HOT LINE INTERVIEW - AUTUMN 1995
The following hotline interview took place in a restaurant in Tokyo. Due to the background noise a number of people had trouble hearing the questions so here we go…as always the mixture of questions creates the lack of continuity.
RR - You have said in previous hotline interviews that you actually enjoy press tours. How is it going and have your thoughts changed now that you've been on the road for a while?
kd - very perceptive! Yeah it gets a little tiring, it gets a little repetitive but I try to stay fresh, try to keep my answers fresh. It helps build my confidence for touring and helps focus on my philosophies of my music and my art so it's a good thing
Do you remember the exact moment in time when you thought to yourself "I've made it"?
No because I don't feel like I have. I don't think I ever will because I think if I feel like I've made it then I think I would be bored to death. I always have to feel like I'm swimming upstream in order to feel like I'm doing any good
You've said you don't like looking at pictures people draw of you. Do you like caricatures?
No not really because I never look good .. and that's the most important thing, to look good
Have you ever sat on the street and had one done?
Of course not
Very occasionally you make passing references to your painting. Will we ever see any of your work? Does it reflect a side of your personality that music does not?
It probably does but it's a very, very private thing. I doubt if you'll ever see them. I'm actually a really bad painter. I just do it for an emotional vent. I think it's something that I'll probably keep very, very private. Dig them up when I'm gone
Has there been a moment in your mind that stands out so far on the press tour?
When would it be? Let's see…
That moment in Oslo, on the island?
Yeah, yeah … but that's not like the press tour, that's private time. Let me see … some of the TV shows in Italy were kinda fun but I have an instore here in Japan on Friday which should be a mind-blowing experience. Instores are always something else!
Are your acceptance speeches at award shows rehearsed or 'off the cuff'?
Off the cuff. I kind of think about a couple of things I would like to say. I think about people who I want to thank but all the other stuff is off the cuff
What happens if you forget someone?
I get into trouble. I feel bad. I always forget somebody
Do you wear a watch?
No because Rita Robson wears a watch.
In an English magazine you said you had a tattoo. Is it real and where did you get it?
I got it in Vancouver
Is there any significance to the anchor on your tattoo and on the chain around your neck
Yes, I answered that question on the internet. Yes, there's significance. It's significant
OK .. have you considered the style of live show you want to do on your next tour?
Yes, I think about it all the time
Who do you have to work with to bring the show together?
Lighting directors, my sound engineer, my manager, the agents, the musicians…oh, so many people are involved in getting a tour up and going
Are you changing the venue size?
Not immediately, no
So you'll still be doing the intimate theatre?
Theatres to begin with then we'll see what happens
Do you think you'll ever get as big as, say, Barbra Streisland…Madison Square Gardens?
I hope not. That holds no fascination for me actually
Do you enjoy going 'on line' and talking to the fans and would you do it again?
Yeah I enjoyed it but there were so many questions and so little time that my answers were kind of short and it's hard to really express your answers on the internet when it's going so fast
I think for the first time you're really serious until you loosen up a little too. You didn't have a sense of humour did you?
Yes I did. You weren't even there, you were in the other room eating. What do you mean I have no sense of humour…I think I'm very funny…I have a dry sense of humour
Yes but were you working it that night?
I was working it. I was trying to work it. Maybe you're trying to tell me I'm just not funny
Maybe. Here's another question. Where did you find me, your PA, and your other employees?
I don't know where I get them but I'm going to have to go to a different pond I can tell you
How long have you played the harp?
About three months. You see I'm a very good actor, very good faker. I'm not a good actor, I'm a good fake
You fake it?
No. The harp is just tuned so that no matter what you hit it sounds good
So do you have to hit a particular string?
No, that particular harp is tuned to the song
That's cheating!
Kind of. Yes it is…but then you have to develop the tuning, you see, which does actually involve musical knowledge
Did you know there's a Lang's whiskey from Scotland
No
So if you didn't know that you obviously didn't try it. Do you like whiskey?
Do I like it? Not really but I've drank it once in a while. I don't know if I like it…a shot here and there. It's like an old man's drink
So where are you going from here?
Australia, New Zealand, then back to the States to get ready for the tour
Are you looking forward to finishing the press tour?
Yeah, I am
What other things do you have to do?
Couple more videos to make. More photo shoots. Getting the tour up and going
Already it's November, so you're going to be busy.
Non stop!
What do you have planned for Christmas?
I think I'll go to Bali?
Well have fun in Bali and thanks for talking
You're welcome. Bye now
