Interview with Paul Buckby Part 2

Wednesday 28 May 2008

Our second installment of our interview kicks off with a lot of concern from viewers in light of Dr Adam's most recent appearance on Egoli.

Des (Chanelle de Jager) explained that his bald appearance is due to him taking the research with his cancer patients a bit too seriously.

1. Paul, what does the audience think about your baldness and your weightloss?

I have been hearing reports of Egoli fans shocked by my appearance in Egoli.Some say i scare them and I look ill.

When i found out that i landed the role of KING, I weighed 92,8kgs!I went down to 72,5kgs for this role.



2. How did you do that?

I did basic exercises and ate properly. Remember the King of Siam lived on bean shoots and Thai tea, not Peronis and boerewors.

I now weigh 78kgs so I am not dying. Egoli were just as surprised as the public when I arrived on set.

3. What are you working on at the moment?
There's an old saying: "To find your missing prince, you have to kiss a lot of frogs!"
Well the same can be said for concept developing. A colleague and I devised a reality concept for television which has international prospects. We linked up with an influential player who really believes he can sell it overseas to top broadcasters in various European countries, after which we would produce it here in South Africa. The next move is to shoot a precis' of the concept so that our man can take it to Germany, Italy, England, France and Japan. All that we are waiting for now, is an investor to cover the costs of this DVD and we are away. That's where the missing frog bit comes in. We haven't met the right person or persons yet.

4. What is your proudest achievement thus far?
My proudest achievement? mmmm... That's a hard one, because the survival of this sort of career depends on 'proud achievements' to keep you relevant. It's what keeps you going. Very much like Golf. You wonder why you do it, but make two or three shots good shots and your question is answered. There are many, but I don't ponder on them. I am too busy chasing the next proud moment. I feel in my spirit that God wants my next move to make Him proud.

5. What about your musical career?
I am song writing at present. Mostly Christian songs and I'm loving it. I don't know if they will ever be published, but they really have blessed me and have helped bring me into a place of intimacy with God. I am also the 'gas kunstenaar' on the NOOT VIR NOOT ROADSHOW, which so far has traveled to more than 40 towns.

6.Where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration? Two sources, God and my wife Sarann. I have been a Christian for 35 years and only now am I really enjoying this relationship. Why? because I am seeking His face, because I want to really find Him and be significant to His kingdom. I have surrendered my life to Him completely. I have no aspirations for my world as I've known it, no trophies to win, no points to prove. I am waiting for God to open the gates to my new future and this is what now inspires me to get up in the morning. This gives me real joy. My wife is a very unique human being who is always on hand to encourage and inspire me. It's very easy to take the disappointments of this career personally. Sarann always finds the positive side to any situation.

7. How do you relax?

Relax? Via opposing forms of entertainment. Song writing really helps me to relax and believe it or not, computer games! Games which are centered on total carnage and destruction! First person shooters are my favourite. I love walking around awesome environments along with the ever present threat of being shot or hacked to pieces by some mutant lunatic or mercenary. Strange how this could possibly help me to relax, but it does.

8. Any albums for us to look forward to?

Album, not just yet, but watch this space!

9. What are your plans for the next 5 years?

Mmmm. I have a dream which in 5 years time I hope will be up and running. I can't say more at this stage.

10. Who is in your secret address book?

No one is in my secret address book. (if there was someone and I told you, it wouldn't be a secret :-) )

11. Who is your role model?

I don't have a role model, but I do admire people who achieve their goals despite overwhelming odds. eg. Oscar Pistorius or Nelson Mandela

Thank you for your time Paul and we wish you much success with your projects.

Thank you for this opportunity Lizette. I hope I didn't waffle too much :-)
Paul

Interview with Paul Buckby Part 1

Monday 19 May 2008

Paul Buckby, the hunky Dr. Adam Fischer from Egoli fame is a versatile artist and qualified auctioneer.

Get to know the man better in the first part of my interview with Paul Buckby.

Paul, how did you get into the entertainment industry?

It all started from a very young age. I had an inherent ability to entertain an audience, albeit it friends or family. It went onto the school stage and after that almost straight onto the professional stage at The
Baxter Theatre in 1983. I played JOHN n Peter Krummeck's play THE PASSION.

Children's theatre then took most of my time which is an excellent training school for actors. Capab made use of me for a few years and before long, i was working for Pieter Toerien in Johannesburg 1985. I enjoyed leads in musicals around the
country for ten years. TV eventually became my focus, starring in soapies or
drama series for most of the networks. This last Xmas, I played the KING in THE KING AND I at The Civic in JHB and
relished my return to the musical stage. I'm now in a bit of a wasteland.
God is in charge of my next move.

You are so versatile: stage, music, television... do you have a preference?
Musical Theatre is my favourite form of showbiz.

You're a qualified auctioneer. Any funny / embarrassing moments to share?

The hardest thing for me to auction is aspects of myself. E.g. I get called upon to auction off one of my CDS 'A MOMENT'S BORN' to raise funds.
Well, I usually blush the whole time, especially when there is a muted response!!

You were very convincing as Dr. Adam in Egoli. Are you as weird as him in real life?

I am not like Adam in his extreme, no. I do, like everyone else, have quirks and idiosyncrasies.
When I eat and go for seconds, I like to clean my plate first. Every serving deserves an opening night! I don't like sharing my ice-cream, or eating off someone else's fork.
I don't like someone
helping himself to my food from my plate, or sucking chicken bones. I'll stop there!

What is home like?
'Home' will always be in Cape Town, not only because of my parents, but all my childhood memories are there. This sounds crazy, but I feel a strange sense of security when I'm staying at my folks' place. I slip into 'son' mode and my dad switches on the alarm and makes sure all the doors are
locked, feeds the cat etc. I take a breather from my responsibilities in
JHB.

I believe that like my hubby, you like the young ladies. Tell us about the love of your life?

My wife is 17 years my junior. I didn't plan it this way. I met Sass when I was 37, she was 20.
She was/is very mature for her age. She's a very bright lady. She was studying at RAU when we
met. I am young at heart and this is what works. I am now 45, but you wouldn't say so. I
collect model cars for goodness' sake! Our age gap is our platform. We bring
different ideas to the
table. She'd never heard of BUCK ROGERS and I didn't know who MATCHBOX 20
were!
I'm sure you can relate Lizette. [oi - yes... can't I just!]

I look forward to Part 2 of my interview with Paul.

Interview with Danie Niehaus

Question and answer interview with renowned Afrikaans musician

Lizette: Danie, where did your music career start?

Danie: I was a member of the Alabama Student Revue group at Potchefstroom University and later on started singing with 2 friends at variety shows with my dad, actor/commentator Dana Diehaus, who used to compare these shows. My first song was written when I was a late 29, whilst working at the SABC in Sea Point and my first album was recorded in 1985 and released the next year.

Lizette: You are proficient in a variety of genres - what is your favourite music style?
Danie: I love a good melody, therefore I prefer ballads.

Lizette: What do you listen to in the car?
A: A huge variety, whatever is in the car at the time, sometimes the same 4/5 cd’s for a year long. Neil Diamond, Joe Niemand, Faith Hill, Shaun Phillips, whatever.

Q: You live in Bloubergstrand. Tell us about your homelife?
A: I stay alone in a house in a security area in Bloubergstrand but my sound engineer has been staying there as well for quite a while after moving to Cape Town from Kuruman. I sleep very lightly and mostly go for a jog or a swim in the sea early mornings. There after I do admin and working on my laptop in a nearby restaurant. I eat in a restaurant three times a day as I am not really a good cook!

Q: Are you currently working on any special projects? Is there an album inthe pipeline?
A: I finished my new CD, called FYNSKRIF, earlier this year and will probably only record again next year.

Q: What are your future plans?
A: I’m leaving for New Zealand mid December for a series of Christmas concerts for ex-pats over there till mid January. I will also do some travelling in a hired camper I guess. I have started a new band which will probably accompany me more next year. We are also working towards a six piece group of artists for a special project in 2008. I will also be making a live DVD of one of my shows.

Q: What do you do to relax?
A: I have a boat at Langebaan where my son stays and kites and I go there as often as I can. We both love the sea and go boating together. Sometimes I go on short weekend trips with my Honda Goldwing motor cycle or play golf.

Q: You write your own songs - do you write about your own life experiences?
A: I write mostly about my own experiences mixed with a bit of imagination. But yes, there is a lot about my life in these songs - happy and sad.

Q: Please tell us about your song entitled 466664?
A: I have been to Robben Island many a time during the past 20 years, and it’s always been a place of great interrest to me. The quarry, the famous cell, the hardship, the larger than life portrayal of some, the lies, the truth, the history and also because the island is right in front of me every day as I awake.

Q: What is your view on the current state of Afrikaans music in South Africa and the world as a whole?
A: The standard has surely picked up, but we are still lacking behind the Western music world in general. What we think is new, has been done 20 years ago - still it is good to see us catching on. the Afrikaans youth has certainly latched on in a big way (I still can’t figure out what caused the mind set change, because anything goes nowadays, even stuff that we regarded as old hat and tacky way back then). The market isn’t really growing that much because there are too many Idol contenders flooding the already small market and producing a karaoke type sound. We need new sounds and new ideas.

Q: Tell us something we don’t know about Danie Niehaus?
A: I have very little patience and can’t stand lazy people with no gusto or self respect.

Thank you, Danie, for this interview and good luck with all the new projects and especially your tour to New Zealand.

Interview with Koos Kombuis

Afrikaans musician speaks about his work, his kids and his future

Question: Koos, you are write your own music and have published a number of books, is that correct?

Answer: I am a writer by heart, yes, and music is just a hobby. In this sense, I am more lucky than other writers, for I have a direct line to my fans every time I do a live performance. The feedback I get from this is invaluable, though I must admit, I HATE signing autographs!

Question: What is your greatest accomplishment yet?

Answer: Giving up tobacco! It was much harder than heroin!


Question: The state of Afrikaans music in 2007?

Answer: So many lost opportunities. So much hiding away in the laager. There is lots of good music, but almost none of it is original. What country are these people living in?

Question: What projects are you currently working on?

I’ve just recorded a new CD entitled "Bloedrivier". And I’ve completed a sequel for my novel "The Secret Diary of God".

Question: What do you want to achieve in the next 10 years?

Answer: It depends on whether the ANC will give me the scope to work in. As long as I feel that they are turning me into a second-class citizen just because I happen to be white - something which is entirely beyond my control, by the way - every contribution I make to the culture of this country feels devalued, soiled, unappreciated. I demand respect. If I don’t get it, I will seriously consider moving elsewhere. If not Australia, then Namibia. Well, on second thoughts, DEFINITELY not Australia. If you think Zuma is bad news, think about Shane Warne...

Question: What do you do when you’re not working?

Answer: I play darts. I kick my dog. I entertain sexual fantasies about Helen Zille.

Question: Your two young children must keep you young?

Answer: They don’t make me young. They make me feel very old.

Question: What are you doing for Christmas?

Answer: I will spend every living second with my 2 aforementioned children, and I will call that "holiday". But it won’t be a holiday at all! As a matter of fact, my real holiday begins on the 16th of January, when school starts. Everything before that is pure unadulterated chaos, urban terror and total madness.

Thank you Koos for your time - we look forward to your new album!