From left to right: Menno Gootjes, Hans Cleuver, Thijs van Leer, Bert Ruiter (the new FOCUS line-up) and D.J. Mark Deren. Picture from the new line-up kindly sent by Tim Baugh.
THIJS VAN LEER INTERVIEW - 05 / April / 98
On Sunday, April 5th Thijs van Leer performs with the Metropole Orchestra on the occasion of the 75o birthday of a Dutch broadcasting organisation called AVRO. He is interviewed by Jetske van Staa. (female). Interview kindly translated and sent by Irene Heinicke.
| Jetske | First congratulates on your 50th birthday, last Tuesday, Thijs! |
| Thijs | Thanks! |
| Jetske | Something very special is that tomorrow you will announce the new Focus line-up. |
| Thijs | Yes, tomorrow will be the press-presentation in Amsterdam. Except from the "Oldies" Bert Ruiter on bassguitar and Hans Cleuver on drums, we have a new guitarplayer, some kind of "Wonderchild" who's 22 years old and who's name is Menno Gootjes. Tomorrow we are going to present ourselves for the first time. |
| Jetske | What is exactly your goal, are you going to sound like the seventies or aren't you? |
| Thijs | Well we're going to play the old repertoire, but will mainly focus upon new stuff. In October we're going to start a tour along some main theatres in The Netherlands and Flemish Belgium first, later also to other countries. Most likely the first theatre will be Carr� Amsterdam. |
| Jetske | You just could not let go or something like that? |
| Thijs | Yes, well I don't know really, it's not only a nostalgic feeling, it's actually hardly nostalgic, but most of the old stuff could stand the ravages of time and the new compositions are good enough to be heard again. |
| Jetske | What is your part in all of this? |
| Thijs | I'll be mainly playing the Hammondorgan in the group and I sing and yodel with some kind of turkey... |
| Jetske | What? Yodel? |
| Thijs | Yes you know the English word "turkey" has 2 meanings: a country and a bird. In the new repertoire there is a new piece called "Hurkey Turkey. In it there's a fragment with yodeling that sounds like a turkey. |
| Jetske | Let's hear some of it, so we know what you mean by that. |
| Thijs | I can't do that right now, because my voice is a bit broken. (He tries to do the yodelling from Hocus Pocus, but his voice sounds a bit hoarse) |
| Jetske | I had better not asked you to do that, because you start to get lost on all parts. |
| Thijs | Yes the problem is actually that my voice is a bit broken, but anyhow we will do a song that once was recorded by Richard Harris, who also "talk" sang himself, so I will take my chances. |
| Jetske | But didn't he have problems with the higher parts of the song? |
| Thijs | Yes, O.K., well maybe I will talk in these parts or something like that, but I also play the piano along with it. |
| Jetske | Ladies and gentlemen, here's Thijs van Leer with "McArthur Park". |