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by Romy Alinskiy
translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch
"Midsummer Dreams" on August 30, 2003
"I have a love affair with Germany since 20 years"
Chris de Burgh about "Lady In Red", his talents and sources of inspiration
Chris de Burgh, on Saturday at the big summer festival by Antenne
Mecklenburg Vorpommern and the Schweriner Volkszeitung in Ludwigslust you
will of course also evoke the "Lady In Red". Does this song deal with
Diane, your wife?
Chris de Burgh: No, but I can can tell you the story. 1986 I made an album
"Into The Light". During this time I was touring the big stadiums of this
world. I made music of all kinds - songs to sing along to, rock songs to
roam with. What I still needed were one or two ballads for this record. For
one of these songs I was still lacking the beginning. So I thought, I let
myself be inspired by the melody. And the first thing that came to my mind
was "I've never seen you look so lovely as you do tonight". That was the
first of piece of the puzzle. It is about a couple that knows each other
for a long time. Men aren't very good at remembering what their wife was
wearing last night. This song isn't for anybody in particular, but for
couples who have been together for a long time. This couple goes to a party.
At the end of the night they both discover each other again. Very romantic.
Do you love love songs?
Chris de Burgh: Oh, it is difficult to write them. Millions of people have
written love songs. But to always make it different and write again in a
new way, is a great challenge.
How many songs have you written altogether?
Chris de Burgh: No idea, I have recorded 165. I have now ten or twelve
songs for the record that will be published next spring. The record will
mostly be acoustic and very romantic.
In the song "One night in Paris" there are French passages. Do you speak
French?
Chris de Burgh: Yes. I speak French, because it is a very romantic
language. I studied French. I often travel to Canada, especially to
Montreal and Quebec, actually everywhere where they speak French.
How many languages do you speak altogether?
Chris de Burgh: French, Spanish, and I am rather good at English.
And German?
Chris de Burgh: I understand German more than I speak it. I have been to
Germany very often. At least I know enough to order a beer and greet the
people at my concerts.
You will perform a concert in Ludwigslust on August 30. What can your
audience expect?
Chris de Burgh: It will be a band show. I guarantee it will be a fun night.
It is a lot of fun with a castle in the background. It won't be a serious,
but a fun show. And I will present all my hits.
Have you been to Eastern Germany before?
Chris de Burgh: Before the downfall of the wall I have been to Berlin often.
After that I have often been to Eastern Germany. Here are many castles. I
love architecture. I am a true castle fan. I love castles, because I grew
up in one.
Do you still live in a castle?
Chris de Burgh: No. Not anymore today. My mother and my father lived in a
castle. A great building from the 12th century. It is still owned by the
family today.
How does the house look like in which you live?
Chris de Burgh: It isn't a normal house. It is big, a project that I have
been working at since seven years. I want to reproduce it as it was 250
years ago. That takes a long time and costs a lot of money. But it is
wonderful and should look great for the next 200 years. I love my wine
cellar.
What do you think about your German fans?
Chris de Burgh: Oh, I have a love affair with Germany since over 20 years.
The German fans are respectful, loyal, emotional, simply wonderful. The
best audience in the world. Especially the young generation will think: Oh,
Chris de Burgh is boring. But I can promise that young and old will dance
on my concert. It will be great, because my band is great. Nobody will be
disappointed.
Describe your band...
Chris de Burgh: I have this band since five years. They are all from
England, all great musicians. We have become really good friends. When we
stand on stage, you will feel that we like each other a lot.
You have been a star for a long time. What does really challenge you in
your life?
Chris de Burgh: Every day is a challenge. Every day I find new things to
think about, that interest me. Then I write songs, that is my profession.
I love art, culture, architecture and history.
What do you say about your work yourself?
Chris de Burgh: I am very happy. Happy that I have this voice. I don't know
from whom I inherited it. I love to travel, to meet people, to see the
world. I always tell my children that travelling is the best education.
This isn't a thing of selection. No. Everybody can travel. It's cheap.
Where do you get the ideas for new songs?
Chris de Burgh: Sometimes I have to be very disciplined and drive myself to
the studio every day. That isn't the best. The best is when I get an idea
right away. You see a sweet girl and think: Oh, I have an idea. That happens.
You look out outside the window and in 60 seconds a song is born. Something
about a relationship or another story. For example you can write a song
about a glass: My lips kissed the glass yesterday, yours today. And there
you have a story that you can continue.
What do your future plans look like?
Chris de Burgh: I want to engage more in film. That's what I work at at the
moment. I prepare film songs.
What was the most impressive moment of your life?
Chris de Burgh: The ermitage in Saint Petersburg really knocked me out. You
walk around with your mouth wide open. People forget that Russia has been
the strongest country for centuries. I always thought that Russia would
have been destroyed economically. But there are some treasures... wow.
How did you meet your wife by the way?
I was at University. I often went out with a friend and his sister, we
often had parties. It wasn't love at first sight. It took some time with
us.
What do you think about the young stars that are massively raised by
television?
Chris de Burgh: These young stars that are raised by television can be
talents sometimes, of which you have never heard about before. But the
music business lives from long time stars. These have become very few,
because the record companies simply don't invest any money any more. So
there are short stories that go for two or three months, then it is over.
That isn't healthy.
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