Fancy, you are the musical star of Josef Vohrabal’s vernissage at the Mnes gallery, where we met and are having this interview. Most of all, you are considered an icon of dance music of the 80s. How would you describe yourself to me?
Yes, I was a musician and singer even in the 70s in Germany. My first experience with music was in nmin. My friend Giorgio Moroder, whom I first met in Berlin, had a great influence on my career.
Taking a meeting, you can remember many things.
In 1967, I married Jimi Hendrix the day after his club performance in Munich in the hotel where he was staying. I was a big fan of his, I knew everything: Little Wing, The Wind Cries Mary, Foxy Lady. I was absolutely fascinated by his performance and the fact that he only had two musicians, a drummer and a bass player. Sm Jimi took over on guitar and vocals as he strummed his guitar. That was a big attraction, a big show. But in private, you know, he was quiet, introverted and a nice guy. Very nice and charming. I would never have thought of him when you see him on stage as a guest. Like Michael Jackson.
Did you meet Michael in person?
I met Michael Jackson in 1995 in Budapest, where I was invited. That’s a long shot. I worked in the 90s for Siegfried & Roy, a German duo of magicians, they both dreamed her up. I was their audio producer in Las Vegas. They were not singers, but storytellers of pbh for children and families. They had a lot of songs in the studio and he recorded them and put music to them behind the words, so I really worked with them many times.
I lived in Las Vegas and Michael Jackson was such a fan of Siegfried & Roy that he used to go to their shows twice. There were two shows every evening, one at seven, the other at eleven. Michael was so carried away by them that he recorded the dog Mind is the Magic. The show ended up opening with that song. The beat started, Michael’s voice sounded, and ten ladies in gold shoes appeared on the stage. Exciting! How asn anthem for Siegfried & Roy. But what is it really all about here? (smile)
VIDEO: Fancy Flames Of Love (1988):
We wanted to see you. Fancy, when we look at your discography, it seems that you are a hit factory.
I will tell you the truth about my first song. I was sitting in my little studio in Munich, it was 1983, and the American jazz musician Todd Kennedy was there and he was doing a bunch of productions on keys, which was a novelty in 1982, 1983. I had a LinnDrumm instrument, a synthesizer, which was absolutely beneficial to me. Giorgio Moroder used two of them on the song I Feel Love by Donna Summer. I said: Mm melody and I want Divine to play that song! Divine that ace was produced in New York by Bobby Orlando.
And then producers Stock, Aitken and Water drank to the ada.
Later, yes. Divine also made it to England, where it was produced by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, big producers, the trio responsible for Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and many others. Divine had the hit Shoot Your Shot by Bobby, he wrote the lyrics to Todd Kennedy’s Slice Me Nice and sang it, I took it to the record company and said Ok listen to it, I want to send it to New York for Divine. And they No, no, no, let’s take it and let it out! Let’s make a deal. That’s how Fancy was born with the song Slice Me Nice, which was a hit all over the world.
Super catchy dog with the SLICE logo
That’s the truth, yes. And I always write it in an interview, you should know that! (smile)
Let’s take it. It is a pleasant surprise to meet you in Prague and to hear all these stories.
Mm rd Prague. It’s a fantastic city, so beautiful, with a lot of history. The people here are very nice and friendly. I’m lucky to be here, I have to admit.
Take Fancy was born from the hit song Slice Me Nice.
It followed the kind of hit Chinese Eyes, which I will sing here tonight at the Mnes Gallery after the opening of the little Josef Vohrabal. And Amerian? You were really interested in mm style in the eighties. It was a sophisticated pbh for her. Slice Me Nice is a really funny dog, it has comedic lyrics, just like Chinese Eyes. And he was then in the Top 10 of the entire year between Madonna, Bronski Beat and who in, who else, who was in the Top 10 Billboard Dance Charts in the United States. I’m the only full German who has it! (smile)
With that great rush, there were certainly many performances. Has there been any change in where you are going to do the show today?
Rd I performed in Slovakia. I’ve been to Prague, Ostrava and Brno here, it was also a nice city. And I think I will spend five years in Olomouc. Today I can get to know and see things from the Czech Republic, it is very nice, I sing here quite a lot. So in Vienna, in Munich, which is my hometown. I also spent a lot of time in my life in California and Nevada working for Siegfried and Roy. Two weeks ago I was in Los Angeles for a big show at the amphitheater. a lot of people from Vietnam go there, so they are with Americans, but they are full of things from the 80s! Chant and go crazy when I appear on stage. I don’t have to extend my hands to people so they don’t get me off the stage! (smch) Rd I’m in California too, mm rd Florida.
VIDEO: Fancy Lady of Ice:
Are there any places where you can really relax?
Maybe I’ll tell you the opposite, where I won’t disconnect. This is Bolvia and Jin America. The people there are full of energy, so it’s really a relaxing day. Every second there is a different situation. But the people are so nice, and when it comes to a show, it’s a whole different world. So I’ll get there, it’s only a few years away. I like Europe, but I must also not forget that I have been to Russia many times and I had good experiences there, I have to admit that. The same as the Baltic states, Norway, Germany, but also you and England. I had a Top 10 hit in England! Did you know about it? It was Cocoon, I just sang that one word. The single was chosen by Pete Waterman, which was a great compliment to me. He gave such a poad, what was the name of the British show?
The Hitman and Her!
Hitman and Her! Right, you know it. Pete Waterman, of the changing trio of Stock, Aitken and Waterman, was the Hitman, and the game was Kylie Minogue, his assistant on that TV show. Pete chose Cocoon as the theme song, including Cocoon! I released it under the name TimeRider, but everyone knew it was my production, my sound. I am happy that I was in the top ten in England. funny
Every eighties music lover will call you an icon. But how are the eighty icons according to you? Can you name the artist?
Artists from the eighties? Yes, there are many of them, but the ones originally from Germany will be Bad Boys Blue, CC Catch and Modern Talking, who celebrated huge hits. Everything was produced in Hamburg by Dieter Bohlen and his co-producer Luis Rodrguez. He was really the one who sat behind the counter, recorded and mixed. Te is a co-producer in Poland, he moved from Hamburg to the island of Mallorca, where he has his studio. It’s easy for me, because I say something to him, he knows exactly what I want from him and the whole sound is perfect.
Is it also in the recipe for life? Never stop working and stay fit?
Yes, you’re right. It’s in my deepest sense that I don’t want to answer anymore. It’s like when you go to the gym. So I always try to maintain my mind with new things, productive and refreshing. We created something last month and I didn’t expect it to take so long. We re-recorded all my old stuff. When you freeze, the voice is different, so we were shackled as much as possible. Old songs like Cest la Vie Mon Chri, Cest la Vie is sung high or Running Man, these songs are sung very high. Thank God that I can still do my work to this day.
VIDEO: Fancy Bolero:
