Rossmann Blätterkatalog Centaur - April, 2011
by Benjamin Weber translation by Astrid Nolde-GallaschFairy tale teller
A lady in red and a dark ferryman are the most famous pictures that Chris de Burgh has magically put into our heads with his voice. On his new album "Moonfleet & Other Stories" the Irish singer even tells a complete story. In the interview with Centaur he looks back to his own story - and to a very special relationship: the one with Germany Centaur: You are 62 years old and have sold 45 million records. But still you reach young people with your music. Can you explain that? Chris de Burgh: You are right, there are especially many young girls coming to my concerts. Certainly not because I look like Brad Pitt. I believe, young people like the stories that I tell with my music. My lyrics have a meaning, I play with the phantasy and the dreams of people. And in all my years in the music business it was important to me to stay true to my principles and make no compromises. Centaur: What do you mean with compromises? Chris de Burgh: To go with the current fashion. When I started with music I had the feeling to stand in front of a forest and I have to cut my own way through it. I did just that. And now, with 62, I can say: It was right, because it was my very own way. Centaur: You are considered to be authentical and down to earth. Nobody can imagine that you are spending a lot of time in front of the mirror before your performance. How much of this is right with the real Chris de Burgh? Chris de Burgh: It is true. It is awkward for me, when people say: Chris de Burgh has sold 45 million records worldwide, he is a "superstar". Then I say: I believe you are talking about somebody else. The "superstar" only exists in the perception of the audience. The real person is the man who lives at home, gets up in the morning and the hair is messy - that's how we really are. Centaur: Isn't it difficult to remain down to earth with a success like you have? For example after a concert with ten thousands of people? Chris de Burgh: At the end of each concert I go into the audience to break down the barrier between the audience and the stage. I am relatively small, I soon drown in the audience, but I hug people, shake hands, and sometimes give little kisses. Immediately afterwards I jump into a car and get changed. Mostly we then drive into a restaurant. The contrast between those two atmospheres couldn't be bigger. I have to make a switch in my head: The concert is over, now is now. Centaur: You say that you are playing with the dreams and the imagination of people. How much has the book "Moonfleet" by J. Meade Falkner, which is the basic for your current album, influenced your own imagination? Chris de Burgh: The first time I read it was when I was a teenager, and I was very moved. The story is about love, self confidence, forgiveness, but also about smugglers, adventures and dangerous times. Of course I had to shorten the story, but ever since I read it, I really wanted to put music to it. Centaur: Three years ago you planned to play a concert in Iran. Why did this not happen yet? Chris de Burgh: We had the permission. It would have been ten concerts in a football stadium, we could have played in front of one million people. But then came the elections and Ahmadinedschad. I find the current regime so despicable that I do not want to support it. The song "People Of The World" on the current record is dedicated to Neda, the young women who was shot during the protests against Ahmadinedschad. Centaur: You are born in Argentina, your father was a British diplomate. As a child you experienced many changes of location, you lived in Malta, in Nigeria and Zaire, the current democratic republic of Congo. Meanwhile you have been living in Ireland for a long time. What does "home" mean to you? Chris de Burgh: Home for me is the base. I am a lot on tour. Home means to come back to my family, where my life is. It is very important to me to know that my family is where my home is. When "Lady In Red" became a top 1 of the American charts in 1987, I was offered a six month tour in the USA. At this point I had already been on tour for nine months, so I declined. Especially because of my family. That's why I never became a famous singer in America. Centaur: But with us you are undoubtedly very famous. You often call your relationship with Germany a kind of love affair. Can you tell us when Germany and yuo fell in love with each other? Chris de Burgh: That happened in Bonn in the late 70s. In the evening there was my first own concert in Germany. It was a hot summer day, in the afternoon I sat outside in the heat, drank a glass of beer and watched the Rhine passing by me. It was a great feeling! In this moment I knew that I wanted to become famous in Germany for this reason alone. And then there were only about 60 people at the concert in the evening... Really, I love Germany, I have seen incredbly much of it. When I turned 60 two years ago, I allowed myself and ten friends a holiday in my private jet. We flew to Germany. First we were in Cologne, then in Mainz. I played a concert in Kloster Eberbach, a beautiful old building with many candles. From there we drove to Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, Heidelberg, we did some wine sampling and looked at cultural sightseeings - it was fantastic. My friends loved it too. Centaur: In your stressful business it is important to keep a healthy life style. How do you keep fit? Chris de Burgh: I could do with a few kilos less, but I swim a lot and try to walk as much as possible. I don't walk slowly, although I am small and have short legs. But the most important thing is water. When I am on tour I drink three liters per day. I sometimes play in South Africa, in Johannesburg. I remember that I once was there and my colleague Tina Turner, who also performed there, complained to me that her mouth was so dry. I told her: "Sure. Here we are almost 2000m above sea level! You just have to drink more water!"