Man On (the) Line
Archive - April to August 2005
August 21, 2005 Paula Bostock (30) from Wiltshire, UK: The Traveller - What made you write it? My sister and I love it, and have fond, early childhood memories of it. Mainly travelling up to Scotland with our family. Please let us know your inspiration for such a wonderful tune and song. Chris de Burgh: Hi Paula! It’s great that you have these early childhood memories of listening to songs, in particular “The Traveller”. After I had written the song “Spanish Train”, I felt that there was still room for a few more songs about mysticism, about the Devil for example, about the supernatural. Which is why subsequently I came up with “The Devil’s Eye”, “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” and indeed “The Traveller”. “The Traveller” was based on revenge. And I remember being impressed by a film starring Cling Eastwood called “High Planes Drifter”, where a man enters a town and he is beaten senseless by the townsfolk who don’t understand him. They see him as a threat which he isn’t, but he decides to get his revenge and he comes back again. It’s an extraordinary film, it’s almost biblical in its attitudes about life and death, black and white and in this case red as well. Editor’s note: And now the Man On (the) Line section is once again taking a break. We will return as soon as we receive new answers from Chris de Burgh. Meanwhile, keep the questions coming! And please be patient while you wait for an answer as we are now dealing with a 8-9 months delay between asking a question and posting the reply...
August 20, 2005 Amir (22) from Tehran, Iran: Wotcha Chris, I would sincerely thank you for your kindness towards us Iranians, as far as I can see on your website. Anyway, my main purpose of leaving a message here is to ask you of your purpose of writing and singing the "Eastern Wind". I was wondering if the old man there is Ayatollah Khomeini and if the people "burning the palace down" are Iranians uprooting the regime of Shah. Thank you so much. With the hope to catch you up in one of your upcoming concerts. Chris de Burgh: Well, I don’t need to say anymore here, I think, about my fondness for all the things that you’ve said about me and to me, from my fans in Iran. I’d just like to say “Thank you very much”, and please keep your sentiments coming back to me. The song “Eastern Wind”, which was in the late 70s the title track of that album, was written from the point of view of a farmer in the Mid West of America. And no disrespect to America, but the amount of international news that was available back then, and probably still is the case about the rest of the world, is very very slim. If anybody travels to America and wants to read international news, it is pretty difficult to find. Maybe just a small part of the paper, or the news bulletins. So this farmer is very ignorant about what is happening over in Iran, or indeed Persia. At that time he senses there is a threat coming to him that will threaten his livelihood, his country, his family. And he sees it as a wind that is about to destroy his crops, that is what the Eastern Wind refers to. And yes, you are quite right, it was relevant to Khomeini. But you have to understand that these points of view aren’t necessarily mine. I create these characters, who believe things that they see and hear. So as I say this is not necessarily my point of view. But this farmer feels that something is about to change, and he doesn’t like what is coming. It’s also the cover of the album “Eastern Wind”, illustrating these feelings.
August 19, 2005 Ian McDonald (40) from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada: Hi Chris. I am reading a series of 28 books by Alexander Kent on the 18th/19th Century Royal Navy. With 2005 being the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, have you ever thought of writing a song about it? Something similar to Crusader would be great!! Chris de Burgh: Hi Ian! I am very familiar with your name. You have always come up with some interesting things to say, and things to talk about and things to suggest for the future. It’s curious that you should be asking this question and several months later I am answering it. Because I believe today, as I am answering this at the end of June 2005, is the anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar! It’s an interesting idea to go to history and look at Admiral Nelson, because it occurs to me now that when I write songs I tend to rely on my own knowledge of history. But for the first time I am becoming very interested in looking at a subject like for example Ian’s idea of the battle of Trafalgar and researching it, reading books about it, and then writing a song about it! This is something I haven’t done in the past. Even the song “Rose Of England”, I went into my knowledge of Elizabeth I, and once I had got the idea for the song, I did a bit of historical reading and research. So this is a very good idea for the future and I am glad that you brought this up, because that’s an incident in history which I am sure a lot of people would be familiar with.
August 18 2005 Kurt Hauke (44) from Wildflecken, Germany: Hi Chris! I have a question about the orchestral arrangements on the album "Road to Freedom". Did you write the arrangements all by yourself or was there another composer? I like your songs with orchestral background a bit more than the others. By these songs I become a very sentimental feeling. Many thanks for answering my question. Kurt Chris de Burgh: The orchestral arrangements on “The Road To Freedom” are by a man called Chris Cameron, where it’s a full orchestra, that is the first three songs. I worked with him initially, when I sent him a demo copy of what I planned to do, what I liked to hear. I talked to him a lot subsequently about ideas, about orchestral movement, about individual pieces of music coming from individual instruments like an oboe for example or a cello. Then on the day of the recording they would do a run-through, and if there was something that I didn’t like or I felt was wrong or wanted to change, that could be done immediately on the floor of the recording studio. I can’t read or write music so I have to leave it up to somebody else. But they always listen very carefully to what I have to say and what I would like to feel and hear. And it helps when you have somebody like for example Chris Cameron or indeed the keyboard player on my record Pete Gordeno, who are very emotional musicians as well, and they understand the feelings that I’m trying to convey. Chris Cameron also did the orchestral arrangements on “Here For You”, after I explained what the song is all about. And I have, down the years, always tried to help musicians to understand what I am talking about in my songs, by writing a short story, a one page story, about what is happening. And for example, in the song “Here For You”, I wrote the story to Chris Cameron about the scene at the airport where everybody is leaving, and how emotional it was. And he understood immediately. And he wrote a beautiful string part for that song.
August 17, 2005 Deborah Moore (49) from Scappoose, Oregon, USA: Chris, so many of your songs are so very heartfelt...especially for a man...to whom do you attribute this wonderful quality? Who were your heroes growing up?? Also, who is the face on the cover of "Crusader"? I noticed the beautiful eyes and was wondering if they are, indeed, yours? Thanks so much for being! Your friend, Deborah Chris de Burgh: I have been to Oregon in the USA in the past, and I intend to return in the future. Thank you for your remarks about my songs. As you’ve pointed out, especially for a man to show and understand deep emotion. I can’t put my finger on why this happens, Deborah, but when I go into an idea or a thought or an emotion, it’s almost like sinking into a swimming pool. You’ve got to let yourself fall, knowing that you can always return again to the surface, but you have to allow yourself to drift down, down, down into your own feelings and emotions and your own thoughts and beliefs. And sometimes it’s actually quite scary. It’s very important for me when I am in this particular phase - it’s almost like the phase between being asleep and awake – that I am not disturbed. So that is the time that I switch off the phone, lock my studio door and make sure that nobody interrupts me. Because then I can really imagine myself in a situation, for example in a song like “The Best That Love Can Be”, where a couple are breaking up and the man is pleading that his memories be left intact, although the break-up may be extremely unpleasant. The memories are all that’s left at the end of the break-up. And although that hasn’t happened to me, it has happened to people around me. And I suppose I have a big capacity, an ability to put myself into somebody else’s shoes. It’s funny, because watching the children grow up and then things happen with them or to them, I always say “well, imagine what it would be like, if it was you.”, to get an understanding what the other person is thinking and feeling. And similarly with songs and feelings and emotions, I am not one of those men who is scared to show my emotions or scared to cry. It’s because I am very much in touch with my inner person and it’s really important to try and go into that in a person, to try and express an emotion, to allow it to be conveyed to somebody else who is listening. The face on the cover of Crusader is me. I remember holding that helmet on my head and it was very heavy and I could not move, because it was a long exposure on the film. That was back in 1978. When I was growing up, my heroes would have been the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, great songwriters like that. And as you say, it is rare to find a man who is able to express his emotions. In some ways this exposes me to derision and indeed contempt. and people laugh about a man who can show his emotions, some people. But on the other hand I couldn’t care less. I am who I am and I like me. And that’s the important thing as far as I am concerned, to like yourself.
August 16, 2005 Jacqueline Ebner (46) from Erskine, Scotland: Hello Chris, I saw a TV programme last night called Kirsty's Millions, in which you appeared, albeit briefly, at the end, about a delightful little girl who is terminally ill. My question is, how do you choose the charities to support and the ones to decline. Do you find it difficult to say 'No'? Love, as always, Jacqueline Chris de Burgh: Hi Jacqueline! I have met you on a number of occasions and you are a great supporter. And thank you for all your kindness down the years, your letters. The choice of charities is a very difficult one. I am the patron of about fifteen different charities, but I tend to only go for charities that involve children. This little girl Kirsty was born with a heart defect, a very serious one. And she was not expected to live beyond her first or even second birthday. However, she just turned 9 years old. And I was asked to go and sing at a birthday party for her, because she loved the song “The Lady In Red”. And I did a little concert at a dinner to about 200 or 300 people in Manchester. My daughter Rosanna came along as well, when she was Miss World. And we had an extraordinary night, very emotional, a very beautiful night. And little Kirsty came up onto the stage, dragging behind her an oxygen tank which is her lifeline, she has to have oxygen all the time. I wish her well in the future! And the difficulty for me is choosing which of the many charities I am asked to support. So I just tend to choose ones that affect me or my family or are connected with illnesses or diseases that have affected people around me that I know. As you have pointed out, Jacqueline, there are so many charities to support. Obviously I can’t do them all, but I do as many as I possibly can. And I hope that my name being involved with some of these charities helps them to raise the much needed funds.
August 15, 2005 Willem de Waal (41) from Richards Bay, South Africa: Hi Chris. Not so much a question, rather than a "touching base". I have not been to your web site for a while now, and coming back here reading the Man on the Line section is bringing back lots of memories! In particular, the comment made on 29 November 2003, about your interaction and respect for audiences and fans. I was the fortunate guy who got to meet you backstage at the Durban concert on 18 October 1998, and handed over the 50th birthday card from your on-line fans. (I see a copy of it is still here on the website - cool!) And then, later in the evening, I was the really fortunate guy who sang "Say Goodbye to it All" with you! An amazing evening, and fond memory. Regarding the respect for audiences: I think you have hit the nail on the head - people are not fools, (well, some of them, anyway!), and they can easily see if a performer is simply going through the motions, or when he is really into his performance. If there is one thing I always try to drum into the performers in the amateur shows I produce, it is this: PASSION! When you set yourself on fire, people love to come and see you burn. And I think that most people who have seen your live performances will agree that the passion is always evident. That said, I realise I DO have a question: Are there albums which you have recorded, which you thought were less "passionate" than others? Where things did not turn out as you would have liked them to? For example: when I listen to the earlier, more romantic albums, or one like "Power of Ten", "Getaway" or "Man on the Line", I can always sense the enthusiasm. This is not the case with "This Way Up" - and this in spite of great tracks like "Here is Your Paradise", "You are the Reason" and "The Snows of New York". As individual tracks, they are great - but the album has always given me the impression that it was not as good as it could have been. Looking forward to seeing you in SA again! Chris de Burgh: This is a very interesting question and indeed statement from Willem de Waal, recalling a night in Durban in October 1998, which I remember extremely well. I had the chance to celebrate my birthday in South Africa. Thank you, I remember, Willem, not only coming to sing with me, but also presenting me with this 50th birthday card. You ask a question about passion. Well, I have always said right from the start that unless you can feel an emotion, you will not be able to convey that emotion. I think some people get a little too passionate in performance, you know they wave their arms around. They get a bit uncontrolled. And I think audiences find that uncomfortable. But I think what they want to do is mental stimulation, emotional stimulation, as well as when I play particularly with a band, the rock songs, I love to put my physical side into it and get people dancing and interacting with the people on the stage, which is very important to me. The word “passion” is a word that has sustained me for years. But that said, it is very hard to sustain passion throughout entire records. There is a number of reasons for this. Firstly the songwriting cannot hit the centre of the target every time. Usually if I feel that there are four or maybe five songs on an album of ten or twelve tracks that I feel are really, in my opinion, for me anyway personally, outstanding, then I am very very happy. I am not saying the others are fillers or poor quality. It’s not that at all. It’s just that you have to balance a record. And a very bizarre thing happens sometimes, and I remember it happening in the mid 80s. When you make a record of, say, ten really excellent songs, they don’t sound excellent. But if you take one individually and play it on the radio, then it really stands out. It’s a very strange phenomenon, which I have come across in the past quite a few times. Also, secondly, when you are working with a producer, you are very much in his frame of mind. Although I have worked as a co-producer or indeed the full producer on many of my productions. Working with somebody else, you do allow yourself to be aligned into their production techniques, their recording techniques, to a certain extent. But then again, as it is me singing and co-producing and being totally involved with the music, in fact every aspect of a record, it’s quite hard, as we say in English, to see the wood from the trees. You have to be able to stand back and see it and judge your record and think “this is what I want to achieve”. Most of the time I believe I have been successful in my own desire to have a record turn out the way I wanted it. Not always, but when I listen back as I have been recently in preparation of this tour, to my older records, there is a slight feeling on some other tracks, thinking “I wish I had done this or changed that”. But you see, you must never have regrets. You can’t do that, because life could be full of guilt and regrets. So generally speaking, when I finish a record, I walk out the door and say “That’s that. That’s finished to this day.” I can’t make a judgement about the album “This Way Up”. There are some terrific songs on it, in my opinion, “Up Here In Heaven” being one of them and “Here Is Your Paradise”. But you can’t get it all right all of the time. I do my best.
August 14, 2005 Yvette Jessen (34) from Rüsselsheim, Germany: I grew up in the US and moved to Germany when I was 24. Being bilingual, I realize not only the difficulties of learning a second language, but also having written lyrics to songs on a semi-professional level, I see how hard it is to take a set of lyrics in one language and translate them into another simply because I have done this myself with German originals, but have never tried it the other way around. My questions stem from this particular area of songwriting. While in Canada, I purchased a copy of 'Notes from Planet Earth', and on the CD are two songs that are sung in French with some parts probably non-translatable and kept in the original format. Do you write the translations for these songs and have you ever considered translating one of your songs into other languages besides French for your concerts in other countries? I know that you have a number of songs with cultural themes, and they are really great, but I'm curious about this and would absolutely love to hear one of your songs performed in German, but only by you, of course. Chris de Burgh: Interesting what you are saying about second languages and the acknowledgement of the difficulties of not only writing lyrics, which really are a condensed form of fiction in as much as you can take a story of five or six pages and then condense the whole thing into just a few verses in a song, which is quite difficult to do. And it is also very difficult to translate. As far as the French songs that I have done in the past are concerned, they have been translated by a French writer, presented to me. And I have changed a few things, because I am relatively comfortable with the language of French and translations. Although I wouldn’t be good enough to totally translate any of my songs. I am sure I would make plenty of grammatical mistakes. Sometimes I have to change things round to make sure that the melody movement suits the words. As far as German is concerned, I would be very happy to attempt a song in German. But I am not sure firstly if it would sound very good, or secondly if it would appeal to people. Because I believe the Schlager music is very popular of course, but it’s that sort of area that I am not sure that’s really the area that people would expect me to go into. However, I am prepared to try anything once!
August 13, 2005 Paul Blest (57) from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia: Dear Chris, you seem to do something of a world tour with your letters, but this beautiful island of Tasmania seems to have slipped off the planet, so I hereby reinstate it! Apart from finding your music moving generally, I have always been fascinated by "Say goodbye to it all", my favourite of all your songs; it reminds me of a time when my family and I ventured north about ten years ago; we were driving northwards through France to take part in the fiftieth anniversary of the Normandy landings. Most vivid in my memory is stopping off at a small town called Oradour sur Glane where an horrific massacre took place in the dying months of the war; four of the inhabitants survived - the town is now a museum and left exactly as it was over sixty years ago. When we finally arrived at the Normandy beaches, we attended a memorial service in a local ceremony near Bayeux; I will never forget the deep and lasting gratitude to allied servicemen expressed by a priest who had lived through that era, and by the townspeople generally. What was the origin of the song? Paul Blest. Tasmania. Australia. P.S. Any plans to come "flying home" over here? Chris de Burgh: First of all, please accept my apologies that I have not been to Tasmania. I have heard a lot about the island, and all good things, I have to say. In fact some friends have spent quite a long time there and enjoyed it very much and want to return. The world is a very big place, and although I am fortunate to have an international career, it is difficult to go everywhere. But who knows, it may be some place that I could venture into and discover some more about in the years to come, possibly allied to a tour of Australia. And incidentally you shouldn’t feel too bad, I have not been to New Zealand either, again due to time constraints. The song “Say Goodbye To It All” came as the second part of the song “Borderline”. And as people who know me would also recognize, I have always had a horror of war and how individuals get caught up in war. A book that I have very much enjoyed in the past is called “A Farewell To Arms” by the great writer Ernest Hemingway. A man I have admired for years, and I love the way he writes books. And in the book “A Farewell To Arms”, there is the story of an American caught up in 2nd World War in Italy, and an English nurse. It’s a very very interesting and very emotive book. And if you are reading it for the first time, look out for the word “rain”. Because rain is a symbol of despair, of death. And the first line in my song “Took a boat over Lake Geneva, it was raining all night long” – well, that is a symbol for what is about to come. But in my song I do not want to leave the listener with the feeling of despair. I actually on the contrary want to leave the reader with the feeling of hope, and that it is possible to move sideways in life and move away from something that you find completely repulsive. It’s not explained whether in my song the man deserted or whether he was badly wounded and he had to leave anyway. But nevertheless the couple decides to make their own future in Normandy. Moving to Normandy, I have been there several times. It is one of my favourite places in France. And of course like everybody else, I am very much aware of the history, of the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944. I have visited the American cemetery there, which is absolutely staggering. It’s so awful to see the ages of the young men who died, most of them on June 6th, or on June 7th or 8th. And anybody who has seen the film “Saving Private Ryan” will remember the early scenes, not just the beach landings which incidentally happened in County Wexford in Ireland, but also how the returning old soldier walks to the cemetery. And I think almost uniquely in cinema, within the first two minutes, a lot of people in the cinema were in tears, watching the old man falling to his knees and remembering his comrade, who also died in that conflict. Nevertheless my interest not only in 2nd World War, but more in general, always focuses on the personal, on the individual. I think it’s a very important part of history. If you have the chance to visit Normandy and indeed the Flanders Fields from the First War, it has a vivid and extraordinary impact on those who go. We are in a bizarre time with cinema and film in general, of being able to watch TV and not really distinguish between reality and fiction. And as Paul has discovered by going to this town Oradour sur Glane, these things actually happened. There was real flesh and blood involved in these massacres. It wasn’t just make believe and make up and tomato sauce being splashed around on unfortunate extras in a film. Bayeux is of course the place made famous by the Bayeux tapestry which was commissioned by Bishop Odo of Bayeux who is one of my forefathers. And there is a beautiful cathedral also in Bayeux, which I can thoroughly recommend to people to visit.
August 12, 2005 Christina (24) from Orpington, Kent: Chris, I think you would make a marvellous friend. You have a lot of tales to tell and a lot of wisdom. But what qualities do you look for in a friend? Is it hard to find true friends when you are famous? Chris de Burgh: Thank you for saying that I might make a marvellous friend. The qualities I would look for in a friend are loyalty, support and strength, when there are difficult times in everybody’s lives. And I would also suggest that most people only have about three or four really really close friends, with whom they can feel absolutely comfortable. And then of course a wide circle of acquaintances and other people, who you enjoy their company, but not necessarily a three week hike through the Himalayas. I think friends are people with whom you don’t have to be anybody but yourself. Quite often when we go out in public we are trying to put on a face that is not exactly who we are, but it’s the person we would like people to think we are, which is completely different. But with friends you can absolutely relax. You can get silly, you can get drunk, you can have fun, you can tell jokes, you can have a lot of crazy times with. And most of my friends, if not all of my close friends, are people that I have known for certainly since I was in University, if not before. And the question about is it hard to make friends, if you are famous? Well, if you don’t have friends prior to becoming famous, I would say it is difficult, yeah. Because you are not quite sure why people want to know you. I have always been very guarded about my private life in any case. And as a solo performer, who runs a business from London to here in Ireland, I don’t have a network of business associates and contacts that I can rely on as normal business people do. Nevertheless I am very happy where I am, and I am very happy with the people around me.
August 11, 2005 Lourdes Villarreal (40) from Mexico City, Mexico: I had the great opportunity to meet you personally in Bonn, in 1998. As I told you that time, even though I love all of your music, my very favourite song remains "Flying/Turning Round", which was the first I ever heard from you. My questions are, what inspired you to write such an amazing song, and have you ever played it live? If not, would you consider playing it again in the future? I would also like to recommend you to visit my beautiful country in your next vacation :) Chris de Burgh: Mexico City is again a place I have never been to, but I am excited about the possibilities of such a visit. And Lourdes, you mention my song “Turning Round” which was renamed “Flying” in South America. It was the first big hit that I ever had. It was unusual, because those of you who have a copy of it from “Far Beyond These Castle Walls” will recall that it was a long song, about 6 or 7 minutes long, and it played an eternal game where I believe the first word of each verse was also the last word of the next verse. So there was an eternal movement around and around. And I was looking at the cycle of life, of birth, growth, death, rebirth, growth and death. This is particularly important, I suppose, when you are brought up on a farm and you see it right in front of your eyes on a daily basis. I don’t know why I started writing this song, but the first word just came out of me and again I pursued it. And I remember at the time having dear friends who lived in a little cottage nearby. They were from America, Joe Gunnells and his wife Julie. And I remember going to them with my guitar one day – this would have been in the early 70s – and playing them two songs. One was called “Windy Night” and the other was called “Turning Round”. And they said “Oh, that is amazing! You have got to record these things!” I am not even sure I had a recording contract at the time. But that particular song “Turning Round” became a major record in quite a few places, but mainly South America, as I said. And maybe it is one of those ones that I need to re-record, because my voice has changed so completely. When I listen to that, well, I sound of course very young, but I sing in a different way now. I don’t know where the inspiration came from. It’s just somewhere from my imagination.
August 10, 2005 Stephanie Grabowski (36) from Dormagen, Germany: Dear Chris, I try it again. After being your fan for 25 years I'm still nervous and excited visiting one of your concerts. Again and again there are thoughts like "Maybe I can get an autograph" "Maybe I can get a picture of him" Maybe, maybe, ... But all your concerts still accomplish my expectations, no I never meet you face to face (what a bummer!) but your performance and your music are great, fantastic. My question: Is there any person you ever want to meet and maybe you have the same feelings your fans have? Being nervous and excited like a little boy (sorry!?) waiting for Christmas? Take care, and please never stop writing and singing your songs. Steffi Chris de Burgh: Hi Stephanie! I would love to make your dream come true. Funnily enough, my younger boy Michael, he and I were walking down a corridor in our house recently. He had his arms around me and said “Dad, isn’t that amazing?” Because we just got up and we were walking in our dressing gowns. He said “Isn’t that amazing? Some people never get the chance to be close to you, although in their eyes you are something of a hero. But for me you are just my Dad.” And I was smiling. I laughed at that, because yes of course, I am just an ordinary person. For some people perhaps not so, but as far as I am concerned, I am. So I hope we get the chance to say hi to each other, Stephanie, I can give you an autograph and whatever else you would like. You know, talk about songs or music. And as far as anybody I would like to meet – well, yes, there are lots of people. Famous people from the past, and current famous people. But I’ve always had as a hero, not just as a singer, but also as a songwriter, the musician Paul McCartney. And I think, if I were to meet him, which I very much hope to do at some stage, I would be very nervous. I would just say “Paul, you know, I want to thank you for the inspiration you are giving me and millions of other people all over the world, to continue to love music and to respect music and to respect your talent.” If I had the chance to sit down with him, I wouldn’t stop talking, which he may not find particularly interesting. But I would tell him everything that he has done for me. And it’s funny I should say that, because I am sure I am that person for somebody else. Maybe there is somebody else out there who would like to meet me, and offer me the same feelings and emotions. Isn’t that amazing how we all grow and change, but still you are everybody – even everybody reading this – everybody is important to somebody some way.
August 9, 2005 Babak Shakiba (18) from Tehran, Iran: Dear Chris, I just can't find the words to thank you for the great music that you make. Last year my father passed away and the only thing that could comfort me, was listening to your music and for that, I am very appreciative. As you know you have millions and millions of fans in Iran and most of them are from the younger generation and you probably already know that the youth in Iran are under a lot of pressure because of many different kinds of problems and difficulties and your music is like a medicine for them that heals their wounds and gives them some time to let go of all the daily troubles and relax for a while. If you were to dedicate one of your songs to the Iranian youth, which one would it be? And I would also like to know what does "the snow" mean in your song "Snow is falling" is it the metaphor of something else and does it contain another meaning rather than the actual snow? Chris de Burgh: First of all, I would like to say again thank you so much for the wonderful things you are saying. Just reading all the things you are saying lifts my spirits enormously. And yet again I must tell you that it is a dream of mine to come and sing for you people in Iran. Let us pray that the day will come soon! The word that you use “medicine” is also extraordinary. And to know that, as I sit in my small studio, playing the piano, playing the guitar, writing the song, that the impact that this can have to the people across the other side of the world from different cultures, different backgrounds, different languages, different beliefs, different ways of life, I think that is an extraordinary thing. And I feel humbled and honoured to be in the position that I am. The word “snow” is referring specifically to cold water, when it becomes iced and falls as snow. It has no extra metaphor to be perfectly honest. Except I will say, when snow falls, it is a time for people to be indoors, for people to be in warmth, in comfort around hopefully a fire, or with people that they love. And if you are left outside in the snow, then you are a person that needs help and needs to get into the heat as quickly as possible. So with that in mind, I would probably refer to a song called “The Snows Of New York”, which I would like to dedicate to the Iranian youth, because it tells of friendship, of people going far away from their homeland. And I refer to many Iranians who have left their home country and are dreaming of those at home on a regular basis. And just to offer hope and to say things will be ok, things will change eventually. And hopefully in the short term, I am quite sure that the authorities from your country who read this website to see if I am somebody who wants to pervert the youth, or change the administration. Well, this is completely incorrect. I am a humanist. I believe in international barriers being broken down through love and music. And I am not a threat to anybody, least of all the Iranian youth. I am a solid family man with children of my own, and strong beliefs that we are all one in the eyes of whichever god that you believe in.
August 8, 2005 Melanie Edwards (42) from Liverpool, England: Hello Chris, during the soundcheck in Dortmund on 6 November (which I must say a huge 'Thank you' to you for allowing our group from the Mailing List to be present at, it was just fantastic) you paid particular attention to the positioning of the 'sound boxes' (technical name?) by the piano. I can't remember ever having seen you using personal earplugs during a performance. Do you find the boxes easier to use? In which case, how do you manage during the 'walkabout', not being able to hear yourself? And, is it difficult to concentrate on what you are singing when we start hugging and kissing you (which I was fortunate enough to do in Manchester (ending up on the floor if you remember!!!), Liverpool and Dortmund. Thank you. Chris de Burgh: Hi Melanie! Yes, I remember the hugs and kisses. Thank you for them, and I hope to get many more again in the future! The soundcheck in Dortmund involved not only the sound out front, obviously through the main speakers. And every hall is different, that is why it is important to hear what is happening from in the hall from the stage. And the two boxes in front of me are called monitors. In those, I can hear myself. It’s really important. If you can’t hear yourself, you will sing completely out of tune. Because of the speed of sound, by the time the sound waves come back to you, they are distorted and you can’t hear the original pitching. So these boxes are absolutely vital. And particularly when you are playing with a band. They can all hear themselves, and I don’t want anything in my monitor at all except just me. I can hear the drums, I can hear the keyboards coming out of their own systems. So part of the complexity of this is you must also have a very good sound engineer, and I have been fortunate to work with a lot of great sound engineers. So it makes a huge difference, particularly in a band situation where you’ve got a lot of noise on stage. Having the clarity to be able to hear yourself, and your own part of the music that is being made, is really down to a very good sound engineer. And also you are saying to the sound engineer, even during the concert, what you require. During the walkabouts I listen to the speakers that every body else hears, in front of the stage. The only curious thing is, when I am a quite long way away from the stage, and I am playing the guitar, my hand is moving at a certain speed and I am hearing it back again at the speed of sound a millisecond late, that’s quite disconcerting. And the same thing with my voice. So you have to be ready for that, if you are going to do such a thing in the future, Melanie, which you may or may not. Some people use personal earplugs. I don’t like them, because they tend to fall out and I become very aware of them. I have tried earplugs, they are called in-ear-monitors, but I am not mad about them. Particularly if I am dancing around a little bit, or somebody grabs a hold of me and kisses me, they can fall out and then I won’t hear what I am doing.
August 7, 2005 Susanne Krah (30) from Bochum, Germany: Hello Chris, I just bought the special edition of "The Road To Freedom" and I was so glad to find the song "Little Angel" on it. What is the story and meaning behind this song for you? For me it is really a very emotional and touching song, I can not listen to it without starting to cry at the moment. It touches my heart very deeply, it brings up strong emotions for me. Please do not laugh but as someone who has and had animals I hope you can understand me: my cat Lawina died a few weeks ago, she was 17 1/2 years old, I spent more than half my life together with her. She died peacefully in sleep and was not suffering in the end but for me it was a shock and after her death I felt lonely for the first time ever since I can remember. I missed and miss her so much. Your song "Little Angel" expresses very much what I feel so I was wondering what your story behind the song might be. With lots of love (and best greetings from my two new cats Moira and Monty, I adopted them from the animal home), Susanne Chris de Burgh: Hi Susanne! We have come across each other many times in the past, and thank you very much for your question. The song “Little Angel” was written as a spontaneous response to the murder of two little girls in England about 3 or 4 years ago. And I was so shocked and horrified that a man could murder two 10 year olds who were walking down the street in England one moment, the next minute they were killed and their bodies turned up in a ditch several weeks later. I wrote this song from the point of view of the parents of that poor little girl, and also from any other parent whose worst worst nightmare it is to suddenly lose a child like that. I also put the singer of the song in the bedroom of the child, and looking around at all the childhood memories, and the memorabilia, and the toys and the photographs. And it’s just that absolute, dreadful aching in the heart, which is why I have written “My heart is not broken, it is shattered”. It is absolutely destroyed, those people’s lives are broken forever. And you know I am not laughing about your cat, because people get very very close to animals, and they become a member of your family, and it is well-known that pets can allow outpouring of affection and love that it is very difficult sometimes for people to give to each other ironically. So I know that people get very very close to their pets. We have a dog called Milly, a black Labrador. She is 9 years old and she is a member of the family. And actually I am quite convinced that she does not think of herself as a dog at all, I think she thinks of herself as a human being like the rest of us. And she doesn’t like being left behind on trips and things like that. She stares at us. You know how they can look at you in that way to make you feel guilty because you haven’t taken them somewhere? And all the other things, they really always know when there is about to be a trip by somebody in the family, even before the suitcase turns up. So to be honest, I am not surprised that the song “Little Angel” touches you in that way, because memories are intensely moving and emotional.
August 6, 2005 Marie (26) from Tehran, Iran: Hi Chris, as you've decided to leave the closing words in "When Winter Comes" as a mystery (which I am determined to solve) would you give us a hint and say if the words are English at all, or are they in another language? I am dreaming, no, hoping for the day when I will attend your concert in my own country, Iran, which, if it seemed impossible before, doesn't seem so out of reach today. Maybe, just maybe. Chris de Burgh: Curiously enough, I was recently reading a piece from a newspaper report from Scotland talking about the people in Iran and the elections and what was happening there. One girl was talking about how music can change things, sometimes not for the better, sometimes for the better. And a friend was disagreeing, saying that she loves music. And just saying that this fellow Chris de Burgh, you can hear him coming out of all the radio stations, in every café, in internet cafés, in restaurants, which made me smile. So, as you know in the past, I am determined to come to Iran to sing hopefully at some stage when people allow me to come into the country to sing! And I am sure I will get a very very good reception. The words at the end of “When Winter Comes” will remain a mystery, because I think somebody some day will figure them out. But as you probably know, they are not English. And it’s not actually English backwards either, as once I did on the song “Carry On” on the album Crusader many years ago.
August 5, 2005 Christina Nissen (20) from Krusaa, Denmark: Dear Chris, On your album "Road to Freedom" you have a song called "Here for you". I've just spent 10 months in Georgia, USA and one day when I was over there, my dad tells me that he has a song I need to hear, when he sees me again. Turns out that he had been watching some show on German TV with you and heard you talk about your daughter. He bought your CD shortly after that and went home to my mom. Told her to sit down in the couch and just listen. Then he put on "Here for you" and she started crying in a second. Same thing happened to me when I finally saw them again after my stay in the States. I cried and cried. I just want to thank you for making a song so powerful to me and my parents. I would love to ask you, what made you write this song and what your own feelings are about it? Love, Christina Chris de Burgh: Well, Christina, I was very moved to read your beautiful story. And I am moved for two reasons. Firstly, that the intention that I had initially when I wrote the song was really from the parents point of view. And I know that the second point, which is to hear it from the child’s point of view, is just as important. I haven’t heard it expressed as beautifully as you have just expressed it in your story about your mother and father. I have said before that I remember playing the song to Diane, my wife, with thinking about our little girl, who would have been about 16 or 17 at the time, going away. And I couldn’t get past verse one, having described the scene at the airport. It’s something that’s going to come to most parents, if not all parents, when their child finally leaves the nest. But hearing it so eloquently written as you have, Christina, from the point of view of yourself and saying thanks to have created a bond between yourself and your parents, that is on a different scale. And it’s funny to say also, I am delighted that the tears flowed, because this is another expression of joy. People cry when great things happen, and people cry when they are terribly, terribly sad. But I think the recognition of something that has moved you or touched you, it’s also a release of emotions that too many of us hold inside us too often and for too long. The inspiration behind the song is in fact very mundane. I was in the Hyatt hotel in Cologne, which is one of my favourite, if not my favourite hotel in Europe for many reasons. It’s right across the river Rhine to the beautiful cathedral of Cologne. I have had fantastic nights in that hotel with friends and fans, you know, the bar downstairs and elsewhere and had a lot of fun. But I was waiting for somebody to come to see me to do some singing. I had a piano in my room, and I was waiting for this particular singer to come from England with my manager and a couple of other people. And there was a cleaner, walking around the room, doing some cleaning. And I was fiddling at the piano, and this melody came out which is the first part of the song. And I immediately completely ignored what was going on in the room. I went into a shell of my own, when I started imagining what the music was trying to tell me. And I found myself in the airport. Perhaps this particular thing had been on my mind? Whatever happened, the music sat beautifully with the idea. Subsequently I turned it to a song. So, Christina, if you ever manage to come to one of my concerts, or your parents, hopefully I’ll be singing it that night. And maybe the tears will flow again.
August 4, 2005 Chris de Burgh: Now that the summer tour is over, I want to say that I had a really fantastic time, seeing new places and making new friends. I am constantly amazed at the support and affection that I feel from the audience when I perform my concerts, and I am also reminded of the saying “you cannot expect your fans to love you if you don't love them”! I think it was pretty obvious from the two and a half hour concerts that I was enjoying myself immensely, and I always looked forward to walking around the audience to sing with them during the show. I have been reading interesting comments about why I sometimes sing falsetto, and is it because my voice is finding it hard to hit the high notes? As a matter of fact, I still hit the same notes as I did thirty years ago, and if anything, my voice is stronger and fuller now than it ever has been. The reason I occasionally use falsetto - like in the first chorus of Borderline - comes down to one word: dynamics. If you are doing a long solo show, there is little chance to show much change in sound, so I use my voice in different ways, so when I sing the second chorus in Borderline and belt out the words full voice, it definitely has an impact!! I feel very fortunate not only to have such a huge amount of support from all over the world, but to also have a strong and healthy voice! I look forward to singing in Ireland later this month, and of course returning to the stage and the mutual affection I have with my fans as soon as possible.
August 3, 2005 Joe Griffith (45) from Concord, North Carolina, USA: Hi Chris! My name is Joe Griffith. I am 45 years old and live in Concord, NC U.S. My sister recently started dating a man who claims to have written 'Lady In Red' and sold the rights to this song. Now I know from previous answers that you are the lone penman to this wonderful song. My question is why do people claim to have written this song and how does this make you feel when people are falsely trying to take credit for your creative talent? Do you have any idea how these rumors get started? I'm willing to bet you have never collaborated with or bought the rights to any song from someone named Pedro (Nick) Berg. By the way, Don't Pay The Ferryman is one of my all-time favorites! Thank You, take care, and God Bless! Chris de Burgh: Thanks for your extraordinary question. Funnily enough I have had strange letters from people, claiming to have written my songs. Some of them use pretty foul language, saying “Chris de Burgh, give me the f...ing money! I wrote Lady in Red! Send it to the above address!” This is absolute nonsense. I wrote “Lady In Red”. I have never heard of Pedro (Nick) Berg. He absolutely did not write “The Lady In Red”. I did, I was there at the time. And thanks for what you say about “Don’t Pay The Ferryman”. I have spoken about it before, but it is probably one of my strongest favourites on my all-time list as well. I think incidentally the reason your sister has a man saying that he wrote “The Lady In Red” is that he was trying to impress her. Maybe this won’t impress her much anymore, if she is still going out with him, to know that he told her a complete falsehood.
August 2, 2005 Silvia Eggert (37) from Cologne, now Berlin, Germany: Hi Chris! At first thank you for your emotional tour this year. It was the best, I've heard in these 20 years (and I've heard many of your concerts....). My question today: Why do you look so serious most of the time (concert in Berlin)? Are you not happy on stage? What do you feel, when you are on stage? Thanks a lot and excuse me for my terrible English........... Chris de Burgh: Thank you for your kind words. I may look serious, but actually inside I am laughing and dancing. The thing is, to carry a concert on your own for two and a half hours, maybe longer, you have to concentrate. It’s a very very concentrated thing. I am always thinking not only 20 seconds ahead, but also what the next song is, what I am planning to be saying between the songs, trying to remember the words. There’s a lot going on in my little head as I stand on the stage. I think possibly when I am with the band, I spend a bit more time laughing and joking. But I have to tell you I am actually relaxed on stage all the time, I am never ever nervous, because my energy comes from the love and affection of the audience. But I must apologize, if you think I am being serious, but I am not. Actually I am always wanting to break into a smile. But another thing you should know, Silvia, is that when I sing a song, I want to get right into the heart of the song. I want to be the person in the song. When I am singing “Rose Of England”, I am with Queen Elizabeth I. And this is a serious story, and I have to try and convey the emotions that I am feeling. So I have always believed you cannot convey an emotion unless you feel it yourself. So that’s the point at which I begin. I have to feel the emotion. That’s why sometimes I look a little serious, but I am in the song, deep inside it. I think you also know that when I do my walk around with my headphones on, I am not so serious then, I am laughing and joking quite a bit.
August 1, 2005 Renate Meyer (44) from Herford, Germany: We've seen you at the 50 years Rock Special in Bremen where Thomas Gottschalk said he would like to have you in a separate show, performing some older love songs, too. Will there be any chance? Chris de Burgh: By the time you read this, I have already been on Thomas Gottschalk’s chat show, and I will be well into my tour. Thomas was speaking about another show doing some older love songs, and the answer is yes, I would absolutely love to do this. Because I have a voice that suits some kinds of music much better than others. I don’t think I would be particularly good at doing Rolling Stones covers or Jimi Hendrix songs, but it’s the older love songs like for example one of my favourites, the Harry Nilsson song “Without You” or a lot of the Beatles songs, or much older than that, maybe from the 30s and 40s, that I would be very happy to give my hand at trying and give my voice an attempt to get round those melodies from the past. Yes, I would love to try this one day, and I hope it happens. So, Thomas Gottschalk, if you are reading this, it’s up to you now!
July 31, 2005 Rita (45) from Frankfurt, Germany: Hi Chris, just a few lines to tell you that I'm a fan of your music since many years and that I hope, you'll have still many years with new songs for your fans. In the chatroom after the 50 years rock party in the German TV you told about a film-project you'll join next year. What kind of film will it be and what's your part? Chris de Burgh: Yes, I recall being in the chatroom after the 50 years rock party, and I spoke about the film project. Well, I have spoken about it before, but I’ll just refresh your memory. Which is, it’s called “Through These Eyes”, it’s the story of an old lady who is in a nursing home at the end of her life. And she has written a diary about her life. And a young nurse finds the diary as the old lady is sleeping. And the young nurse and the old lady are very close. It’s a flashback of this lady’s life, and all the extraordinary things that have happened to her. The idea for this really is that when you look at an old person like your grandfather, your grandmother, you know that, if it is somebody close to you, you know how lovely they are, or if they are unwell, how much they need your help and attention and your care and your love. And you know also that they have had an extraordinary life, because everybody has a story to tell. And if you look at an old person, say an old man going down to the shops with a shopping bag or coming back, or even more interesting is when you have an elderly couple walking along very slowly, holding hands, you know you should never laugh at them, just because you can run faster than they can. Because they have had a wealth of experience, a huge amount of living that has gone into their years. So it’s really about this lady’s story and what has happened to her, the changes in her life, the tragedies, the high points, the photographs, the memories. This is something we all have to face eventually, if we are lucky, to go into old age supported by a loving and strong family behind us who would care for us in our old age. So the bottom line is, have respect for old people, as one day, if you are lucky, you may become like them.
July 30, 2005 Mandy Smart (36) from Skegness, UK: Hi Chris, remember Martyn Joseph who opened some shows for you years back? Well he has just released a covers album of his favourite songs, past and present. My question is, have you ever thought of releasing such an album, and maybe include Without You (which you sang years ago at a Liverpool concert), Hotel California, Hey Jude, etc? Chris de Burgh: I’d like to say hello to Mandy Smart, who claims she is 36, but I think you are only about 24. You’re still looking great. I am very fond of Martyn Joseph, he’s such a talented man. And a very good golfer incidentally as well. And I am delighted to hear that he has released an album of covers. It’s funny, I have often thought about it, you know particularly when you are in a situation where you are between records and you want to have what we call product out in the market place. But there is no room for such a record in my life at the moment, I suppose because I am still doing fairly extensive tours. Not that Martyn isn’t incidentally. But it is, I suppose, something to do one day. Maybe a collection of ten of my favourites and get them on record, and probably do a tour incorporating them.
July 29, 2005 Renate Sambale (49) from Göttingen, Germany: Dear Chris, thank you for your personal note to the meet and greet in Dortmund, hope you got my present which I gave to someone standing in front in the "chaos". My question to you: Who had the idea of the very nice film on "Making of" TRTF and would you do it again on a next album? It is very nice to see you working and to listen to your comments. Thanks for a short answer and all the best to you, Renate Chris de Burgh: Yes, thank you about the meet and greet in Dortmund that I referred to as the rush and crush. We certainly won’t make that mistake again, we’ll organize it better next time. But I think those who went to the Dortmund concert probably forgave me, because the concert itself was extraordinary. The “making of” the Road To Freedom album, well Kenny Thomson and I had this idea about a behind the scenes film, which is actually most of it shot by my brother-in-law David Morley, that’s my wife’s brother who is a professional photographer and very interested in making videos. And I just thought people might be interested to know as well about what happens in recording studios, in the recording process. It’s something that again in the future I would very much like to do.
July 28 2005 Dione (38) from Taiwan: Dear Chris, you have been my favourite singer more than 20 years. And I have your albums from "Far Beyond The Castle Walls" to "The Road To Freedom". I am a Chinese, so I don't understand Western culture very much. I have a simple question for you. Why are you so interested in "ferryman"? Does this word have a special meaning for you or your culture? Sorry, maybe my English is not good. Chris de Burgh: Again stressing how fortunate I feel to have an international fan base. Your question is very interesting and the things you have said about Taiwan. I don’t know if you had the chance to come and see me performing in Taipei about 6 or 7 years ago. I really thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. That was when we were working with the string quartet. Peter Oxendale was playing the piano. And I remember checking into my hotel suite and it was enormous. And one of the two or three young ladies who were the butlers said “Oh, Michael Jackson was just in this suite.” So I looked everywhere to see if he has left his chimpanzee behind, but he hadn’t. It’s an interesting thing hearing that you do come from a Chinsee culture and background. Moving to the ferryman, I think that word only occurs in one of the songs, although I may be wrong about that. The ferryman in ancient mythology used to ferry the souls of the dead across the river. Some people think it was the river Styx or the river Hades, anyway it was the gateway to hell. And I tried to put together the idea of having a story with this wild horseman who is thundering through the night, heading for this river. And I can see it in my mind’s eye every time I listen to the song. And the river with the moon on it, and the ferryman waiting. Basically it is a story about destiny and the time when you have to make an important decision in your life. The word does not have any particular significance, apart from what I have suggested, ancient mythology. But also there are many many thousands of boats all over the world which are called ferries and I am quite sure they would have a ferryman involved with the movement of the passage of this boat or ship.
July 27, 2005 Geoff Dickson (37) from Canberra, Australia: Chris, your music is great, but you seem to have two major problems in your life. Firstly, you don't spend enough time in Australia entertaining us with your music, but more to the point your second problem.... Liverpool football club? Oh dear, surely you could do better than Liverpool! Apart from the minor fact that the ball is the wrong shape (come to Australia and watch some good southern Hemisphere Super 12's Rugby Union), Liverpool..... how did you end up following a team like that?? Seriously... you're not a native of Liverpool, why them? Chris de Burgh: I know this question was asked quite a long time ago, but I am having a very very big smile to myself about Liverpool football club and the way they won the Champions League. I am sure as everybody knows by now, my family and I went out there, and witnessed one of the most extraordinary games of football in history. Liverpool has been a place that I have been extremely fond of for years. It first came up on my radar screen as it were when the Beatles came out and all that wonderful music coming out of Liverpool. And in my early years as a performer, it was one of the two places in the UK that you could rely on having a really supportive, emotional and exciting crowd. One was Glasgow, the second was Liverpool. We regularly did British tours in the 70s, if we ground our way around the countryside of England and Scotland, saying “don’t worry, we will soon be in Liverpool” or “don’t worry, we will soon be in Glasgow”. So Liverpool has got such an affectionate place in my heart. I have always had friends there, and I was a huge supporter of Liverpool FC in the 70s and 80s and subsequently obviously. Now just going back to rugby, I have also been a big fan of rugby. I have had tickets for Landsdown Road, which is the venue for Irish Rugby internationals, for at least ten years and I have got another ten years with a new ticketing arrangement. My two boys are mad for rugby, and I like it very much as a sport at the top level. I used to play probably more rugby than football as a youngster, and cricket of course, when I was at school. And it is a game that I certainly admire. I like Rugby Union more than I would Rugby League, because of different rules and so on, but it is a thrilling game at the top level. I am sorry about Australia by the way. I have been to Australia four times, and you are right, Geoff, I think I should go back there.
July 26, 2005 Mylène (42) from Nederweert, The Netherlands: Chris, First of all, thanks for your music and concerts. I visit as many as possible... Now for the question: In one of your MOtL answers, you say "When you hear a song, enjoy it for what it is, certainly initially without looking for deep meanings". Ironically most of the questions are about the meaning of the song or what you inspired writing it. I wonder how you feel about people who have very different feelings about one song or another than you had when writing it (considered I don't think anyone could get "hate“ feelings about any of your songs). Chris de Burgh: Hi Mylène! What I am suggesting here is that, in my opinion and obviously it is clearly just my opinion, music is at like looking at a picture. People get all sorts of different things from a painting as they do from music. After all, one of the great things about art is that various things appeal to various people in completely different ways. I am not a big fan of modern art particularly, because I don’t see why something has to be explained to me. Like a red blob on a white background. I think some people are very foolish indeed about parting with enormous sums of money to give for example for a painting that you have to have an explanation for. But that’s their opinion, and I prefer more realistic art. I am a huge fan for example of the French expressionists of the late 1800s, early 1900s. And some people don’t like that kind of painting. Similarly with music, there are a lot of people who listen to songs on a superficial basis, because I believe that the way music is translated into people’s emotions is by two methods. One is by hearing, and the second by listening. People hear music most of the time as background in cars, you know, in the bath, when you are falling asleep, on television, whatever. But when you actually listen to music, that is by giving it a hard listen and working out what’s going on inside it, working on what the lyrics mean, that kind of thing. That’s what I mean when you listen to music, to try and figure out what was the artist, the musician, the composer, the songwriter thinking of. And that’s what I do for my music. I like to think that people can hear it, but also spend a bit of time listening to it and working out the meanings behind what I have produced. And clearly people have different reactions to different pieces of music.
July 25, 2005 Jan McKenzie (48) from Herne Bay Kent, Kent, UK: Is it true Chris, that you are involved in some way with supporting research for the blood cancer – LYMPHOMA? My husband was diagnosed with a rare form - WALDENSTROMS MACROGLOBULINEMIA. Quite a mouthful. Considered treatable but not as yet curable! I wonder if you could either confirm something or squash the idea, if it is true! WHY Lymphoma? I know.. getting personal.. but I am sure other fans would like this one out of the bag, so to speak. LOVE your music! Hope I have not made this too long! OH what the Hell! Here's a P.S.: Michael is fine! He has had chemo/antibody therapy for just under a year (shingles twice in one year), got addicted to pain killers for shingles, weaned himself off (quite a challenge!) (breast nodules) In remission now! In fact (rampant rabbit!), if you get what I mean!! Full of youthfulness! He stopped all treatments December last year and his body is supporting him in wellness. I know you are a man of heart and deep feelings, I hope I am right that you are a patron of something. Lymphomas seem to be on the increase! And you have such charisma and profile… and GREAT MUSIC talent (of course). It would make so many feel so much hope! Warmest wishes, Jan Chris de Burgh: Again I want to tell everybody reading MOtL how impressed I am by the things that people write to me. They aren’t just questions, they incorporate a whole lot of other things of personal stories, like this one, of feelings, of emotions, of gratitude. And all I can say in response is that I’ve been a professional musician for 30 years, and I am constantly overwhelmed by the love and support that I am getting from all you people out there. Thank you! And if I may be so bold to ask, please keep it coming. Lymphoma is a dreadful form of cancer. And my interest, unfortunately, came from a personal situation with Glenn Morrow, the keyboard player from my last band, you know the Canadian boys. And he died of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. And I took a keen interest in this particular disease. I am not sure if your husband has got Non-Hodgkins or a different sort of Lymphoma. But I am delighted to hear that he is doing well, and that he is, as you say, a rampant rabbit. And that he is enjoying life and you are as well. And thank you for what you say about my music. Although I am not a patron of a Lymphoma society, I am very much involved with ways of reducing the spread and onset of cancer and the early recognition of cancer in people.
July 24, 2005 Stephanie Grabowski (36) from Dormagen, Germany: Hi Chris, first congratulations for your 20th anniversary. I love your music since I'm 11 years old, now I'm 36, so it's an anniversary (25th) for me too. Needless to say that I have visited THE CONCERT in Dortmund. FANTASTIC, INCREDIBLE !!! Now my question: What were your feelings, seeing a young boy (Cesar) performing your song (of course PATRICIA)? To see how he got the audience to support him? Take care and keep on! Your fan forever, Steffi Chris de Burgh: I have spoken, Steffi, in a previous reply all about my feelings about the Dortmund show, so I won’t repeat them now. Except to say it was absolutely fantastic, and the live record that we have (“Live in Dortmund”) reflects very accurately the excitement that everybody, including myself, felt on that night. As far as the young fellow Cesar getting up to sing “Patricia The Stripper”, I think some people felt that was a bit of a fix. You know, I actually fixed the result or somebody did. Well, I think I have gone through that already. Obviously somebody coming up to sing a song that I wasn’t going to do on the night was important to get that into the hat from where I chose Cesar. But I am delighted for people to come up on stage, it’s something that I have always liked to incorporate into my shows. I suppose for a couple of reasons: People love to get up and maybe be close to their star/hero, and maybe not for that matter, but people do like to stand up and sing a little bit. Some people are very good, and some people are not very good. But it’s just a chance to get up on stage and show what they can do. I think a lot of people also are surprised certainly at how difficult it is. It seems easy to stand up on stage and sing, but it is actually not that easy. You have to really concentrate, you have to concentrate on the way you talk between songs for example, which is very slowly. And singing you have to be very aware of your tuning. But good luck to Cesar Quintero – I was delighted that he did a very good version of “Patricia The Stripper”. We obviously hadn’t planned it in front, but I thought he was excellent.
July 23, 2005 Christina Martin (24) from Orpington, Kent, UK: What is your favourite day? You don't have a "9 to 5" working week like the rest of us, so do you enjoy the weekend as much as say someone who works in an office? Chris de Burgh: I don’t have a 9 to 5 working life, although in many regards I do have a structure to my life, particularly during school time. Because we get up early on school days every morning, five mornings a week. Actually six mornings a week, because there are frequently things on a Saturday morning early. I take my two sons to school. My daughter Rosanna now drives herself to University College in Dublin. And just on that particular point, she had an extraordinary year as Miss World and we were all thoroughly relieved that when she handed over the crown to the new Miss World in December last year, that at least she could now put some further structure back into her life, and concentrate on her studies plus other projects that she wanted to do. And she managed to get through her Christmas exams with great results, although she had missed most of the course and worked extremely hard. And then we just recently heard that her end of year results, bearing in mind that she probably missed about 70% of the course and she had to really really catch up missed seminars, missed lectures, missed important essays that had to go in. She got a 2.1 grade in sociology and history of art, which is a tremendous achievement for somebody who wasn’t there most of the time. So we are absolutely chuffed and thrilled about that. Now she is working, as I am sure a lot of people know, with the team who put Holiday On Ice together. And she is the European face of the Holiday On Ice group, so you are going to be seeing her on television a lot, and the newspapers a lot, and on big giant billboards. And she’s got a year coming up of interesting places to go and travel to. And these people treat her with a respect and a kindness and an understanding, and giving her breaks, not crazy travel plans. For her this is a complete change from what she had to put up with during the year she was Miss World. But back to the question: My favourite day? Well, I don’t really have a favourite day. I must admit, it’s fantastic when the school holidays come round, so we can just relax. We don’t have to go through the thing of leaving the house at 8 o’clock in the morning or having to pick the boys up at 4 o’clock or 5:30 in the evening. And late study for my elder boy, actually all three of them have got big exams coming up towards the end of 2005/2006. So today for example, as I speak to you, Christina, it’s an absolutely gorgeous Sunday. And friends have been dropping round, we have been sitting out on our terrace. It’s been extremely hot. We’ve got beautiful views of the countryside, of the hills, across the fields there are sheep which thankfully don’t belong to me, but we can still enjoy their company. And you can feel the grateful earth as a response not only to rain, but also to sun. So I would say Sunday is a nice day, because there is nobody else around us, there is nobody working in the house for example, it’s just a very personal, private day. And I think like everybody else we love the weekends.
July 22, 2005 Brigga (34) from Germany: Hi Chris! First of all - thank you for a great show in Dortmund last night!! Are you aware of the fact that people - total strangers - become friends during your show? That people who are standing next to each other and who have never met before at the end hold each other and sing and dance together? (And here I don't mean the big crowd right at the stage!) Music is obviously powerful but do you ever notice the changes in people while you sing? You surely intend to bring a bit more happiness into everybody's life. Not only by playing fantastic music but by touching the people somehow. You seem to reach out and actually get hold of them. (Of course I am speaking for myself, too, I can't count anymore how often I thought "yes, true" listening to your songs.) It's so amazing to watch and I wonder if you know/see/plan that!?? Anyway, I wish you and your family all the best and for myself I wish that you keep doing what you do because you are doing it more than great!! Listening to your music is not just to 'sing and dance', it's so much more to me and I bet it is for so many others, too. Thank you - Brigga Chris de Burgh: Well the answer to your question is no, I am not especially aware that people make friends during the show. I know a lot of people like to get together before and after the show with people that they know, people who have come from overseas for a concert. The Dortmund concert in particular was absolutely extraordinary. I can’t remember in my life enjoying a concert as much. I was so relaxed going into it. It was a way of saying thank you to everybody for the 20 years of support in the Westfalenhalle, and to say thank you for the years of support that I have had from people all over the world. And it was just a fun night. For me it wasn’t like a concert at all, it was like a party. That‘s why at the end of it, I think I was on stage for more than 3 hours, I did some extra songs and said “this is like a party, we can’t go to bed now”. But it’s delightful reading what you’ve just said about what happens during my concerts. And I hope if these things do happen, you do get in touch with each other and exchange phone numbers, exchange websites, email addresses and so on, and build up the friendship that does exist around my music that goes around the world. Because it gives me a tremendous source of inspiration. Although in the last few months I have been creatively quite quiet, indeed I have been creatively bored to be honest, because I haven’t been able to focus on any particular direction. Because plans have been slow in developing. Not because of something that I have done or haven’t done, it’s because other people are involved and other projects. And trying to for example get the film project up and running has been frustrating. But the stage musical project looks like it is going to come through, but that took 6 months longer than anybody expected. However I am now focussed personally on another project for the end of next year which is very exciting for me, and I am writing new songs towards that. Maybe I’ll be able to bring that show to Dortmund. But Dortmund, Westfalenhalle, is a very special place for me. And it’s wonderful to hear what you are saying, Brigga, about people making friends.
July 21, 2005 Declan (33) from Cork, Ireland: Hi again Chris, my family and I were in Florida last September for our summer vacation. Yes September in Florida is hurricane season. We got tangled up in the frenzy and panic of Hurricane Francis. I must say it was an experience "Waiting for the Hurricane" to hit. We lost three days of our holiday however that was a small loss as in the aftermath many Floridians had lost homes and many businesses had been seriously damaged. Florida was still recovering from Hurricane Charlie when Francis hit. My question is did you get the inspiration to write your song "Waiting for the Hurricane" from being caught in one in Florida also and if so when? Chris de Burgh: It sounds absolutely terrifying to be caught up in a hurricane. In fact we were in Mauritius when the Tsunami struck in the Indian ocean. We were very lucky to be nowhere near it, but we could see the impact and the force of the power of nature. And how many were killed, I think it was coming up to 300,000 to date. And a hurricane is also absolutely terrifying. My bass player, Al Marnie, lives in Florida. And I have called him from time to time, as I have seen a hurricane hitting the Florida coast, just to see how he is doing. And I rang him once when he was in the middle of it. And the noise was just absolutely appalling. Coming to the song “Waiting For The Hurricane”, I did not have any intention writing a song about a group of people waiting for a hurricane. That just developed, I think, as these things often do from the first line, which was “Standing in the foyer of the grand hotel, suitcase in his hand, looking for a bill.” Then it began to me to sound like an old Humphrey Bogart film. Which often happens, you know, once I start a line of a song, I go into the mental film mode. And this one appeared to be exactly that. A group of people like perhaps in an Agatha Christie film, something where you are unable to leave a place and you are enclosed with other people that you barely know. And there will be a few days of interaction with these people, and probably the terror of being caught in a cataclysm like a very bad hurricane. I have never been in one, although I have been in very very severe storms and winds. I remember in the Midwest of America being caught up in a Tornado, and it was very close to where I was and that was scary. But not thankfully a hurricane.
July 20, 2005 Adrian Brittlebank (17) from Leighton Buzzard, England: Hey Chris! I really enjoyed the Royal Albert Hall concert this year. My question is, if asked, would you do a theme song for a James Bond film? Cheers Chris Chris de Burgh: I am glad to see a youngster like you, the same age as my son Hubie, coming to the Royal Albert Hall concert. And the quick answer to your question is, if I was asked to do a theme song for a James Bond film, I would say yes immediately. But I think it is unlikely at this point that I will be asked to be the singer. Maybe I could be asked to be the songwriter. But you never know, one can keep on dreaming of these things. I have always been a huge fan of James Bond films, but in particular since, I think, the best James Bond was Sean Connery. And he is also a friend of mine that I meet from time to time. He’s a charming man, but I think he was the best Bond. And I am sure most people agree. So if he comes back and does a, you know, Bond aged 60+, whatever he is, then maybe they’ll ask me to write a song for him.
July 19, 2005 Chris de Burgh: A quick note to say that I am thoroughly enjoying the summer tour. Apart from a short rain shower in Hannover, we have been blessed with good weather, and I hope it stays like this till the end of the tour. Great to see so many new places, and new faces - and of course I am always amazed at the continuing support from fans who seem to go to every show, and do as much travelling as I do! The audience response has been absolutely fantastic, with most concerts sold out beyond capacity, and although I rarely read reviews by music journalists, I believe that most have been excellent. After all, if we go to a fantastic show, we like to read an accurate and fair reflection of what is was really like - even if the writer confesses he is not really a great fan, just doing his job. I hear that there was a bad review of the Krefeld concert, but remember that the writer of the piece was probably forced to go by his Editor, got a free ticket, could not understand why so many people adored the show, was unfamiliar with most of the songs, is a failed musician, had a row with his wife, felt sour that a small singer was getting all that female admiration, and to top it all, most likely got stopped by the police on the way home for speeding! All this adds up to a lousy review. However, on a more serious note, he has also enraged hundreds, maybe thousands of regular readers of his paper, because of an unbalanced and unfair description of what really happened in the concert, so I would urge all of you to e-mail or write to this journalist and indicate your feelings about his article. That may make him have a bit more respect for the public who pay good money to go to a concert. As for me, I have had so many brilliant or dreadful reviews of the same show that I don't bother to read them any more. Thanks to all for your wonderful support, love, Chris de Burgh
July 18, 2005 Lanning Schiller (57 going on 29) from Boulder, Colorado, USA: Apologies to your brother and your nieces......Since you are always 29 years old, I asked your brother in the ROYAL ALBERT HALL if he was your father in law....oops.....THANK YOU for putting signed discs and posters out in BRIGHTON......The UK tour was life-changing for my disabled son....unable to work, READ MY NAME and ST. PETER'S GATE and others and even the title ROAD TO FREEDOM offers him so much hope that he can have a future......and LEBANON and NATASHA and always talking to a woman using a FRENCH NOT BRITISH accent keeps him romantic and alive.....and we cried all the way from London to Denver about the young men who will not be coming home in your songs and for real. The QUESTION? Why did you write about fathers and sons in I LOVE YOU? Keep them coming. The bittersweet, weltschmerz tone of this album is haunting and lovely..... Chris de Burgh: Great to hear that you came over to the Royal Albert Hall for the concert last year in October, and I hope you enjoyed it. I am flattered by the fact you asked my brother if he is my father in law. I suppose one of the inevitabilities of life is obviously getting older, but I have a job that in some ways is very stressful and in other ways is not. Because I love what I do, maybe it keeps me looking a little bit younger. At least I haven’t got too many grey hairs quite yet. I just really like your question and the things you have said before the question itself. I wrote about fathers and sons in “The Words ‘I Love You’”, because it’s a theme that I have actually referred to in the past at least twice in my songs, about the difficulties that fathers and sons have sometimes. I am so happy that my relationship with my two boys and my daughter is just really rock solid. We were away recently on holiday for two weeks, and quite a few people kept coming up to say “How come that the six of you (we brought Rosie’s boyfriend along) always eat together, like breakfast, lunch and dinner? And you always seem to be having a laugh together and having fun and enjoy each other’s company.” I said well we are just lucky, we are a very close family. So the difficulty I had with my own father, I am quite sure stemmed from the fact that I was away a lot at boarding school and he was living with my mother abroad a lot. And, you know, my advice to new fathers is, the bonding starts instantly, at birth. And it must go on forever. And you’ve got to keep that love and affection. You can’t suddenly turn out to be an authority figure the moment they become teenagers. You’ve got to be there for them through thick and thin. And for me it’s been quite the juggling act to try and make sure that my career doesn’t interfere with my family life and vice versa. And judging from the way that I get on with my family, I think I have been successful in both counts. But again going back to the question, saying the words “I love you” can be very very difficult. And I think people who know this song will also know that I am referring to the tolerance we must have for other people’s religions. And saying in a broad sense to your neighbour and to somebody you have never even met, somebody across the other side of the world: We are all human beings. We all have the same fears. We all have the same internal systems, the same immune systems. We all live and die the same way in terms of our physical make up. So we really are one people. And it’s worth remembering that in your dealings with people from different cultures and religions.
July 17, 2005 Mandy Chadburn (36) from Sheffield, UK: Hi Chris once again. Hope you’re keeping well. I've already asked you a question once, can't wait for you to answer. I sing myself, I've also taught myself how to play guitar. I do admire how far you have got in your career. I wish I was in your shoes given the chance. Anyway, my question: I know you're a professional singer and this sometimes does happen, do you ever sing out of tune and think "oh my god what’s up with my voice today"? Hope you are not offended by my question, Chris! See you, take care, yours Mandy. Chris de Burgh: Playing the guitar has been something I have always wanted to do. When I was 14 or 15, all my friends had guitars and we formed little bands. It was a great way of meeting girls, if you are a shy boy like me. For me it’s also a natural way of putting across my creative ideas, that and the piano. Coming to the singing, when you look at the voice as purely a muscle that is controlled by the brain, there are times when you are not hearing yourself right. For example in the recording studio, having a lot of experience recording. I know that if I have my voice too what we call dry, which means there is no reverb or no echo added to it, it can make you slightly out of tune. Similarly, if you have too much reverb, you start listening to the reverb coming back again and that can put you slightly out of tune. One of the reasons I always do a sound check before the concert is to check out the hall, if we are indoors, because there is a big reflective wall at the back, and the sides and the roof. And if it’s a very big hall, which I have often played in the past, you are getting your voice coming back again at the speed of sound. But as it comes back due to various effects, I think including the Doppler effect, it’s coming back slightly flat. And if you are not aware of this and your monitor is not loud enough, you will start pitching your voice to what you are hearing coming back at you, rather than what you should be hearing directly as you sing. Similarly I find that a base guitar in such a big hall can have a similar effect, because it is very loud, a very big sound. If you start pitching to a bass guitar that is coming back to you from the other end of the hall, you will pitch flat. So apart from that I am lucky enough that I very rarely, at least I hope that I very rarely sing out of tune. I am pretty tuneful except when I am sick, and if I have a sore throat or something, I have to push quite hard to make sure I hit the right notes. But generally speaking I am lucky and I sing in tune.
July 16, 2005 Tillman Graach (24) from Augsburg, Germany: Hi Chris! Lately I was listening to the song "I Started A Joke" from the very early days of the Bee Gees. It struck me that - unless my ears are playing tricks on me - this sounds a lot like your first album. The melody could be one of yours from those days, but most of all it's the arrangement and the production that really remind me of the typical "Castle Walls" sound (no particular song in mind), if you know what I mean. Finally, also the lyrics seem to bear some resemblance to "Turning Round/Flying". Here's my question: have you been aware of these similarities, were they perhaps even intentional? Or is it just pure chance? One more question concerning heroes of the 70s: What do you think about Agnetha, Björn, Benny & Frida, better known as Abba? Like them or not? Chris de Burgh: It’s possible that the chords and the production do resemble “I Started A Joke”, but it was unintentional. And unfortunately as a songwriter you are limited to only a certain number of chords. The chords in that particular song are what we call the standard round and round chords, you know, D F# minor, E minor, A. And I think “I Started A Joke” is fairly similar. But if you look back at a lot of other songs, they are fairly similar. I am not sure about the words though, because it’s been a while since I heard the Bee Gees song. But I am sure it was purely unintentional, pure chance. And about Abba – I admire Abba enormously, I am a big big fan of Abba. And I am very interested in deconstructing their songs. Because we have two songwriters, Benny and Bjorn, who were very talented musicians, particularly the keyboard player, and came up with almost mini stories, mini epics like Fernando, which really appealed to me. I love those stories and they manage to paint a beautiful picture of the drums, Fernando, and so on. I like the production for example of S.O.S. If you listen to that, you’ll hear the build up of tension and then, when the chorus comes in, the drums come in. And it is exceptional. It is very obvious, and it is very basic, but unfortunately very few people have got the skill to use simplicity to such great effect. And another thing I noticed about Abba is, when the girls sing, they sing full voice most of the time. And luckily for them their songwriters have given them long notes to sing. So it’s thrilling stuff, and they really sound terrific when they are singing full on.
July 15, 2005 Angelo Auriti (40) from Calgary, Canada: Hello Mr. de Burgh, I have been a big fan of your music for many, many years. I do like some of your love songs but am especially fond of your songs about the tragedy of war. Over the last several albums I have noticed you have not had the epic songs like Crusader or Revolution/Light a Fire/Liberty or most recently The Leader/The Vision/What About Me. These songs are by far my favourite. Do you derive a certain inspiration to write these songs? Is there a chance that an epic like one of these would ever be published? I have had the pleasure of seeing you twice in the mid eighties in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I have ranked these two shows as some of my all time favourites, even twenty years later. I discovered this website by accident and impressed by its details. I realise how busy you must be but I would be honoured if you would be able to answer these questions. Thank you very much. Chris de Burgh: Well, Angelo, I have been to Calgary many times in the past. I’ve really enjoyed myself in your city. I have been there during your boom times and in your bust times, when things haven’t gone so well, and I have always thoroughly enjoyed my trips across there. I am sorry that the upcoming tour of Canada does not take in the Western section. For those who live in the West, Vancouver, Saskatoon, Regina or Calgary for example, please accept my humble apologies. It is always a question of time. Trying to play the West of Canada means you have to add at least a week to ten days, maybe longer onto your tour. And unfortunately I have got so many obligations back in Europe. I know that you think that I don’t think you are important, but that is not true. It’s just that other things have already been filed into my fairly full diary. So, I will return, I promise you, to perform in those places that hold many great memories for me. Just going back to your question about the epics. I started getting interested in these epic songs like Crusader and so on way back, and I think perhaps because I come from this background of storytelling, and also having been on tour with a band like Supertramp who did not do those kinds of songs necessarily, but they liked to have a big epic sweep to some of the productions, particularly on stage. Even their seminal album “Crime Of The Century” was supposed to have been a concept album, but I think it was more a series of songs that sort of ran into each other and joined up in a very specific way, but I think by accident. But having shown a great interest in literature in early years, I wanted to bring that into history. History has always been a keen interest of mine. Furthermore, a track like “The Leader/The Vision/What About Me” was very much inspired by a specific moment which was looking at a painting, and wondering what people from way back, forefathers, many previous generations behind us, what they would have made of the current methods of war in relation to what they believed which was in biblical terms it was the hell and damnation in The Book Of Revelations. So I had this vision that all this kind of stuff was going on in the sky above these people. But the point of it was, and also in “The Revolution” and “Crusader”, there is a point like in Crusader all these warring nations decided to put aside their wars and fight what they felt to be a common enemy. In “The Revolution” it is about how people get very excited about change, and then it often comes to nothing. And change is just repeated, it’s as they say in France “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” That is: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” And “The Leader/The Vision/What About Me?” was about modern warfare and how in modern warfare, if there is a cataclysmic war, started by either one of the superpowers, everybody will be affected, so they don’t really gain anything. I would very much like to publish these stories in a longer, broader form one day, and this is a little plan in the back of my head. Finally, what has always interested me about the scale of war is to take it from the point of view of an individual of a family suffering during the onset and the prosecution of a war.
July 14, 2005 Necip Tiynak (30) from Istanbul, Turkey: Dear Chris, I am a very big fan of you following your music for 18 years. I have got every album of you from the beginning to the end (1974-2005 equal to my age). Your third concert in Istanbul Cemil Topuzlu Theatre in 1992 was one of the most amazing times of my life. It was the 19th of July, but it rained very hardly, but we didn't mind about it and danced for 3 hours with your wonderful music under the rain; do you remember that concert? My question is about the world we live in: Yesterday when I was listening to your song "The Devil's Eye" which is in the album Crusader (1979), I thought about the lyrics. It was the second part of Spanish Train, actually. At that song, the devil says to people: "I have blacked out your television, every station in the world is mine, And there are millions who are just like you as you sit there, paralysed! I have some orders which you will follow, and there's nothing you can do. 'Cos as you're looking at your TV screen, I am looking back at you..! ." Now let's look at the world we live in today: 9/11 event in New York, blasts in Istanbul, blasts in a SPANISH TRAIN in Madrid, disasters in Iraq, Palestine, Bosnia, Kosovo... Do you think that your nightmare came true? By the way, congratulations for your wonderful last album and the last single "Read My Name" which is going to be a huge hit. Your name will be read forever! We are looking forward to seeing you in Istanbul. Take care.... Chris de Burgh: Those of you who know that I love football will know that I went to Istanbul with my family to watch Liverpool beating AC Milan in the European cup final, which was one of the most outstanding nights in my life. And I wrote about this on the website a few weeks back. The concert that you are referring to, when it poured with rain, I have never forgotten. Not just that one, but also the warmth of the fans in Istanbul and in Turkey, in Izmir, playing the concert in that extraordinary place Ephesus, and various other places in Turkey. But the night when it rained, it was warm rain, and I remember it so well. I remember meeting a whole lot of fans afterwards, and they were absolutely drenched and they were just smiling and smiling and smiling. It was an amazing sight. And I remember starting the show with the song “Where Will We Be Going” slightly off the stage and coming down. It was one of those nights, you know, you want to go back to in your memory. Thank you for reminding me of that show. Moving on to your question about “The Devil’s Eye”, well I have often thought about the surveillance that goes on in people’s public lives. Everybody knows about the cameras all over the place, speed cameras, cameras in stores, cameras following on the street. Now anything you do on the internet can be followed and found and scrutinised. Every word we say on the telephone can be overheard, every text message you send is stored in a database. Now it comes to the point where, in privacy, how much of what we do in private is actually being observed. And I had this nightmare scenario, perhaps the camera in the TV is actually two-way. We are not just looking at a camera showing us images from elsewhere, but perhaps the technology of course exists where you could put a camera into a television. In fact we have often seen reality shows where there is a camera broadcasting from people’s homes and showing what they are up to, you know, the Big Brother scenario, which, I think, either currently exists or shortly will exist. So, in terms of anti-terrorism obviously it’s very important to make sure that we are, all of us, kept in safety, and that we are not at the whim of terrorists, which is why, for example, we have such a tough time, going through security at airports. The 9-11 disaster in New York and Washington just showed how easy it is for terrorists to break through the security screens and threaten ordinary people. My firm belief is that there is no way that firstly we can ever be entirely private in our lives, and secondly I do not believe there is a way that we can live without the threat of terror. I think this is part of man’s make up, in his physical and spiritual personality is the desire to wreak revenge and wreak havoc on other human beings, just to prove a point. And sadly a huge amount of it is based on religious believes and religious discrimination. I have said it many times in the past that, if only people had more tolerance towards another man’s beliefs, I am sure a lot of this terrorism would not happen. Of course you have to ally that to the ongoing needs of consumerism and the consumer societies who are trying to protect their own economies which is why oil is the currency of life and it’s also the currency of death.
July 13, 2005 Ina Stöcker (35) from Bergisch Gladbach, Germany: Hi Chris! I often heard that you are collecting wine. For me, as I enjoy cooking, eating and having a nice glass of wine - I often ask myself if you have one wine you ever come back to or if you change your taste from time to time and if you follow the "wine rules" (which wine to cheese etc.). After a hard day or week - as example - I love to sit down in a quiet atmosphere, hearing your music (with all the pictures in my head this music gives to me!) and have a glass of Merlot. Or sitting together with good friends, enjoying a meal, having a nice chat. I especially like Merlot wines from France, the area Languedoc, Roussillon. But there are interesting wines from Australia and South Africa, too. For me it´s not so important that a wine did cost a lot of money - also cheaper wines can have a very good taste. Is there a grape and wine-area you prefer? I enjoyed so many concerts now together with my friends from all over Germany and at least in England - we always have a great time together, when we meet again. After your shows we enjoy to talk and laugh until deep in the night, having something to eat and a glass of wine together - it´s always "The end of a perfect day". Hope you answer this question! All the best to you from Ina Chris de Burgh: Well, Ina, this is a terrific subject, because it’s one in which I have a huge interest. I have been collecting wines for many many years, and hardly a day goes by without me reading about wine, or trying a wine, or learning a little bit more about wine. I think the most important thing for me about wine is it’s something to share with friends. Two weeks ago for example I had a barbecue. And selecting wines to be enjoyed for barbecue is interesting, because it’s a fairly broad area of appeal. Because some people like a good, tough wine with their hamburgers or steaks, other people like to start with a nice and gentle wine. So in fact I brought out a few bottles of a Sauvignon Blanc from France, which was delicious. And I followed that up with a good rough ‘97 Bordeaux and at the end opened a bottle of something very special, which was called Chateau Cheval Blanc 1981. And people reading this, who know about their wines, will say, well, ’81 wasn’t a very good year. This is correct. But I also believe that, if you are dealing with a company or a chateau as fantastic as for example Chateau Cheval Blanc, the quality will always be there. And I urge people to try the second wines of French chateaus like, for example, Chateau Leoville Barton. That is delicious! And quite often you will find the second wines of great chateaus perhaps not being as fine as the key wine of that place, but it can also be extremely good. Following wine rules is, I suppose, very much down to people’s taste. As far as I am concerned, because I don’t eat fish, I try to present a white wine that does go with fish for those who are eating it in my house. And there are some things that do not work, for example spinach or eggs are very very hard to match wine with. Also spicy foods like curries, spicy foods that we adore in our house like Chinese foods for example. And for those I recommend a wine that has got a lot of fruit in it. Some of those German wines, not the very subtle ones like the Rieslings, but more fruity ones are absolutely delicious with those kinds of hot and spicy dishes. For example wines from the Alsace area go very well with spicy foods. With meat I would recommend anything full-bodied. And as you can tell I am beginning to get into my stride here! I could go on talking about wines for the rest of the day. So I’ll just finish and conclude by saying that I don’t actually have any area I particularly enjoy, but in my opinion the finest red wines do come from France and the Bordeaux area in particular. Although I like Burgundy wines, I much prefer the white Burgundies to the red Burgundies. And I like wines from Beaujolais as well, and the Rhone valley. And some of the places you mentioned, for example Languedoc, Roussillon and so on. They would form in my cellar, I would say, about 60 percent of the wines. But I am a huge of Italian wines, the whites and the reds. Some of the top Italian wines and some of the red ones from Tuscany are absolutely stunning. And I am also a big fan of South African wines. Strangely enough I have never been a great fan of Australian wines. I know there are some terrific wines made down there, in particular Penfolds which is, I suppose, the leading red wine maker in Australia. And there are some great wines coming out of Argentina at the moment. Malbec is a great grape and a lovely tasting wine. And some terrific wines are being made in Chile. Even in Canada there are some good wines coming through. I have a preference for what we call old world wines to new world wines, which is why quite honestly I do not know much about American wines. But they, like Australian wines, tend to be a little unsubtle to my taste. They tend to be very strong, very fruity. And for example the Chardonnays sometimes for me can taste like boiled sweets, put in water, it’s not very pleasant. I suppose being a lover of white Burgundies, I am looking for the slightly more refined taste. But this is a matter of opinion of course. Those of you who know my music and the lyrics will also have noticed that I mention the words “wine” (“sitting down with a glass of wine”) quite a bit during my songs. In fact, I’d be curious to know if anybody out there can send back a list of all the songs in which I mention the word wine. Because as I said right from the start it’s a wonderful thing to share with friends. Another reason I love wine is, because it is also a great way to look into history, the history of vineyards, the history of winemakers, the history of the buildings that occupy the area where the vineyards are growing and so on.
June 29, 2005 Marjorie Scott (40) from North Glasgow, Scotland: Dear Chris, My question relates to Crusader and "Carry on"! I wrote to you when I was 18 regarding the strength this song gave me after the sudden passing of my father. I acknowledge that this belief may be personal, however: Do you firmly believe that we do "Carry on"? I still look at the stars in the sky and think of the souls who have passed over! I hope we do "Carry On", with love and great regard, Marjorie Chris de Burgh: I think since time began really for mankind, we have always wanted to believe there is something beyond there. And if you look at the raw statistics, if there were in the 14th century one billion people on the planet, they all died and similarly the 16th century. There have been billions and billions of deaths in humanity and there will be billions more to come. In this time in 150 years, I think without question, every single living person on this planet will be dead. So we are searching for some kind of longevity, we are searching for some kind of future. I think this is where religion comes in. And I think it is a very good thing that people are offered hope. But I think the way that most organized religions, if not all organized religions, have abused the trust and the spiritual faith put in them by the masses, because leadership and authority and power is a very corrupting thing. So coming back to personal feelings, I think this is where I went with my album “Quiet Revolution”. The title track is that a lot of people do think there is a renaissance going on, a spiritual renaissance revival. Perhaps allied to the collapse of religion, which is happening in many places in the world. People are beginning to question their leaders in that respect. But for me I think it would be foolish for us to think that there is nothing else around us or out there as it were. I personally believe that we are surrounded by forces and a power that is absolutely awesome. The trouble is we don’t listen very often. And speaking on a personal basis again, perhaps I don’t listen as often as I should to the inner voice, but I think that’s what we can learn from those who have gone before. Because there have been so many millions of cases of people believing, and it still happens today that they are being touched by a greater force from beyond. So in answer to your question, I do believe that we do carry on. Editor's note: The MOtL section is taking a short break now, and will be back online hopefully in a few days. Stay tuned for more fans questions and answers by Chris de Burgh! For the Germans - remember to watch CdeB on "Gottschalk and Friends" tonight (ZDF), and also his performance at Live 8 Berlin on Saturday!
June 28, 2005 Zeina (20) from Lebanon: Hi, I always wonder about the variety of songs you perform and the sensation that comes with every song as if giving it a soul and mind. In the song "Classical dilemma between the head and the heart", you've chosen the heart and this is just applicable to fantasy. Do you believe that in this real life, someone can ignore the head and go with the heart especially to a man like you who is brilliant enough to give his mind a big deal so that he achieved all this marvellous success? I wish to you all the success for you've been a relief in the presence of all difficult situation. Thanks for you and your great music. Wish you the best, take care, bye. Chris de Burgh: I have to say, I enjoyed reading this question very much. It’s very flattering, even more flattering that it’s coming from a young woman of 20 years old in Lebanon. In real life it often happens that your sensible part is saying “no, I can’t do this”, but your emotional part says “but I have to!”. The trouble is, you see, if you go with the sensible side of you, the head in this particular situation, in years to come you can be feeling guilty and say “oh, did I make the right decision?”. This is the trouble when you are presented with such a dilemma that in future years you may say “oh, I think I made a mistake”. Therefore I think the one constant is your emotion, because your heart can tell you what’s really deep inside whereas your head is saying what you should do. I was once told that you should never, and I have just used it, you should never use the word “should”. I should do this, I should do that. You must decide whether to do it or not. Not feel this kind of half guilt about whether you should do something. So in that respect, although the head is often ruled by current circumstances and what people are saying to you at the time, in later years you may regret that. So make a decision, if it’s an emotional decision based on your heart, but be very very careful that you cannot come back in later years and say that was a mistake. That’s why, when you make a decision based on your emotions, make sure that you are sitting in a quiet place and your emotions aren’t flooding all through you, taking over your whole body and spirit. You must try your best to perhaps bring a bit of head into your heart, but not exclusively the head or exclusively the heart.
June 27, 2005 Kelly Preston (36) from Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada: I just read your reply to Mr. Puett from the US and you talk of the song, Borderline (from my favorite album, by the way)... which happens to have one of my favorite lines; "..and I will never know how men can see the wisdom in a war". I've often wondered if you've ever had any political interests in that have you ever talked with a world leader or two regarding that exact thing? If yes, then who was it and when and what did you take away from the experience. If no, then would you ever lead, or take part in a "Crusade for Peace"? Thanks again for your music... God Bless! Kelly Chris de Burgh: Well, this line, virtually every time I sing it, gets a massive response from the audience who have been brought up looking up into our fairly recent history at the horrors of large scale global war. In fact I am sending you this answer shortly after the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of victory in Europe, the VE day. And some absolutely astounding statistics are available. For example, in the Soviet Union, 27 million people died as a result of the hostilities in the Second World War. 27 million people, that’s nearly half the population of Germany for example. It’s 6 or 7 times the population of Ireland. And that’s just the Soviet Union. Many other countries had terrible things happen to their population. And it comes back to that one question I asked myself. And perhaps I mentioned it on the website, that people might like to ponder. How many men does it take to start a war? I reckon, it takes about 3 or 4 maximum of men in positions of utter power, who make decisions. They may take advice from a lot more people than that, but I reckon the decisions come down to 3 or 4 people. And can you imagine being one of those 3 or 4 people that launched a war? In an aggressive way rather than a defensive way. And having to live with the consequences. Something to think about! And as far as meeting politicians and leaders, the answer is well I have met many of them, but I haven’t discussed peace, because I don’t think singers can do much. I think it’s populations who are the only people that can respond to situations like the outbreak of war. I am still amazed that the chain of command has meant that people say “yes, I am going to go and fight”. Particularly, if it is an aggressive war. This question came up by one of my sons recently about “is bloodshed ever justified?” And he and I decided that yes, it is justified if you are defending yourself. But it is not justified if you are aggressively attacking in a case of warfare. Obviously I am committed to peace and we are very fortunate to be living, broadly speaking, in a peaceful world at the moment.
June 26, 2005 Jayne Simmons (38) from Ashford, Middx, UK: For many years myself and my husband have enjoyed your music, particularly your ability to tell stories in song. One of our other favourite artists who is another accomplished story teller is Al Stewart. I really think that a combination of the two of you in song would be great - in many ways your musical styles are very similar and I for one would be interested in hearing such a collaboration. Have you any plans to record with any artists in the future or is there anyone you would especially like to record with? Thanks again for a great concert at the Albert Hall (Oct 18th) - we very much enjoyed the evening and hope one day we will be nearby when you do a 'walkabout' around the audience - it would be the greatest of pleasures to meet you one day. Chris de Burgh: It’s funny you should say that, because I have just in the last answer discussed storytelling. And my storytelling ability is something that really began, I suppose, in the early years. The first album for example: “Lonesome Cowboy” or on the second album “Spanish Train And Other Stories”. If people like those kinds of things, they may be interested to hear that I am looking very strongly at a next project around the idea of stories. Back to where I was before, I suppose. But also not being one to look backwards, as you may have noticed. I am looking forward to a time when stories can be put together maybe in an entire performance, stories from the past linked with visuals. And I just find writing stories is an interesting way of getting across a point, perhaps a morality point. A point about history, a point about sympathy for people’s situations. There are all sorts of things you can do with a good story. And what’s more, stories then can become part of people’s lives. They can apply to themselves and they are hard to forget, if it’s a good story. As far as collaboration with other artists is concerned, it’s not something that happens very often. And usually the reason that there are collaborations is for a commercial one. These duets quite often involve a well-established star picking up somebody virtually unknown trying to advance that career, an entourage. One is known and the other isn’t. And it has the opposite effect, if you have somebody who is very well known and one entourage that you are not known in and you do a collaboration. It’s often a commercial decision. But moving on from that, I would say that yes, there are some great voices out there. There’s a young Welsh girl called Katherine Jenkins, who is an opera singer. Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, but she has got a fantastic voice. I have never been a great fan of opera, because I find that the emotion has been squeezed out of the voices by too much training. I would love to sing a song beside an opera singer that has some kind of emotion to it and see who gets across the emotion better to an audience listening, myself or the trained voice. And I suspect it would be probably me for the simple reason that too much training tends to squeeze out the emotion. But I think Katherine Jenkins has got that rare quality of being able to touch your heart as well, as she is having an absolutely pure and beautiful voice.
June 25, 2005 Elie Waked (19) from Lebanon: Hi Chris, I am a big fan of yours from Lebanon and I have seen your 2 live concerts on tape since I wasn’t old enough to see them live. But my question is why didn’t you play Crusader and have you ever played it live? If yes, in which concert? Chris de Burgh: Well, when I wrote that song in 1978, and I went on tour, I played that song a lot with the band. It was one of the key songs of the Crusader tour. And I think subsequently I did play it a few more times. It became superseded by other songs from albums like “The Getaway”, when I did the “Revolution” trilogy. And then in 1986 the “Into The Light” album with “The Leader”, “What About Me” and “The Vision”. But, because it is a story, I do return to it from time to time. Because after all I am a storyteller. And it’s something that I listen to occasionally and I know that I have been asked “is it historically accurate?”. Well, it depends really which angle you come from. I am actually just creating a song, not necessarily recreating a piece of history.
June 24, 2005 Lesley Macindoe (42) from Balloch, Dunbartonshire, Scotland: I was at your concert in Edinburgh's Usher Hall on 6 October which was fantastic. The excitement I felt at seeing you live is still with me but I am missing you already and hope you come to Scotland again soon - perhaps Glasgow this time? Anyway my question is: When you sang Read My Name, I noticed lots of names on the curtains behind you. What names were actually flashing up as I couldn’t take my eyes off you for long enough to see if I recognised any? I enjoy reading all the different sections of your website and am so grateful for it. With love forever - Lesley xx Chris de Burgh: I am glad you enjoyed the concert in Edinburgh and as always I was given a wonderful greeting from my Scottish fans. I look forward to going back there again. It’s a part of the world that historically I find fascinating and architecturally as well. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Scotland, indeed in the whole island of the United Kingdom. And it’s a pleasure to be there again. The names that were going up behind me during “Read My Name” were a lot of different names from the website for example, people who have put their names down for these kinds of questions. We did an entire database and added a few more besides to suit the occasion. For example one night when my own family was there, their names came up. You know, that kind of thing. We have the flexibility to add more and more. And I am glad you noticed that. But I know that, when I am singing that song, a lot of people do look at the screen and wait for names they recognize to come up. And you can hear shouts of joy from time to time.
June 23, 2005 Moriah Brunner (19) from St. Paul, Alberta, Canada: Chris, I am assuming that since you grew up in Ireland, you may have listened to a great deal of Irish music. What is your favorite Irish song? Mine is 'The Star of the County Down' -- I absolutely love Irish music. Chris de Burgh: Living in Ireland, I have obviously been exposed to a huge amount of Irish music. And some of it I like, some of it I don’t like. The music I don’t particularly like is what people refer to as diddly eye music, which means the kind of music that you hear in pubs, aimed at tourists and sorts, jigs and reels. I wouldn’t be mad about that. I suppose in some ways I don’t really understand it. I don’t understand the emotional background, the historical background to some of them. But then again the music of for example great bands like The Chieftains, I find absolutely beautiful. Particularly if it’s in a film or allied to some kind of visual. But it’s strange that in Ireland, living here you don’t often hear that stuff on the radio, unless you choose specific channels or television stations where they will play that kind of music.
June 22, 2005 Melanie Swann (47) from Nazeing, England: You said in response to a recent question "But then again my business is full of disappointments, interposed with a few high moments." Tell me, how do you feel about your career and the love you have of the thousands of fans that follow you everywhere you go. How can you feel disappointed about how a few people who don't understand you, your music and the beauty of you and what you stand for? The respect and appreciation of so many must make up for the abuse of a few. I hope it does Chris. Chris de Burgh: I wasn’t actually referring necessarily to the people who don’t like me or my music or what I stand for. I take them for granted and they don’t affect me in any way. I think in the early years, when you are struggling to get a foot-hold, you know it’s like struggling up a mountain on your hands and knees. And you slip back, and it is muddy and it’s raining, the wind is howling, and you are trying to get up and every so often you slip back down again. Usually what you need is a helping hand. And there have been many people who have helped me up and those who have encouraged me. But occasionally there have been those people who stamp on my fingers and I slip back down again. In the early years it is very discouraging. You need all the help you can get. At this stage in my career, people like critics or whatever, I pay them absolutely no attention whatsoever. In fact in the majority of cases, these people are failed musicians themselves, and they are full of envy and anger and self-loving. Not just for me, you can tell. There’s names that come up again and again, who manage to stick the knife in just about everybody they don’t like. Not just me, lots and lots of people. And for these people I feel pity. I was given a very good piece of advice some years ago, which is that if there is somebody who has done you a terrible bad deed, serious injustice, instead of sitting there feeling angry about this person and making all the anger rob your energy, just sit down and picture that person that you hate and send them love. And it’s amazing how fast that person just suddenly disappears out of your mind. So I can suggest to those people reading this, there’s probably somebody in most people’s lives that you just can’t stand, well, sit down, take a moment, send them waves of love and all those negative feelings disappear and you’ll find that you can just get on with life. And that person has almost vanished from your life. So, as far as the love and affection of the hundreds and thousands of fans all over the world, well that is something that I find pretty awesome to be honest. I don’t take it for granted, and sometimes I forget that it exists. I’m one of these people that constantly looks to the future rather than looks to the past. And I suppose this is a failing of mine that I don’t often look back at my achievements or acknowledge the fact that I have helped or added so much to so many people’s lives. Perhaps I should take a little more time and think about this.
June 21, 2005 Bahareh (17) from Tehran, Iran: Hi dear John! I want you to know that all my best, wonderful, remarkable moments, all the time that I am happy, all the time that I really live, really dance, even all the time that I really cry is created by you and you open my eyes to so many subjects in this world that I never knew before. I love you and your poems and I believe that you are a perfect man. I always think what would happen if God hadn't created you... I should thank you so much. Well, my question is: What is the difference between pride and self-confidence from your idea? Thank you, I wish to see you and talk to you. Chris de Burgh: Hi dear John? I think you probably meant Christopher John, perhaps. What a nice thing you are saying to me about my music and the way it has touched you and people around you. The difference between pride and self-confidence? Pride is a very difficult one, because it is, what we call a double edge sort. I think if you are too proud of yourself or too proud of something you have done, or possibly are about to achieve, it can reflect badly. But then I think quiet pride and knowledge inside that you have achieved something that you set out to do, then perhaps the pride can be shared with those close to you. But I suppose, most importantly it gives you a sense of self-esteem and the fact that you have achieved something that perhaps you never expected to achieve. There’s a very good cause for having pride in something you have done. And self-confidence is, I think, very much tied up with self-esteem. Self-confidence is something that, if it’s too full on, I suppose even aggressive, people can react against it. But to be quietly self-confident again is very important. It’s funny, because sometimes, you know, I don’t feel particularly special or different when I am walking down the street. Nobody ever looks at me. But some other days, I am feeling there’s a lightness in my step. It’s funny, it’s like there’s auras of light coming out of people, when they are feeling good about themselves. You can see that, they stand out in the crowd. I think people reading this know exactly what I mean. If you wake up one morning and you are feeling great about everything, you kind of shine. And there are days when you can really tell that this is a day to shine. And I think that is because you are full of self-confidence and you are feeling great about things.
June 20, 2005 Gill (40) from Oxford, UK: Hi Chris, My family - Stephen 12, Victoria 15 and Tony, my husband have just had a great weekend in Bournemouth and had a great time at your concert. Thanks so much for a superb evening, we all thought that you singing solo was a really special evening. It was really great when your son Hubie came on-stage and played guitar alongside you, and watching the closeness between father and son looked really great. Has Hubie played guitar on-stage with you before, or was this his first experience? He played really well and we wondered if he was planning a musical career like his Dad? My 15 year old daughter is smitten and would to know if he'll be touring with you in the future?! Thanks for a fantastic evening and for your never-ending generosity with your time - the encores were wonderful. Take care, Gill Chris de Burgh: I am not only delighted that you enjoyed yourself, but also just as importantly your son Stephen who is 12 and your daughter Victoria 15 enjoyed it as well. I am not surprised that Victoria was smitten with my son Hubie. He has been described as quite a dish by young ladies of his acquaintance. He is a lovely boy and he is very gentle and he is very musical. I am not sure if he is going to pursue a career in the music business. To be honest, I have not pushed him in that direction, because it has changed so dramatically and drastically - in my opinion for the worse - since I began 30 years ago. I think nowadays it’s all about image and it’s got very little to do with talent. There was a time when talent was like cream, it would always rise to the top. But I don’t think necessarily this happens nowadays. So I have urged Hubie to get his qualifications. He is very scientifically minded for example as well as being artistic and creative. And maybe he will enjoy music as either a full-on career which I think is unlikely, or else very much more so as a terrific hobby and a fun thing to do at the weekends with your friends. It wasn’t the first time he has joined me on stage. He has been on stage with me several times last year, and he also played with me in Liverpool cathedral for those 2,500 people who where there may recall him coming up on stage. I was very impressed because he had absolutely no nerves. He told me later he was a little scared initially, but you couldn’t have seen that at the time. Obviously I am a very proud Dad.
June 19, 2005 Fabian (20) from Korschenbroich, Germany: Dear Chris, having experienced some of your incredible performances during the Road To Freedom tour I was really excited by the release of the new DVD. But when I saw the set list I was kind of disappointed because "It's Me (And I'm Ready To Go)" and "It's Such A Long Way Home" are missing. I loved the beautiful piano versions of these songs during the tour and I was very surprised that you played them at all. Is there a special reason why they are not on the DVD? And is there any chance that a recording of your Dortmund concert will ever be released? Keep up your great work! I hope to see you again soon on the next tour! Best regards, Fabian Chris de Burgh: The reason those songs weren’t on the new DVD has probably something to do with the time we were able to allocate to all the music. Possibly it has to do with the visual shots of these songs. I have to say that the final choice was really left to the producer of the DVD, and the man who did the editing and the sound mixing. However, by now you will have heard that there is a live version of the Dortmund concert coming up at the end of June. And I can assure everybody reading this, and everybody who hears it, it’s an absolutely staggering and extraordinary CD of something that will go down in my memory as one of the most amazing nights of my life. One of those moments in Dortmund where you just felt the love in the Westfalenhalle and the huge power that came from 7,000 people supporting and sending affection to the one singer on stage. I urge people to try and get a chance to listen to it, when it comes out.
June 18, 2005 Sandi Best (40) from Victoria, BC, Canada: I have been a fan for many, many years. I still sleep in a T-Shirt I bought at a concert in Offenburg Germany 20 years ago. I do hope I am speaking directly to you, but I would doubt that. But for whom ever is reading this...I see his songs. I see them in my head. I believe that only singers who help you see the song in your head are artists. Chris de Burgh is, and will always be my favourite artist. But I would think it is the lady behind the man who has inspired so many of the songs that touch my heart. I celebrate her. Please let me know when and where Chris will be the closest to Victoria BC Canada...I will pay the ferryman to get me there!!! With love....SB Chris de Burgh: It is funny that you can see my songs, because that is the way I definitely see everything that happens in my songs. In fact, one of my current projects is very much along the lines of the stories that I have created in the past and the stories of the future. And how clearly I can see things happening and the emotions connected with seeing these things happen. So, I am not surprised that other people can see something probably close to what I see. But as far as the lady who is behind the man who has inspired so many of the songs, well that is a very pleasing thing to hear. Thank you for those comments. Diane, my wife, is a constant source of inspiration and companionship to me. Obviously the old saying goes “behind every successful man there’s a powerful woman”. And in this case this is certainly the case as well. She gives me strength and the solid ground beneath my feet to go off and be creative in the way I have been for so many years.
June 17, 2005 Dr. John Crook (50something) from Omaha, Nebraska, USA: Dear Chris, My name is John Crook and I am a principal of a large high school in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.A. I became a fan of yours during a time when I was ill with cancer and found your wonderful music to be relaxing, inspirational and therapeutic. I have shared your great somes with my friends and family in the Omaha area. Enough about me! I recently read where you had heard Eva Cassidy sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and was interested in pursuing having her perform with you, only to discover she had passed away with cancer. Knowing this and then with my own story, I wanted to write you and share a dream with you. Chris, I am asking you to consider an invitation to come to Omaha, the heartland of America, and support the fight against cancer. Please don't stop reading! I know that this effort would be extremely successful. I am confident that I could get the Qwest Center (seats 15,000) to work with us. I believe I could orchestrate the American Cancer Society, the Omaha Symphony, The University of Nebraska Medical Center (world reknowed) and area disc jockeys to help with the promotion of such a worthy cause. My goal is to raise 1 million dollars for cancer research. America would embrace Chris de Burgh! I believe there are many fans who would travel from both coasts to attend your concert. People who could not make it to Europe. Not only would this be a labor of love help in such a worthwile cause, it would introduce you to America. America would gain from the essence of your music-romance, spiriruality, pease and compassion-the necessary ingredients for this to be a huge success. I wold love the opportunity to work with you and the Omaha community for this vision to become a reality. Sincerely, John D. Crook Ed.D Chris de Burgh: My feelings about performing in America have never changed. I have always enjoyed being in the United States, and I can see there will be a time in the future where I will do selected venues in places where we feel that there is enough strength of fan commitment to actually make it worthwhile. It would be nice to be known for something more than just “The Lady In Red” in the United States, although “High On Emotion” and “Don’t Pay The Ferryman” were both top 40 hits. Nevertheless those of you who know my music will know that there’s an awful lot more to me than just one or two songs. And the answer is yes, I would love to go and perform in your area. I am very hopeful that this will happen some time in the future.
June 16, 2005 Nel Hardenberg (60) from Capelle a/d Ijssel, Netherlands: Why do you go every year to the island of Mauritius during Christmas time? We met you there some years and for us the island and the hotel Le Saint Géran is our second home. We have been there now almost 15 times and the last years also in December so that is why this question. December 2004 you have explained to me why you have written the song "The Words ‘I Love You’", because this song can be special for my husband and my son; your explanation made me cry a little bit and the day after you told me: everything will be alright and you gave me a warm hug; after that I called my son at home and he wants me to say to you: thank you. And when we meet each other this year he will say it to you personally. This year we stay in the hotel during October when they have the hotel-birthday-party. Maybe we come in December too. I enjoy the CD The Road To Freedom and the DVD as well and I hope that the band The Rising Sun can play some songs next time; it will be great. Thank you for your nice words and take good care after your family. Will there be a concert in the Netherlands (i.e. Rotterdam) in the future? Chris de Burgh: It’s a pleasure to meet you and your husband on a regular basis in Mauritius. And I was very touched by what you said to me about my song “The Words ‘I Love You’” and the importance that it has for you and your family, in particular the relationship between your husband and your son. And I am hoping that this song and the words in it has the same impact on your husband’s relationship with your son as another song did for me, when it came to building bridges between myself and my father. Music is one of those things that can do that, or poetry indeed. But I am very happy that this had such an impact for you. And indeed possibly other readers of MOtL may have discovered that those words about fathers and sons may have helped you in your own personal relationships. I very much hope to be back in Mauritius again this year, and it is very likely I will be there at the big celebrations in October, to perform with the Rising Sun band. As far as I know, there are no concerts planned for the Netherlands at this present time, but of course there will be again in the future.
June 15, 2005 Mike Bird from Toronto, Canada: Dear Chris, I'm not sure if you remember the MOtL question of mine that you answered 2 years ago, where I asked what your thoughts were on the subject of UFO's? I just thought you might like to know that I have been invited to speak in Carrick-on-Shannon this August, at a UFO conference organized by Betty Meyler. Here's a URL to the speaker list... http://www.apra.org.uk/ireland_2005.htm My good Irish friend Jim Flynn, who had the heart transplant 5 years ago, is also vacationing in his hometown of Tralee, along with his new wife Jann. My wife Lynn and I will spend some time with them, before we head out on our own to take in some sights before the conference. I'm hoping to be able to get to the Giants Causeway. Anyway I just wanted to say hi. Your "Road to Freedom" DVD is awesome! Warm regards, Mike, Toronto Chris de Burgh: Thank you very much for your information about the UFO conference in Ireland this summer. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it, but I hope there is a great success and I am sure that, like many others, I am not alone in believing that there other enormous and powerful forces around us that we may or may not be able to see in the shape of for example UFOs or other manoeuvre stations of a power that is beyond our imagination.
June 14, 2005 Ron Wijnen (46) from Landsmeer, The Netherlands: Hello Chris, I love your album The Road to Freedom. The songs are beautiful and are perfect to do on your solo-tour. Now you have re-released the album with 4 extra songs and some video. Are these 4 songs written before the first release of the original album or did you write them after the release. I'm asking because I think there are a lot of artists nowadays who re-release albums with a little bit extra on it, knowing the fans will buy the stuff and so making extra money on behalf of the die-hard fans. You always tell (and I do believe you tell the truth) that your fans are very important to you. Why didn't you release the full TRTF album in the first place? Chris de Burgh: The simple answer to that is that I had already written too many songs for “The Road To Freedom” album. And when we make a judgement about putting an album together, me and my producer try to put together an album that sits correctly together. It’s a bit like going to a meal. Then, with too many courses, you eat too much. And we felt that the way that the extra four songs would take the record would be into an area that would make it a bit more melancholy, a bit sadder, too much reflection. And we felt that it would be worth holding these four for another time. It wasn’t some kind of commercial idea, it wasn’t some way of squeezing more money out of the fans. On the contrary, it was a way of giving something back to the fans, and I hope they enjoyed those extra four songs on that basis.
June 13, 2005 Shirley Hopkinson (33) from Toquay, Devon, UK: Chris, My son is 5 and can play twinkle twinkle little star on a children’s keyboard straight out of his head - what age did you start to play, what was your first instrument and what was the first song that you could play? Chris de Burgh: That’s great! To be able to play by ear is really important. I never learned to read and write music, and in some ways I am sorry about it, but in other ways it means that I can compose my songs in a way that means they are not restricted by convention or discipline. If I feel like putting different tempos in, I can do that. And you can experiment with things. But if your little boy is that talented, maybe you should help him to get music lessons, but make absolutely certain he has his own time to create his own style of songs and his own style of music as well. Because too many people I have come across went to music lessons, piano lessons for example, and they found the whole idea of music which should be joyful and fun becoming difficult, painful in some ways, and also just no joy in it whatsoever. Music should be absolutely and utterly joyful from beginning to end, and that atmosphere must be created by the teacher and the pupil must enjoy that too. Which is why it is great to get the knowledge of how to read and write music, as my children have, but also they have their own interest outside of that and they can create music in their own style without having to do it through the normal channels. The first instrument I played was the guitar. As far as the first song is concerned, I really can’t remember. It probably would have been a Beatles song or a Bob Dylan song, something like “Blowing In The Wind” perhaps by Bob Dylan. And then from understanding how chords worked on the guitar, I worked out how to play the piano.
June 12, 2005 Monique Tanja (39) from The Hague, The Netherlands: Hi Chris, Thanks for your wonderful music and concerts, I really enjoy them a lot. After visiting one last time, and watching Chris Andrews taking care of everything so well, I was just wondering if he likes your songs?? Is he humming them or singing along during the show?? Well I hope you answer, I was just curious about it. Thanks and hope to see you soon again, take care, Monique Chris de Burgh: Interesting question about Chris Andrews! Chris Andrews has been a colleague and a friend and my personal assistant for many years. And I would like to think at this stage that he actually does like the songs. I don’t know if he hums or sings along during the show. I doubt that he watches every show, because he has things to do backstage and in the fronter house. You know, ongoing important work to be done, making the whole thing run as smoothly as it does. But I think he does like the songs. But perhaps, Monique, you better ask him!
June 11, 2005 Erik Winther-Sörensen (39) from Norway: Hello Chris De Burgh ! In 1979 I bought my first CdeB album, since then your music has been like a dear friend to me. Now I have to search my 12 year old daughter for my CdeB CDs, your music is so well made that it will last for generations. You must be a person with many talents, I’m thinking of your lyrics, the music and the performance on stage.............. I can still "taste" the atmosphere of your concert at Mysen the 22 Aug. You could certainly have worked with music in many different ways, have you ever considered to be a part of a band ? Or did you decide very early to go for a solo career? Do you usually write the lyrics or the music first? Thanks. Chris de Burgh: Wonderful things you are saying about the music in 1979, and then your 12 year old daughter likes the music. It’s funny that you should say that the music will last for generations. Well, I certainly hope it will, because I always made records like I was writing a book. I think a lot of records are made for the here and now to be disposed of fairly instantly. But for me it was a strong question of making sure that this music would last. Creating an atmosphere on stage is not only part of what I do and the way I sing and the choice of songs and the lighting and the staging, but also to do with the audience, their participation and their energy which certainly helps me enormously. And the atmosphere in Mysen was excellent. To be part of a band, although I was in a band when I was very young in my teen years just for fun, I never considered myself to be a band member. I suppose, because I was always very driven to be a solo performer and I never had the opportunity really to be part of a band. I could see that there were great benefits in being a band member, but also big downsides as well, because you are talking about personalities of three or four or five people working together, and that doesn’t necessarily happen. I toured with a band for years and years and years, and I still do. Well, I am glad that it’s really my music and that I am the driving force behind the creative side of it, because that is always what I wanted to do. As far as lyrics and music, they usually start off concurrently together, get an idea for a song and then flash out as it were the bare bones of a song. Once I’ve got the idea of what the music is trying to say and the structure of the song, then I can start filling in the words.
June 10, 2005 Gletto (56) from the UK: Dear Mr Burgh, I have followed your path since almost your first footsteps and how privileged I am to say that has been a marriage of bliss. When you wrote the song "Shine On" it bridged a gap in my life that is so silly. I had fallen out with my father over something that should have never come between us. However, if you haven't made a mistake then you haven't lived. That song allowed me to stand up and be counted and I did find the words to say "I love you". Please may I ask you if the song "The words 'I love you'" is a song that has been echoing in your mind. Finally, may I be allowed to say the influence you have showered on me is now shining like a beacon, and your kindness is my foundation stone. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of submitting this question. Chris de Burgh: I seem to have some of the best writers of questions on the planet, because here is another one from Gletto in the UK! What you have written here is fabulous and the fact that I may have helped you to bridge a gap with your father through the song “Shine On” and say all the words that should be spoken before they are lost forever. Well, this is again a reference to my own life, and I refer to this once more in my song “The Words ‘I Love You’” some years later, because they are often the hardest words to say. And it has been echoing in my mind. These are important things, not only to say to those who are above you in years, you know, your parents, but also to your children. And I often think, you know, what will my children think of me in years to come. Did I do everything that I should have done? Did I look after them as well as I could have done? And did I tell them I loved them as often as I needed to and wanted to? And I really hope to live by this particular feeling which is an emotional one, but it is important as well. Often, when you fall out with your parents, with your father or your mother, it is about something so insignificant. But you know what, Gletto, we have nowadays a chance to communicate with our families and our children and our friends that is absolutely unique to the times we are living in, that never existed in the past. Because it is instant, it does not involve them hearing your voice or you hearing somebody else’s voice, because sometimes that can immediately turn the tide in an argument, you hear the voice and you go “oh no no, that voice again”. It’s bringing up so many memories that are not helping at this time. What I am referring to is e-mail and text messaging. We have text messaging which is a huge thing in my part of the world, and you can constantly communicate with your children. Particularly if you have had an argument, you say “I am sorry”. You know, it is an immediate thing, it is not like letters in the past or indeed phone calls. I urge all parents, older and younger, to constantly keep in touch through all the modern methods that we can, electronic methods as well as talking to them direct.
June 9, 2005 Marion Ben Rejeb (34) from Kronach, Germany: Dear Chris, first of all let me thank you for your great and wonderful music. I am a great fan of you since about 25 years. Your music is with me in good and in sad times in my life. For whom did you write the song: "Even Now"? For me it's like a consolation about my mum, she died too young, with only 54 years. Thank you for this song. Take care, Marion Chris de Burgh: Funnily enough I didn’t have anybody in mind for this song. People have suggested various names to me that I could have written it about, but they would all be wrong. I think what I was suggesting here was, I had the image in my head of a young person, perhaps from a boy band like Westlife for example, standing on a stage alone. And for once, instead of singing those sugary ballads that mean absolutely nothing, to stand on the stage and sing something that meant a lot to that person, i.e. to give it a lot of emotion and to give it a lot of feeling. And I started this song actually when I was on holiday in Mauritius, and the words “even now” came out. And there is the clue, you see. When you say something like “even now”, you are saying “after all these years, after all this time, I am still going back somewhere that I have left in the past”. That’s what it means to me. And it means really that, in spite of the way one’s life has changed, moved on, perhaps different loves, different lifestyle, there’s something that keeps drawing you back to a person. I know there’s a major website now called “Friends United”, which I have never clicked on, because I don’t need to. But I know a lot of people have been on that, and there’s an echo from the past that constantly calls and it’s like a voice in the night calling out your name. And that’s what I was thinking of when I wrote that song. I am glad that it reminds you of your mother. And 54 years is very very young to die, I am so sorry.
June 8, 2005 Normand Allard (34) from Toronto, Canada: Hi Chris, I am a French Canadian and really do appreciate the French songs you included in your latest albums. I translated myself "Just A Word Away" and sing it to my family, they just love it. So here are my questions: since your French is already amazing, do you help on the translation of your songs? Have you thought of writing a song in French only without translating it first from the English version? Thanks for your generosity and keep on writing those amazing songs. I always look forward to your new albums. Chris de Burgh: That’s interesting that you translated “Just A Word Away”, well done! My French is good enough, I think, to certainly communicate with people. And in the past I have recorded three songs in French, specifically for the French market, which is “Quand Je Pense A Toi” (When I Think Of You), “Le Coeur D’Une Femme” (A Woman’s Heart) and “Comme Un Rêve” (Five Past Dreams). As far as the translation is concerned, it is very difficult to translate the song, if you are not a real French speaker. But when I see the translations I always amend them or change them with whoever has written the French lyrics. And change them to not only what I believe the meaning should be, but also more importantly to where the movement for words should be within the song, which is always critical.
June 7, 2005 Chris Raymond (53) from Whitton, Twickenham, UK: Hello Chris! As you know I have been in the fortunate position to attend more than one Concert during a Tour. Most 'non C de B friends' think I'm crazy seeing the "same" Concert again but as any dedicated fan would tell them each Concert is unique! My question is - how soon into a gig would you say that you know what your audience will be like? I've certainly seen you walk on stage and be greeted so warmly that I've thought to myself, "They're hooked already!" but this is not always so. How much do you think the actual venue can impact on the audience response and therefore affect your performance? Hope to hear your thoughts on this. Thanks! Chris R xx Chris de Burgh: Hi Chris! Yes, I have seen you at many concerts, and we have met a number of times, and hopefully many times in the future. Every venue is different. There are so many different factors to take into consideration, wondering how the audience reaction is going to be. The only thing that I can say, as I have said in the past, to perform a concert is not dissimilar to seduction, where one would hope for a certain result, which is mutually satisfying to everybody in the audience. But how you get to that point, it demands subtlety, it demands respect, it demands so many different factors. For example you can’t go out onto a concert stage, cold and start shouting at everybody: “Clap your hands!” Because nobody is going to want to. So every concert hall has its own strange and different feelings. If it’s architecturally cold, if the seats aren’t very comfortable, if the lighting in the hall is bright, if the stage is very high or indeed very low – there are so many different factors. If the sound is a bit woolly or it’s a bit sharp, all these factors can have an impact on your audience. Whether for example, if you are doing two concerts in a city, if one is sold out before the other one, you usually find that the one that is sold out has a more vibrant crowd than the second one. Also the place that you play, some countries differ. Some areas in countries differ. So I usually know pretty soon when the house lights go out, then I can tell you probably within 5 seconds what kind of an evening it is going to be. Possibly less than 5 seconds. It’s just an instant response, taking all the other factors on board, and judging that first moment of applause. Sometimes I am completely surprised and shocked, other times it’s a bit of a struggle. But generally speaking by a certain point of a concert, I know that people are with me. In capital cities quite often you are playing concerts which are a little more difficult, because the people in capital cities are used to seeing lots of major acts coming through and they get a little spoiled. And it’s almost like they sit there and say “prove something to me”. The minor places, particularly the really outer way places, who never get major stars turning up, they are usually very grateful that you are there. But as I say, Chris, there are a lot of different factors that play here. And I think after all these years I am fairly experienced about knowing what to expect.
June 6, 2005 Graham (50) from Nottingham, England: Hi Chris. I love your music. The minor chord has often been associated with doom and gloom but you have used as a romantic visionary aid. Was this something you worked on or did it just happen that way? Keep those albums coming and as a song writer myself thanks for the inspiration. Chris de Burgh: It’s an interesting thing. Not that I am a specialist or an expert in this field, but it seems to me that an awful lot of what we perceive as music has been created by the major key and the minor key in terms of mood. For example I think you’ll find that a lot of folk music, if not all folk music, that is trying to describe the sadness of life on the land, the harshness of the farming life, to reflect the seasons as they change, you know the hard winters, that tends to be represented in minor key music. Whereas major key seems to be the celebration of harvest time, the celebration of life, of rebirth, of sunlight. That for me appears to really show the other side of music. It’s almost the Yin and the Yang of music. If you want to see the effect of music, the subliminal effect, when you next go to see a film and there’s a sad scene – listen very carefully to the music. And you’ll find for example lots of dropping notes. When you have two or three notes that drop, one after the other, that is creating usually a sad feel. Whereas the reverse of notes going up tends to create the opposite feel. These are, I suppose, not exactly tricks of the trade, but there are things, the more you listen to music, and wonder about why they are having the effect that they do, the more you realize that we as human beings react in a fairly standard way, in a very similar way to the various ways musical notes move. And the way I like to use the minor key is to create not a very sad mood, but a reflective, melancholy mood perhaps, perhaps even a romantic, visionary mood as you have suggested. And I am glad that I am some kind of inspiration to you.
June 5, 2005 Maggie Hebblethwaite-Sharpe (48) from Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Hello Chris. I only discovered this site during the summer and have been eagerly waiting for your return for weeks!! Although I have always loved your music it was this year at the Domplatz Bamberg where I first saw you in concert. I will NEVER forget that concert. I was sooo cold. It was so warm in England when I left for Bavaria that I only had summer clothes with me. But once you appeared I forgot my cold feet, hands, nose etc. ROFL. Your unassuming appearance, almost from nowhere, lit the cold night. I could feel the warmth and love that all of your fans have for you. It was like no other concert I have ever been to. You seem to have surpassed the ordinary "Super Star" status and have an extraordinary and completely honest relationship with your fans. As you said on the night it was more like a C De B party than a concert. So to my question, how do you perceive your success? Are you totally aware of the love and affection on a basic level that millions of people have for you? Is this the sort of response that you hoped for - dreamed of - in the early days, or has it taken you by surprise. There is so much I want to say to you, but realise that if I waffle on for too long you definitely won't answer my question, so I'll keep the other thousand or so questions, comments and compliments for another time. I really feel, as do the rest of your fans I would suppose, that you are such an approachable and honest man. Maybe one day I'll get to have a coffee and a chat with you. I hope so. Bye and God bless you and your lovely family. I hope to see you in concert again in Nottingham next week and I really can't wait. Love and best wishes Maggie.xxxxxxxxxxx Chris de Burgh: This is a lovely question and indeed short story about the concert in the Domplatz in Bamberg. Yes, it was very cold and also by now hopefully you will have enjoyed the concert in Nottingham. I remember it well, because it is really such a pretty place and there were a number of things that happened that night, including a dedication of a song to a young girl who was murdered in Nottingham the week before. That stayed in my mind. You’ve said a few things which are of great interest to me and I’ll tell you why. You say I have surpassed the ordinary super star status and have an extraordinary and completely honest relationship with the fans. Well, I would agree with you there. Not that I have surpassed the super star thing, because I don’t believe any, you know, the super star thing only comes from human beings and the jungle for example, the law of animals is power. But, you know, to be famous for me is not a big deal. I don’t think anybody is any better than anybody else. I certainly do not believe that anybody is more divine than anybody else, which is why I have a bit of a problem with some aspects of organized religion, where we are told that there are people in the more exalted areas of the Hierarchy, have it believed that they are closer to God than the rest of us. This is absolute nonsense. Nobody is closer to God than anybody else. And this is the very foundation, I suppose, of my belief that we are all ordinary. You know, I have often come across people saying to me, you might be very famous, but you seem to be very down to earth. This is what I absolutely and sincerely and firmly believe. I don’t have to work at it, it’s the way I feel. And funnily enough my daughter Rosanna who was Miss World 2003, she feels exactly the same thing. People say “but you are so nice, you are not bitchy, you’re not stuck up, just ordinary!” You know, this is the way we feel about people and about life. But anyway, thanks for what you say. And as for the affection in which I am held, I don’t want to sound like I am searching for compliments here, but I don’t think about it too often. I am always surprised by the lovely things that people write and say. I suppose one failing that I have is that I am not very good at accepting what I have achieved and how well I have done. I always seem to be living in the present and indeed looking to the future. So I am thrilled about the things that people say. And I am also very sincere about the fact that I do not like to buy into the cynical world of, you know, rude super stars. I don’t see why people have to act like that. And I think in the end it will revert to them and cause them problems in the future. You cannot believe that you are anything different or special. So I like to think that I can bring this to my persona, to my public life and indeed my private life as well. But thanks for the lovely things you have said.
June 4, 2005 Kelly (36) from Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada: Hi again Chris, and may I say I am loving "The Road to Freedom". I ordered it from the web site and got it before it was released in Canada. I have to admit..I felt like a little school girl when Mr. Canada Post left me this wonderful present in my mail box on a gloomy March Friday afternoon. It's now October and I don't think it's left my CD player yet! As I mentioned, it's October and as we are all putting up decorations for Halloween I was wondering if you celebrate Halloween like we do here in Canada (carved pumpkins, decorate houses in scary decor, trick or treating, etc.)?? If so, were you able to enjoy the fun in going 'door-to-door' with your children trick or treating?? I saw you on Canada AM back in May and you had mentioned "I'll be back" referring to coming back to our great land...I look forward to seeing you again in concert. Thanks so much for all you do...you have no idea what it means to me!! Chris de Burgh: New Brunswick is an area that I know well as well from the past. Thank you for your words about “The Road To Freedom”. I must admit that I still go back and listen to it. I have a bit of a problem with it now, because I don’t know how I am going to do another album as good as that one. Because I think it’s turning out to be one of the best that I have ever done. It has a unique feel to it. I particularly like the deep ideas. And also I have no interest in what the media think of it, I don’t care about what people in general would think of it, as long as those who like it absolutely love it too. At this stage of my career, criticism doesn’t touch me at all, because I made this album specifically for solo performance in this specific kind of a way, away from the usual disciplines that you have to follow when you are making these kinds of albums. This doesn’t follow any particular discipline at all, it’s just an unusual record. And very few records if any start with an instrumental and put a trilogy as the first three songs that link together. So it was my particular personal journey of discovery and revelation. You ask about Halloween. Yes, Halloween is a big deal in my country. Whether it is a commercial big deal or whether people really enjoy it, I am not quite sure. It’s a bit of both, I suppose. My children now aged 21, 17 and 14 are probably too old for trick or treating. But they used to do it in earlier years and I used to go around with them to homes and knock on doors. And I’ve got lots of old films of them all dressed up in scary costumes. So they were great fun to do, and I think it’s of course a very interesting thing and great fun for children. Halloween, All Saint’s Night, is when I believe all the spirits of the dead emerge from the graves. And I think that’s what we are trying to think about during Halloween Night. So it can be very scary.
June 3, 2005 Wendy Beckett (41) from Coventry, UK: Your locations for your latest tour have included ones where you were able to do the "Britney Spears" bit walkabout, I think this is brilliant (Birmingham Symphony Hall last night!). Did you choose the locations so that you could do this and do you intend to do this again? For me it made it so much more personal and it was an intimate evening with Chris De Burgh. In the twenty five years I have been listening to your music last night was the best ever. Thank you for your music!! With Love, Wendy Chris de Burgh: It doesn’t matter where I am. Certainly in the last tour, where we came up with this idea of doing it, I always work out a system where I can go down some steps. Sometimes I even have to walk out of the wings of the stage and out back into the audience that way, even disappearing for half a minute, carrying on playing and singing. But usually there are steps we organize in the front, so I can get into the audience. I think it’s a wonderful feeling for me, and hopefully for the audience. It breaks down the barrier that can often be erected between a performer and the audience. And I work very hard to make sure that the audience, who are every bit as important, are part of the night as I am. And I like to get up close and see people as well! And see who is there, particularly when there are children in the audience. I like to have a bit of fun singing to them, or selecting somebody and sing a few lines to that person. It’s pretty unusual to do, but I certainly feel very good about doing it. And I am sure I’ll be carrying on doing the same thing in the future.
June 2, 2005 Thelma Heath (62) from Chichester, Sussex, UK: I discovered your music when visiting Bulgaria for a skiing holiday before the 'Wall' came down and have since attended several of your concerts and have never been disappointed. You have a good family life and appreciate the importance of those close to you, but do you have any furry members of the family? If so what are they and do you think that there is an advantage for children to be brought up with animals? Chris de Burgh: Yes, I very much appreciate my family being around me and the importance of my family. Yes, we do have – well, I wouldn’t describe my dog as a furry animal – but we have a dog called Milly. She is a black labrador and she is 9 years old. She is terrific fun. Recently I was going through some old video tapes which I have had transferred to DVD of family life and growing up, and lots of it seems to centre on the dog. And the fun and the love she has brought into our lives, starting from when we first saw her as a puppy in a litter. And we were given a choice of I think about seven or eight puppies. Some of which were black little baby labradors, others were chocolate coloured. And two in particular stood out. And I think we always like to think it’s the dog that chooses us. Well, my daughter Rosanna wound up with this tiny little puppy. And filming it at the time and seeing it now and the things she has done down the years is so funny. I found another short film of the first time she saw snow. And she is leaping and hopping on all fours. Those of us who have dogs know how they can jump in the air, all four feet leaving the ground at the same time. Throwing herself into the snow and doing one of those crazy dog runs that dogs do, you know, with feet going everywhere and the tail flapping around. It is very funny. So, I think animals can bring an enormous amount of affection and love into people’s lives. Not just older people, but I think great for children to grow up with animals in their home.
June 1, 2005 Robin Thibeault (46) from Pointe-Claire, Québec, Canada: Dear Chris, my husband & I have long been fans of yours, and so are our children especially our oldest. Your music has always been in our lives, at our wedding a friend sang In a country churchyard. We have gone to see you every time you come to Montreal, the last time you came our eldest came with us. It was an awesome experience. Last year in July (he) our eldest got married and although it’s wonderful, seeing him leave home was very hard. When I heard the song on Road to Freedom, with you and your daughter Rosanna singing it brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I was wondering what Diane’s reaction to that song was when she first heard it? Do you get emotional when you sing it? Well take good care of you and your family, With thanks and our best wishes to you all, Robin Thibeault. Chris de Burgh: I think everybody knows my extreme affection and fondness for Canada and in particular French Canada. And whenever I perform in Québec or Trois Rivières or Montréal or Sherbrooke, anywhere in the Québec area, I am greeted with such an overpowering sense of warmth and emotion, it is joyous. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen elsewhere in Canada, but there’s something about the French-Canadians which I think you can only find uniquely there. So thank you for that, and I look forward to being back in Canada later this year. This is about the song “Here For You”. The first time I played it, I had the idea for it and I played the first part to Diane, my wife, in our old home. It was actually quite a long time ago. And I played the piano and I said “I’ve got this idea”. And I set the scene about this is at the airport, and the parents are saying good-bye. And unfortunately I could only get into the first verse, before I had to stop because I was so choked up. And her eyes were full of tears as well. Because you start imagining what it must be like, to have your child leave and go away. Although it is for the reasons that the song is trying to express, which is exciting for the child who is leaving, but also very emotional. I recently sent a copy of “The Road To Freedom” to the president of Ireland, Mary McAleese. And I wrote, because she is a wonderful woman and I am friendly with the lady and her husband, I wrote a short story about what I saw in my mind in that song, about the scene at the airport that I had just described. She wrote a lovely letter back again, saying that the timing was brilliant, because just a few days later, after she heard the song, she went to the airport to say good-bye to her elder boy who was heading off to, I think, Australia or America for a year and a half. And she was very emotionally moved by the experience, and I think that the song helped her through that, perhaps to understand it. And it is a song to sing to convey emotion. I think the only time I performed it was at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, and I did get very emotional during it. I think I’d better do it a bit more often, because it touches people. Not just the people who are thinking about their child leaving, but also it touches people who are that child leaving and saying good-bye to their friends and parents.
May 31, 2005 Chris de Burgh: Thanks again for all the wonderful messages on the website - and on Yahoo - that I read on a regular basis. I was smiling about a recent note on the guestbook, "Chris, when will you visit Turkey again?" Well, I was in Istanbul with my family from May 24 to May 26 to support our team Liverpool in the Champion's League Final on Wednesday, May 25th. If you saw this match on TV, or were lucky enough to be there, you would have seen what has been universally described as the most exciting final in 50 years! Liverpool struggled in the first half against an excellent AC Milan side who scored 3 good goals before half time. We were in despair at the break, many fans in tears or leaving the ground, as our team seemed doomed to a humiliating defeat. A lone voice in the crowd started to sing the team's anthem, hoping to be heard in the dressing room to give hope to the players. Suddenly forty thousand voices took up the words of "You'll never walk alone", and as the teams emerged for the second half, we roared support for our boys with an awesome display of noise. What happened next has already gone down in the annals of history. With the addition of German International - and my friend - Didi Hamann, Liverpool crushed the heart out of Milan with a blinding three goals in six minutes. As the game went into extra time, there were moments of amazing luck and courage, with players running and tackling beyond the limits of their endurance, pain etched on their faces. Then came the penalty shoot-out, and drama of the highest order. It was almost impossible to watch, but when the first Milan shot flew over the bar and Jerzy Dudek, Liverpool's Polish goalkeeper, saved the second Milan penalty, it seemed our team's name was destined to be on the Cup. The tension was unbearable, and when Milan's shot from Shevshenko, who looked white with nerves, was saved by Dudek, the Liverpool supporters exploded with a joy, a euphoria and a disbelief that is almost impossible to describe in words. WE HAD WON THE CHAMPION'S LEAGUE, AGAINST ALL THE ODDS!! Tears rolled down the cheeks of tough men from Liverpool, people hugged strangers and we shouted, screamed and sang our appreciation for a group of players who had shown an incredible display of courage and self-belief epitomised by Captain and man-of-the-match, Steven Gerrard, coming back from a situation that seemed to be utterly hopeless, but driven on by sheer passion and heart. It was a privilege to have been there, and thanks to all the people we met from Turkey who showed us such kindness. I will return!
May 30, 2005 Mohammad (19) from Tehran, Iran: Hi Chris I wanna know that what would you do if you were an invisible man?? Chris de Burgh: This is a fascinating question! This is the first time I have ever been asked this and it requires a bit of thought. I suppose, if I was living in a repressionist regime like in Iran, it would be wonderful to be an invisible person. To be able to affect things from an invisible point of view and therefore a secure point of view, where nobody could attack you, force your opinions to change, where you could actually create through your good works a chance that democracy could shine through, that young people have a chance to live their lives the way they want to. As far as being an invisible man in my own home, I think people would get pretty bored of it after a while and so would I, but it’s an extraordinary concept and requires a bit of thought. I’d be interested to see what other people’s response would be. Perhaps as people read this answer, they could also log onto the guestbook and say “Yes, I would like to be an invisible person for the following reasons:” and then state their reasons.
May 29, 2005 Ehab Lotayef (46) from Canada: In Crusader you mention Richard recapturing Jerusalem. I found no reference to this in any history book. Did you get this from a certain source (which) or was this your alternate (artists liberty) version of history? Chris de Burgh: You know what; I’d have to check my history books on this one. I did some fairly extensive research, but I thought that the crusaders did actually take Jerusalem. But I think on a number of occasions they lost it again. So I bow to your greater knowledge on this occasion. Maybe what I should do is check my history books again. There is one part of this incidentally which is of interest that some people have suggested that I have a problem with Saladin and the Islamic religion. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have always been the first to go on record to say that I believe every man can have is own believes and faiths, and it is up to nobody else to tell them that they are wrong. But thanks again for your question, and I will go and check again. I am pretty sure that on that particular crusade Jerusalem was taken. But I’ll have to go back into my history.
May 28, 2005 Wayne Barrett (47) from New Zealand, now living in Turkey: Chris, I'm a long term fan since "Crusader" days and have even attempted to sing one of your songs on stage in the 80's when I was in a dance band as drummer and occasional vocalist. I couldn't reach the top notes though... I just wondered what your vocal range is, and how much vocal warm-up you do before a performance? The reason for my dual "nationality" by the way is that I have moved from NZ to work in Turkey for a few years. (had to leave the drums behind...sob) Chris de Burgh: Hi Wayne! I have been to Turkey a few times, it is a great country and the people are terrific. And I look forward to welcoming Turkey to the Economic Union at some stage, sooner hopefully rather than later. I hope you are enjoying yourself there. What a pity about leaving your drums behind, I am sure you have come up with some native drums. Because native music is fascinating. Some of the best records I have are from deepest Africa or from the top of the Andes or unusual places like that. As far as my vocal range is concerned, I have about three octaves, three and a half octaves really I suppose. Although it is an inevitable thing as you get older, your range will start getting a little less. But nevertheless I exercise my voice like I would exercise any other muscle in my body. And my voice becomes strongest after I have been out singing on tour. I have often been in a recording studio either just before or just after, and it’s a marked difference certainly to my producer, the strength of my voice. Because after sung on stage for 2 1/2 hours every night, 34 or 36 songs, after a few weeks of that, your voice does get very strong. As long, and I have to stress this, as long as you breathe in the correct way. Because too many people, too many singers, they sing from the top of their chest rather than from their stomach. And that way you’ll put a terrible strain on your voice. I have always been very aware of that. And the second point is to drink a lot of water. So even if I, or anybody who is a singer, enjoys taking a few drinks after a show, always compensate with lots of water, avoid smoke. For me smoke is a very dangerous thing and I hate it so much. It’s such a pleasure to be able to go out in Ireland into pubs and bars and public places where there is no smoking, in restaurants as well. You don’t smell the smoke, and you don’t breathe in other people’s smoke and affect your own health, and more critically for a singer, you don’t get chest infections and it doesn’t affect your voice. So avoid smoke and take plenty of exercise and drink plenty of water!
May 27, 2005 Pete Bailey (50) from Hull, England: Hi Chris, I am originally from Rhodesia and have been a fan of yours since I heard "The Girl With April In Her Eyes“ and was so impressed I went and bought that album, plus the two previous ones, and have bought every album since. Since moving to Europe in 1982 (Germany for 8 years and now live in England) I have seen you in concert 5 times. I am going to be at the concert in Nottingham on the 11th Oct, (Had the tickets since Feb) in the stalls in seat C4, which I am led to believe is the third row from the front. I have always wanted to meet you, but I realise this is for the select few. Now my question is this. You have written so many songs over the years, and yet you can’t really be set in any one genre, as you do rock as well as ballads, both with equally brilliant results, but do you consciously sit down to write a rock song or a ballad, or is it just what takes over you mind at the time. i.e., apart from anyone who knows your music and your voice, The Power Of Ten (more rock) and The Road To Freedom (more ballad) are two complete different genres, and could easily have been done by different people. Looking forward to seeing you on the 11th. Chris de Burgh: By now you will have seen me in concert in Nottingham on the 11th of October. Hope you enjoyed it! It’s an interesting question about styles of songwriting, because I have always been drawn to various styles. Although, as I said in an earlier question, the rock area of music is fairly limiting and limited, but I try to break away from that by using my imagination to go into areas that don’t necessarily get the interest of other rock writers. You know, I would say my most recent album “The Road To Freedom” illustrates this best. I hope in the future to go into even more musically unusual areas. Away from the restrictions of, I suppose, the format that most modern rock music has to adhere to, which is the three and a half minute radio song. I have always been interested in breaking free of that culture of thinking and to try and create through music and imagination and words something a bit more far reaching, something more important to say. It’s true to say that “The Power Of Ten” and “The Road To Freedom” are different. Well, one of the strong reasons behind this is that with “The Power Of Ten” I was touring with a band as I was with “Timing Is Everything” and indeed “Quiet Revolution”. But with “The Road To Freedom” I literally had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. And it was for me to perform solo. With other records, when you are writing songs for a band to perform, you are keenly aware that you have to really write music that a band can play, will enjoy playing, and that an audience will enjoy hearing, which means involving drums, bass guitar and other various instruments that happen to be in the band.
May 26, 2005 Mark Gardiner (34) from Wallasey, England: Hi Chris, I've been listening to your songs for years now (since I was 16!) and one of my favourites is Crying & Laughing. I've always wondered about the woman in the story. Where is she, who is she with and who is she going back to on the plane? Chris de Burgh: The scenario I had in my head was a short film about a man from the West, say from America or England or indeed anywhere in what we call the Western World, who had been to Russia or the Eastern bloc in the time when there was a Cold War on. And he was a business man, and he had gone over there and he had fallen in love. And he is on his way home. We are not quite sure what he is going home to, whether he has a wife and family back home. But whatever has happened, he has fallen madly in love with this local girl and they are in the car on the way to the airport. And “searchlights, rain on the road”, this indicates that they are in a country where there is a lot of pressure on the local citizens. Secret police, army and so on in the streets, creating a feeling of danger. And he has to go and she has to stay. That’s why “crying and laughing”, it means crying obviously for the sadness of parting, laughing because of the memories that they have had of the wonderful times together. And he will be half a world away, across the other side of the world, dreaming of her. And in this piece of music, those who know it will hear engines starting at the end, like in the film “Casablanca”, when Humphrey Bogart says good-bye to the girl who gets on the plane. And you can hear the engines starting up and he goes back. And you can tell that inside he is crying, but he is trying to be brave as well. So I was creating a sort of musical film, I suppose you could call it, during this particular song.
May 25, 2005 Christina Martin (24) from England: Chris, I think you should be knighted for your contribution to music. What honour would make you proudest? Chris de Burgh: Well, I personally don’t think I should be, but what a nice idea. “Sir Chris de Burgh”! Mmmh, has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? You know, I work abroad a lot, I travel a lot and I am fortunate to have a successful international career. And any honour from a foreign country, which means a lot to them in that country, to bestow upon somebody like me who comes from Ireland, would be a tremendous thing for me to receive. I was honoured by the Red Cross in Portugal some years ago for my contribution to the Red Cross and the things I have done for them in the past. And I was very proud of that. Similarly, I think I would be very proud to receive such an honour from a country in which I didn’t necessarily live. Ireland does not have an honour system, which in some way is a good thing, in some way is a bad thing, because it really depends on who gives out these honours. That adds to the credibility.
May 24, 2005 Deborah Madge (36) from St. Helens, Lancashire, UK: Hi Chris, you once mentioned that you would consider doing two separate concerts, one for the oldies (like myself!) with you playing only the older hits and one for the newer fans, with you playing the more recent stuff, is it still an idea that you are considering and, if so, then when will it be? Chris de Burgh: I am very amused to see that you refer to yourself as one of the oldies. As far as I am concerned, you are a really young one! The two sets of music? Well, I actually went to a concert a couple of years ago where a performer was playing one night his songs from the 60s and 70s, the next night from the 70s and 80s and so on. And it was pretty good! But it could be a little boring as well. But I can see that there would be definitely an interest for me in some day performing, you know, one night only songs from, say, the first five albums, and then the next night only songs from the next five, and so on. That would be quite interesting. You’ve put a little seed of an idea in my brain, Deborah. As far as when it’ll be, I really don’t know. But it is a definite possibility, if such a thing exists.
May 23, 2005 Mau Van Le (44) from Norway, originally from Viet Nam: Dear Chris! Thank you for the beautiful music that I’ve been listening for the last 25 years. Your music brings to me experiences that make my life rich. I could listen to the same song over and over and every time it’s a different feeling. I really love the songs: Flying Home, Some things never change, Missing You, Broken Wings, Fatal Hesitation and many more. But there is one song that I love very much. As a refugee from South Viet Nam I settled in Norway in 1975 and could not return to my homeland before the year 2000. For me it was very exciting and just 10 minutes before landing the captain addressed my homecoming and turned on your beautiful song Flying Home. I felt something touched me at that moment and I also felt the warmth of tears on my face. "The last time I cried" was 25 years ago when I fled my motherland. Every time listening to "Flying Home" I feel "the freedom in my soul". So Chris, now you know a little bit why your songs touch me. I just wonder how/where you got the inspiration of crafting "Flying Home“? Is it "The Simple Truth" that you wish to make the world a better place to live through your music? It makes my world better!! Thank You Chris. My best regards to you and your family. Chris de Burgh: I think anybody reading this question cannot help but be moved and touched by the emotions expressed. To have to leave your homeland and live somewhere else, even in a comfortable country like Norway, must be difficult. And the feelings expressed, the songs that you love “Flying Home”, “Some Things Never Change”, “Missing You” and so on, the story that you come up with about the captain turning on the song “Flying Home” and the way you responded by crying, that is an extraordinary story. And whenever you hear it, you think about Viet Nam, your mother land. I got the idea of “Flying Home”, because I was at that time spending a lot of time in America. I was lonely, getting up the ladder of success. But it is terribly, terribly hard and anybody who thinks that it is easy should have been with me every step on the way, because it was really really tough. And a lot of the time I was unhappy, miserable. I often questioned what I was doing, whether I should be carrying on. I had friends back home. If I was married at the time, I had a wife back home waiting for me to come back, Diane. And all I can say is, I’m a person who can accept a lot of pain, a lot of turmoil in my life. I’m very strong inside, and I am surrounded by strong people. But nevertheless there have been times when I felt really sad. And “Flying Home” was written, I am sure, underneath one of those moods. About the feeling that you get, when you are finally on the aeroplane and you are heading home. It’s just one of the best feelings in the world. It’s the release of all those tensions and emotions. And also, if you have done a good job, the feeling that you have done a really good job and you can now relax and head back home. So as I am sure regular readers of this know, I feel that if I can express the emotion that I have inside successfully in music and words, then I have succeeded in transferring the emotion that I feel. “The Simple Truth”, well this is about children. They are innocent. We must protect them from war, from all the horrible things that grown-ups can do to them. And that’s why I am saying in “The Simple Truth”: “the life of a child is more than a forest, the life of a child is more than a border, the life of a child is more than religion, the life of a child is only a heartbeat from eternity”. And you listen to those words in the song and like me I hope you get a real chill. I think that’s probably one of my top three favourite songs that I have ever recorded. And I did produce that one myself. And it always moves me when I hear it, because I play it at home really loudly. It takes me back to the emotion that I was attempted to convey.
May 22, 2005 Damien Donovan (19) from Ireland: Hi. I’m an aspiring musician, and almost accidentally stumbled across your music two years ago, I immediately realised the quality and substance of your music. Firstly I would like to express my admiration and thanks for you music. Now, the main question I would like to ask of you is, who were your musical influences when you started music? And secondly, a lot of your songs contain fantastic, sometimes haunting, sometimes soothing orchestration. Do you arrange the orchestral parts yourself? I think that’s about it. Oh, and what instruments do you yourself play? Thanks again. Chris de Burgh: Nice to hear a 19 year old boy from Ireland getting in touch! Aspiring musician? Well, I wish you luck! These are different times to create music, but I think the best advice I can give anybody starting the music business is: Learn your trade from the bottom up! I don’t think there is any successful business man who hasn’t sampled the low end of his company. The bottom end of for example a hotel, successful hoteliers have always started in kitchens and working as bellboys and behind reception desks. You’ve got to know your trade inside out to give yourself a chance of not only becoming successful, but more importantly staying successful. So good luck and thank you for your kind words about my music! My musical influences, I would refer to as being great writers like Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, of course John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Later on they would be Sting, Peter Gabriel. People, whose music still stands the test of time, people who wrote very clever songs. These are craftsmen. If you can look upon a songwriter as somebody for example on a level who makes furniture, beautiful furniture, you can’t make a beautiful table or a beautiful chair without having a lot of knowledge about how you put these things together, becoming as it were an apprentice. And so the people that I admire, they learned their apprenticeship almost exclusively from live performance, and I think that’s where the strength of my songwriting comes from. Live performance gives you a very strong insight into how people react to music, and what they like to hear and how to surprise them and how you can create dynamics on stage. All those things, if you bring that to your songwriting, it can make a huge difference. The orchestrations in my music are, because I can’t write or read music, created by an orchestrator. It is usually somebody like Chris Cameron that I have used recently, who will write an orchestral part to a song under guidance and with help from me, as I try to explain what exactly I am after. I don’t give them a song and say “well, do what you want with it”. These people will always provide a rough demo of what they planned and I will listen to it and say “no, change that string sound, change the horns, or make this melodic movement a bit stronger”, or whatever. So I am very much involved with the orchestration, although I don’t actually write the finished product. I play the keyboard and the guitar.
May 21, 2005 H. Engelbrecht (40+) from Bredasdorp, South Africa: What was Patricia the Stripper originally written about, (re 1924 in the song)? Chris de Burgh: I am sure I have told this story before, but I will tell it again. I was in England, this was in about 1973, and at this time as a solo performer I was occasionally playing the odd folk club, but prior to that I have been singing in my father’s castle hotel and in a hamburger restaurant in Dublin called Captain America’s cookhouse. And occasionally I’d write songs with strange and unusual words like “Hot Barrel Hannah” and “Star Spangled Tangerine Seethrough Topless Trousers”. And in this particular genre I had been at a rather boring and rather posh weekend in the East of England. And everybody was very la-di-da the whole weekend. And as I flew home to Ireland, I was imagining myself as part of this setup, but actually secretly inside I didn’t want to play tennis with these people or hang out at posh dinners wearing a tuxedo. I wanted to be downtown with Patricia who was the best stripper in town. The words 1924, I don’t know where they came from, but I was going through the words in my head recently and I was thinking this is a pretty unusual song. And I think the words are quite clever, and I certainly find that people still enjoy listening to it.
May 20, 2005 Sandy Williams (25) from Burlington, Ontario, Canada: I have been a big fan of yours since I was 8 years old. My older brother and sister introduced me to your music. Years ago they recorded some of your concerts such as The Munich Concert, The Simple Truth Concert, The Getaway and more recently, the Beautiful Dreams tour. Now that I have purchased a DVD writer I would love to transfer these onto DVD but I'm finding the quality has degraded too much. Do you have any plans to release these concerts onto DVD because I ..and I'm sure I can speak for many others.. would love to watch them. Chris de Burgh: Well, Sandy, I am looking forward to being back again in Canada in November 2005, hopefully to do some concerts in your area. And your question about the video tapes transferred to DVD: I believe there is a very good case for saying yes we should do this, because, as you say, the VHS tapes are degrading a lot. In fact recently I transferred through a company in Scotland about 180 of my family videos, you know, half hour videos, one hour videos onto DVD. And the quality is just superb. So rather than having to watch them on a lower quality VHS player now through DVD it’s great. So I think it would be a wonderful idea to get the DVDs of the concerts that you referred to. And it’ll certainly make me feel better, because I think I look an awful lot younger and more energetic!
May 19, 2005 Jan-Peter van Oudheusden (22) from Ede, The Netherlands: Hi Chris! During the concert at the Pepsi Stage in Amsterdam, on June 5, I noticed that you took the time for those people who offered you flowers during the show. I really think that's a good thing, because you're getting real close to your fans. My question is: Before the show begins, do you plan every song (length, when to play etc.)? Do you also plan a specific amount of time for 'people with flowers', or is it more like 'OK. Let’s play and we shall see what will happen'? I hope you can give me an answer. Keep up the good work! Chris de Burgh: Well, I never really plan a specific time for people to give me flowers and for me to accept them. I tend to be very flexible about these things, but when it comes to a concert set, because I am working with a fairly complicated light and sound team, I can’t switch around too much because that really throws them. I think you would have noticed during that concert that I use a lot of visuals behind me, created by a wonderful team of guys from Southern Germany. And if I started moving things around too much, it would cause a lot of confusion. But as far as accepting flowers, you know, I love that. It’s not just flowers; people bring me bottles of wine and pictures of their children and love letters even. And this is a very genuine way of people saying “thank you for helping me in my life”, or just a genuine way of saying “thank you, I love your music”.
May 18, 2005 Ilka (34) from Allmersbach, Germany: Hi Chris, have you ever heard of the Irish Folk band Bachelors Walk? It's a bunch of Irish musicians (actually one Englishman also ;o)) who live and perform in Germany, but also abroad. I've been to a concert of them last weekend, and it was great! Traditional folk music, jigs, reels etc. - fantastic! Led me to the question whether you have ever thought of having a folk band with you on stage. What do you think of the "traditional Irish music" and do you like it? All the best for you! Ilka Chris de Burgh: No, I have never heard of them. But Bachelors Walk is a famous street in Dublin. Irish music is very popular in Germany, it is feel-good-music, it is fun. And memorably I remember Paddy Maloney and The Chieftains, when they played on my song “The Connemara Coast” on the album “Power Of Ten”, was talking about a review they once had for a concert review in New York, where the reviewer was saying that the Chieftains music awakens echoes in him that he didn’t even know he had. And I think beautiful Irish music can be very inspiring, I think it can make you think of all sorts of historical and spiritual things. Indeed we have the power nowadays, because we see so much visual image in our lives, with television and film and photographs, that when we hear Irish music we can almost visualize a seascape or a cliff edge or a man with a donkey cart or whatever it happens to be. Rain falling down in the West of Ireland, these things are easy to visualize and by using music we can use musical clues to create a feeling that you are actually there. A sort of visual stimulation to help you believe that you are actually seeing what the musician himself is attempting to convey to you. Curiously enough I am looking at creating a new style of music for a project I have coming up. And part of that would be using traditional Irish music, but in a form that isn’t identifiable as Irish. I would marry it with Eastern European music and possibly something from South America, to create a new sort of a blend of world music. And it is possible that some day I will actually be on stage with this kind of combination of music.
May 17, 2005 Jeanette (43) from Essex, UK: Hello Chris, if there was one thing you could change about your life what would that be? I wish you had fallen in love with me, the way that I have fallen for you. But I can’t sing, you inspire me. Love you lots, Jeanette xxxxx Chris de Burgh: You know, I am a very happy person the way I am. I’d certainly like either to be a few inches taller or a few kilos lighter. My body mass index (BMI) indicates that if I had been about four inches taller, I wouldn’t be too worried about my weight. But I must admit, I wouldn’t mind losing a few pounds. Although I do take regular exercise. I swim a lot, I walk at speed. Recently I bought for my family a treadmill which you find in gymnasiums. And it’s an absolutely amazing machine, because you can walk up hills at high speed and run and in twenty minutes you can have a hell of a good workout. What else would I change about my life? It’s a very tough one. I don’t really think I’d change anything, I always feel to be doing something that I love to do. And to do something that I feel is significant and changes other people’s lives in a better way some of the time, is possibly the best job in the world. There are obviously things about one’s personality that you possibly would like to change, but for me it’s not a significant problem. I am perfectly happy with the way I am. Unfortunately, Jeanette, I have never met you, but who knows, in the future I might. And thank you for your kind words of inspiration.
May 16, 2005 Myrte (27) from The Netherlands: Dear Chris, I have great admiration for your work and I think that you are a great artist on making songs that really act out a specific feeling, both in the text as well as in the music! I am already some time wondering if there is any chance that you might write a song about home-abuse (do I have the word I mean?) So, husbands hitting their wife or vice versa. I think that you would be thé artist to make a song about that, that really speaks/sounds for itself! (I'm sorry, my English isn't all that brilliant.) With great admiration, Myrte, Netherlands. Chris de Burgh: Yes, it would be possible to write a song about this subject. I don’t think it would be a very happy song. And again I tend to avoid writing songs about things that we read in the papers or watch on TV on the news on a regular basis. I like to create a bit of a fantasy world from time to time, although it’s obviously very important to study realism and reality as well. I did have a look at a difficult subject recently with the song called “One Upon A Time” which I am sure many of you have heard. It looks at the child’s point of view in the break-up of a marriage and how the child can never understand why it’s happening. Often children believe it’s their fault that mother and father are fighting and breaking up. And this is never the truth. Parents fight for very different reasons and very very rarely about the child. But the guild that the child feels is a terrible thing, a terrible burden through the rest of their lives. But I’ll certainly consider this one. I think another topic that I have been asked to have a look at is orphans, children who have been abandoned by their mother for some reason. That again can leave a very unhappy feeling throughout somebody’s life, wondering why was I given away at birth. It’s an interesting topic, but it has to be dealt with very very sensitively.
May 15, 2005 Gunter Kohl (31) from Trier, Germany: When you're at home and discovering a beautiful simple good sounding melody - how do you know, that you've just invented it or that you only remember music you've heard before? When I'm improvising melodies on my piano this question is always in my head: Is that me or my memory? Chris de Burgh: I am very fortunate that I have a melodic recall, which is not as good as a computer, but I always feel it is pretty good. I often hear a so-called new melody on the radio and I can identify frequently three or four songs that this melody has come from. I think it is very difficult to come up with new melodies these days, because we are only dealing with a small number of musical notes. And the pop music field in particular is just jammed with frequently heard melodies, you know, that many of us have heard in the past. I think one of the reasons for this is, very few modern musicians if any are as gifted as the great melody writers in the past: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin for example. So we tend to repeat ourselves. But I am always very very careful to try and make sure that the melodies that I write don’t come from somewhere else. Unless it is of course from my own music, in which case I don’t feel so bad about it. But there are people now, lawyers, who are called musicologists, whose job it is to take people to court for stealing melodies. Unfortunately this does go on a lot and a lot of very famous people have been caught by either deliberately or accidentally stealing other people’s music. You have to have quite a few notes to make it a court action, and then of course you have to give over a lot of the royalties. One of the most famous cases was George Harrison, who inadvertently copied another song for his work “My Sweet Lord”, and he had to give a lot of the money earned from that to the original writers of the melody that he took. The best way to discover whether or not a melody is original is play it to two or three friends who also love music and say “does this sound familiar?”. A very good example again of this happening was when Paul McCartney wrote his song “Yesterday”. He was so convinced that he had heard it before, that he played it to a few people, including the rest of the Beatles and said “have you heard this before?”. And none of them had, which convinced him that it was an original melody. And we all know what happened to that song subsequently, becoming one of the most played songs of all time on radio.
May 14, 2005 Patricia Guilhermina Torres Afonso (19) from Porto, Portugal: Hello! I love your songs! I write poems sometimes and I send them to a band. But my poems are much worse than the lyrics of your songs. My question is: Is there any difference between a poem written to be sung and a poem written to be read, I mean, are there any poems that are useless for songs? Or should I just give up? Thank you for reading this! And congratulations for the results of your work. You are a real artist! Bye... Patricia Chris de Burgh: Well, I don’t think I would be a particularly good poet. Poetry relies on a different set of disciplines and rules than lyric writing, because writing lyrics, what I am trying to do, is marry the sound of a word with the musical note that it sits in with. So if anything, it’s possibly a little more difficult to put a good lyric to a piece of music. Secondly, what you are trying to convey with a word in music is the same emotion that the music is trying to convey as well. I can give you an example of this. If you listen to my song “Borderline” – the line “I watched a bunch of soldiers heading for the war, I could hardly even bear to see them go.” Now, if that was just written down as a poem, it wouldn’t be particularly significant. But I do believe that the melody that carries those words is strong enough to convey the emotion that I am trying to get across. In particular the word “bunch”, which is not a very nice word, but it indicates the sort of feeling that the singer is having about war and how people are caught up in it, not just individually, but also collectively. I think, if you are writing poems for songs, you have to work very very closely with the person who is writing the songs. A lot of people often think they have written a song, or send me songs which are indeed just poems. A song is a piece of music. So, Patricia, keep writing the poetry, because poetry is beautiful to read. But it is not necessarily going to work with music as easily as a lyric writer will be able to put together his words with a musician.
May 13, 2005 Chris de Burgh: Hi everybody! It’s great to be back here again on MOtL. Thank you for all your questions, and comments, and remarks that you have sent in the last few months. I regularly read the guestbook and the wonderful things people have written for me to read. And I also keep a close eye on the Yahoo website which is also extremely interesting. I am going to try and answer all the questions that were sent through to me. I’ll start off by saying again I’d like to thank Astrid for all her tremendous hard work in the past and of course in the future. And many congratulations on the safe arrival of Jonas a couple of months ago. I hope Robin is getting on great with his new baby brother, and I am sure in years to come they’ll be great friends. I hope everything is going well for you. I’d also like to thank all those involved with the fantastic tribute CD that was sent to me. Each one is getting better and better, the quality is getting higher and higher. And perhaps even one day someone singing on this tribute CD now or in the future will get noticed by a record company and have their own records to make as well. That would be a fantastic thing to happen. So, congratulations to all concerned for your hard work and your dedication. I really enjoyed listening to that CD. (Editor’s note: Check http://tribute2004.chris-de-burgh.co.uk/ for the latest tribute CD Chris is talking about.) So tomorrow I am going to start with questions from quite a long time back, but I am trying to get through all of them.
April 3, 2005 Chris de Burgh: Hello everyone! This is just to let you know that I am working on a lot of questions for MOtL at the moment. Sorry it has taken so long, but the answers should be back on the website in the next few weeks. I would also like to express my enormous gratitude and thanks for the wonderful book of greetings that I was given at the Dortmund fan meeting. Most impressive!!! Love, Chris de Burgh |
