End of French KT interview

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Y.B.: How did you come upon the idea of working on this concept
      which fills an entire side, which has become extremely
      out of fashion?
K.B.: It's not nice to call it a concept, because automatically
      it causes panic, and everyone is convinced that they're
      going to die of boredom.
      But that's an idiotic attitude. A concept allows you to
      develop a piece of music around a theme, at a length which
      exceeds ten minutes. Before pop music, all the great works
      of music were of this kind, of this shape and of this
      attitude. It's unjust. I've wanted to work on something of
      this kind for a long time. For me, the more an idea is
      extended, the more riches it contains.
Y.B.: This allowed you to use traditional music, which you
      like very much.
K.B.: Irish, as far as this particular album goes. English and
      Irish folk music have had a gigantic influence on me, since
      I was a child.My brothers played it constantly at home and
      that affected me profoundly. Whenever I hear Irish folk
      music, nowadays, I feel drawn to it; I greatly enjoyed
      introducing it into my own vocabulary and using its musicians.
Y.B.: On The Dreaming you went to some pains to announce on the
      sleeve that this music must be played very loudly. That
      amused me at the time.
K.B.: In the studio, you heard it really loud. For mixing, we
      had to turn it down, to pay attention to details, but my
      desire was to be totally overwhelmed by the flood of
      sound. In any case music, all music, was made to be
      heard at the volume at which it was played, that is to
      say in this case LOUD.
Y.B.: That album was a difficult one to accept, for the
      uninitiated.
K.B.: I have no doubt that those who buy singles because they
      like my hits, are completely mystified upon hearing the
      albums. But if it comes to that, they should listen to
      it LOUDLY! If a single theme linked The Dreaming, which
      is quite varied, it would be human relationships and
      emotional problems. Every being responds principally
      to emotions. Some people are very cool, but they are
      silenced by their emotions, whatever they might be.
      To write a song, it's necessary  that I be completely
      steeped in my environment, in my subject. Sometimes
      the original idea is maintained, but as it takes
      form, it possesses me. One of the best examples would
      be this song that wrote on Houdini: I knew every one
      of the things that I wanted to say, and it was necessary
      that I find new ways that would allow me to say them;
      the hardest thing, is when you have so many things to
      fit into so short a space of time. You have to be concise
      and at the same time not remain vague, or obscure.
      The Dreaming was a decisive album for me. I hadn't
      recorded in such a long time until I undertook it, and
      that was the first time that I'd had such liberty. It
      was intoxicating and frightening at the same time. I could
      fail at everything and ruin my career at one fell swoop.
      All this energy, my frustrations, my fears, my wish to
      succeed, all that went into the record. That's the
      principle of music: to liberate all the tensions that
      exist inside you. I tried to give free rein to all my
      fantasies. Although all of the songs do not talk about
      me, they represent all the facets of my personality, all
      my different attitudes in relation to the world. In
      growing older, I see more and more clearly that I am
      crippled in facing the things that really count, and
      that I can do nothing about it, just as most people can
      do nothing. Making an album is insignificant in comparison
      with that, but it's my only defense.
Y.B.: Alot of people complain that your music has become too
      complex, inaccessible, exclusive.
K.B.: People's reactions before any kind of music reflect more
      their own personality than that of the composer. As far
      as my lyrics are concerned, I take a great deal of care;
      they are very oblique and describe situations that are
      not always simple. It's not always easy, but it's necessary
      to make an effort and listen actively, give of oneself.
      But even if nobody understands my stories, to understand
      the music, once more, they must play it LOUD!
Y.B.: As a general rule, you're not very optimistic.
K.B.: I wouldn't say that I'm not. I think I'm realistic. If
      you want to accomplish things, you must accept compromises.
      That applies particularly to human beings, who are
      so determined to get what they want, that they only give
      in when they've been defeated. It's necessary to know how
      to give in, to accept and defer, sometimes. Situations of
      love, for example, begin very simply, then, even before you
      can perceive it, they become a spider's web of problems,
      so inextricable that they end in the most complete chaos.
      I just lived through a marvelous and destructive adventure.
      I believe furthermore that love and inter-personal
      relationships are the most important things in existence.
      My family represents everything for me. And even if, every
      time, failures repeat themselves, I never take them as such,
      but rather as new tests on the path that I have still to run.
Y.B.: This makes more than five years since you last mounted a
      stage. Is there hope for 1986?
K.B.: I was hoping to avoid that question!!! I certainly want
      very much to play on stage again, but it's a decision for
      which the consequences are enormous, both financially and
      in terms of the amount of time and energy that are necessary.
      I've just given everything in me to complete this album
      and I'm not certain that it's for the best that I plunge
      into such a venture, all the more as I've received several
      propositions of an entirely different order, but which would
      not be compatible with a tour. As they say over here:
      "Allons voir {Wait and see}!"
END OF FRENCH INTERVIEW