Bötschi asks Thomas Anders "Oh, I love Beatrice Egli more than anything, but..."
Even today, many music fans still think of Modern Talking when they hear the name Thomas Anders. A conversation with the 62-year-old about money, happiness and Switzerland - and of course Dieter Bohlen is also on the agenda.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Thomas Anders is considered one of the most successful singers in Germany.
- The 62-year-old achieved worldwide fame in the 1980s with Dieter Bohlen under the name Modern Talking and sold over 125 million records.
- But Anders has also enjoyed success as a solo artist in recent decades. Now he is coming to Switzerland for a concert.
- "It would be far too exhausting for me to lead a wild rock musician's life - or maybe I'm just too stuffy for that," Andres reveals in an interview with blue News.
Thomas Anders, I'm going to ask you as many questions as possible over the next 30 minutes. And please answer as briefly and quickly as possible. If you don't like a question, you can also say "Next" once.
That's all great for me, as long as you don't ask me about the current status of my bank account (laughs harshly).
Black or white?
Black.
Beatrice Egli or Helene Fischer?
Oh, I love Beatrice Egli more than anything ... but of course I also really like Helene Fischer. If I really had to choose between the two, I'd go for Beatrice Egli and her huge heart.
Coffee or tea?
I'm a passionate tea drinker. But recently I've started drinking coffee from time to time. Who knows, maybe it has something to do with getting older.
Any other tips for waking up quickly?
When I get up, keep the little toe of my left foot on the edge of the bed (laughs loudly).
About the author: Bruno Bötschi
blue News editor Bruno Bötschi regularly talks to well-known personalities from Switzerland and abroad for the question-and-answer game "Bötschi fragt". He asks them lots of questions - always direct, often funny and sometimes profound. It always remains open until the very last question as to where the fast-paced ping-pong will lead.
Your explanation as to why people sing in the shower?
I don't understand it - but perhaps the acoustics in the bathroom help even a poorer voice suddenly sound acceptable.
What songs do you sing when you're stuck in a traffic jam in the car?
I don't sing in the car either.
When did you realize that you could touch people with your voice?
I was six years old at my first gig as a singer. I really realized that I could move an audience with my voice when I was a teenager.
How highly insured is your voice?
Not at all.
Next Thursday, November 20, you will be performing at the Kongresshaus in Biel: How well do you know the city?
I don't think I've ever been to Biel. But as I do before every concert, I'll do some research on Wikipedia - but not until the day before the concert, otherwise my memory will get in the way.
Biel is known for its bilingualism.
For what, please?
The city is bilingual: 45 percent of the population is French-speaking, the remaining 55 percent German-speaking.
So I can greet the audience in French. Or will my audience mainly consist of German-speaking Swiss?
I don't know that. But it's best to say "Bonsoir Biel ... good evening Biel".
I think I can manage that.
For Modern Talking's 40th anniversary, you have re-recorded the first six Modern Talking albums: Will the audience in Biel get to hear some of these reinterpretations - or will you only be presenting them live on your much-heralded tour of Germany next year?
Of course I will also be singing the big hits from Modern Talking in Biel - you can't do without them. However, the songs will be rearranged and rehearsed for next year's tour of Germany. It will be a very special experience.
What was particularly important to you in the new interpretations?
The Modern Talking songs were recorded in analog form. Our idea was therefore to completely repackage the iconic 1980s sound of hits like "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" with today's technology and transport it into the here and now.
I think we succeeded very well. Listening to the reinterpretations, you get the feeling that the 1980s are back - at the same time, the songs seem modern, as new rhythms and the current musical zeitgeist are clearly audible.
Dieter Bohlen is not involved in the new Modern Talking project: Why not?
Dieter Bohlen was asked early on whether he wanted to take part - but he didn't want to. I still wanted to go through with the project because I think it's great what we've achieved together with Modern Talking. You need to know that: The reinterpretations were not a fly-by-night operation. It took us a year and a half of intensive planning and implementation.
How have the profits from the music been divided between you and Dieter Bohlen since the split with Modern Talking?
The income has always been split 50/50 - and there have never been any problems because it's all handled by the record company.
Does Dieter Bohlen now also earn money from your reinterpretations of Modern Talking songs?
Yes - as composer and lyricist, but no longer as singer and producer.
What does that mean in concrete percentage terms?
I can't tell you because I don't know what Dieter Bohlen has negotiated. What he certainly receives are the license fees from Gema, the German collecting society for music creators.
Does it annoy you that you haven't had any contact for years with the person with whom you have celebrated your greatest professional successes to date?
Hmm ... it doesn't annoy me ...
... does it perhaps make you sad now and again?
To be honest, I closed that chapter of my life a few years ago. Dieter Bohlen and I are two people who are too different. We're not on the same wavelength - but that doesn't mean I wouldn't accept his achievements as a musician.
At some point I realized that we weren't right for each other, even if fate wanted us to write international music history together. And between you and me: perhaps the public even found it exciting to a certain extent that we were two such different types.
In March 1985, the first Modern Talking single "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" reached number one in Germany and was a huge success throughout Europe. Did being famous back then feel as fun and beautiful as you had imagined when you were young?
No, not at all. It felt like I was speeding through a tunnel on an express train. Shortly after "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" hit the charts in Germany, the single entered the charts in Austria and Switzerland, followed by France, and that went on and on.
We just worked for a year back then, going from one TV show to the next. And it wasn't long before the record company was back on the mat and said we had to produce a second single as quickly as possible.
Were you terribly annoyed that Modern Talking - despite their many hits - wasn't really taken seriously by the feature pages?
It didn't annoy me, but I didn't understand the rejection.
The songs of Modern Talking have long since become a phenomenon ...
... and that's why I can deal with the rejection or even hatred of certain people even more calmly today.
What is the secret behind the Modern Talking hits?
I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, I can't give you a secret recipe. My reasoning is as follows: 20 years ago, I was picking up my son from kindergarten when two four-year-olds came up to me on the sidewalk and sang the song "Cheri Cheri Lady". That was an awakening moment for me.
Why was that?
If toddlers can sing along to Modern Talking songs even though they don't speak English, so can other people in the world - no matter what country or culture they come from or what language they speak or how old they are. "Cheri Cheri Lady" is a simple but extremely concise song that works worldwide.
In other words, the Modern Talking hits are children's songs that have been produced as excellent pop songs. Which incidentally also has to do with the fact that Dieter Bohlen has always invested a lot of time and energy in the choice of words, almost more so than in the music.
A few weeks ago, a colleague told me that South Koreans are huge fans of "Modern Talking". There are said to be karaoke bars in Seoul that only offer songs by "Modern Talking" alongside South Korean songs ...
... I've heard about that too. I've also heard that there is something similar in Japan. It really is the case that Modern Talking songs still work halfway around the world even after 40 years. Recently, acquaintances told me that they went shopping in a small general store during an adventure trip through Nepal. And what was there on the counter? A cassette of Modern Talking. I hear stories like that all the time.
What memories do you have of your previous visits to Switzerland?
It sounds clichéd, but I love Switzerland. The world still seems to be in order in Switzerland because everything seems to be so well looked after and cared for - at least that's how Germans feel. When I go to Switzerland, I'm always in a good mood.
Entertainer Harald Schmidt said in an interview with "Blick":"For Germans, Switzerland is the unattainable ideal."
The grass is no greener in Switzerland than anywhere else. With regard to the Germans, however, Harald Schmidt is probably right with his statement.
Never toyed with the idea of moving to Switzerland for tax reasons?
From time to time - at the same time, I am an extremely home-loving person and like to live where my friends live. Moving to Switzerland is therefore out of the question for me - even if I might have to pay less tax. My friends are more important to me than money.
Do you have a special talent that nobody knows about yet?
I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. I can't tell you anything that hasn't already been a topic in the media at some point. I am a person who absolutely loves cooking. But it's not a talent, it's my passion.
The riskiest and bravest decision in your life so far?
Becoming a father. You can read as many books and get as much information as you like before the birth, but as soon as the child is born, everything is completely different. Of course, my wife and I wanted our son to be a good person - we gave it our all. But starting a family is always fraught with risk.
There are still five minutes until you have to go on stage: What are you doing?
I'm a person who likes to make nonsense, so every now and then I tell my musicians a joke just before I go on stage.
What's the craziest place you've ever performed as a singer?
I would say it was an open-air performance in the Bolivian city of La Paz. The special thing about it is that the city is located in the Andes at an altitude of 3500 meters. So I had to constantly make sure I didn't run out of breath during the whole concert.
What's the craziest thing you've ever done on stage?
Many years ago, I once hosted a TV show in which Grace Jones was a guest. As soon as the singer stood next to me on stage, she kissed me in front of the camera. And when I was still performing in Russia, I once lost all my luggage with our clothes. I then had to go on stage in fur boots - but it was so warm in them that I ended up performing barefoot.
You've been a successful musician for decades. Despite this, you never really went crazy like a rock star or became a drug addict.
Drugs have never interested me. Okay, I like to have a glass of wine now and again. But I've always been suspicious of hard drugs. I never wanted to be addicted to any substance - and therefore never wanted to be in control of myself.
It would be far too exhausting for me to lead a wild life as a rock musician - or maybe I'm just too boring for that. Despite my many trips halfway around the world, the city of Koblenz has always remained the center of my life.
But I know from experience that everyone deals with success differently. I'm lucky that I don't fall into a hole after a concert. I might have another glass of wine at the hotel bar, but then it's fine (laughs).
What goes through your mind when you look back on your life today - at the age of 62: are you proud or wistful?
Wistful? No, I'm not. I'm more proud of how well I've survived all the madness of the last 40 years - and that I can still make music today. And quite successfully.
Your recipe for a happy life?
You have to stay true to yourself and keep asking yourself: What else do I want to achieve in life? If you then realize that something is not okay, you should try to change it. We all only have one life.
As the saying goes: a healthy person has 1000 wishes, a sick person only has one. I think it's important to reflect on your actions again and again. But that doesn't mean you should go through life with fear. And it is also very important to respect your fellow human beings.
Is there anywhere else you really want to see?
Oh, I don't like traveling - but it would be really nice to spend some time in Japan.
Do you dream of making another global hit?
It would be nice if it worked out. I do dream about it, but it's not my ambition that it absolutely has to happen again.
A global hit either happens or it doesn't. That's the wonderful thing about our profession: we never know what will happen with our next song, i.e. how it will be received by the audience.
