Jutta wrote:Hi all,
here is another interview in german:
http://www.stz-online.de/teleschau/musi ... 75,1041655
Can someone help to translate again please? I am always on the run - sorry
Bart, you could establish a column "interviews" (?). So we could find them more quickly later on.
Jutta
This is a mechanical, on-line translation:
German to English translationShow romanization
Rock star Chris Rea about the joys of Christmas, the healing power of music and his deep voice
"I would like Sting's voice"
Rock / Pop
Stefan Woldach (tele look - the mediendienst)
From the end of January, he sets out on extended tour in Germany, recently published a "Best Of" Album: Chris Rea reports back. Not, of course, had the now 58-year-old Briton but in the meantime has already celebrated his departure from the stage to commercially unsuccessful attempts at blues projects. In the interview, the grand master of the guitar rock kept talking about the healing power of music, commercial flops, and songs about small dogs.
Looking forward to his upcoming tour in Germany: Singer / songwriter and blues guitarist Chris Rea.
Picture: Mike Hill / Warner Music
tele look: A "Best Of" album is always a look back. What are the special moments, given the track list you go through your mind?
Chris Rea: I know exactly where and when I wrote a song. I bring it back to colleagues and fans always wonder. Take 'Joys Of Christmas': I will never forget this Christmas Eve. My father had a small ice cream shop in Middlesborough, where I worked as a child a few hours. I heard on the street a couple of carol singers and walked out the door - and it was really hopeless in our region: All garbage lying around, empty bottles and two guys just beating their noses bloody. Merry Christmas? It was simply irony. I later wrote this song about the "real Christmas" in the working-class town of Middlesborough - there is in fact nothing to do with Santa Claus, elves and reindeer. This is a special song for me.
tele look: You have written for the "Best Of" two brand new tracks ...
Rea: Right. The first song is called "Still So Far to Go ...", this is a story about how it will probably only present in the music business. I had offered my record company, I suggest a song title, and I would write them a piece of it. I said, 'Go off and got me and my band something to eat. And if you come back, the song is finished. I actually wrote this number in less than ten minutes!
tele look: And the song "Valentino"?
Rea: Valentino is a young dog that took my daughter in Florence. That included a couple of guys fighting dogs and should serve as a victim. They would have torn down in less than a minute. Mitkriegte When my daughter, she took the dog secretly brought to England, and a friendly veterinarian then has found a home for Valentino in the country. We do not want to keep him in our house in the city. But the moment when he was gone, it broke my heart. I never thought that I would employ the theme for so long.
tele look: On the album we can possibly "miss Bones Of Angels". It is said that you had the idea during a visit to the Cologne Cathedral, was with thoughts of death and impermanence, as diagnosed her cancer at the millennium ...
Rea: It's one of my personal songs, but he comes from the time before my illness. Some of these songs now have a new meaning. Almost two years I fought for my life and have lost more than 20 kilos of weight. It was a bad time that I have survived only with the love of my wife and two daughters. I still remember the time when I got extremely strong painkillers, which was hooked in no time and even then had to fight this addiction. There were two years where I needed a lot of strength and faith.
tele look: Do you believe in the healing power of music?
Rea: Yes, there is definitely some truth. When I look Songs like "Easy Rider" and "Stony Road" sing, I feel good, as if that was a big hit like "Josephine" and "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" would be. These were not even the single releases. But they are important to me. And the public likes it also. The only ones who did not like these blues songs, were the people of my record company and concert promoter. The very word "Blues" made her wince. A large German concert promoter even advised me: "Chris, not just play blues!".
tele look: Can Well, we understand the concerns, perhaps, your blues projects "Blue Guitar" and "The Return Of The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes" were commercial - to put it mildly - whether real flop ...
Rea: That's what I just did its own interests, which was more a labor of love. Even when my manager found that with the "Hofner Blue Notes" is not such a great idea. The whole thing was then yes also a commercial disaster! (laughs) Also performed was not a success. In England, they called in the audience: 'Chris, why do you sing any hits? " And in Russia, people did not understand even more what we were doing. Do not know why the musicians in England at that time and later played Hofner Guitars Les Pauls. But the project was just probably something for musicians than for ordinary fans.
tele look: The attest to your voice, it was like a full-bodied wine that is getting better with age ...
Rea: It's a nice compliment, but I like my vote actually less. I do not like her because she is simply not high enough, I now have time this deep growler. I'd like Sting's voice. He can sing pop songs and joyful choruses. Sometimes I can not. But I will not be dissatisfied, I do not feel really uncomfortable. But this is one of two reasons why I never really wanted to record a live album - but then what I have done so: first, because I never my own guitar solos, and secondly because I never wanted to hear my song! (laughs)
tele look: honest Viewed: What drives you after all these years, still today?
Rea: The love of music. I have already started working on his next project, a DVD, but more I will not tell you yet. Do they know it is the tension if you have a fresh, new idea - that feeling drives me. I can not stop when I begin.
; Chris admits that "The Return of..." was commercially unsuccessful, but it was planned as something the musicians would like to play rather than what the audience would love to hear (he also mentioned the confusion of the Russian audience when they heard the Delmonts, and I can remember that as I was there!). Strange enough, they also said that the "Blue Guitars" wasn't successful, and I always thought that it sold enough copies.
English
