European Tour 2011 - Interview to James Last
INTERVIEW TO JAMES LAST
Interview conducted by Katharina Schimanski, May 2010 / Hamburg
KS: I feel very honoured to be able to meet Mr. James Last here in Hamburg today. I am also very proud that Mr. Last has taken the time for an interview with us. When you hear people say: "Hansi from Bremen, who grew up in idylic, modest circumstances, becomes one of the greatest music stars in the world". Does it feel weird to know that you are the one they are talking about?
Last: Well, I am not literally a star. I am a musician, and I am lucky to be successful all over the world with what I am doing. After all, that is the most wonderful thing in the world - writing music, and then being able to go on stage all over the world and playing to millions ofpeople who like that music. That is a great thing.
KS: You once wrote a particularly idyllic biography about the way you grew up. What particularly fond memories do you have of your childhood?
Last: It was a great family life at home, music was always a big thing. My father made music, my brothers made music. And that's how I slowly grew into it. It was a wild time. Wartime. But it was like a blossoming flower, for my whole life, for me.
KS:: And then later you were the "Partyking" - among other things.
Last: Yes, that's what they said. Today's young people are just like we were back then. We were happy. We were happy to have parties. And having fun. Dancing around. Back then, mostly to pop and jazz music. And it's the same today.
KS: You don't live any differently today when you're on tour. From what we read and hear, there's a lot of partying.
Last: What do you mean by celebrating? We have to live out the evening. The musicians, all the musicians, everyone in the band, work incredibly hard on stage for three hours, giving their all every day. They really do. If Hansi wants it - that's me in this case. I say: "Guys, we have to give it our all, the people come here, thousands of them, they've paid an entrance fee - we have to give the best, the last thing we've got." And then afterwards, after the concert, comes the relaxation. Either on the long bus ride or in the hotel. We always all stay together in the hotel and then we talk, sometimes until 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am. But I have to say, they're all really on their toes. When they get back on the bus at 8 o'clock in the morning.
KS: And when you're on the tourbus - there are now two of them - are you on the bus with them?
Last: Yes of course, always there, right in the middle.
KS: And they don't mind at all if there's still partying on the bus in the evening?
Last: The musicians come from so many different corners of the world, some from Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, England, all over the place. And from the most diverse categories of music, some are classical musicians, or jazz musicians and other rock musicians, and every night we have little conversations with each other. They also give me a lot.
KS: Almost like a second family - is that what you once said?
Last: Yes, of course!
KS: You say that having fun with the music is one of the most important things, the heart for the music, the passion you have.
Last: Thank God I'm lucky that I've always paid attention to what young people have done in music. Basically, I've kept up with the times without forgetting the old music. And so I like to write music, arrangements of old titles or composers like Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, but also Lady GAGA and Blood Sweat and Tears - they've always been great. You just have to move with the times. I think it's good when you live with something new and don't just reject it. Incidentally, I've always tried to hear the best in music. I didn't want to criticize much. I always listened to the good things and that gave me a lot.
KS: In your opinion, can everyone discover the fun of music for themselves or is that not possible for some?
Last: Yes, there are people who criticize everything, who don't really enjoy anything in life. But if you have an open ear and also accept young people, because they have their lives too, you can live with them and get so much more out of life than just complaining.
KS: You are incredibly lucky that "what you write down" harmonizes with what people all over the world like to hear.
Last: That's true. Incredible, yes. I love the music. Always had a lot of fun. I just never said, "I have to work" when I had to write something. I thought: "I'll write it down" - and had fun doing it.
KS: But you can't explain why that is?
Last: No, I just write it down. There are also a lot of people who ask: "What did you invent for a sound?" What is this, what is that? I can't answer questions like that. I just wrote it and that's how it was.
KS: If we go back to your success: Did you never feel the pressure of having to be successful or does that still exist today?
Last: I never had to - I always really did everything for fun. Sounds simple - but it is.
KS: And how long do you need to prepare for such a big tour?
Last: Two years. So a year and a half of writing, building up the program. I then write it in such a way that every musician is able to play it the way they enjoy it. The lighting has to work. But everything has to be prepared beforehand. The stage design has to be determined about a year in advance, seating arrangements, how the groups belong together, and so on. On the first day, when the tour starts, everything has to be in place. For us, everything has to be in place by then.
KS: And how old do you feel today?
Last: I can't say that at all. I feel good. Live with the times. Having fun. In what's happening in the world. The people who say "everything used to be much better" are different people, they carry a rucksack full of bricks around with them. It's an incredible burden. You have to live the way it used to be. We used to enjoy everything. When we were 20, 30 years old. We can do that today and you have to accept that. Otherwise it won't work.
KS: How much of your life was actually music?
Last: Everything, actually. It's also a success if you can write the music down like that. Many people try. But it's not always that easy. That's a great thing. We have fans in the audience, whether it's in Denmark or Germany, who have been following us for 30 or 40 years. They've all grown 30 or 40 years older too. You mustn't forget that if they came 30 or 40 years ago, they are now 60 or 70 and that's great recognition. And they are happy when they can come. When they go out again. To go on tour at 81 and so many people want to come back with so much respect. That's great.
KS: Is that also an honor for you?
Last: Absolutely, yes!
KS: You also say that entertainment makes you happy. What is good entertainment for you?
Last: Revelation - you have to be prepared to put your heart into the cradle - and give everything you have and that is entertainment for people. People can tell exactly whether you're lying to them and deceiving them. You have to give everything. Then the communication is close to the audience. From the stage to the audience.
KS: And when you look back on your life now, how many lives have you lived?
Last: I once said to a reporter "I'm already 150 years old". He replied: "That's unbelievable." But I've experienced as much as a 150-year-old would. My life is totally full.
KS: What role does perfection play for you?
Last: Perfection only exists if you are prepared. Otherwise you can't succeed. And that's my attitude to life, too. In other words, a perfect life would perhaps be boring. But when two people live together, living together also consists of respect for each other, appreciation, honesty and that must not be lost.
KS: Now you'll soon be back in the big concert halls in Germany, Denmark, England - including twice in the legendary Royal Albert Hall - Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria ...
Last: Yes, we're really looking forward to going on tour again and seeing the fans. They have always been a great audience. It will be a lot of fun for us. We have many, many friends, personal friends, all over the world. We'll keep going as long as we can, and stay friends as long as we're around!
The interview was conducted by Katharina Schimanski, May 2010 / Hamburg.