Muenstersche Zeitung - May 09, 2000

by Tom Fuchs

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch



"My music should have an effect in big halls"


By numerous concert tours and an impressive list of hits like "Lady in
Red" and "Don't pay the ferryman" songpoet Chris de Burgh was able to
create a strong family of fans. The sympathical artist who will appear
in the Halle Mnsterland tonight at 8 pm, is reflecting his succesful
career in a chat with our reporter.

Question: Chris, where do you get the motivation to still continue?
Actually you have accomplished everything as a singer.

de Burgh: I admit, motivation is always a problem. Look, when I started
and left university, I didn't have the slightest clue what to expect in
this business. You can say, I was completely naive. But I definitely
wanted to know if I would have success. I would have never expected in
my wildest dreams that it was a success as big though.

Question: Your current album is called "Quiet Revolution" - how do you
rank this album among all your published works?

de Burgh: A difficult question. For once I can rely on the resonance
that it had among the fans and my friends all over the world. Almost all
said that it was the best record I have done in a long time, if not the
best at all. On the other hand it is a fact that when you have fun doing
something it is very easy to do. Of my 14 studio albums I would rank the
last one in the top 3.

Question: Do your songs change, when you play them live more often?

de Burgh: Well, with new songs it is like with a little child: for a
moment you believe they are perfect, you wish it would stay like that
forever. But that can change over the time, as I have experienced it
with my earlier titles too. With "Beautiful Dreams" I have made an album
on which I re-arranged older pieces, an interesting experience.

Question: Do you sometimes feel surrounded by people who want to keep
you away from the real world, from bad critiques?

de Burgh: No, because I don't surround myself with such people. Actually
you have only very few real friends in life, that is the same with me.
Of course there is a difference between Chris de Burgh the succesful pop
star and the private person who takes his kids to school like other
fathers do too. You should see me at home in Dublin, I go shopping there
very ordinarily. So, I still experience a lot of normal life. And nobody
in my close surrounding tells me how great I am, it's rather the
opposite! (he laughs)

Question: Meanwhile you are playing with a band. But when you started,
you stood on stage all alone. Do you sometimes miss the old times?

de Burgh: I still do solo appearances, for example recently in Ireland
when I joined a charity concert in front of 1000 people. To play alone
is a very special challenge, but I also enjoy as much the excitement
before a concert with the band. As a songwriter I always had the
imagination that my music should also have an effect in a big hall. And
that is still the same today.