Die Rheinpfalz - May 16, 2000

by Tom Fuchs

translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch


Where does your popularity in Germany come from?


Chris de Burgh has a devoted group of fans in Germany. The sympathical
song poet can rely this on numerous tours and an impressive list of hits
like "Lady in Red" or "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Now the Irishman is on
tour again, and will be in concert tonight at 8 pm in the
Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Ludwigshafen. There will be no opening act, and
there are still some tickets available. A few days ago, our reporter Tom
Fuchs spoke with Chris de Burgh.

Q: Where do you get the motivation to carry on? Actually you have
achieved everything as an artist?
A: I admit, motivation is always a problem. Last year in autumn, I had a
meeting with my record company in England, at which we talked about a
possible new album. There are no obligations like this at all in my
contract. So I was asked, do you want to produce a new album? I denied.
But a week later I had changed my mind. Suddenly I saw in what a
privileged situation I actually am. I can reach millions of people on
this world through my music. And since this moment everything was
simpler than ever, the writing, the recordings, everything.

Q: Your current album is called Quiet Revolution - how would you rank
this album among all your published albums?
A: A difficult question. For once I can rely on the resonance that it
found among the fans. Almost everybody thought it was the best album I
have made in a long time. On the other hand, it is a fact that the
things that are fun are much easier to do. I really enjoyed writing the
songs as well as the recordings. So from my 14 studio albums I'd see the
latter in the top 3.

Q: Do your songs change, when you play them live more often?
A: Well, with new songs it is like with a small child. For the 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
older songs too. With Beautiful Dreams I have made an album on which I
rearranged older songs, an interesting experience.

Q: Meanwhile you are appearing with a band, but in the beginning, you
were all alone on stage. Do you sometimes miss the old times?
A: I still make solo appearances, for exampls recently in Ireland when I
played in front of 1000 people at a charity concert. Playing alone is a
very special challenge, but I equally enjoy the excitement before a
concert with the band. During my show there is always a part when I play
solo.

Q: Isn't it difficult to have a personal contact with the audience
during a concert, considering the many fans you have?
A: No, even in the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund with 17,000 people, there
are always these moments where there are sparks between me and the
audience. You pick up the energy that comes from the fans, and you
return it to them. At the end of these 3-hour-concerts I want the people
to go home with a happy feeling.

Q: You have become popular mostly for romantic songs. Do you sometimes
get overwhelmed by your own feelings that you can't finish a song?
A: This only happened once, in Scotland. I played for the relatives of
16 shot school children. This was really a situation that took me to the
borders of my self-control. When I saw the mourning parents, I almost
lost my voice.

Q: How do you explain your popularity in Germany, do you share the
romantic feelings with your German fans?
A: I don't know, romance is only one side of me, there is also the
rocker Chris de Burgh, think of "High On Emotion". I think the people
here realize that I am actually just an ordinary guy who didn't let the
success come to his head.

Q: In all these years, did you ever lack inspiration?
A: No, that has never happened to me. I think that only happens with
people who have lost their passion. But when something comes really from
the heart, then you can sing about everything. I often listen to singers
in pubs, there are sometimes some real bad singers, but they believe in
their singing and that alone counts.