How do you keep your energy up touring around Europe?
I have to get my rest anddoplenty of exercise. I do the show, then I get my rest and then we travel to the next show. I don’t run around like a tourist, I just stay in and get my rest, so I can put out as much energy as possible for the next show. It takes discipline,but that’s what I do.
You must love connecting to the audience and love what you do?
A few weeks ago we were in San Sebastian and there were like 70,000 people or more, and everyone seemed to enjoy the show. We enjoyed performing for them. We look forward particularly to performing the cultural pride performances.We are always ready to be there, so the audience should be ready and we’re going to give a great show!
TheVillage People sound and costumes are iconic and legendary, if you were starting in this present day, what kind of musical genreand lookwould you be drawn to.
The music and costumes wouldallbe the same–dance music that people can enjoy and relate to. I wouldn’t change anything;the music is timeless,andI wouldn’t change the style. The only real differencenow isthe way that people mix music compared to the waywe mixed back in the 70s. But the music itself is the same. Me coming back to the group and taking over again, the audiences still love it -nothing has changed as far as the group. Our music works just as it isand even ourlyrics are timeless. Nothing needs to change.
Any memorable stories that stick out?
I have a million stories about every timewe have performed. Each and every time it is something excitingand different,but yet always the same in that its always enjoyed by audiencesaroundthe world. People always respond well -especially the YMCA.I can tell you that at the recent San Sebastian Gig, when we were doing the sound check you could see a few people on the beach, some swimming. Then when we were doing the show, there were so many people there that you couldn’t even see the beach!It was so packed you could only see people which is pretty exciting. Everybody in the whole place seemed to be there. When we finished everyone seemed to beon their way homefrom the show, everyone in town seemed to have gone to the concert.Music alwaysbringspeople together.
Can you speak Spanish?
I speak a little Spanishand understand a little bitas well. But not really enough to speak to audiences in Spanish.
Fotografías por Julián Corro @JULIANC.MARTIN_
CULTURE & BUSINESS PRIDE @culturebusinesspride