GOOD MORNING AMERICA
(ABC TV in New York: televised ‘live’ on Nov. 24, 1997)
Hosts: Lisa MacCree and Charles Gibson
Translated by: Annie Gomez
LM:
(Facing one of the cameras in the studio) If you think the violin
is an old-fashioned instrument, you haven’t heard Vanessa-Mae,
the 19-year-old British superstar who wants to be the Jimi
Hendrix of the violin. At the age of 13, the former
child prodigy, had recorded 3 classical albums, then came a
‘pop’ album of which she called ‘techno-acoustic
fusion’. Now, she’s playing on Janet Jackson’s latest
recording as well releasing a new CD of her own, it’s called
‘China Girl: The Classical Album 2’. In a few moment,
she’ll perform for us but first let’s meet Vanessa-Mae.
(Turning left and facing Vanessa-Mae, who is sitting confortably in a
couch.) I know you’ve been here before but I didn’t know
this so tell me...where are you from?
VM: Yes, you joined in September, right?
(Note: Vanessa is wearing a yellow Chinese-styled, long-sleeved blouse
and a pair of tight black leather pants and black high-heeled
shoes.)
LM: Yes, right, right! So where are you from?
VM: Well...by blood, I’m half Thai, half Chinese. But I live in
London since I was 3 years old so that’s my base really.
LM: And when did you start playing the violin and why?
VM: When I was 5 years old. It was just at school, like all my friends
as a hobby. I think my parents wanted to enroll me just to
keep me busy after school hours. That was all really.
LM: But when is it that you took the violin and started doing things
your teachers weren’t telling you to do with your violin?
VM: Well, I think teachers started getting more excited, I think. They
started telephoning my parents and saying "she’s got a bit
of potential, maybe she’d like to develop it further". So it
all rolled on from there. I think it was their encouragement that pushed
me into the direction of making music my life really. But I think when
I was 8, that’s when I really decided that I want to make the violin my profession
when I grew older.
LM: And when was it that you made that turn though from playing the violin
like the masters would tell you to play the violin and doing
this thing you do now?
VM: Oh ‘pop’ as well! I think that...the thing is that I’ve
grown up as a child of the ‘90s like all the teenagers out there.
So even though I was trained as a classical violinist, I love to listen
to pop, rock, acid jazz, rock ‘n roll, all those different kinds of things. So when I first came on this show,
I was 16 with ‘The Violin Player’ album, my first ‘pop’
album and next year, I have a new ‘pop’ album coming out in
America. But right here, I’m in a classical mood in America because I’ve got ‘China Girl’,
my new classical album out. So l like having a parallel career.
LM: And what makes you wanna do ‘China Girl’ with a classical
inspiration?
VM: Well...I think sort of like how Bertolucci was inspired by China
for ‘The Last Emperor Of China’ and Puccini was
inspired by China to do the opportune on. I have a sort of fascination
growing up as a Western Chinese girl, if you know what I mean, and
pursuing my Chinese roots. I think since my grandfather died when I was
15, I felt that my one link, real link to the Chinese past had gone missing and I wanted to pursue that further on this
album...
LM: Aaahhh...(in amazement)
VM: ...so it’s deeply romantic album., almost filmic and epic, in
part.
LM: And your shows are well attended and well reviewed.
VM: Yesterday, we just did a show in New York...Shanghai Tang. They
were opening a new boutique in Madison Avenue and that was an
outdoor venue. Fantastic audience.
LM: And we have some videos over here.
VM: You have videos! Excellent!
(A clip of her performance of ‘Toccata & Fugue’ in front
of the Shanghai Tang boutique is shown on one of the televisions
in the studio.)
LM: And your costumes are also fabulous! Now, you have a good luck ritual
before you get up on stage to perform. Tell me what your good luck ritual
is.
VM: What I do, and I did it just before this show actually ‘coz
I’m peforming ‘live’ on this one, is to pour ‘freshly
spilt water’ on stage before I go on.
LM: To pour freshly...
VM: Between the dressing room and the stage, I get some water -- Evian
or Perrier or tap water -- and I pour it in front of me and
that brings me a lot of good luck.
LM: Wow!
VM: Yes!
LM: That’s not the only thing that spilled on our floor. I mean
I don’t know if you could find your good luck charm anymore
here.
VM: Yes, some people actually make the mistake of mopping it up! They
think it’s a mistake but it’s meant to be there.
LM: We’re gonna be back with you in just a moment. Vanessa-Mae
will perform for us right after this...
(Goes out to commercials with 10 seconds of ‘Violin Fantasy on
Puccini’s ‘Turandot’.)
(Commercials)
(Comes back from commercials with 10 seconds of ‘Butterflly Lovers
Violin Concerto’. Vanessa is standing by her band -- her mother on
piano, a flutist, an acoustic guitarist and a drummer -- and the hosts
of the show.)
LM: And now Vanessa-Mae performs her adaptation of the Scottish folk
song and it is called...
VM: ‘I’m A-Doun For Lack O’Johnnie’
LM: ‘I’m A-Doun For Lack O’Johnnie’. We’ll
be back!
(Note: This is an actual ‘live’ performance, including a
short vocal intro by Vanessa.)
(Performance ends, audience claps, commercials begin, commercials end.)
LM: I have to ask you. What is the blue finger nail?
(Note: Vanessa and everyone in her band painted their right-hand pinkie
nails blue.)
VM: It means you’re part of a gang because we’re a whole group
on tour for 3 or 4 weeks. But we’ll give you, guys, one later.
LM: Okay!
VM: Where you belong!
CG: That’s the way to get in! It’s like they check the blue
fingernail and you’re in!
(Both hosts are announcing tomorrow’s guests.)
CG: We’re gonna go out with a little more of ‘I’m Dying
For...For Lack...’
LM: No! I’m Doun!
VM: (laughing) I’m For Dying...It’s ‘I’m A-Doun For
Lack O’Johnnie’.
CG: ‘I’m A-Doun For Lack O’Johnnie’!
VM: Yes!
CG: I love it when great musicians, like this, get ‘douned’!
VM: Doun...
CG: (to the viewers) See you tomorrow!
VM: Goodbye!
(The show ends with 20 seconds of Vanessa and her band playing ‘I’m
A-Doun’ again, minus the singing this time.)
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