Art Sullivan receives us in his office, in its house of the Brussels suburb. Jacques Verdonck, his producer, is present too. During this interview, we shall return with Art on its route. He will also explain to us why he left the front of the scene at the end of the 70's. Today, Art Sullivan is an enormous star in Portugal where it fills rooms equivalent to our Zénith... He will also explain us the very favorite which he had for a young french-portuguese singer. His name is Hugo, hold his first name! Art Sullivan will celebrate next year its 40 years of career, but also its 60 years! Meeting with a beautiful and intelligent artist;-)
IdolesMag: you go to celebrate your 40 years of career next year. If you please(do not mind), we are going to redraw these 40 years in main lines before speaking about your current events...
Were you what we call a baby singer? Art Sullivan: I really had the passion to sing towards 12/13 years old. To give you an example, I composed in this time " Petite fille aux yeux bleus ". She wasn't called still like that, but I remember although I had composed the melody in my bed. I had a small transistor and I listened to the music in my bed under covers... At the bottom of myself, I knew that I would be a singer one day.
You composed on a guitar or a piano? Neither of them! (laughter) to say to you the truth, I know no note of music theory. I have no music group. But the composition, you know, at the bottom, it's in the head... Thus, as soon as I had a melody in my mind, I recorded it not to lose it. And today, it's still like that! Later, I give this melody to a friend who transcribes it to me in musical notes. I am a composer, but I don't play an instrument. Finally yes! If you want that I play you "Frère Jacques" on a piano, I shall arrive certainly, but you won't should ask to me for it much more! (laughter)
And in your family, we sang? In no way. I come from aristocrats' family, as we say. Thus, towards 14/15 years old, when I said to my parents that I wanted to become a singer, it was not really of their taste! In the family, it was necessary to become a solicitor or a doctor. But singer you imagine! Except maybe my mother, who was a little more revolutionary. Her, she wanted that I made what would make my happiness. I had no circle of acquaintances which predisposed me to go towards the music.
Had you idols when you were child? Ah yes! I was very fan of France Gall and its" Sacré Charlemagne "! And then, my real catch for the music, it was in 1965. I heard an evening to the radio "Aline" of Christophe". There, I was little as a priest who would have heard the voice of God to come to speak to him. By listening to this song, I drowned myself in the music.
Remember first times when you sang, maybe not professionally, but seriously, let us shall say ourselves. At 15 years. I participated at little competitions, radio-hooks, fancy-fair. I sang "Aline", " Capri,c'est fini", " La plage aux romantiques ", things like that.
Then, what happens? You know, to want to become a singer and to be a singer, there are kilometers. But, as I was fascinated by Christophe, I went to see him in 67 or 68. As he had no fan-club, I suggested him going up his. He agreed. Thus I began to print a stencyled magazine which went out every month. At first, I had 35 members. But I persuaded Christophe that I had more than 2000 of it! (roars of laughter) It wasn't by snobbery, but as it was my idol, I wanted that everything is perfect and I wanted whether it's "big"! And I remember very well in the time when Hervé Vilard, who also had a fan-club, was very surprised that Christophe has so many members! Thus he contacted me and wanted that I also take care of his... I had 18 years old in the time, I was full of energy! In the time, it was Jacques Verdonck [Editor's note: which was present during our interview] who was the editor of Hervé Vilard. And a day, Hervé Vilard, who knew that I liked singing and composing, comes to Brussels to record a TV program. And he presents the " small young " to Jacques. He told me to send him a cassette and that he wouldn't miss to listen to hit... How we always say in fact! Thus I sent him a cassette and he called me back! On February 14th (I shall always remember it), I arrived in studio. And at the end of around thirty seconds, they said to me "Stop". I said to myself that it was done... But not, he said to me that he signed me for three years!
What that made you? Very sincerely, over the moment, not much! (laughter) We weren't in a star system, but I was very satisfied.
And later, you leave to London... Yes, 15 days later, we leave for London and we find Charles Blackwell, the arranger of Tom Jones, among others. It's him too who made "Love me, Please love me" of Polnareff. We record a model. We bring in of London a few days later, and the model is sent to two or three persons in Paris. After 24 hours, Carrère phones by saying that he wanted to sign me for 7 years. And in this time I hadn't taken out of record yet. (laughter)
It was another time!... Effectively (roar of laughter)
How did you choose your pseudonym? My real name, it's Marc Liénard van Lindt de Jeude... It was complicated enough to impose this name! Personally, I wanted to be called "Sebastian", don'tt ask me why! Carrère, him, had proposed me "Art" as first name. I had never heard first name like that in Europe. There was indeed Art Garfunkel, but it wasn't a common first name. In the time, Gilbert O' Sullivan had just takenout a record. I liked this name " Sullivan ". Thus, and so was born "Art Sullivan"...
At this moment, you take out your first record... Completely. "Ensemble » went out in June. The title bludgeined in July and in August by RTL. And at the end of August, sales were catastrophic. Everybody said it to me: with a bludgeoning as we had had it was very badly left. Then, in September, as by miracle, it was 10 or 15 000 sold recordsa day!
You live it how? Everything arrived so fast...Unconsciously. To give you an example... A few months later, I get royalties. I had sold all the same more than 300 000 records. I shall always remember, I was placefrom Brouckère to Brussels and I looked at a beautiful chain in a shop window. I found it magnificent. It cost 25 000 Belgian francs of this time... And it's there that I understood that I had them on my bank account. It's there that I realized that I exercised a job and that I was paid for...
You always lived outside the system in fact. Completely.
Tubes are very quickly linked. Did you have time to continue to compose? To tell the truth, I had a train beforehand. I had already quite a lot of already composed and registered songs. When "Ensemble")went out, the title" Adieu sois heureuse " which will go out on one year later was already ecorded. I'm not going to learn you by saying to you that in the time we took out one 45 turns every 4 or 5 months. Thus, us, in production, we had at least a good year beforehand.
You didn't certainly have time to record a lot in the time. If yes... You know, I'm someone rather discreet. I didn't like showing myself in the fashionable discotheques which " the all Paris " frequented... I went to Paris to make my work, and as soon as it was ended, I returned to Brussels to my mother's home, with my brothers and my dogs...
You always lived in Brussels, then? Yes, always. Not in this house, but I lived in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre during 35 years... I have never lived in Paris. Carrère wanted that I show little myself, that I play the star... But, that, that interested me in no way.
We return always to the same thing... All the side "glitter" and star system has never interested you.In no way!
In the time , you turn a lot? Very good question... In the time, I sell records"like little breads". The " Petite fille au yeux bleus" arrive at 700 000 copies, "Adieu sois heureuse" in 600 000, "Vivre d'amour" in 600 000 also. Every time, I make only a TV program or two, at the very most... I appear a little bit in the press. But records are very well sold. And as I'm a composer, I make a very good living... And thus, I wanted to make rounds. Carrère wasn't completely for! (laughter) He asks me to wait, finding that it was too early. But as I have enough income, I don't grow to the load. Besides, he had given me an argument which defended itself: I had two or three successes, thus, not of which like on a scene during 1 hour 30. Thus, I didn't turn a long time. Then, as one goes along, I felt that I needed the scene. You know, I had no contact with anybody in the time. I continued to frequent my friends the district and my family, quite as before. Thus, I wanted to make official receptions...
There are good memories, these first official receptions? There are the best! It's there that I understood my job. The real job of the singer, it's to be on stage. I also like the studio, because we create there. But we create in front of a microphone. It's little like when we sing to the television, we sing in front of a camera. When we are on stage, I cannot explain it to you, but we feel the feelings which pass. They are two facets of the job. They are complementary.
In 1978, you put a brake in your career in France. Why? I don't put a brake, in fact... I stop! It's the period that the Disco began to arrive. In the media, there was a shape of elitism. We heard say that "Je t'aime mon amour pour toujours ", it was old-fashioned. Caution, it wasn't the public who said it, we heard it in the spheres of the media... Even Claude François began to be taxed by old-fashioned. Even if I had sung the more intellectual songs, I had the seal of" stupid singer "... I felt it. I was 28 years old, I said to myself that I had no more this fire or this passion to sing. I wanted to pass to other thing. Thus I stopped and we didn't hear any more about me. I made all the same a disco song, but the goldfish was not good any more in its jar.
You begin then a career in the documentary. Why this choice? I was always fascinated by the documentary. We are in 78/79, the television wasn't the same that today. I smelt that the television was going to move. And thus, I created a concept: make invisible cameras with stars. I knew that that was going to cost a lot of money, thus, we visited co-producers. We saw some, of which one in Canada which hurried to develop the idea!...
It's that the idea was good...You made many documentaries on the royal families. Yes, a lot. I didn't realize documentaries for France or Belgium. A documentary, it's little as a song... A song is going to cost, for example, 10 000 euros. But that it takes out only in Belgium or all over the world, it will always cost 10 000 euros. Thus, so much make it for the largest number of people. It's the same thing for a documentary. As I knew that even the republicans were interested in the royal families, I realized quite a lot of documentaries on them. But I also realized reports on big cities, in particular one on Sydney, a little bit before olympics. Sydney, it's a fabulous city. When you realize that two hundred years ago, there was nothing...
The music didn't miss to you during all these years? To tell the truth, I wasn't so remote from the music because it's me which signed all the credits or the background music. I didn't sing, but I stayed in my musical universe. I didn't any more want to sing when I stopped, but the music stayed my passion. I have never stopped composing.
Why not to have written for the others then? I made it, but little. I wrote a song for Liliane Saint-Pierre, a Flemish singer [Editor's note: " Als je gaat "] and for Timothy also [Editor's note: "C'est la vie, c'est joli"]. You know, I can admit it to you, I'm a big lazy person... Thus, I compose little, just when it's necessary! (laughter) On principle, we don't command the creation. I cannot say myself " Today, I'm going to compose a song ", no...
In 2006, "Tout est dans tout" benefited of one remix dance. It isn't necessarily the register in which we wait for you... (roars of laughter) And it's going to have there even worse! It was still nice dance... Because there, at the beginning of the year is going to go out a remix of "Tout est dans tout" very very remixed! (laughter) I was very surprised when these young parisians contacted me about this project. I ignored that I had fans so young and dynamic! They just asked me for the track with my voice. And they remixed it I have just received her it and I can say to you that it's very well! That changes... That moves!... It's a remix planned for the discotheques.
You like this kind of remix? To tell the truth, I don't like the discotheques! But I admit that their remix is very well made. I wouldn't be honest by saying to you that it's the music which touches me.
When and how was born the adventure of this album "Tout est dans tout"? At the end of the 90s, the CD arrived. And I had no available record in CD. Ariola came to find me to wonder the authorization to take out a compil of my former songs. I didn't think that that would work, and, I'm going to say to you the strict truth, I accepted essentially to have a CD of my own songs (laughter) Thus, they took out the compilation at first in Belgium. We sold 60 000 copies. Six months later, they took out a volume 2 which less sold, almost 30 000 all the same, but this one contained much fewer tubes. Further to this adventure, Warner France contacted me to take out a compilation in France. We sold 180 000 all the same. And there, I realized that full of people had remained faithful to the memory of my songs. We even asked me to produce me several times in show.
You doubted it, that the public had remained in you faithful? I thought that I was forgotten. Really. You know, I had stopped in 78/79, it had been 15 years since more nobody heard about me... It's a generation! But to return to the shows that I gave... The public naturally came to listen to my songs, and I realized that when I sang, I saw in the eyes that it was as if they opened a photo album. The song re-transposed them in their 16 years or their 18 years. I realized that songs were bound to memories. All this restored me envy to sing again and to remake a record...
You took back "Mourir ou vivre" on this album. Why? Because it's the song which I like very much. As I just explained it to you right now, towards my 14 / 15 years, I made quite a lot of radio-hooks by taking back Hervé Vilard or Christophe. I didn't want to take back " Capri, c'est fini", because the song is too much similar to Hervé. "Mourir ou vivre" also, but to a lesser extent. Thus I wanted to take back this song by changing the arrangements of it.
It's one song which you like profoundly? Ah yes...
There is also Christophe's song on this album... Yes. "J'ai remarché". Even there, I didn't want to take back a too much known song.
It was a way, say to me if I make a mistake, to loop the loop... You had left to Paris to base the fan-club of Christophe and then you occupy you of that of the Hervé Vilard. Then on this album, you take back them both... Here we are, that's right... And the loop is not completely looped! Because for two years, I produce a young Portuguese artist, whom we are going to throw in France next year.
It's Hugo. Completely. And on the album, there will be a take back of Christophe "Les marionnettes".
Before speaking about Hugo, I would like to speak a few about this enormous success that you have in Portugal today... As I explained it to you, I was very surprised to see that so many people still liked my songs here in Belgium and in France when we took out the compilation. But in Portugal, I still have also a great deal of success. I was a "star" in the 70s over there. I sang in stadiums of football. To give you an example, when I played Funchal on the island of Madeira, I made 100 000 persons in 3 evenings, while the island counts only 300 000 inhabitants. A third of the island had come to see me. But in 78 when I stopped everything, I stopped over there also. And at the end of the 90s, we rereleased a compilation over there, and it was golden record very quickly.
How do you explain this attachment which the public Portuguese carries you? If there was a receipt?!...
You weren't necessarily attached to this country previously. In no way. You know, it's a little as the love. When we fall in love, we don't know why. It's an alchemy which takes place and nobody can explain it.
You give many concerts over there. Yes, when we play over there, it's in rooms of 7 or 8000 places.
You live it good to fill perform rooms so big in Portugal and not here in Belgium or in France? Ah yes, very well... And then, you know, I'm less afraid a lot of playing in front of 7 or 8000 persons that in front of 300. When you are in front of 7000 persons, you are in front of an ocean. He can arrive nothing at you, except when you really sing as a potato! (laughter) But when you sing in front of 300 persons, it's very different! Everybody is much shier.
You sing today in the Portuguese a lot. Is it phonetically? I understand little, naturally, but I sing phonetically! I also sing in German and in Spanish...
Let us return to Hugo there, how did you discover him? In the 2000s, internet became more democratic and I listened to people taking back my songs on sites of videos... Sometimes it's rather bad, but that always pleases! (laughter) Then, one day a friend tells me to look at a young Portuguese who took back "Petite demoiselle". I look. I find that not bad. I look then at his other videos, he took back Brel, Ferré, etc.... And there, I said to myself that this kid had a crazy talent. Then I contacted him. Him who lives in more than 2000 km by, you imagine yourselves although when I said to him by the telephone " Hello, it's Art Sullivan ", he didn't believe in me! Especially that over there, in Portugal, in spite of my years of absences, I remained a big star. He really believed in a joke moreover, we were an April 1st(Fools's Day)! But I said to him that the next day, I would rent the studio ICP here in Brussels and that in about ten days it would be here in Brussels to make one test in studio... I sent him plane tickets for him and his parents, he was still young in this time. As he is French-Portuguese, he has some more of friends in France, and he believed that it was those who made him a bad joke... He admitted to me later that when I hung up the telephone, he went to view videos of me on internet to see if the stamp of voice corresponded to the one that it had heard on the phone! (laughter) When he received plane tickets, he began to believe in it a little! But how he's scared of the plane, he came from Portugal to Belgium by bus! He arrived to Brussels and the same evening, we made a test for the studio. As Mister Verdonck knows very well people of the Portuguese TV, he contacted them and they came to film Hugo that same evening. He had never seen a studio of his life, and the first time which he enters studio, the Portuguese TV news is there and it passes the same evening on the antenna! Her mother and her family which had stayed over there didn't mean seeing their son on TV news... Thus, with this passage in the TV news, all the press wanted to know more about it on this fairy tale. All the television programs want him and all the press wants him... And it left like that.
And thus, during this first come in Brussels, he records how many songs? He records two songs which I had written to him. Later, as the test was concluding, we decided to record an album. An album intended at first for the Portuguese market. He returned two months later and we recorded this album, which went out in 2009. And in Portugal, that very well worked.
And now, you go to attack the French market? Completely. But for France, we are going to record an album everything in French.
It's a crazy thing this story... You can say it! In fact, he didn't look for record company. He just sang on internet purely for his pleasure. It was his passion to sing, but he didn't intend to become a singer. He sang for his friends. His parents didn't even know that he put his videos on internet.
And thus, you take some pleasure to compose for him? Yes. Many. What had struck me as soon as I heard him, it was its way to interpret songs. He doesn't sing as me, but I understood at once that what I composed could go with his voice. Thus I found in him a formidable interpreter. Musically, I refind me totally in him. Besides, we have the same musical tastes...
There is a beautiful alchemy between you two. Really. I composed him all the songs of his album. Except, naturally the take out of Christophe "Les marionnettes" and "Avec le temps"of Léo Ferré. It's him who had the idea moreover, of this take out of Ferré. He interprets in a incredible way. There is also a song written by Charles Blackwell. This song was written in English. And big surprise while he doesn't speak English, hesings very well in English also! Thus, this boy has a beautiful career in front of him...
You also recorded a duet and writes a song for a young French artist, Cyril Alexis. Effectively. But the story is rather different. One day, Cyril wrote me a letter of two pages which enormously touched me. His dream was that I write him a song. I listened a little what he made on internet. And I wrote him a song... I found that Cyril's stamp sometimes got closer to mine. But it's not the same road as with Hugo. It's not in the same context. Cyril came to look for me and Hugo, I went to seek him. A lot of people asks me for songs, I often refuse, but for Cyril I accepted because I liked what it made.
How do you find his take out of "Donne donne moi"? It's cute.
We are very far from your version! You know, we couldn't rerelease the version today which I recorded in the 70s! It's a beautiful version with his color to him. I have difficulty judging when we make occasions of my songs. Because in my head, I always have my version which trails! Not that my version is better, in no way, but let us say that I'm more used there.
Next year, thus you celebrate your 40 years of career. What surprises do you reserve us? I shall also celebrate my 60 years!! (laughter) There will be also a compilation. With certainly one or two unpublished pieces. For the rest, that has to remain a surprise... Thus, you will know about it more next year! (laughter)
Which glance do you relate to the evolution of your job? I really believe that the young people who begin today have the same heart and the same passion as us in the time. It's as the love, that doesn't move. The young people put themselves a shell today. They don't openly want to sing any more soft songs. They want more metallic, more electric things... As for the job, there would be so much to say... Everything so evolved!
That pleases you today to return on the front of the scene? Naturally. And at the bottom, the fact that i being stopped some years was certainly beneficial. Because I didn't keep a negative image in the job, the image of the small singer with kittens. Thus, this stop was beneficial...
You always composed a lot in your life, but enough little wrote as a matter of fact. Why? I write more today. But I was never really enticed by the writing. On the other hand when I compose a melody, I always give the key sentence which is going to return in the tune... But to refine the text, it isn't really my cup of tea, it isn't my real passion.
Finally, I am going to give you some words, you go to say to me what they evoke you instinctively.
-Ensemble: my first record. The first one whom I heard to the radio.
What that made for you when you hear you to the radio? Not much, in fact. (laughter)
You were untied enough from the job all the same. Untied isn't the exact term... You know when the baker made his bread and when he's going to sell it, we don't cut down the champagne! I did my job, ithat's all...
And when you held your first record in hands, that made you what? There, I was very satisfied. Any time, I had become as Christophe and Hervé Vilard! I was as my idols, I had my record. It's a very big moment. It's probably the real big moment of my career...
Tear: a feeling, that it's happy or unfortunate
Autumn: depression
Young lady:little
Portugal: the country where I shall go for all eternity.
Ocean: Portugal.
Everything: not possible.
Hugo: fairy tale.
Give: the most beautiful thing...
By IdolesMag on October 2010.
Find the interview in its original version (in french) on IdolesMag.com, click here == > Interview de Art Sullivan on IdolesMag (in french)
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