Published by Euphoria italian official
Alphaville fan club - Translation by Emma Troupe.
PART ONE
The fans
Euphorians
The three Marys:
Alessandra Bertaggia, 24: compared
to her, the Vesuvius is a dead volcano, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
She's known for her good nature, of course, but also for the ponytail she
has on the top of her head, and which is always impeccable, regardless
of the atmospheric conditions.
Alessandra Montrucchio: known as
the group's auntie, she has one inseparable friend: her camcorder! Aside
form that, she's 26 and is trying, without much success, to make a living
through editorial and journalistic collaborations.
Giada Valenzano, 25, student, a
true jewel and a really lovely person. This "winter in Berlin" was her
first holiday abroad, her first trip by air, her first concert and her
first meeting with Alphaville. She's still recovering from the shock!
The apostles:
Paolo Bocci: could be described
as a river on a plain. Full of live and in constant motion, Paolo will
drag you along with a pile of questions, demands, proposals, etc. His record?
Taking three *identical* pictures of KP, making him stand still for a good
five minutes. If you want good advice, stay away from his camera!
Piero Zuppet, 20, student at university.
He is a nice guy, interested in others and ready to really listen to them.
He managed to temper Paolo's effusions, helped with taking the shots. He's
very kind, and, as if that weren't enough, he's also quite cute. What better
travelling companion?
F.A.T. Office
In fact Ilwa and Uwe Drößler,
husband and wife, founders of the German fanclub Faithful and True, close
collaborators of Euphoria. They put up, and put up with, the three Marys
for a good three days, driving here and there through East Germany. We
won't forget that, my friends!
Strangers in the night
Willy and David from Denmark. Talkative
Willy and timid David are really very pleasant fellows (okay, okay, so
we're getting lost in superlatives here, but they're really worth it),
and they shared the whole adventure with us. We hope to collaborate with
their starting Scandinavian fanclub in future.
Joachim, from Sweden, a collaborator
for the creation of the Scandinavian fanclub. Very pleasant, always ready
for long discussions on a variety of subjects, he took a pile of photos
for the Euphorians. He came to Italy last Summer and is hoping to return...
Alex B is looking forward to that!
Frank, from Paris. Unfortunately,
he only came to the party. Frank is a quiet person, ideal in a hectic situation
like this one. He is very interested in our fanclub, and we hope he will
collaborate with us: he has lots of interesting things to say about his
meetings with Klaus Shultze and Rupert Hine!
The Germans:
Thomas Cremer: some of you will
probably have brought his video tapes. What can we say? He is one of the
most pleasant and helpful fellows we know. He only came to the party (a
pity) and spent most of his time with us.
Dirk: don't ask us where he comes
from, what age he is, or what he does for a living. All we can say is that
he is mad as a Hatter, but his good nature is contagious!
Daniela Durek: a nutty Berliner.
Her rapid English gave the Italian gang quite a few problems...
Ralf and Biaka Goetze: husband
and wife, founders of the fanclub Voice of the Dolphine. They are in charge
of merchandising at all the concerts, including the one at Lübben.
Rene Krupka, from the area of Baden
Baden. Despite his inability to speak more than a few words of English,
he mircoulously managed to chat with quite a few people, mainly the foreigners.
Tobias Prohl: keeper of the Alphaville
Netville homepage on the Internet, he has long dark hair and a cajoling
voice, as for his English, it's right up there with Daniela Durek's!
Burkhard Schneider, from Hamburg.
He was also only at the party, and this time, it was even more of a pity...
basically, he looks like some sort of blonde angel!
Monika Timm: editor of the AlphaXpress
on the Internet. Graceful and soft-spoken Berliner.
And then, there was Karin, and
Michael,
and Andrea, and, and...
Alphaville and company
The musicians
Alphaville:
...well, you know who they are!
The backing band:
David Goodes, from Wimbledon, is
the guitarist. This friendly fellow also plays for bands like Babylon Zoo
and East 17. We envy him the ability to make a conquest at every concert.
Robbie France, from England, is
a drummer who has worked with many famous bands, from Duran Duran to Spandau
Ballet. He is very gallant, and is sure to kiss the hands of all the girls.
Martin Lister, from England, has
played keyboards for a variety of bands and has his very own record label.
He is very close to Marian, and isn't just a friendly person: he is also
truly hilarious.
Alex Slavik, the bass player, is
from Vienna, but moved to London in 95. Alex has an ironic sense of humour,
which makes it difficult to know if he's serious or just pulling your leg
when you talk to him... but he has a great smile.
Friends and family
You already know them all, more or less:
KP,
the manager, Marion, who looks after us fans, Karin, who
takes care of the office, Uschi Schierbaum, Marian's sister,
Anna,
Marian's Swedish girlfriend, Rainer Bloss, the "fourth Alphaville",
Janey
Diamond, coauthor of a number of lyrics, Rudy Nielson, a friend
of Marian's and guitarist on a number of tracks (Iron John, for instance),
and so on...
Objects
The
suitcases: an essential part of the trip. We don't know how the suitcases
of the apostles did, but those of the three Marys are still recovering
from the shock of being so ill-treated...
The camcorder: a precious accessory,
even if it was a tad lazy at times. It got that its zoom would sometimes
get stuck, which meant resorting to brute force, or having to zoom manually.
However, it survived, and in spite of the extreme temperatures, managed
to film many more shots of the same old place... Berlin.
Ilwa and Uwe's Micra: it survived
potholes, bumpy roads, through woodland, villages, rushing through the
babel of signs and posts in the Berlin metropolis, bringing us to Ihlow,
Lübben, Berlin, Tegel.. a true and proper Micradventure!
Paolo's bazooka: a devastating
weapon he called a camera, which he used to shoot everyone who happened
to cross his path! We have to admit the pictures came out beautifully,
though.
Ready,
steady, go!
The
three Marys
Alex M. December 19, 1996, time:
11.45. Alex B and I met at the station to take a train to Milan, where
we were to meet up with Giada. Me: Energie jacket, green shoes, a bag of
some flashy colour, hair every which way, looking like someone trying,
without much success, to look like a teenager.
Alex B: a jacket , little black
boots, a sickly-coloured bag, hair impeccably done up into a bunch, looking
like someone quite prepared to walk all the way to Berlin. The pair of
us very much the same as we always are.
Alex B. Our suitcases weren't quite
so jolly, however... they knew just what was coming: a thrashing on the
train, pouring rain in Milan, tight compression on the underground, getting
piled up on a bus, thrown about carelessly on the plane, arriving in Berlin
in a terrible condition... and so on...
Alex M. True... but our journey,
at least, was peaceful. We were on holiday, what more could I wish for?
Not having to go to Mondatori, for instance. Unfortunately, before leaving,
I had a job to do, which entailed rushing to Segrate to drop off the manuscript
I had proof-read, and pick up some others, and then rushing back to Milan
to meet with my friends again. And that is exactly what I had to do. No
sooner had the train stopped than I hopped out, seized the ticket Giada
had for me, dropped off my bag, ran, sloshed through the rain, turned up
at Mondadori looking my worst, picked up the two new manuscripts, came
back to Milan, and finally met Alex B and Giada back at the bar "Le tre
gazelle". My friends, that was one big bore.
Giada: For twelve years, I had
been begging "Berlin... wait for me!", knowing full well that in reality,
I was the one who had to wait until the right time, money and opportunity
arose. The opportunity came all of a sudden, and, for once in my life,
I was able to seize it! Travelling is always a pleasure, but travelling
to Berlin was both exhilarating and entertaining, especially with Bertrucchio
as travelling companions!
Alex M You're too kind, Giadina...
Anyway, we had a meal, a quick wash and brush up in the toilets, and then
we were back out in the rain to catch the bus to Linate. Once at the airport,
we went through the check in and, after a short wait, we were finally on
the plane. Which did not mean we were actually flying anywhere; we were
late taking off, and even after the plane started moving, it was another
twenty minutes before it found the right runway. How annoying. But we finally
took off on a flight which was uneventful beyond eating a synthetic meal
and listening to a child whining... and then we were in Berlin! We landed
at Tegel right on time, picked up our suitcases and went out.
Giada And we got a frosty Berlin
welcome.
Alex M. The cold was so dry and
clear that it felt as if we were in an alpine valley. Ah, Berlin, Berlin...
Alex B. It felt great to be back
in Berlin. A mysterious city I had always felt comfortable in.
Giada And we were ready for anything,
with our boots, winter coats and woolly hats, wrapped up like three Mother
Christmases! There were intense and emotional days ahead... and we knew
it.
Alex M. Enough sentimentalism,
we had to look for a taxi. In Italy, we would have pounced on the first
one that turned up, but here, we had to go to the first in the line, because
the ones behind have no intention of jumping the queue. During the drive,
I turned myself into a tour guide for Giada, and whether it was because
I knew the city so well or because you feel your roots better when you
leave a place and return to it, I found that I felt completely at home.
I felt just as much at home at the hotel, too; Heavens, the room was a
mess, but I knew the meal times, I knew the door to the stairs, opening
and shutting, would keep me awake at night... I was at home there, in a
place that belonged to me, and where I belonged. We unpacked, freshened
up, and went out into the night. We went for a drink at Jimmy's Diner,
a fifties-style joint. We thought about going for a walk, but with such
a polar cold outside, it seemed unwise. When we came out, we were the only
people in the streets, and we weren't able to stay out very long ourselves.
Tired and frozen, we returned to the hotel, washed as best we could (hygiene
being a concept born of temperate zones alone) and slid under the covers.
Night-night, Berlin.
The two apostles
Paolo The heart knows no reason,
at least as far AV is concerned. It was crazy to go off to Luebben and
Berlin in the depths of winter, but the opportunity was too good.
Piero One year! It had been exactly
one year since I first heard an album by AV (December 95) when I saw their
concert in Luebben (December 96). One could argue I didn't have to have
the patience of those who had waited for years (some over ten years!) to
see them and hear them live. But I still consider myself very fortunate
to have had this opportunity so soon. I have to thank the wonderful Bertrucchio
couple for this, since they did all they could to enable me to see the
concert, and did even more by introducing me to the band, their collaborators
and Paolo Bocci, a Euphorian who organised the trip and accompanied me
on this great adventure!
Paolo When Piero called me to organise
the trip, I was euphoric with delight and could not wait to meet him to
discuss our alphavillian experience. We agreed that I would book the tickets
for Berlin and we would meet on the way.
Arrival
in Lübben
Piero Friday, December 20, 1996. I
left Cervignano (UD) with the 18.34 train, straight to Verona. I was due
to meet Paolo there at about midnight. I arrived there over two hours early
and had to wait for his train, first in the warmth of a bar, and then in
the cold of the waiting room.
Paolo My trip to Verona was relatively
uninteresting, its only high point being the fact I was able to find an
empty compartment to shut myself in and get some rest. Once I was there,
I got off the train and stood around on the platform like a station master,
waiting for Piero to turn up. Since we had never met before, we had given
each other our descriptions over the phone.
Piero In fact, I had no trouble
recognising Paolo.
Paolo Indeed. He saw me and pointed
at me, coming over to ask if he had the right person. We got into the train,
talking nineteen to the dozen. We certainly had plenty to talk about, and
plenty of time to do so, as well. Piero might seem a little shy when you
first meet him, but soon turns out to be good company. His timidity is
one of his main characteristics, but aside from that, he's someone with
his head screwed on right, if I may say so.
Piero
The trip to Berlin was not the best trip we'd ever had. First of all, we
had to stay awake so we wouldn't miss the change at Monaco, and then because
of some misunderstandings due to the fact we neither of us spoke German.
When we reached Berlin, we found the instructions the travel agent gave
us were more than erroneous. We lost a whole hour out of our planned time
table, but still arrived in Luebben with plenty of time to spare. The posters
informed us that the concert was planned for the 22nd, and we had no problem
finding the discotheque where AV were going to be appearing.
Alex M. But didn't Paolo manage
to get you kicked out of a taxi?
Piero ...The real trouble started
when we tried to look for a room. There was no activity whatsoever in the
streets, and here we were walking through a town we didn't know at all
in the freezing cold. After an extenuating search, we finally managed to
find a bed and breakfast, which cost us a fortune, but at least we were
finally able to have a shower and get some rest!
Hither
and yon
Alex M. The tea had a revolting minty
aftertaste, but the breakfast still wasn't bad enough to spoil my mood,
and afterwards, suitably fortified against the cold, we set off for a day
of plain tourism. What did come near to spoiling the morning was a most
un-German ticket dispenser, which only spat out two of the three daily
travel cards we needed, managing to gobble up 32 marks for nothing. Brilliant.
The only alternative would have been to go to the head office of the transport
company, which was naturally out in the boomdocks somewhere -- not that
we would have minded going to the boomdocks, if we had had more time and
it was a little less cold. Anyway, once we had coaxed two travel cards
from the machine, we set off once more on our travels, despite the arctic
cold. We came back to the hostel at three o'clock and, having packed our
things, we rushed out again, because we had to meet Marion at the Jimmy's
at four. We arrived first and ordered ourselves some drinks. Alex B. rather
hopefully said there was no need to worry, but we nonetheless kept our
eyes glued to the street... and Marion finally turned up, rushing in from
the freezing cold. Marion... we had first met in 1990, and met again in
94 and 95, and now finally in 96. And I would be pleased to think she is
in all respects a friend: Marion is such an intelligent and sensitive person.
This day, for instance, despite the fact that there was no need for us
to meet before the party, she nonetheless wanted us to meet up.
Giada. It was strange for me to
meet her, so small and lively, with these beautiful eyes. The two Alessandras
started chatting to her in English as easily as if they had been speaking
Italian... and I just sat there with my Bitter Lemon, silent and smiling,
amazed to find I could understand so much, but a little miffed to find
I was totally incapable of participating...
Alex M. We discussed the Italian
fanclub, and not much else, since we had to meet Ilwa and Uwe at six. We
went part of the way with Marion, who was even colder than we were and
kept complaining "Why? Why? *Why*?". We said goodbye to her and then took
the U2 towards Spandau, on our way to the Burger King, our arranged meeting
place with Ilwa and Uwe.
Micraadventure
Alex M. Since the Droessler weren't
there yet, I ran into a department store and got myself a warm scarf. When
I came back, Ilwa and Uwe had arrived. I had only just seen them at the
end of August; in fact in fact I think I see them more often than some
people who actually live in Turin... Anyway, after a hamburger, we went
off to Ihlow, a village near Luebben where Uwe's parents live. The unfortunate
people had agreed to take us in for the next couple of days. The village
was a good two hours away from Berlin...
Alex B. Yes, indeed, and can you
imagine five people stuffed into a car with all their luggage? Well, we
enjoyed the full experience...
Giada What made the journey so
unforgettable was the jolting of a giant poster (prepared by Ilwa and Uwe
for Alphaville), which kept falling onto Bertaggia's head, making her most
concerned about preserving her precious ponytail (which was more than a
ponytail, a fountain, a monument...)
Alex M. Needless to say that after
a while, we were all in hysterics. Fortunately, Ilwa and Uwe had brought
United with them, which gave us something else to think about. "Danger
in your paradise" has a pleasant tune and worrying lyrics which I might
just use in my next book, I didn't hear much of "Caroline", owing to a
tremendous roar from the Micra, "Feathers and Tar" struck me as having
a rather funky hammering rhythm which I didn't like much, and so on. We
reached Ilhow in a piteous state at eleven that night. It was a village
gathered around a church and two belfries. The Droessler house was a little
two storey house where we met Uwe's numerous family, and had a drink or
two before crashing onto our beds. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
Giada It was such a pleasure to
wake up in Ilhow, knowing that today, *this* day, was going to end with
the realisation of a dream...
Alex M. I woke up quite rosy and
swollen from the heat -- we were so terrified of being cold that night,
we had turned the heat up to maximum, and this was the result of our cleverness.
Giada ...and be greeted by such
friendliness, thanks to Uwe's lovely family, enlivened by the presence
of Franziska (the niece), who was quite curious about these three foreigners.
After breakfast, after writing the postcards (which haven't arrived yet,
by the way) and after having lunch...
Alex
M. ...we piled back into the Micra and continued our adventure. This
being the land of the brothers Grimm, we went to see their house (which,
by some twist of fate has become a hospice), a market with stands dedicated
to various tales of theirs (which was closed), and finally, the wood the
story of Red Riding Hood was supposed to take place in. The drive back
wasn't bad, either; Uwe took some side roads and tractor trails which were
pretty old, but very useful... provided we were ready to admire the countryside
for a while. Dear me, I am too much of a city girl to appreciate a place
where you have to drive 50 kilometres to get to the nearest cinema or theatre,
but I have to admit this countryside has ist attraction: the peacefulness,
the silence, the slow, old fashioned lifestyle... Once we got home, we
had our tea and prepared the interview we were hoping to organise with
Marian the next day. Then we got ready.
Giada The time to leave was approaching
fast... and after taking the picture of the five of us in from of the car,
we started on Micradventure #2 -- the trip to Luebben!
Alex M. Covered in layers and layers
of clothing in preparation for either hot or cold, batteries and cassettes
for the camcorder at the ready, cameras and rolls of film prepared. Alex
B. finished tying up her ponytail...
Giada The euphoria was already
starting to take over, especially for Alex B. and me, who had never been
to an AV concert before. Alex M. had even put some lipstick on specially
for the occasion! It was really a grand evening!
Alex M. Ilwa and Uwe had donned
an Alphaville T-shirt proclaiming "Are you ready for the show?". Of course
we were! Time to pile into the Micra again and it was...
Off to
Lübben!
Giada Owing to Uwe's crazy driving,
we arrived in Luebben a good three hours before the concert was due to
begin.
Alex B.. Once we had scrambled
out of the Micra (which was fortunately no longer full of suitcases), we
crossed the street and found ourselves in front of a building which appeared
to be a cross between a Chinese restaurant and a disco-pub. Considering
the time it was, there was wasn't anyone there. Since we were utterly unable
to stay outside one minute longer, we bustled into the restaurant, confident
that sooner or later some familiar face would turn up.
Alex M. And indeed, it wasn't long
before Bianka and Ralf came along. They told us the concert might be cancelled
because Marian was having problems with his voice. No, not that: after
all we had been through (and all we had spent) to be here, there *had*
to be a concert!
Giada As if that wasn't bad enough,
Bertaggia and I got this brilliant idea about having some spring rolls,
never thinking that the smell of frying and fish would remain with us.
So we decided to go for a walk, to get some (very) fresh air and see if
Piero and Paolo had arrived yet. We went over to the main door; we could
see some people working through the glass, and could hear the musicians
rehearsing, and then... "We are what we are": Astral Body! Marian... Marian's
voice! I looked at Alex B. -- I have no idea what expression I had on my
face, but I felt hot and my heart was beating fast (it had been a long
time since I felt so... euphoric, and the reaction I had made me feel years
younger!). We raced back to the restaurant to tell the others.
Alex M. And what about the two
apostles? What were you doing all this time? Piero. We left our inn on
foot early in the morning, in case we got lost in the streets of Luebben...
as sometimes happens! I noticed a little late that we had taken a wrong
turn, and it would have taken us ages to go back. So we pushed on with
no idea where we were going and were lucky enough to stumble across the
disco.
Giada In the meantime, the Chinese
restaurant was doing turn-away business; because of the concert (and the
cold), it got its full of fans, managers and musicians!
Alex B. Exactly. We were chatting
away, when we noticed a man walking in.
Alex M. and I cried out in one
voice: "KP!". And KP behaved exactly as if he had just seen us the day
before, giving both members of the Bertucchio Office a big hug.
Alex M. While the band was coming
in, KP reassured us that the concert would go ahead. Whew! He and the band
settled down and ordered some food; and in the meantime, KP was giving
out orders: Alessandras, have you got a videocamera? Of course we did!
And KP started to think out the best positioning for the four available
camcorders: one in front of the stage, one at the back of the hall, another
one (his) behind the five...
Giada And then, after all the chatting
from Bertucchio (who were even beginning to speak English to each other),
after all my silence (smiles are often worth a thousand words... thought
that didn't necessarily apply in this case!), after Alex B. made sure her
ponytail was still in place and after Alex M. checked her lipstick...
Alex B. ...and with the nagging
feeling that we were reeking of soy-sauce, we went out to look for the
two apostles. But how were we going to recognise them? We didn't even have
the vaguest idea where to find them. Don't worry, Paolo had said on the
phone, we'll recognise you. He didn't mention *how* but he seemed so sure...
Piero There were already some groups
of kids piled up in the entrance and Paolo tried to pick out Alex M. and
company. After a few "...I think that might be them...", a group of five
people came closer and started shouting at the people queuing there: "C'E'
QUALCUNO TRA VOI CHE PARLA ITALIANO? PAOLO? PIERO?" We had found them...
or rather, they had found us.
Alex M. Sure enough, two hands
went up, two fellows came towards us, one thin and tall like a penniless
poet...
Giada. ...the other, fully equipped
for the occasion: a camera with an oversize teleobjective and a giant flash.
Paolo The three Marys turned out
to be made up of two exuberant and friendly Alex, our perpetual guides,
and one timid and graceful Giada And with them they had the most famous,
gentle, friendly couple of German friends, Uwe and Ilwa.
Alex M. We all introduced ourselves,
exchanged two or three words and then the doors opened. Good, it was time
to satisfy my "auntie Alex" disposition: my friends, everyone on the guest
list gather around me and we don't have to pay. We went in, left off our
things at the cloakroom and made our triumphant entrance as the Euphoria
AV Fanclub in the room the concert was to be held in.
Piero. After buying Marian's latest
album, "United", we got ourselves a place standing at the foot of the stage.
The hall was filling up and we met some other foreign fans.
Alex M. To be more precise, we
met Willy, David and Joachim. We chatted about our alphavillian passion.
Willy asked me how long had been following the AV and when I said "since
1984", he grinned widely and exclaimed, "Yeeeeaaaah!".
Paolo I remember Willy very fondly:
he was wearing a white "Peace on Earth" T-shirt and every now and then,
with his loud and vibrant voice, he would yell "Al-pha-ville, Al-pha-ville"
until he was hoarse, which we all thought was terribly funny.
Piero For the first time, I was
able to try out the English I learned at school! I wasn't too enthusiastic
about the result, but I nonetheless managed to make myself understood and
hold a simple conservation. The three we met were very friendly, and we
saw them again at the party. Before the concert, we just had time for a
few group photographs.
Giada
We attracted quite a lot of attention, and it occurred to me they probably
thought Italians are rarely inconspicuous!
Alex M. Then we moved closer to
the stage. The Germans had been to dozens of these shows, but for us foreigners...
we had to do so much organising and saving and travelling... but it was
good that we were all together, Euphorians, Ilwa and Uwe, the Danes, Joachim:
our near to miraculous presence there, just for this once, made the concert
special, even (I think) for those on stage. The concert began, and we sang,
danced, yelled, hugged and laughed our way through the whole thing, to
such an extent that KP filmed us and Marian later thanked us for our "support"
during the show!
Piero It was well past ten o'clock
when Marian came on stage.
Paolo To tell the truth, before
he comes in, we should introduce the others: Alex and David were on guitar,
solid, friendly Martin was on the keyboards, joking with Marian all through
the concert, and Robbie was on drums. Unfortunately, neither Professor
Bernhard nor Ricky showed up.
Giada There I was at an Alphaville
concert, but I didn't feel particularly excited about it: more like torn
between unconscious disbelief and utter bliss. For the first time in my
life, I felt like myself: I sang and danced without feeling ridiculous,
and it was an exhilarating sensation that did me a lot of good.
Piero I found Marian a lot more
elegant and professional than he was at the concert in Schwedt, especially
as far as his movements were concerned.
Paolo Yes, the visual impact was
excellent, compared to last year. He had lost some weight and his longer
hair and light clothing made him look younger. The show started off with
"Fools", played with a similar arrangement as on the album. "A Victory
Of Love" followed with an impetuous and aggressive beginning and harder
arrangements that enthralled the audience. That was the first thrill of
the evening.
Piero The ambience heated up even
more with the songs off the new album, "Wishful Thinking" and "Astral Body"
(I was especially enthusiastic about the former, which won't bring AV the
success and popularity they once enjoyed, but which I hope will nonetheless
come close).
Giada On the contrary, I thought
"Astral Body" was the high point of the concert!
Paolo. "Ascension Day" came next
with a version similar to the album version.
Piero And while he was singing
it, Marian took an "aggressive" stance, planting the microphone stand on
a box in front of him and sang in a very dynamic position. When we recognised
the first chords of "Euphoria", we spread out the "EUPHORIA FANCLUB - ITALY"
banner we had prepared for the occasion. Marian didn't notice it straight
away because he was kneeling with his back to the audience during the guitar
introduction. But when he did see it, he placed his microphone stand right
in front of us! The execution of the song was exceptional, with a majestic
crescendo at the end. When "Euphoria" was over, he put the microphone back
in its place, much to Alex M's disappointment, as she was hoping for some
sign to our club...
Alex M. I wasn't disappointed,
but it was such an effort to film and hold up the banner at the same time,
I was expecting nothing less than a major recognition, ah well...
Piero Okay, okay. The concert continued
amidst general enthusiasm. In the midst of all the other songs, I was glad
to hear a very special and interesting new version of "Jerusalem".
Paolo "Sounds like a melody" was
rendered as a reggae song which makes it easier to dance to, but also weighs
it down with acoustic sounds, obscuring its main characteristic, which
is the combination of electronic and classical music. As far as reggae
is concerned, there couldn't be a better example than "Faith", in a slower
and longer version, which Marian's incredible voice managed to carry perfectly
to its close. Then came the vivacious and exciting "Dance with me".
Alex M. During one of these songs,
I forget which one, Alex B. and I had a pleasant surprise -- Monika arrived!
Alex B. We had no sooner recognised
her than we were all hugging enthusiastically!
Alex M. That was definitely a nice
surprise, and then...
Piero. ...then came another pleasant
moment, "Forever Young". Marian came to sing it right in front, near the
audience, which sang along and swayed in rhythm during the whole song.
Alex M. I somehow attracted David's
attention, and he came to play his guitar solo not only in front of us,
but literally right in the middle of the audience!
Piero They went on to do several
more songs, including "Jet Set", which I particularly enjoyed.
Alex M. That was the first song
of the encore...
Paolo
Exactly. The group left the stage, and then came back a little later with
Marian shouting "Do you want rock'n'roll??". Marian was at his most excited
and was urging the audience to follow him.
Alex M. Meanwhile, Alex had taken
off his mushroom hat and replaced it with the mask of an American president.
Reagan? Nixon? The mask wasn't a very good likeness, but the allusion was
clear.
[Translator's note: KP said it was
an Arnold Schwartzenegger mask... :) ]
Paolo When the first rocking chords
of the new harder version of "Big in Japan" rang out, the audience went
mad! Even those who aren't AV fans can have nothing but respect for this
piece of Eighties pop-dance history. And then there was the melancholic,
but always beautiful, "Ivory Tower"...
Piero
...before concluding the concert with "Apollo". A truly fantastic concert!
The credit goes not only to Marian, but to the backing band as well. Alex,
the bass-player, and David, the guitarist, deserve special mention, because
they also contributed to the stage show. At one point, Alex even lifted
David onto his shoulders without either of them stopping playing!
Alex B. Alex is a perfect foil
for David, who is a complete nutter. He was running about the stage with
a cigarette in his mouth, and another stuck in between the chords of his
guitar!
Alex M. But now the lights were
going down...
Giada When Marian left the stage,
we thought he would be coming back soon, but nothing happened.
Alex M. Sadly... the loudspeakers
began to play some music, which, while it was in the spirit of the evening
(new wave from the early Eighties), was not Alphaville... well, needs must
be patient. But now what?
Piero I rushed to get myself a
"Peace on Earth" T-shirt with a picture on it... Alex B. ...while the dedicated
fans around us were taken by a moment of panic! "Now what do we do?" "Shall
we go?" Nah... some fans sit down on the steps up to the stage, while some
others (like us) start dancing. We have some beers and then Monika came
out to gather us all up and take us backstage with her!
Alex M. Perfect: I got all the
Euphorians together and with all their cameras at the ready, I accompanied
them to Marian and Co. Marian and Co were in a titchy room memorable for
its terrifyingly bright, vomit-coloured wall-paper and its utter titchiness.
Nothing to be done about it; we couldn't all fit into the room, especially
as the Danes and Joachim were already in there, taking pictures of Marian
and chatting with Anna. Joachim had the advantage that he could speak his
own language, since they were both Swedish, whereas all the others had
to speak English. In fact, it was just as well they weren't speaking Danish,
said Willy, because "when we speak, it sounds like we have a potato in
our mouth..."
Alex B. In the midst of all the
confusion, we had lost Paolo! Auntie Alex M. went to get him, and now the
whole Italian group was complete once more!
Alex M. And it seemed it was now
it was the Italian's turn: Marian noticed Bertaggia's ponytail, exclaimed
"Alessandra!" and hugged her. He was soon doing the same to me: "Alessandra"
and I was enfolded in a warm embrace. It has been years since I had a crush
on him, but I think it was worth coming all this way just for that hug.
I introduced him to the Euphorians: Giada...
Giada My feeling of unreality just
got worse, but I still had some physical responses, and when I felt Marian's
cheeks, so soft... I had to resist a strong impulse to pinch them! (and
how difficult that was!) Alex M. ...Piero...
Piero I was introduced as a "new
fan" and Marian grinned at me, shook my hand and hugged me! I had prepared
a dozen little speeches for this moment, but all I managed to say was "Nice
to meet you"!
Alex M. ...and Paolo, who said:
"We've met before." Marian: "When? I don't remember..." "Last year..."
"Yes..." "At a concert..." "Yes, yes..." "The one in Burg..." "Yes, yes,
yes..." "Do you remember?" "No!" Alex B. So we asked him if we could take
a picture with him, and Marian told me to prepare the group... but it was
only after both Alessandras exclaimed "Marian, *stand up*!" that he actually
got up and joined us.
Piero
After the photo, Alex M. turned to Marian, telling him off for not having
noticed our banner. I was amazed, as was Marian, who pointed out he did
come and sing in front of us, but Alex didn't seem satisfied and would
not accept any excuse.
Alex M. I wouldn't accept any excuse
because I was joking, and I hope Marian understood that! Aside from this,
I don't know how long we stayed backstage: David wearing a woolly shepherd's
jumper, the Danes being ambushed by KP into talking about the Scanidnavian
fanclub...
Giada. ...KP looking Alex M. over
while they ostensibly discussed the fanclub, Alex B. chattering on and
on with Joachim, Paolo whose roll of film was finished, Piero in ecstasy,
and me, listening and waiting, trying to memorise every moment.
Alex B. Talking about KP -- he
has a definitely Mediterranean temperament! We had no sooner started talking
in Italian than his eyes widened and he exclaimed "I love your language
and Italy"!
Paolo Yes, KP is more Latin than
Germanic in many ways; he is a calm person, and, being very active, his
main characteristic is that he always has lots of ideas! And he loves joking.
Alex M. I chatted a bit with Marian:
they were playing United in the room and he started in surprise. "Is it
strange for you to hear your own voice when it doesn't come from your own
throat?" I asked him. "No, but I sang these songs so long ago... 'United'
is really old stuff for me, you know... so, yes, it is a bit strange."
"It's still very good... I particularly liked 'Five Years'. I've heard
Bowie's version, and I found your cover very good, even though it's very
different... or perhaps that's why..." "Well, to do a good cover, the best
way is to make it different from the original version. So you liked it?"
"Yes, and I also liked the other cover, 'Say it ain't so, Joe'. I haven't
heard the original, but I like your version." "Ah, I'm not very satisfied
by that cover. Murray Head's song is so beautiful." "I'll have to hear
it. While we're at it, can you recommend anything else... music, books,
films..." "Actually, the last film I remember is 'Independence Day', and
I had to go and see it twice because it was too dark the first time. As
for books, I'd love to read yours... but I can't quite manage it..." "Well,
the only problem is that it's very difficult for me to translate it for
you. Maybe one or two stories, someday..." "Yes, I would really like that.
How is your book doing?" "Well, it's still giving me plenty to do. I have
to present it somewhere every month, and have to give my opinion on this
or that topic, talk about what I'm doing and thinking to critics and journalists...
I don't like it much, it's as if none of it had anything to do with writing."
Marian smiled a little wryly. "Now you know how we feel in some situations
-- look."
Alex B. The conversation continued
in the corridor, and Monika came over to me. Because of the amount of smoke,
there were real clouds forming there, irritating my sensitive eyes. Some
fellow thought it was a great idea to stick his cigarette right under my
nose, and my eyes naturally began to water. Moral support soon came along:
Monika asked me what was wrong, Marian looked at me questioningly. How
should I react? What can I say? Instinctively, my reaction is to turn towards
Marian and say: 'Don't worry, I'm not crying for you!'. I can't say what
Marian made of that, but it doesn't matter!!
Alex M. Shortly afterwards, we
left: Marian and the band were exhausted, and we too were in need of some
rest. We said goodbye to everyone (and what a pleasure to be able to say
"See you tomorrow evening"!) and we went out: after giving the two apostles
the tape of "United" for them to listen to tonight, we said goodbye to
them too. The Micra was absolutely freezing, but the trip didn't last too
long, and we reached Ihlow at three in the morning. Three in the morning
on the 22nd of December: the day of the party!!!
back to AV on tour