André Bellot : How
do you see your professional future ?
Demis Roussos :
I think I will continue singing for another five or six years then make some
records and perhaps try the cinema.
A.B. : What
are your plans for the immediate future ?
D.R.: I
am planning a lyric opera album then the release of concept theme albums.
A.B. : Do
you have any television broadcasts planned ?
D.R. : Not
for the time being, anyway, television…
A.B. : How
many shows have you done this year ?
D.R. : About fifty in France and as many overseas.
A.B. : And
how many records have you sold ?
D.R. : More than forty million [smile] with as many platinum as gold and diamond discs, of
course.
A.B. : Are
you planning a big concert in Paris ?
D.R. : We’re
currently looking for a date and a venue.
A.B. : Which
is your favourite country in terms of the welcome you receive ?
D.R. : Germany,
without a doubt..
A.B. : Do
you have a young following ?
D.R. : Not exclusively. There are people of all ages
in my audiences.
A.B. : Where
will you be tomorrow ?
D.R. : In
Zurich.
A.B. : Have
videos been made of your shows ?
D.R. : A few, but I’m not really into videos.
A.B. : The
Odyssey album has never been released despite a promotional show.
D.R. : The
idea hasn’t been abandoned.
A.B. : Where
did the idea for the Christmas album come from ?
D.R. : It
was my personal idea.
Demis Roussos’ private life (a delicate subject which Demis shares graciously with us).
A.B. : Where
do you live ?
D.R. : In
Greece for six months of the year and all around the world for the other six
months.
A.B. : Where do you buy your clothes ?
D.R. : Wherever I happen to be. I like fashion very much.
A.B. : Are there any books about Demis Roussos ?
D.R. : Two or three already, I think.
A.B. : If tomorrow I were to envisage writing a book about you, what would you think about
that ?
D.R. : Why not? But I would like to see it before it was published.
Who are your favourite composers ?
D.R. : Mozart, ..., Sting
A.B. :Will
you write any more songs ? You wrote ‘We shall dance !’
D.R. : Co-wrote,
…, no.
A.B. : What
is your relationship with Vangelis like ?
D.R. : SUPERB.
A.B. : What
would you have done if you hadn’t chosen this profession ?
D.R. : Cook,
chef.
A.B. : Do
you have a fan club in France ?
D.R. : No, I don’t have an official fan club in
France or anywhere else. I don’t like the idea of anyone having to spend a
single cent on a club relating to me.
A.B. : What
sort of relationship does an artist like you have with his children ?
D.R. : The
same as any other father’s.
Questions about current issues.
A.B. : What
are your reactions to the problems of drugs, AIDS, unemployment and the ‘mal
de vivre’ (world-weariness) of young people today ?
D.R. : Drugs:
I’ve never taken them; AIDS: the Third World War; unemployment: all this is
organized so that the rich countries can swallow up the poor ones; the ‘mal de
vivre’ of young people today: they have no ideas, no oracles!
A.B. : What
do you think about the behaviour of certain politicians in the news lately ?
D.R. : I’m
not interested in French politics.
A.B. : Do
you have a passion, a favourite pastime? What are your hobbies, leisure
activities ?
D.R. : Music,
of course, but also cooking, reading, horse riding and escaping to the country.
A.B. : Do
you envisage a career in theatre or cinema ?
D.R. : Not
in the theatre but in the cinema, I hope.
A.B. : Why
did you choose churches to sing in ?
D.R. : Jesus
Christ preached love, I sing about love, so… and at the moment I am the only
variety artist to sing in churches.