After 28 years of choral music, Bo Katzman is back with his band The Cat Pack and the album "The Truth". Will he build on his great pop star successes of the eighties? For the Ticketcorner blog, he presents one of his new songs in the Ticketcorner Live Session.
After a long time with the choir, you're back with an album and a band. How does that make you feel?
I feel a bit like a pioneer because I'm leaving the safe nest. We had many years of sold-out tours. It took a lot of courage and energy to go down a new path.
Why did you stop touring with the choir?
I simply wanted to explore new musical territory again. You have to have the courage to stop when you feel the time is right. I wanted to play with my band in smaller venues again and make the music that I was missing despite my success with the choir. But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy making gospel music with the choir. Incidentally, the choir still exists, albeit in a much smaller formation.
The music sounds less pop than it used to. Blues, country and rock alternate.
That's how it turned out. I took the liberty of not committing myself to one style, but to the individual song. Each song has its own personality. So the album sounds exciting and varied. But I will also be playing my greatest hits live, such as "I'm In Love With My Typewriter" from the 80s.
The album is called "The Truth". What truth are you revealing?
The title is linked to a personal experience that I process musically. A person who was close to me wasn't honest with me. That hurt me badly. I realized how important it is to be truthful with friends, even if it takes courage. Lying is a sign of cowardice. With this title, I want to fly the flag for truthfulness - especially in times of fake news.
You have turned 65. Others retire at that age. What drives you to keep going?
Why should I sit in a chair and let time pass? I'm driven by an engine that likes to make music. And this engine just keeps running. I still have power. It's the joy and curiosity that keep me going. What's still to come? What else can I achieve?
What do you hope to achieve with the new album?
When I make music, I live according to the pleasure principle. I try to express not only my own feelings, but also those of the audience. If I strike a chord, then there's a chance of success.
At the same time, you are on tour with your daughter Ronja with the "Double Emotions" program.
We perform together as a duo in small theaters and at corporate events. It is a humorous program. In addition to duets from the pop world, we sing songs that are not intended as duets. This leads to completely new interpretations of the songs. We are very successful with it.
What are you particularly proud of in your career?
Proud is perhaps not quite the right term. I am pleased that I have been able to motivate so many people to make music with me and that everything has worked out so well. At one point, my choir had over 200 members. I never took this success for granted. I was always amazed and thought: What's happening? When I look back, I am simply delighted.
At the age of 20, you had a near-death experience. How much did this influence you?
I asked myself: How can I be clinically dead and still hear and see what is happening around me? This event influenced my psyche and took away my fear of death. Since the near-death experience, I have been convinced that life goes on in a different state after life. It has made me more courageous.
When did you start dreaming of becoming a pop star?
It started with Elvis Presley when I was nine years old. I saw him on the cover of Bravo and thought: I want that too. Then I got a guitar for Christmas and started singing. That was the initial spark. However, I thought that being a musician wasn't a profession. It didn't even occur to me to go into it. My original wish was to become a teacher.
How much courage did it take back then to give up your job as a music teacher and focus entirely on a career in show business?
I didn't plan this path. My career came about purely through my intensive involvement with music and my desire to give everything my all. I rushed into it with youthful recklessness and thought: it will work out. I never had any doubts.
How much longer would you like to be on stage?
The great thing is: Unlike an athlete or dancer, a musician has no expiration date. So this question is superfluous. As long as I'm happy and in good health, I'll keep going. At the moment, the lights are green.
BO KATZMAN & THE CAT PACK
27.10. to 23.12.17, various venues
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