people pay such outrageous prices for what appears to be a large splotch of paint. Many years ago when I was staying in a hotel, I can’t say where it was, but I was staying in a hotel, and up on the wall was a very, very large painting, completely white and lots of lumps on it. And at the bottom there were two red splotches. It was untitled. And I actually wrote with a permanent marker in good handwriting “Les fraises d’hiver”, which means “winter strawberries”. And I am sure every time anybody looked at it subsequently, they went “oh yeah, I see winter strawberries”. For years I have had this dream of having an exhibition in an art gallery of weird modern paintings that tend to be colours and splotches, and general stuff that a monkey could have done. And every week or every day change the titles, so people could look at them and say “I understand what the artist was getting at here. Ah yes, this is sunset in Madagascar.” And the next morning you could change the title to “the attack of the tomato ketchup people” or whatever it happens to be. Because I think a lot of modern art is, in my opinion, complete nonsense. Therefore I much prefer realistic art. That said I do love the French impressionists, who are artists who are putting across an impression. In particular Vincent van Gogh. I am sure in his time, when his paintings were around, people looked at them in horror, thinking what is this man doing? But it is a matter of complete amazement to me that even the more realistic of his pictures like the apple blossom tree, why this was not appreciated for what it was! It was a stunning piece of painting. So I hope that answers your question. And I hope you enjoyed the concert in Schwetzingen on your birthday.

December 8, 2008
Annette Raison from Perth, Australia:
Hi there Chris, Thanks for being part of my musical journey for such a long time and being the only artist that both my husband and I agree on! I have always admired the amazing relationship you seem to have with your fans. Obviously you have not always been famous so I was wondering if you can remember back to what it was like to be a huge fan? Have you ever asked someone for an autograph? Is there someone now you would still ask for an autograph or that you think you would get nervous just being around? When is enough enough for the amount that you give to your fans? Keep up the wonderful storytelling. I have learned so much from you!
Chris de Burgh:
Hi Annette! I have always thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Perth and so many people around Australia think that Perth is the back of beyond. This may be true geographically, but I just thought it was the best place that I came across in that vast country. I loved the outdoor life, and I had so much fun down in Observation City and over in Freemantle. And I very much enjoyed the people there and the lifestyle. And memorable concerts that I did in Perth, and it’s a place I would really like to return to. I envy you living there. Your question is about being a huge fan of somebody. Well I am sure when I was younger there were people in my industry that I remember meeting. For example George Harrison from the Beatles. And spending an evening listening to his stories, just him, myself and a well-known English discjockey called Alan Freeman. And George Harrison was telling stories about the Beatles. I don’t think I had a chance to ask him for an autograph that day, but I was certainly pretty nervous about meeting him. I am also a big sports fan, and I find particularly football, there are men who are just awesome. As a Liverpool supporter I have had the chance to meet up with people like Michael Owen, who used to play for Liverpool. And Steven Gerrard, the current captain. And many of the players. But I regard Gerrard as one of the finest footballers, not only of this time but of all times. One of the few men who can motivate an entire team just by his actions. And he is an incredible football player. And meeting him, as I have done from time to time, I always feel strange, and I feel a little bit nervous. But it’s a very funny thing. When you do meet another famous person, you immediately feel comfortable with them, because they know you are not about to ask them for an autograph and similarly the other way round. But from time to time if I am with one of my children who really want an autograph, then I feel obliged to ask somebody famous. But thank you very much. About the storytelling, I was amused to read that I am the only artist that your husband and you agree about.

December 7, 2008
Ann Ball (48) from Redditch, Worcestershire, UK:
Hi Chris - we were at the Pigalle Club - what a fantastic evening! The acoustics were really good there and we thoroughly enjoyed the performance. When will you know if and when the film will actually be produced? The story line sounded really good.
Chris de Burgh:
Yes, the evening at the Pigalle club was wonderful. I really enjoyed that intimate setting. The band felt that they played better that night than they had for a long time. And the point of it was to discuss the new film “Through These Eyes”. To answer your question, the hardest thing about film-making is raising the funds, unless it is an absolute block buster with Brad Pitt and all those kind of people. So we are looking for a modest amount. And we’ve been very pleased with the result of the Pigalle club evening, the commitment of a number of people. But of course the moment they start advancing their funds and their money, we get hit by a major recession, so we are not quite sure what’s going to happen, but we are confident. It will eventually get made.

December 6, 2008
Joy Newbery (40) from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, UK:
Hi Chris, been a big fan for years but strangely I've never heard you sing Forevermore live, why is this? My husband and I had it sung by a choir in church when we renewed our wedding vows on our 25th anniversary.
Chris de Burgh:
I am delighted to hear that you’ve renewed your wedding vows on your 25th anniversary. I wonder, can you actually be 40? It looks like you married very young! But congratulations on doing that. I don’t know why I haven’t sung Forevermore. I know I did sing it a few times, possibly in solo performances. But I’ll make an attempt to go back and have a look at that song again. And maybe remind myself of the words and include it in the next series of shows that I do.

December 5, 2008
Sheghi (19) from Iran:
Dear Chris, I'm a 7 year fan of yours and here is something I really wanna know. Tell me, when in Iran how did you see our ethnic dishes? Did you ever try them or no you just ate different kinds of Kebab? And also how did you see our people's behaviour towards yourself? And after all did you enjoy your trip to Iran? Thanks a million. Sheghi
Chris de Burgh:
I had the opportunity to visit Tehran at the end of May 2008, following a highly successful concert in Istanbul, which I absolutely loved with the band. But I went on to Tehran just with two technicians and two people representing my management, mainly to see for ourselves what was happening there. Because I suspect that if I had immediately gone just to do a concert there I would have been accused of being naïve, which I can assure anybody reading this, I am not. Neither are the people around me, naïve about Iran and the history and the current history. We spent a lot of time researching this, indeed years working on the possibility of going to perform there. As far as your questions are concerned, Sheghi, the first one is the food. I had the opportunity to eat lots and lots of different dishes and I think our hosts probably felt that we would be more comfortable with the kebab style, you know with the chicken and beef and lamb. And we had lots of salads. But I had an opportunity to try various things, of course don’t ask me what they were called! But there were extraordinary flavours and it was very, very tasty indeed. I enjoyed the food very much. I look forward to returning and enjoying more of it. We did try as much as we possibly could. The people’s behaviour towards me was outstanding. It struck me that not a lot of people would actually recognize my face, but when they heard the name, if I was in a restaurant and they heard that Chris de Burgh was in the restaurant, the whole place would just stop. And everybody comes over to shake my hands, smiling and endless photographs and autographs. It was lovely. The people could not have been nicer and more hospitable. And they were genuinely happy that I was there. And indeed we were looking at a number of different venues to play concerts in Tehran, and we asked the manager of a football stadium “How many tickets do you think we could sell for a Chris de Burgh concert in Tehran?” And he looked at us and said “I think we could easily sell a million tickets, such is the popularity of that artist.” Which is a pretty extraordinary thing. And I can’t wait to go back to be perfectly honest. And in answer to your final question, did I enjoy the trip? Very much indeed. It couldn’t have been more amazing than it was and it’s definitely a place that I intend to visit again as soon as possible to perform.

December 4, 2008
Louise Lupton (43) from Sydney, Australia:
My question is in relation to your 'trilogy' songs. I'm interested to know which is your favourite. Do you deliberately set out to write a three-part song or does it evolve into an epic? The Mirror of the Soul is my favourite and the first time I heard it I was absolutely blown away and had goose bumps all over. I've heard it so many times now but am still amazed at the story and the way you sing it. (In fact the whole Storyman Album is absolutely brilliant!) Have there ever been any videos made of your trilogy songs? PLEEEEASE put out a video collection for the fans that never get to see you!!! Thanks, Chris for taking the time to answer my question(s). Can't wait for the next album (The Storyman Part 2, hopefully)
Chris de Burgh:
I have written a few trilogy songs. The first song would have been “Crusader”. And once the story begins to develop, I like to make it grow, make it more than just a three minute tune. I became even early on fairly bored with the three minute tune thing. And secondly it makes great sense, if you are doing concerts. Rather than doing 30 three-minute-songs, if you can put in a couple of what we call epics or trilogies in there, it adds a bigger definition. And it helps me, I suppose, to stick to this idea that I had right from the start, that my records are more like books to be enjoyed in future years, not just kind of like throw-away-records that are like yesterday’s newspapers. Another one that I really enjoyed was The Revolution / Light A Fire / Liberty trilogy, that was on The Getaway album. That was again, the story began about the people waiting for the revolution to begin, and then what happened, and then during the battle, and then what happened subsequently. So it made very good sense again. When I reflect on when I was at school, my English teacher used to say: “A good story should have a beginning, a middle and an end.” And I haven’t forgotten that, even in the shorter songs. I think my favourite one would probably be “The Leader”. And those who have seen that in the concert will remember Steve Bennett’s astounding video that went with it, which is very moving and absolutely right. The first time I saw it I was stunned and I had tears in my eyes watching it, because Steve got the idea absolutely right and dead on. And also the way that began was me looking at a picture in a small hotel or restaurant somewhere in Brittany. Looking at a picture a local artist had painted of a group of warriors from Stone Age times, standing on a beach, staring out to sea, waiting for something to happen. I immediately had this idea of a leader arriving. I put in references from the book of revelations and the idea behind it was: In a nuclear war there are no winners. Everybody loses. And that’s why we must choose our leaders very, very carefully. Finally “The Mirror Of The Soul”, I would say again is a very strong contender for a favourite trilogy of mine. This one grew out of an immense dissatisfaction with the way that people will pay lip service to whatever religion they believe in, without asking questions. Now I have always contended that any man’s belief is his own to have and he must be proud of it. And if that’s what he wants to believe in, nobody should interfere with him for his right to believe. That is the important thing. Everybody should have the right to believe whatever it happens to be. So I felt uncomfortable about certain aspects of organized religion, where I began to ask myself where did these things begin? I mean, it wasn’t a bunch of people on a spacecraft from planet Mars, these were human beings like you and I who started a religion for whatever reason. They started it possibly for personal reasons, for deeply spiritual reasons, for reasons to subjugate women for example - there is a lot of historical evidence of this -, to advance their own self-importance, to make money for themselves. But I think primarily the reason that religions began was for the deeply spiritual and believing reasons. I may be sounding a little cynical here about the other reasons, but a good study of the historical aspects of the world’s major religions will show, I think, that a number of these particular points could have been in evidence, certainly during the last 300 years. But I would say the initial birth of religion was done for absolutely the right reasons. However in my song “The Mirror Of The Soul” I set it, as you know, in a monastery in the 15th century. And the monks are looking for a reason to raise more funds, much needed funds maybe to put another roof back on the monastery or whatever, and this extraordinary stone comes flying out of the sky. I won’t go through the story now, it’s all there in “The Storyman”. But the idea behind it was that the last part of the trilogy is the important one, where only love can light the mirror of the soul. Because love is the strongest bonding power that humanity can have. And I think that’s really important to have that as a powerful part of all religions that love and tolerance and belief in a man’s right to believe. It’s terribly important to respect all those things.

December 3, 2008
Oliver Sievers (36) from Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany:
Hi! I have an additional question to your answer of 28-Feb-2008 [editor's note: 3 things you cannot live without are a piano, reading glasses and a good strong pair of walking shoes]: can you explain why you prefer the piano, not the guitar? Regards, Oliver
Chris de Burgh:
Thanks for the secondary question, Oliver. The preference for a piano is that I find a piano is a very emotional, very lyrical, very beautiful, romantic instrument. But you can also play good rock ’n’ roll stuff on it as well, whereas it is difficult to do both things with a guitar. I think a nice piano on a desert island as the twilight comes in on a beautiful island sunset, it would be a fantastic thing to have. Just to be able to play a few chords and a few notes. And then if I am feeling a bit like dancing for example, I would pound out some other stuff on the piano.

December 2, 2008
Jacqueline Ebner (50) from Erskine, Scotland:
Hello Chris, In February this year I celebrated my 50th birthday. My philosophy is that age is just a number, it is how you feel inside that is the true test of age. I am very fortunate to enjoy good health and I certainly look after myself to make sure this continues. However, when people ask me how it feels to be 50, I reply with a twinkle "like an experienced 25 year old" : ) Do you have any plans for your 'big' birthday this year? Love, as always, Jacqueline xxx
Chris de Burgh:
Hi Jacqueline! Nice to hear from you again. I scarcely believe that you are 50 incidentally. You look a lot younger than that. Because I know that you are one of the many fans who have joined us this summer for concerts in Switzerland and in Germany. As far as age is concerned, when I was 30 I used to think that people of age 60 were very very old and getting ready to retire, learn how to do the gardening, play a bit of golf, take the dog for long walks and spend the afternoons sleeping or reading books. Well that idea about people of age 60 and over, I think, has changed completely in those intervening 30 years. Because now we can see that people who are 60, 70 or indeed 80 have a lot more to contribute to life and to society. And as for me, I have always felt that the face in the mirror may change, but the spirit inside is still exactly the person I was when I was 18, 19, 20. A bit more experienced perhaps, and a bit more wisdom hopefully. But I still have the same absolute love of life and enjoyment. And I love to have fun and make jokes and spend time with my friends and my family. And of course that will never change. So as far as my “big birthday”, which happened on the 15th of October, I in fact spent a week in early September. There were ten of us, a long term dream of mine to rent a rock ’n’ roll tour bus and we did have such a bus. It was a double-decker with bunks upstairs and a large bedroom at the back and video lounge and DVD player, kitchenette, toilets, all that sort of thing. And I took these friends, who were all from Ireland, apart from Chris Andrews, my personal assistant from the UK, I took them to a place that they probably would not have chosen as a holiday destination, but which I know very very well down the last 25 to 30 years, and also a place I really love: of course Germany. And we went to Cologne, stayed at one of the best hotels in Europe, possibly in the world: the Hyatt, with a beautiful view across the river Rhine to the cathedral. We moved on to Mainz and I did a concert in the Kloster Eberbach, which was absolutely stunning, in a 12th century monastery and those who were there, seven or eight hundred people, will remember that solo performance in such a beautiful place, with candles all the way down the walls. And one of the reasons for this particular birthday trip was to do a bit of wine tasting. Well we did plenty of that, all over the place, and great restaurants, trips on the river, Heidelberg for example, into the Pfalz, where in a place called Deidesheim we had one of the best meals any of us has ever had. Then we finished in Bebenhausen near Stuttgart. It was an eye opener for my friends who have walked away from Germany thinking this is an absolutely stunning place to visit, which it is! That is how I celebrated really my birthday as far as a major celebration is concerned. But on the night of my birthday I just went out for a quiet meal with my family, which was absolutely lovely.

December 1, 2008
Anastasia Timusheva (25) from Russia:
Dear Chris! I'm certain that you've thought about it already. But... Wouldn't it be nice to record a cover-versions album? Just you and your favourite songs, the songs you know deep in your heart. And another question is from my friend - have you ever thought of being the voice of any audio books? We think that your voice would fit perfectly. And thank you so much for your music. I know you've heard it so many times but... thank you!
Chris de Burgh:
By now, Anastasia, you will know that I have already recorded a new album of covers, called “Footsteps”. And this is an album that I only thought about making earlier in the year. And at this point I should reassure everybody out there, who thinks maybe the only reason I am doing cover songs is because I can’t write my own songs anymore: This is absolutely not true. It’s just that I felt I wanted to have the chance to look back at my career so far and look at the inspirations and the creative influences that have helped me along my way. As far as your question about audio books is concerned – no I haven’t been approached. But of course this is something I’d be most interested in doing. And finally just let me say it’s great to be back doing Man On (the) Line. It’s been a very busy year with lots of travelling and an exciting time ahead. And I very much hope that the project “Footsteps” is going to be widely accepted and understood and enjoyed. Because as far as I am concerned, I absolutely love it. But that’s probably because they are my favourites songs, whittled down, I may say, from about three or four hundred down to just a handful.

November 26, 2008
Editor's note:
Great news: Man On (the) Line will be back online next Monday!!! Get ready for new questions from the fans and answers from Chris de Burgh himself - day after day. We hope you will enjoy it!