For the first time in his life Hugh Laurie came to Ukraine. The visit of the world famous British actor, also known as Dr. House, visited this country in the middle of Euro-2012. The Voice of Russia discussed with Laurie his life after the TV-show, his music and football, of course.
In the light of Euro 2012 would you call yourself an active football supporter?
I love football very much. I cannot play 90 minutes; I cannot even do 9 minutes. But I love it very much and I watched the game last night. I must say that England was a little bit lucky, but Ukraine played terrifically well. It was very exciting stuff. There is almost nothing better than a big sporting championship like this. It makes me happy like nothing else except may be music. But it is close between football and music.
What would happen if Dr House had a football ball instead of a small ball?
It could do, although not for Americans, as they don’t understand this game at all. It is getting a little bit more popular in US, but very slowly. They are more about basketball and American football. But one day they will understand.
We know Hugh Laurie as an artist, who is he as a musician?
I feel in my heart that I have been a musician longer than anything else. When I was young boy music had been my passion. It was always what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I never gave it enough time; I should have been doing more scales. Music is closer to the “real” me than any acting I have done. It is much closer to my heart.
You received musical education when you were six years old, is that correct?
Yes, but for a very short time. One month, that was all. And I hated it.
What made you start again?
I started listening to records. I think the first blues record I heard was a Willy Dixson song, that I heard on the radio. It was like an electric shock and I was glued to the radio. I started buying records and like every young boy I wanted to be a guitarist. But slowly I started listening more to the piano players. I used to listen to Muddy Waters whom I love. I love his guitar playing and his singing, but I found myself listing to his piano player Otis Spann on his records. Back then it was very difficult, but I tried to do the same on the piano. Nowadays with Itunes and Youtube it is much easier to work out what is going on. Listening to records brought me back to music.
Why did it take you so long to start your professional career in music?
Cowardness. I suppose I was thinking: “I am not ready. I need to practice more, I need to work more and commit more”. And I kept putting it off for later. But then I turned 50, now I am 53, and you reach a point in your life when you think: “I cannot wait, I have to do this now”. I don’t want to be an old man saying that I could have done that. This is something I have to do now, but I probably should have done it before. I am just a coward for not doing it before.
What blues means to you?
I have loved this music since I was very young. Since then I was the only one who listen to this music, everyone else was buying pop music. I never bought it. And I could never understand why other people could not hear what was so beautiful in music. I always tried to get people to listen to Muddy Waters, and Willy Dixon, and Howlin Wolf. And I still have that passion for getting people to hear this music and hear how beautiful it is. I love the idea that some people will hear this and say: “Wow, I never heard any Lead Belly songs, or J.B. Lenoir, or The Mississippi Sheiks, so I am going to go and buy those records now.” I feel like it is a great honor if I manage to do that even for just one person.
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