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Sarah Bettens

Sarah Bettens

Sarah Bettens

Text JF. Pierets    Photos Frank Clauwers

 

I’ve always been very much intrigued by Sarah Bettens. When I saw K’s Choice perform in 1994 they had not yet recorded their monster hit “Not an Addict”, which opened doors not only in Europe but also lead to touring across the US with, amongst others, Alanis Morissette and the Indigo Girls. Yet in 1994 I saw a girl run to her microphone, hold onto it for the entire song and who looked at her feet for the duration of the applause. A lot has changed since then and that girl cannot be compared to the über-fit and charismatic front woman she is today. We catch up in the backstage area of a Dutch music festival to talk about change, identity and challenges. 

 

You once said you were lucky K’s Choice became popular. What’s luck got to do with it? 
I think there was a lot of coincidence involved. My brother and I have been making music for as long as I can remember but we never thought about it as a future job. The idea itself was even too unrealistic to dream about, so let’s just say we never considered it a possibility.Then someone asked me to sing something in a studio and before we knew it we had a hit-single on the radio and things started evolving. There wasn’t any plan behind it. If I contemplate our position right now, I can see the amount of work and effort that we have put into it, yet I must say that we did indeed get very lucky. We met the right people at the right time. Of course you have to be present in order for those people to find you, but we were very lucky to kick off mid-’90’s, when record companies still had a lot of money and room for development. We’re talking about a completely different era here. They allowed us time to grow, which is almost impossible nowadays. We’re also lucky that we’re still – after 25 years – able to make music for a living. We still have fun and we’re still doing things that challenge us, both as musicians and performers. There’s nothing worse for creativity than routine so once in a while we have to shake things up a bit.

How do you shake things up? 
Well, for example we changed our working method when making The Phantom Cowboy – our last record. Normally Gert and I write separately and then bring things together to see what happens. This time we started with a concept and actually knew how we wanted the record to sound. Things like this, and also things like introducing The Backpack Sessions – an intimate tour with only our pianist – are our means to keeping it fresh.

Do you need challenges? 
I think so, I’m not a stressed out person but I like change, both in my job and in my personal life.
At the moment we’re on the verge of moving to California and there’s a lot to do, but that’s fun. We’re going to start over. It’s like making a new record and working with a new producer, even though the previous one was great, you never know what it’s going to bring. My sense of adventure is far greater than being comforted by foreseeing the future.

A couple of years ago you started working as a fire fighter? Why?  
I needed it because music started to become somewhat of a routine. I needed to do something that was completely different, a job where I had to show up and go back home after 24 hours. As a musician you can start working at 2 in the afternoon or you can work the whole night through. You work on your music, your plans, your career, your writing, you name it. It never stops. You can work all day and there will still be that feeling that you can do more. It’s never finished. So I looked for something that was defined, which I found in being a fire fighter. You cannot imagine how much I learned there and it still brought me the eagerness to learn even more. Because of that, being a musician made me happier again.

Do you have any creative rituals when you start composing? 
We did in the beginning, but I’ve kind of abandoned the idea of needing hours of time, the right mood and even the perfect star constellation – in order to write the perfect song. Now we just sit down with a guitar and start. The Phantom Cowboy was written in two weeks time. Gert and I sat down in a room from 9 to 5 and just worked. We stopped waiting for the right light interval or the most opportune emotional state of mind.

Is art inevitably self-portraiture?
I think so. You keep talking about things that are close to you. Its shape changes but the subject doesn’t. As you get older your world changes, you get married, have children, yet there are themes that keep returning. Now we’re moving I found some old interview from when I was 20 years old. How stupid and serious I was! Nowadays I take my music, my job, very seriously but not myself. Now we’re able to write a song that’s ‘just fun’, it doesn’t always have to be about the most deep down, thorough, detailed emotion. At this point we’re able to lighten up.

You are outspoken about being gay. Do you feel you have a moral responsibility?
I do like taking my moral responsibility. I like it that young girls or boys can look at me and know that I’m married to a woman and yet look very normal. When I was young I only had Navratilova, and even she was not very outspoken. The issue just wasn’t discussed. It took me so long to discover who I was and I think that if I was born now, I might’ve found that out by the time I was 16. There are so many possibilities now, people can talk about being gay, being transgender. Things that weren’t discussable twenty years ago. Of course there’s still a lot of work to be done, but as a public person I hope to make the world just that little bit more normal for gay people. Writing and making music is a very nice way to communicate with people and to discover that you have much more in common than you would think. When you’re a teenager that can be quite therapeutic.

Jeff Koons once said: ‘Being an artist is not a job, it’s an identity’.
I think I rather identify myself as the wife of my wife, the mother of my children and the daughter of my parents, my friends, than as an artist. Don’t get me wrong, music is a great platform and making music is something that can’t be compared to many things. When you leave the studio at night and you’ve created something you didn’t know existed that very morning, it’s incomparable. That little bit of fear, that you’re never going to be able to do it anymore, or the feeling that you’ve given everything but aren’t sure if there’s anything left. I have to admit that’s a unique and an on top of the world feeling. But to say it’s an identity, that’s too much. I identify much more as a human being than as a musician.

It took me so long to discover who I was and I think that if I was born now, I might’ve found that out by the time I was 16. There are so many possibilities now, people can talk about being gay, being transgender. Things that weren’t discussable twenty years ago.’

You and your wife adopted 2 children a few years ago. As a mother, what would you like to teach them? 
I want them to be able to be themselves. The world won’t always appreciate or understand that, but at least they have to try. I also want them to work hard. I enjoy my life very much because I work hard for the things that I find important; to be happy, to do things with my family. If you feel very good about something, then it’s often something that took a while for you to get there. For me, getting divorced wasn’t an easy road to take, nor was adoption or moving to the States. But they did make me happy in the long run. I feel very strongly that I’m the happy person I am today, because of all the decisions I have made in my life. I’m very grateful about the circumstances and being lucky at the same time, but I also made it happen through the choices that I made along the way. Next to getting sick or loosing somebody, your fate lies very much in your own hands. So how committed are you to work for it?

So in retrospect, you wouldn’t change anything? 
I’ve gone through some painful stages yet I’m very happy with who I am right now. Everything that’s happened has made me into the person I am today. Fortunately I’m quite forgetful so that might help (laughs). I can’t imagine anything more drastic than what happened to me when I met my wife. Before that I wasn’t really happy but I thought that was just the way people were. When I found out who I was I literally stepped from a world of darkness into the light. All was black and white and I changed from being – I’m not saying depressed because that’s too strong of an emotion – but from heavy hearted and melancholic to one of the most joyous people I know. Almost in the blink of an eye.

A question I also ask myself: How could you not have known?
I have absolutely no idea. Maybe it has to do with the era in which I was born. I think that if I would be 16 years old at this very moment, I would probably jump right in. In retrospect I conformed a great deal. Especially because I wanted to dress like a boy but I didn’t want to embarrass the people around me. If it would only have been about me, than there would’ve been no boundaries. I always had to fight for my place in high school, something you don’t quite understand when you’re so young. That’s what I like so much about the whole gender conversation. Who cares about all that? You could say that it’s safe to fit in, but is it really? How many people are there that get a wake-up call when they’re 30. I’m longing for a world where everybody can be more relaxed into doing what they want to do. Everything feels so restricted.

What do you think is your purpose in life? 
It depends on when you ask the question. Sometimes you feel so small wondering what’s your part in this larger entity. When you dare to think about the concept of time, the universe, or the fact that we are standing on something circular, then it’s almost impossible to ponder the meaning of your own life. Everything is so grand and you are so small in comparison.Yet when I do have to answer on the meaning of ‘my’ life, I think it’s trying to change and affect the world around me by being happy and treating people with respect. I’m a bit too cynical to be able to positively say it’s going to change the world, but it would be a good start. When I hear those terrible stories about sick children or refugee children, things that neither you or anybody else can fix, I often reflect that being grateful about the things you have and are able to do, is the very least you can do. Trying to give as little thought as possible to the small things that bother you. So every morning when I wake up I keep my eyes closed and think about the things I’m grateful for. That’s the absolute minimum you can do when you see all the damage that’s been done in the world. If everybody would make the effort to change his own little corner in a positive way, it would already mean a lot.

 

www.kschoice.be

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Solomon Ray

Solomon Ray

Solomon Ray

Text JF. Pierets    Photos JD Forte

 

In 2008, Solomon Ray released two street mixtapes that got him invited to Eminem’s radio show, Shade 45, on Sirius XM. What followed was a huge Internet buzz, a large amount of followers from all over the world and more than ten thousand copies sold. Several EP’s later the rapper came out with Le Garçon, greeted by iTunes as one of 2014’s “best new releases by a new artist” and the first single landed Vevo’s top five of R&B songs. Despite his success and positive feedback, the artist announced his retirement, due to depression, on Facebook. But last month he released a beautiful cover of Beck’s Guess I’m doing fine so it looks like Solomon Ray is back!

 

What made you decide to come back? 
Creativity. You cannot tell an artist not to create and you can’t take a break from something that you love. Ultimately it was my love for music and the notion that we are placed on this earth for a reason that wanted me to reengage. So I tuned out all the superficial stuff that I kept seeing and moved on.

Stuff like what?  
I’m an artist who identifies himself with what he makes. Which makes me quite sensitive about my work. I think I got to a point in my life where I got depressed because I didn’t see where I was going and let outside influences dictate how I felt. I started to constantly focus on how someone else had more advantages than me. After a while it became so depressing and stifling that I needed a break.

Did it have something to do with your coming out? 
If you asked me this question four years ago I would’ve said yes and my response would be that I probably would not have told anybody that I was gay. Now I realize it was never really a choice because this is who I am. Now I have this “I don’t give a fuck about pretty much,” attitude so I would never be silent about it.

I can imagine it’s quite challenging, being gay in the rapper scene.
Being in this industry since 2008, you can feel a glass ceiling when you’re gay. It’s something that I’m aware of, yet I try not to give it too much weight. I’m also aware that it’s even harder for other people because I do know that it’s still a stigma to be gay in the black community. If you’re a gay rapper then you are already fighting against a lot of prejudices, but if you’re a gay rapper and you’re black and you live in America, then that really works against you. I’m a mixture of black and white so visually I can slide in. But there are a bunch of extremely talented men who don’t get the same attention as I do because of their color.

What’s the main difference between the moment of your retirement and now? 
When it comes to music, the difference is that I don’t use rules anymore. I don’t hold on to formats in songwriting. Those formats are great because they are catchy but I try to use a different approach. The big personal difference is that I don’t stress as much anymore because I learned that my art and my gift is none of my business. It’s been given to me so it’s my purpose in life. I know that I’m going to be taken care of and as long as I trust that instinct, everything will be ok. Stepping into a new project with that mindset is very freeing. It literally allows me to be myself. Before I was afraid to be outspoken, to speak up. Now I don’t really care about the small things anymore.

 

 

I know that I’m going to be taken care of and as long as I trust that instinct, everything will be ok.’

Do you still care if people like your work? 
It’s always nice when people like something you’ve made, if they identify with it or find a story to connect with. I love that. But if they don’t like it, than that’s also fine. If they are not coming to concerts or if they are not buying my records, I don’t really have the space in my life to care about them. Everybody should get to a point where they realize that people’s opinions about what you are wearing, how you are doing your hair, who you’re sleeping with, doesn’t really matter if they’re not paying your bills or have a huge influence on your livelihood.

How about future dreams? 
I’ve already accomplished what I wanted. As a creative person I don’t care what it does, where it goes. I just need to make something. If I have an idea in my mind, all I’m trying to do is to get that idea out. Once it’s out, I’m on to the next project.

What would you say to an aspiring young rapper?
To be honest, I would advise them to stay in school and become a lawyer. If you go to bed at night and you cannot sleep because you have to create, then follow your passion. But if you can go to sleep and wake up perfectly fine, you need to go to school. Because there is no money in music anymore, there is no benefit. You have to do this because you need it. Very few get rich and famous and even a lot of people on the billboard top 100 don’t even have the money I have. Since finding out that harsh reality I try to tell kids to think about it, because it’s one of the toughest jobs to get into.

But you would never trade.
Never! It’s been a fantastic ride and I’m very much enjoying it!

 

Listen to Solomon’s new single “Guess I’m Doing Fine” on SoundCloud.
www.solomonraymusic.com

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Sven Ratzke

Sven Ratzke

Sven Ratzke

Text JF. Pierets    Photos Dennis Veldman

 

Hovering between vaudeville and jazzy chansons, conference and cabaret; playing for full houses in New York, Berlin, Zürich and London (just to name a few cities), Sven Ratzke is not easily captured in a few words. Describing him as a classy performer and an intelligent improviser dressed in eccentric costumes, with a strong scent of Berlin nightclub cabaret, might be a start. We leave it up to him to clear things up.  

 

What makes it so difficult to describe Sven Ratzke?
I do so many different things that it might be difficult to categorise, to place in a box. People often have to actually see the show to know what it is all about. I am not an easy act for the program leaflets. I always say I like to flirt with the 1920’s vaudeville, that kind of popular improvisation theatre with its interesting mix of songs and comedy conference. The idea that once you are on stage, anything is possible. And yes, maybe it isn’t easy to capture my performances in one word, but then again: I am not a big fan of all those boxes. They might be convenient sometimes, but not for me. As a consequence it remains a bit elusive and it takes much more time to bring it across to the audience. 

Do you really think it takes a lot of time? 
Let’s say it took me a while before I defined my genre as a performer. I am not the kind of cabaret artist that comes straight from the academy. I am a ‘learning by doing’ kind of person. Learning by traveling the world. It is a very personal approach and finding my form was quite a journey. I was raised in an old hippy convent where I performed in front of all the adults. Ever since I was a kid, it was obvious that I was going to be on stage but when I went to an actor’s studio, I hated it. I wanted to make my own pieces so I started off in theatre but soon, I switched radically to performing songs by Fassbinder, Brecht and Weill. I loved and still love those three-minute mini dramas so it was a very logical step to take. Of course the performance still lacked identity but it was a good start. Soon after that, I found myself in the Berlin scene with people like Georgette Dee. I was standing barefoot on stage because I didn’t have the money to buy the shoes I really liked. 

And now you are performing all over the world.
Sometimes I wonder: when did that happen? I realise that I have to be more aware of the great life I am living. On the other hand, you still need to keep on working. As an artist you never reach a point where you can say: ‘that’s it’. You lose things very easily and you have to keep on evolving. The more fame, the more misery! How is that for a quote? 

Since last year you have been playing ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ in Berlin and now the show is coming to The Netherlands. 
I don’t see myself as an actor but when they asked me to play Hedwig, it was too beautiful a role to just let go. It is a theatre play about Hedwig, born a boy named Hansel in East Berlin, who fell in love with an American G.I. and underwent a sex-change operation in order to marry him and flee to the West. Unfortunately, nothing worked out quite as planned and years later, Hedwig is touring the US with her rock band, telling her life story through a series of concerts. I made the play my own by doing a large part of the re-writing and making a new German translation. Apart from the music band it is a one-man show in which I perform all the characters. 

Do you relate to such a character?
Hedwig doesn’t belong and I very much relate to that. I always wanted to play something different, something extreme. Hedwig is neither man nor woman. She is very in-between. That raises many questions and for some people it is troubling, for others it is like a warm bath. Yet it is a universal piece about someone looking for her other half. Besides that, I always dreamed of playing a woman. To physically undergo that transformation and look at the possibilities as an entertainer. As a woman, you have many more possibilities then when you are a man. When I place my foot on the table, all of a sudden that is seductive instead of tough. Since I have been playing that part, I noticed I want more of the same. I want to explore the transformational side of me.

 

 

 

‘When I arrive somewhere and things are not arranged properly, I just go home. Does that make you a diva? No, it is being professional.’

Yet you don’t define yourself as an actor.
No, and that is because I am quite obstinate and I have a lot of ideas. I always thought that being an actor was something very creative. That you are creating something at least. But you are still at the service of others. That is why there is so much of myself in Hedwig: she could be my sister, so to speak. It is my energy. Even if I would play, for example, a joker or a Nazi, it would still be me. 

Back to the creations that are entirely your own. I guess it isn’t easy to switch from Hedwig to an entirely different performance.
One week, I play Hedwig and the other I play my own shows. So switching from one gender to another is indeed a duality that needs focus. But I also switch between playing in sold out concert halls in New York and small villages in The Netherlands. As a performer you have to be flexible in your response to the audience. The US for example is very different from Berlin. In Berlin the audience reacts like they have already seen it all. In New York they say: ‘give it to me baby’. So you give it to them! That is an entirely different atmosphere and as an entertainer you have to be able to anticipate. You have to find a form you are comfortable with and that is versatile enough to reach the largest possible audience. 

The press talks about you in terms of ‘the unparalleled sex bomb of German variety’ and ‘an artistic phenomenon that continues to surprise’. Are you becoming a diva because of all these superlatives, Sven?  
Of course I am! I love divas! Diva behaviour isn’t a negative thing, you know. When you are misbehaving, you are called a Prima Donna. A diva is someone who gives everything and expects the same from you. When I arrive somewhere and things are not arranged properly, I just go home. Does that make you a diva? No, it is being professional. Nowadays there are no divas anymore. Everybody is approachable and I really don’t like the fact that everyone’s life is out in the open. I like a bit of magic. Take Marlene Dietrich for example. She dressed in a suit, smoked cigarettes and – allegedly – had affairs with both men and women. She was androgynous, not because she thought it was progressive but because some things just are what they are. In contrast to the present time in which everything we do is public, she was very mysterious. Of course that added to the image. 

You are a nostalgic person.  
I do have a tendency for nostalgia. I can get very sad about lost grandeur but I love classiness mixed with street credibility. Even though I will never perform in a T-shirt and like my glitter, I am still one of the common people. I like playing in clubs, very close and intimate.

You said earlier that you are stubborn, that you want to decide everything yourself. How does that work? 
With every project, I insist on my own crew. My own musicians, photographers, technicians, you name it. Even in the shows, during encounters with wonderful artists like soprano Claron McFadden or Nina Hagen, I am the producer. I like my independence and I don’t want an agent to tell me what to do or where to play. I intend to keep it that way because even as an artist, I have a strategy to continue growing. You have to keep a close eye on yourself if you want to stay fresh. If you move between a sad song and wild hilarity, you have to be focused. It still has to be authentic. So although performing is an addiction, I still want to be in control and keep all my options open. Luckily the world is full of opportunities!

 

www.sven-ratzke.com

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Boy George

Text JF. Pierets    Photos Courtesy of Boy George

 

Needless to say we were head over heels when we heard Boy George was releasing his first studio album in 18 years. Hence all those years of dj-ing, the Culture Club singer and ‘80’s icon has never been gone, yet we’re very much looking forward to this new creative step called ‘This is What I Do’ which will be released on October 28th. We catch up at the Antwerp Pride where he’s playing a dj set at the Wave festival together with one of the most impressive international DJ talents and creatively consistent producers, Marc Vedo. The last 5 years, they’ve exclusively been playing in a duo set-up and have just released their new single ‘These Gods Will Fall’. First we meet with Marc. 

 

How did you and Boy George meet and when did you decide on working together? 
Marc Vedo When I left school I started to organize events en George was one of the first artists I booked as a DJ. At the time I did not know him as a singer. I’d never even heard of Culture Club. I only knew he was a successful DJ in the UK. At the time I only listened to house music and he was a very good house DJ. We’d made a connection and we have been working together ever since. We’ve been touring since 2001, 12 years now. My wife calls him wife number 2.

I guess the music scene has changed a lot in all those years?  
Marc Vedo It used to be really underground. Clubs where very dark, you would just go there and dance. Now it has become very commercial. Clubs used to be about music and now it’s about bottle service. People go to a club, hire a table that costs 5000 euro and buy bottles of champagne. People go there because they want to be seen. You need to be very careful regarding your bookings because otherwise you could end up playing for people that are not even listening to your music.

Everybody can be a DJ? 
Marc Vedo Yes, apparently Paris Hilton is also a DJ. I actually think that for certain celebrities it’s a great opportunity to stand and perform for thousands of people, yet I’ve worked all my life to get here. I always respect what people do, but for some it’s an easy option to get paid a lot of money and that’s a bit lame. Technology came such a long way that instead of actually mixing, you just have to push a button.

You are a DJ, a producer, a manager and you make music. A lot of things. 
Marc Vedo I like being all those things. It would be boring if I were just one thing. I like business as well as music. Doing business deals and making a company grow is very exciting. I left school when I was 18 and went straight into DJ-ing. I was a mid 90’s to early 2000 kind of kid so I’m doing it for a long time.

You and Boy George just released a new single called ‘These Gods Will Fall’. 
Marc Vedo Yes, have you seen the clip? Great, isn’t it? I’m the one with the sunglasses and of course George is the one with the hair. We have a lot of music coming out, are going to do a lot of touring and lots of traveling. It’s all very exciting.

You’re working together for over 12 years now. You still feel inspired? 
Marc Vedo Always! Yet is takes months before we finish a song because of all our arguments. We’re both perfectionists so that’s not always making it easy. Nevertheless he’s one of the most talented people I work with.

 

Our time is up and Marc is getting ready to go on stage for a performance we will later refer to, as the best set we’ve heard in quite a while (check the tour dates!). Meanwhile Boy George arrived in the backstage. When I state that he’s even looking better than in the 80’s when I was younger and madly in love with him, he smiles and answers quickly and observant: ‘And look at you now, married to a woman with a beard. You still have the same taste as back then.’ I guess it doesn’t come as a surprise if I tell you that I felt 14 years old again.

 

When talking about your new album, the media covers that you are ‘back’. Yet you have never been gone.
Not really. I’ve been traveling the world as a DJ for 25 years now yet the dance scene is going through such a big transition. At the moment it’s shifted to America but Great Britain used to have the most vibrant dance scene. Now, there’s nothing. At one point in the early ‘90’s when acid house started in the UK, there wasn’t any small village or town you couldn’t go clubbing. There were clubs everywhere and sometimes we did 4 gigs a night; starting at 8 and going on till 7 in the morning. That was so crazy. Nowadays it’s completely different.

What made that kind of change? 
Obviously the world has opened up and I think people have a much shorter concentration span than they used to have. When you’re passionate about music, you can steal it. It’s not such a precious commodity anymore. There’s a good side about technology because it has given a lot more possibilities for anyone to make a record, yet the problem is they’re all making the same record. All that kind of wonderful individuality seems to disaggregate with the rise of technology. What you think and how you do things, is what makes you interesting. I don’t think there’s very much you can do that’s new, but the only way that you can do them is in your own way. The future is therefore all about interpretation.

And about live situations.
Indeed, nobody can be you in a live situation. When you perform as a dj or as a musician, you can only be yourself.

Do people see you as the person you are right now or are they still blinded by the 80’s icon? 
If they do, they’re living in the wrong decade. It would be the same, as if I would be hoping for a 14 year old you. It’s such a weird thing, you know, I’ve already been the old Boy George yet now I’m the new Boy George. I don’t live in the past and I don’t exist in past context. It’s really bizarre if someone thinks that I’m not like I used to be. Well no, I’m 52! Surprise!

 

‘There’s not very much you can do that’s new, the only way to do them is in your own way. The future therefore is all about interpretation.’

But isn’t that what usually happens with icons? 
I don’t really walk around and think I’m an icon. Get up in the morning, shave and think; ‘well hello icon!’ I just think of myself as a creative person. I love the fact that I get to do what I love and I’m always kind of working on new things. I got the chance to explore my creativity as a job and that’s amazing. Some people get it and some people don’t. Same as back in the days, some people got it, others didn’t.

Regarding your new album, is it autobiographical?
Let’s say it’s a reflection of me, yet less personal than the albums I’ve made before. When I was younger, I felt like I had to tell everybody everything about myself. As I grew older I realized I’m not obliged to do so. Some things are really precious, even sacred, and not for public consumption. My attitude on how I expose myself has changed dramatically because I’ve always been very careless. As a very young man I’ve been shoved in front of a camera and I really had to learn how to behave. I had to learn to protect myself a little bit and to say; ‘actually, this is none of your business.’ When I came to write this album I approached it as a very different person. I’ve been through a lot of interesting experiences in my life and I’ve done a lot of growing up in the last 5 years. I explore myself in a bit more of an inferior way in these songs. I sing about myself but maybe through the eyes of someone else. It’s not just me spitting my guts. And another important thing is that I am not unhappy. When I’ve made records in the past there was always somebody who broke my heart, some relationship gone wrong or some drama because when I was younger, I thought all relationships where about love. Everything was love. Now I realize that it wasn’t all love. Consider that a big revelation to me, and something I sing about on the album. I sing about the fact that I used to think that all of that drama and rubbish was real love, while love is something a bit more ordinary, a bit more organic. Sometimes it even smells a little bit. It’s not all fire works and police sirens.

In a few minutes you’re playing for an LGBT audience of thousands. Do you feel connected? 
They’re all my brothers and sisters in various forms and I think at the moment, the subject of gay events is very important. There’s so much stuff going on in the world. It’s terrifying. I feel like it’s going backwards. When I started my journey as a musician in 1982, I really felt like I transformed the world and people were just a little bit less uptight than they are today. People are pretty tolerant in the West but that’s about the only place. I feel like there’s a lot of work that needs to be done and it’s important to do so. On the new album there’s a song called Live Your Life; ‘Now is the time to live your life. There’s no second chance, you can’t rewind’. It’s a reggae song about a young boy. A lot of people have gay children and don’t talk about it, because if they don’t talk about it, it’ll go away, it won’t develop, it doesn’t exist. But it does exist and it doesn’t change. It’s so relevant to sing about those things and the song came instinctually around the time that one of my family members came out. He was 17 and communicated in a very different way than me. He just said; ‘I’m gay, get over it’. Quite an interesting approach.

How old were you?
I was 15 so that was quite young. It was in ‘75, ‘76. As an older man, I now understand that my mother and father also had an experience when I came out. It wasn’t just about me and I realize it wasn’t an easy ride for them too. Especially when you look at how my life evolved, became so public. You look very different at things when you get older.

Do you feel it’s necessary to make statements? 
I think it’s part of who I am. It’s not that I necessarily think it’s necessary, but it’s just part of what I do. Sometimes I think that as a writer, a creative person, you subconsciously pick up on things that are happening. Being a very obvious homosexual and being who I am, cuts off a lot of the smalltalk. Wherever I go, everybody knows that I’m gay so I don’t have to explain that. It kind of walks before me with a big sign. For me it cuts out a lot of the difficult stuff. I don’t have to explain anything because they already know. The problem is that they think they know more than they know because of what they read or heard about me. Some of it is true but a lot of it isn’t. Yet the only thing you can ever be is you. And life is about learning to be you. Whatever you are, whether you’re gay or straight; life is about the journey to yourself. Not as a star but as an ordinary person.

You said earlier that you are happy. Why? 
I’ve grown into myself a little bit. I don’t have such a complicated relationship with myself anymore. That really helps. 20 years ago I used to say that the universe was a mirror that reflects how you feel about yourself. I really didn’t fully understand what I said back then, but I do understand it now and it makes me feel more relaxed in my body and in my soul. I invest a lot of time into being happy by celebrating things. When I was younger, I didn’t really know you could do that. I didn’t realize that happiness was a choice. Of course life throws things at you and things happen that make you sad, but generally you have a choice on how you see things. You can choose on how you react to something, how you deal with your partner, how you hear things that people are saying to you. When I was younger I always wanted to change everyone around me. I treated them like dolls and wanted to change their hair, their clothes. What I’ve learned now is that you have to change yourself, you can’t change other people.

Yet you still search for the hectic life. Marc told me your schedule and it’s amazing.
It is, but I don’t drink and I don’t party, so for me it’s a very different experience than before. You can say I’m partying in my soul. I love what I do, I love music and I really enjoy being clearheaded and not feeling dreadful when I travel. I did that for years! I wore the t-shirt, did the tour! I’ve done it all and I’ve taken it to the ultimate conclusion. Being sober allows me to concentrate on what I’m doing creatively, to be focused and to do it with respect. It’s not very good to go out on stage when you’re drunk. It’s not very professional. In some scenes it might be considered really chique but at my age? It’s just boring.

 

www.boygeorgeuk.com
www.koolwaters.com

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Et Alors? magazine. A global celebration of diversity.

Mauro Pawlowski

Mauro Pawlowski

Mauro Pawlowski

Text JF. Pierets & The Taste Of Orange

 

When assembling this Antwerp edition and thinking about diversity in music, our minds kept on wandering towards Mauro Pawlowski. Not only is he intelligent, interesting, sexy – hence the cover – and eloquent, he’s also one of the musicians who never cease to amaze. Both by choices in life, on the path of his music, as in the manner he always succeeds in pulling off the most astonishing side projects.  Mauro himself though has resolutely remained a genuine musician, pushing himself to new limits when wide scale success seemed the easiest and inevitable option. Mauro Pawlowski became known after winning the Humo Rock Rally with his band Evil Superstars in 1994. From that moment on he became one of the key figures in the Belgian contemporary music scene. Evil Superstars was, along with dEUS, part of the first wave of the Belgian music boom in the 90’s. He played and plays in numerous bands, including Kiss my Jazz with Rudy Trouvé, Monguito and Shadowgraphic City. Being currently the guitar player of dEUS didn’t make him less productive. The Love Substitutes, Othin Spake, Club Moral, Archetypes of the Multisabanas and I Hate Camera are but some names where he’s part of. We talk to him in a little bar in Berchem, Antwerp, just after the cover shoot and he doesn’t seem to care a single bit about the lipstick that is still on his face. The Taste Of Orange was kind enough to allow us to use parts of their interview with Mauro to compliment this interview, for your enjoymen

 

You have quite a palmares there. Is it a necessity to keep on creating?
It is, but nevertheless I always first figure out a good reason to create. I’m perfectly happy with all the music already available so it has to replenish. But yes, I keep on producing. Not only because I’m a professional musician but also because I just love playing music.

In how many bands are you playing right now?
I think I’m playing in about 10 bands at the moment. We’ll, 4 if I just count my own bands. Than some solo projects and I’m playing in about 6 bands with other musicians.  That might seem much but I always had the attitude of a jazz musician, someone who does not play exclusively in one formation. That takes some itinerary puzzling when I’m playing with dEUS or when I’m working for the contemporary dance company Ultima Vez because then we’re talking about international tours. Nevertheless, it always works out fine.

You moved from Limburg to Antwerp. Why?
I came to Antwerp because I started playing together with musicians from over here. People like Rudy Trouvé and his band Kiss my Jazz. And we played quite a lot with Evil Superstars. That’s why I ended up here. Soon I became involved with composing for the Antwerp puppettheatre Froufrou. I quickly met a lot of people and got accepted without necessarily looking for a certain scene. On the contrary, I never did any solicitations or called people to hire me.

You make it sound very easy.
Maybe it is. If you are genuine and openhearted toward the things and people that enter your world. People easily recognize a pose or fakeness.

You’re the kind of person who likes variety.
I find myself very comfortable with that kind of diversity. I never intentionally searched for this way of living but just opened myself for different situations and encounters. Also, I never specialized in one idiom and handle a rather holistic approach when it comes to music.

What’s your musical background? 
I come from a non-experimental music scene. My family is a very musical family and when I was 8 years old I saw my uncle’s band rehearse in my grandpa’s garage. A bunch of greeks, poles and italians, jamming some slow, heavy 70’s riffs. In the actual 70’s. It was so cool that I instantly knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. We played fusion, jazz-rock and hit parade music. Covers. Quite technical stuff so you really needed to master your technique. There was no room for interpretation because the audience wanted to hear the song exactly as on their record. We played from 8 pm till 1 am with three short breaks, just to go to the toilet. Hundreds of drunk farmer’s sons, fighting on the floor and we had to keep on playing. It was great.

You sound a little nostalgic. 
I’m very happy with that kind of experiences because there I learned the métier. When I read the biographies of 60’s and 70’s musicians – from Led Zeppelin to Prince – apparently they all started off with playing covers. Nowadays there are numerous Dj’s, so a cover band is almost an expired manner of making music, in spite of the fact you had to be a top musician to flawlessly play those songs. That’s why I shall never renounce that episode. Sometimes I hear musicians talk about authenticity and holding on to your principles but in the end that’s just a pose.

So you obviously didn’t start out as a punk musician. 
Not at all. I did listen to New Wave, Industrial and Noise but in weekends I took off my Bauhaus t-shirt, washed the soap out of my hair and played Earth, Wind and Fire with Dutch schlager celebrities on fun fairs. In spite of what people think about the life of alternative musicians, these early gigs where an eye opener on what was happening in the real world. I can say that I’ve seen the most rough and hefty stuff when I was still an innocent teenager.

Do tell!
I really can’t without embarrassing a lot of people but let’s say I knew the definition of a golden shower at an early age. Innocent but depraved for the rest of my life.

So you start off playing Meatloaf at a funfair and the next thing you know is that you have one of the coolest bands in Belgium. 
That was weird. People where very enthusiastic when Evil Superstars won the Humo Rock Rally. We never tried to convince anyone about being cool though. 

Maybe that’s why. 
If there’s something I’ve learned from early showbiz is that you have to show people a good time. They are paying to see you perform so you have to have something to offer. I never felt quite comfortable in the ‘90’s because it was all about being cool and acting normal. But in the best-case scenario you give your audience something to remember. Let’s call it the law of showbiz, with the splits and the pirouettes, I love it! That’s why I have so much respect for Heavy Metal with its shameless exposure. They’re singing about death, damnation, about how they’re going to kill your baby and burn your house down. Still, at the end of the concert, you had a great time. There’s always a positive atmosphere at Metal festivals. That’s showbiz.

At one hand you make music for a dance company, which is very clean-cut, and on the other hand you have your solo projects where you go totally wild. Do you need both to be in balance? 
I think I do. There are some things – like when playing with Wim Vandekeybus (of dance company Ultima Vez) – you have to talk through, but don’t confuse improvising with just doing something. You can even call it a genre, a métier at itself. It’s not easy and I also had to learn how to pull it off. I play a lot with free jazz musicians who are very strict and bad improvising is just as bad as playing a false note at a classical concert. I once had an epiphany during one of those concerts, it was one of the first times I played with large names such as Marc Ribot, and I felt, well, I can only call it enlightened. I knew in my gut that this was something really special, almost religious, or maybe we should just call it emotional. That’s something you can’t demand of every musician, it’s like letting go while still having everything under control.

 

 

 

When you think about something too outrageous, then I probably have done it already.’

How is it to be a musician in Antwerp? Is there enough diversity? 
Antwerp is a perfect city to live in when you’re an artist. There are numerous things happening and there’s no shortage regarding artists and musicians. Personally I find it nice working with people who live in the area and here in Antwerp you’re almost tripping over talented musicians. Also cultural life is very divers, from art exhibitions to concerts and from small performances to huge events. You can find it all, both quality and quantity. I travelled the globe with various bands so I know it’s true when I say that Antwerp can stand next to all those metropoles.

Do you need these things in order to have your creativity going? 
I do, but next to that I don’t need very much. Give me a laptop and a guitar and I’m good to go. We live in times where all the stuff you need to expand a career, fits in one suitcase. When you don’t forget to live, you can get inspiration out of everything. For me it’s a combination of a thorough and conscious life – and I don’t refer to a romanticized salvage, on the contrary – and being a nerd.
I love to listen to records and read a lot. I love books and I’ve always found that people who don’t indulge themselves in classic literature don’t know what they’re missing.

So you always have to find a balance between those two. 
Yes, otherwise it gets awkward. It’s important in order to keep alert. In the end you have to realize it’s still your job. Regardless how much – and happily so – you like it, its work that needs to be done.

Talking about balance; on one hand you’re the über cool guitar player of dEUS and in the next Google click of a button you’re in your undies in a video (ref: ‘Jump Needle’ by Mangus). 
I guess that’s also a part of my personality. In this specific video clip, Tom Barman had an idea but he thought they could never find someone to do it. Well, that’s where I came in.  I never had any problems doing stuff like that. When you think about something too outrageous, then I probably have done it already. People are always quite cautious but I hardly ever feel that way. Failure is sometimes very interesting opposed to perfectionism, which I believe is a waste of time. It’s not that I’m consciously looking for things to do wrong, but let’s call it a different approach on the subject matter. Every moment has it’s own meaning and value. When you have confidence in the positive outcome of these junctures, they will turn out fine, as they’re supposed to be.

It’s also about putting yourself in perspective?
Yes, and humor. But that’s a personality thing because it seems that when I intend to be serious, people laugh their ass off. It’s a curse, or a blessing; it all depends on how you look at it. Being earnest is a lost value.

Yet there must be a huge difference between playing live for big audiences, like you do with dEUS, and playing for smaller crowds for other projects? 
There is a difference. I’m not going to walk on stage wearing a cape in front of let’s say 20.000 people awaiting dEUS and kick all equipment off stage halfway through the set. I might get some unnecessary curious looks. But I like those anomalies.

All your projects, as divers as they are, have the same high-level of quality. How are you able to keep it up?
Well, thank you. Some might disagree though. I get lots of people shaking their heads about me, tragically wasting all my supposed talent, but that’s fine. The thing is; I take my job very serious. I’m irritatingly punctual, – so they say. I have my administration in order and I like to fulfill the promises I make. Most of the musicians I work with have quite a strong personality, even unpredictable, yet they all have strong work ethics. They do what they have to do. I believe in hard work and organization.

So what we see on stage is an organized chaos. 
It is. It’s a thin line I crossed numerous times, yet it’s a learning curve. Sometimes I start something with no idea of where I’m heading. Nevertheless there’s some kind of lucidity in what I’m doing. Knowing that even when it all seems to go wrong, you can always put it back on track. Retrospectively making it look like it’s all according to plan.

All your solo projects seem uncompromising. Is that true? 
More or less. I’m pretty stern when it comes to collaborations. Let’s say I always choose from a pool of approximately 10 musicians I know are very professional. Together with them I create new formations. Those projects are not entirely uncompromising, but let’s say that if you take a leading role, you have to go for it. There’s no room for fooling around there.

You’re obviously a front man, how does this feel standing behind Tom Barman in dEUS? 
I never intended to be a front man and always wanted to be a guitar hero. But when I couldn’t find any suitable singer in my home village, I was forced to take that task. Later on I met Tim Vanhamel (ref: Millionaire) in a neighboring hamlet but it was already too late by then. We had found our own way by that time. It might sound crazy but my career is actually based on the fact that I had to do things myself because I couldn’t find anyone else to do it. That’s why it’s great to play with dEUS because there I’m the guitar player I’ve always wanted to be. So it feels like coming home.

Do you still have ambitions? 
I always hated going into the studio. It was a tedious place and I couldn’t wait to go back on stage to perform. Recordings were going to slow and I always wanted it on tape as fast as possible so I could get the hell out of there. Let’s say this mentality was tangible on the recordings but then again I thought people should come to my concerts to be convinced.But things change and lately I’ve gone through a significant attitude change. I found out I want to produce well-made records with a great sound and with lots of effort. That’s my new goal.

Why this change of mind? 
I started to get intensely interested in songwriting. Not the usual ‘Flemish boy sings some English words’, but telling an interesting story. Combined with jazz and classical influences, and I got curious on how this would sound in recording. When I didn’t find the perfect sound engineer to work with, I decided to do it myself and see how far I would get.

Sounds like the story of your life. 
Let’s say I never suffered a lack of self-confidence but I had to grow some patience. Lately I started working on some characteristics, which could use some improvement. For instance when I want to replace a microphone stand, I have to pick it up instead of kicking it aside. Little things in my temperament that improve my calmness and therefore improve skills that require tranquility, like recording a good record. Do take note of the fact that I’m talking about work attitude here, don’t think I’m some kind of uncontrolled mad man in my personal life.

Will do! What are the future plans? 
More of the same, let’s keep things coming. I’m 43 now and I can handle nonsense more than I ever did. So bring it on! 

Mauro Pawlowski in 5 songs
1. ‘Nudity’ – Pawlowski Trouvé & Ward by Various Artists
2. ‘Monkey Hands/Perplexing Trousers’ – Otot (Truth & Style) by Mauro Pawlowski
3. ‘Theme from Swamps of Simulation’ – Swamps of Simulation – Somnabula (Swamps of Simulation) by Mauro Pawlowski
4. ‘If You Cry (I’ll Go to Hell)’ – Boogie Children-R-Us by Evil Superstars
5. ‘Dirt Call’ (vinyl only) Possessed Factory / Dirt Call – YouTube

 

www.mauroworld.net

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Mauro Pawlowski

Mauro Pawlowski

When assembling this Antwerp edition and thinking about diversity in music, our minds kept on wandering towards Mauro Pawlowski. Not only is he intelligent, interesting, sexy – hence the cover – and eloquent, he’s also one of the musicians who…..

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The Irrepressibles

The Irrepressibles

He’s the highly talented artist behind The Irrepressibles, a 10-piece band, using conceptual sets, none-theatrical lighting, projection, dance and couture fashion. Their ground breaking approach continues to push the boundaries of live popular…..

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Saint Marteau

Saint Marteau

In an era where much of the contemporary music has been sampled or ripped-off from past sounds, there’s a man working the stage dressed in but a jaunty straw hat, a bow tie and golden knickers. His lively, roguish manner of performing sets a…..

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Et Alors? magazine. A global celebration of diversity.