ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Vol. 41 - No 39
Plus

He climbed the heights!

By Ranjit Vethakan

SOMETHING special happened on Friday!

An old friend called in, albeit belatedly, armed with a bagful of memories and a whole lot of choice delights, to send a chapel full of delirious devotees into heavenly terrain!

And like any favourite uncle, he had the goods to meet the demand . . . far beyond expectations!

Yes, Cliff Richard finally managed to bring his fabulous travelling show to our shores which, at the end of all it left his audience awestruck.

That he can sing was never a question; that he can dance had been well documented. However, that he can entertain was something most Sri Lankans were experiencing for the first time.

With back-up singer Dawn Joseph

Boy! Didn’t he climb the heights!

Such was the pace, a young lass seated beside me was moved to ask “is it really true he’s 66?” Noticing my nod of agreement she hit back: “I’m sure it must be a misprint!”

Yes, it was Cliff Richard in his element, as he rolled out most of his vast catalogue of hits and memories.

There were the songs we’ve all grown up with, like Summer Holiday, Lucky Lips, Livin’ Doll, When The Girl In Your Arms . . ., Bachelor Boy, We Don’t Talk Anymore, Constantly, Evergreen Tree, Move It and so on, plus his selection from his latest studio effort Two’s Company.

But no matter what was being belted out, the audience joined in the singing with those it knew and swayed to the rest.

It’s always hard for anyone to know what to expect from an audience when they’re treading a terrain for the first time.

Sir Cliff, however, did make subtle enquiries in the three-day lead-up to his concert and judiciously adjusted his repertoire . . . just enough to fit into our world.

His fans reach out.

No wonder he’s lasted five decades. And that, too, at the top! Or, somewhere not far from it!

There was one thing that stood out on Friday night. As he pointed out, the Exhibition and Convention Centre was “the longest” venue he had ever played in. So he pranced from one end of this wide stage to the other, just to enable those sitting on either side to get a closer look at him.

Botox or not, he still looks fabulous. Having said that, let’s get one thing straight. Cliff swears that he’s used that “treatment” only to straighten something on his nose!

This was essentially a song-fest, with most of the small talk left in cold storage back in his suite. But he did manage a few words, wondering if the full house had anything to do with the lack of any quality programmes on TV that night!

He six-piece band and back-up singers were in their element. And wasn’t gorgeous Dawn Joseph something? This 26-year-old resplendent in the saree (the Kandyan way) wowed the audience with her vocal talents whenever she stepped up to perform a duet.

Yes, it was the Night of Nights . . . with Sir Cliff belting out something like 35 tunes, some in a couple of medleys, and the 5000-strong audience savouring every moment of the near-150-minute concert.

This first foray into Sri Lanka has certainly has been a memorable one for the Bachelor Boy.

Not only did he learn how well we Sri Lankans can sing, he also had first hand experience of our “world famous road manners” which, reportedly, left him a state of shock for a considerable time prior to the show.

He did, however, indicate that he’d like to return. Will he? Well . . . !

Thank you, Cliff. Or, in his own words, Bohoma Isthuthi!

The Sunday Times, Daily Mirror and Hi Magazine were the media sponsors of the Cliff Richard concert organised by Gold FM and DK Promotions.

The Sir with little ego and lots of passion

It was a much publicized visit, yet for all the fanfare, the man himself was disarmingly normal as he walked into the conference room of the Trans Asia Hotel last Tuesday to meet the press. Looking tanned, fit and nowhere near his 66 years, Sir Cliff Richard was the consummate professional, fielding questions with practised ease and self-deprecating humour.

But then he's had so much practice. Close to fifty years of it, after all, from the time he first hit the charts as a fresh-faced teenager in 1958. He was already known as Cliff Richard, and he elaborates on the choice of name. With the likes of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson to contend with, "Harry Webb did not sound good…..it was as simple as that. So I sat down with people and created a name."

Of course, he is now Sir Cliff. Not Sir Richard, he hastens to correct a journalist, but Sir Cliff. And being knighted, being tapped on the shoulder by the Queen with a sword was a 'wonderful emotional highlight". "I come from a humble background and I didn't expect anything like that."

It's a great honour in Britain, he reiterates, adding that he was so emotional at the time, his throat so tight, words failed him. "I said to my sisters afterwards the Queen spoke to me and I could hardly reply. I bet afterwards she said 'why didn't I at least give it to someone who can speak English?'" he laughs.

Britain's most enduring pop star he may be, but there is little ego apparent, save for pride and passion in his work. Asked to what he attributes his amazing longevity in the very ephemeral world of showbiz, he puts it down to having had good people to support him all through, with nary a word about his own talent. Does he owe his success to anyone in particular? "You owe everybody," is his prompt reply, "….the record companies, the producers, the song writers…you owe all these people that carry you and advise you."

His parents were the start of it all, he says, adding that he had a really good family life that gave him a foundation to build on. "My father was a great balancer. He'd always say, 'don't you get too carried away. My mother would be very supportive of everything I did." Because of their support, his feet stayed on the ground. "I always felt would my mother or father be proud if I said this or did this and if I didn't feel it, I tried not to do it…and that keeps you very normal."

Given the public's insatiable curiosity about stars like himself, he has discussed his philosophy in life, his faith, in broad terms, he says, but it is clear that Cliff Richard will not lay himself bare for journalists. He mentions briefly his mother's illness (dementia) and how he spoke about it on radio for Alzheimer's Week last year, only because he hoped it would benefit someone, help people deal with it. “I don't mind sharing things like that because it can help someone but sometimes the questions can be very impertinent, things I wouldn't ask my best friend, strangers ask me. Because I'm older, I just say, 'mind your own business'," he says, softening the statement with a smile.

Closing on that magic milestone of half a century in showbiz, he has two celebrations envisioned, one hopefully with his erstwhile band The Shadows (they were The Drifters when he started out) and another tour on his own, though he hasn't planned where yet.

For this 'Evergreen', bidding farewell is not yet on the horizon.

By Renuka Sadanandan

 
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Copyright 2007 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka.