The following interview was made by Ruud Swart on March 21, 1981, with Ron and Russell Mael and Leslie Bohem. It was held at the RTBF television studios in Brussels, Belgium where Sparks were to promote their new album of the time: Whomp That Sucker.

The spoken word is put here exactly as it was. Please pardon my naivety; I was only 19 and very nervous!

Ruud:	I've been told by Constant Meijers of "Oor"... (a Dutch music paper-RS)
Russell:	Right.
Ruud:	...you always get, er, chocolate from him, is that right?
Russell:	Well...yeah, box of the hail.
Ruud:	Do you like it?
Russell:	Yeah.
Ruud:	I don't know if you like it, but I've taken it with me.
Russell:	Oh, you brought it, that's... yeah, great. Thanks.
Ron:	Chocolate hail...
Russell:	(to Les:) Chocolate hail, you know what that is? In Holland, you can have it for breakfast. You put it on bread, you butter bread and you sprinkle the chocolate on the bread.
Ruud:	I don't know if er, here you are, some Dutch candies, sweets.
Russell:	Oh..., thanks.
Ron:	Thank you.
Ruud:	I don't know if you like it though.
Ron:	Yeah.
Russell:	Yeah, we're ready.
Ruud:	As a kind of present.
Ron:	Great! It's Christmas!
Ruud:	And here are a couple of postcards that I found. I'm not sure whether you still collect them.
Leslie:	(takes cassette recorder) Thank you.
Russell:	He collects tape recorders.
Leslie:	Yeah, I do.
Ruud:	These are for you too. I don't know if you're interested but these are copies of the fan club magazines that I made since I was the president.
Russell:	Right.
Ruud:	A lot of pictures of you. Russ? (showing picture of Russell)
Russell:	I've seen him somewhere.
Ruud:	Yeah. They're made by a member of the fan club (pointing out drawings of R&R). Ron, do you recognise this one?
Ron:	Well, these are yours. I know you won't understand it as it's written in Dutch...
Russell:	Yeah, probably we'll have a little trouble.
Ruud:	This is our latest one.
Russell:	Where's this photo... Where's this photo from?
Ruud:	Er, a Dutch paper.
Ron:	(looking at the sleeves of the 7" singles that I'd brought along) I've never seen this...
Russell:	Look at that! What I.. Look at that, I mean, that's bones. Skins and bones. (Russ is talking about the Spanish sleeve of Amateur Hour)
Ruud:	Spanish.
Leslie:	Boy...
Russell:	Spanish?
Ruud:	Yeah.
Ron:	(looking at a cover of Never Turn Your Back...) Here's the..., the first show-a-buck..
Russell:	This is the first New Wave front cover, and all the first black and white, the first, er...
Leslie:	Which record is best sold?
Ron:	I don't know.
Ruud:	Do you mind if I film something?
Russell:	No, it er...
Ruud:	(sees that Ron is checking out the candies) Do you like them? I didn't know if you liked them. I just brought some typical Dutch...
Ron:	Yeah. I'm not much of a chock-eater myself. Russell's more of that.
Ruud:	Oh. I always heard that you did like to...
Ron:	Well, I, I...
Russell:	I think we can find three people to help us out.
Leslie:	I'd be happy to..
Ron:	Help out.
Leslie:	Help out.
Ruud:	I haven't introduced him yet. He's one of the most fanatic members of the fan club. Collecting everything, just like me. (introducing Dutch member Ruud Spek, who went with me).
Russell:	Well...
Ruud:	If you're ready, I please would like to ask some questions. (Meanwhile Ron takes a promotion copy of Introducing Sparks and mumbles something)
Ruud:	This album, I think I have it twice.
Ron:	Only two?
Ruud:	Well, yeah the promo album I've got twice. But apart from that also the regular American, English, German, Spanish and Dutch, I guess.
Russell:	Can I see your, the new one, the latest album?
Ruud:	That's a, that's a Dutch one. It wasn't pressed in Holland though. Well, you may sign this as well, if you like.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	If you don't mind. I don't see you that much. This is the first time, probably the last one too.
Russell:	Oh, you'll see us when we'll come to Holland, we'll...
Ruud:	Yeah, if you come to Holland, I'll be there, that's certain.
Russell:	We should be doing Toppop, or something. (Dutch version of TOTP)
Ruud:	Er, yeah. Toppop. Well, er, what happened to Keith Forsey, was his style too different to use on the new album? I heard he produced an album by Generation X, is that right?
Russell:	Er, yeah, well, actually he's Giorgio Morodor's er, drummer, and for the new album we wanted to just have, er, a, a real band as opposed as a session drummer. Keith's more of a session drummer and so we, er, we didn't.
Ruud:	Who came up with the name of the new album? I guess you did, Ron?
Ron:	Er, I guess you, guess you're right!
Russell:	Yeah, I guess so.
Ruud:	What does "Whomp" exactly mean? Pushed down or something?
Ron:	"Whomp". No "whomp" means to hit, hit somebody (hits one fist into the other).
Ruud:	Yeah, you can see that in the comics.
Ron:	Yeah, "whomp", yeah.
Ruud:	It's slang.
Ron:	Slang, yeah.
Ruud:	Er, I'd like to know how exactly the songs were written. Did you both write the lyrics as well as the music or did you, Ron, for example wrote, er, write...
Russell:	For example, he did a lot of everything.
Ruud:	Yeah?
Russell:	Where's this one from?
Ruud:	Er...
Russell:	Godammed!
Ruud:	Germany.
Ron:	Boy, I wish I could hold this.
Ruud:	I've heard you were considering co-operating with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick...
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	I read it in, er, a newspaper.
Ron:	Well there, before we started this album there was the possibility he was gonna produce it, but it just didn't work out. He wanted to produce the album but it just didn't work out.
Ruud:	You didn't want him to produce it?
Ron:	Well, no it was, it was okay from both ends, but there's the legal problem, I mean he had a manager and they wanted too much money and that sort of things.
Ruud:	Oh, that kind of problems. Why er, hasn't Giorgio produced this album?
Ron:	Er...
Ruud:	Too much influence, Giorgio?
Ron:	Too much Giorgio-influence, yeah. So we, we decided, er, without, er, any problems with him, but we decided just to do it more of the way we liked to do it.
Ruud:	I see. What's the truth about the fact that you were invited by an American film company to play the starring roles in a film, in a t.v.-movie? It was in a Belgian magazine. It was about two brothers but you refused I read, because you wanted to concentrate on your music?
Russell:	Er, I don't really know anything about it.
Ron:	He lies a lot.
Russell:	I lie a lot, so maybe I said it at some point. Er, maybe I said it. I honestly don't know about that particular one, I'm sorry to say. We are notorious liars, so you can't believe anything we say. In fact, you can't believe that we're not doing it, we'll probably be doing it.
Ruud:	That's nice. What about the rumour that er, Todd Rundgren, I'm sorry to bother you about this old stuff, but the rumour goes 'round that Todd actually didn't produce your first album, but only the first two and then he left.
Ron:	First two?
Ruud:	The first two songs, er, High C and...
Ron:	He produced the whole album.
Ruud:	The whole album?
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	I was told, that you had a kind of a quarrel, because he wanted to be the funny guy and you wanted to work.
Ron:	(Laughs) Boy, this is good!
Russell:	No, the problem was, the only quarrel was that I ended up steeling his girl-friend, but, apart...
Ruud:	Yeah, Miss Christine...
Russell:	Yeah.
Ruud:	...of GTO.
Russell:	(nods) GTO.
Ron:	Where's her album? (laughs, looks amongst the covers).
Ruud:	I don't have it. I do have every album of former Sparks members; Radio Stars, Jet...
Ron:	Yeah, yeah.
Ruud:	I met Trevor White as well.
Ron:	Tell him to give me back my piano (laughs).
Ruud:	He still got your piano?
Ron:	Yeah!
Russell:	That creep.
Ron:	Jerk.
Russell:	What does he think he...
Ruud:	I got a letter from him, he told me that, when you were in Holland, around 1979 for Toppop to do the "La Dolce Vita" recording on tv, you gave him a ring and asked how his new band was doing, is that right?
Ron:	Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Trevor's the little guy, the...? (everybody laughs)
Ruud:	Have you ever, er...
Russell:	Les, he's the taller one, they reckon, er...
Leslie:	They told me I looked like, er...
Russell:	Like Paul Newman.
Ruud:	Yeah, he looks a bit like Paul Newman.
Russell:	Thank you.
Leslie:	Thank you.
Ruud:	Have you ever released any records in Australia and New Zealand? I've heard When I'm With You...
Ron:	Yeah, When I'm With You was a hit in Australia, yeah.
Ruud:	I got to get a copy of that one too.
Ron:	Yeah! Come On!
Ruud:	Well, when will the tour start?
Ron:	We hope in June.
Ruud:	June.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	Where will it start?
Ron:	Well, we're not exactly sure. We might be touring with Robert Palmer and if it's with him, that will be all over Europe.
Ruud:	Robert Palmer as a support act, I suppose?
Russell:	Well, er, equal, we'll discuss that later.
Ron:	There hasn't been talks about this.
Ruud:	I don't like his music.
Ron:	Well, we try touring with Robert Palmer and er...
Ruud:	I wouldn't have expected that.
Ron:	You can leave after we're on (laughs).
Russell:	Yeah (laughs)
Ron:	You don't have to stay for him.
Ruud:	You'll be first?
Ron:	Well, it depends on what country in who strong is, in whatever what country, I mean he's, he's very successful, you know...
Ruud:	Only his singles.
Russell:	(To Ron:) Only his singles, so we get worried.
Ron:	Is there a phone here, er... (laughs)
Ruud:	I've heard that you, Ron wrote some new tracks for an album after this one, the Whomp That Sucker album. Is that true? They are ready in America?
Ron:	Yeah, yeah, there's some songs that are done.
Ruud:	But you won't give me any titles?
Ron:	Well, they actually, they don't have any titles yet.
Russell:	He writes the music first, usually, so...
Ron:	Most of the lyrics of this album we done at our, at the Arabella Hotel, just, er, you know the time we recorded, the titles were all there, but I like to wait to the last minute to do the lyrics.
Ruud:	Where did you record this album? I mean, where did you write the songs for this album? In Germany as well?
Ron:	No, they were written in Los Angeles. And in England, some of them were written in England.
Ruud:	Er, I've got a bit of a difficult question. Is there any certain message in your covers, as I noticed that you, er, often are the victims of something, er, I mean covers like Propaganda and Indiscreet and the last Whomp That Sucker, you're a bit of a victim as well.
Ron:	That's a good observation. Now we never noticed that, but it's er.., I mean it's good observation. Er, if it is, it's all, er...
Ruud:	In your mind.
Ron:	Yeah. Yeah, 'cause I never really thought about that.
Ruud:	Well, I noticed that everytime you, you concepted an album cover, it was always you or Russ that were the victims, or both. On "Propaganda" you were kidnapped, kinda kidnapped and on "Indiscreet", you were, you're, like with the plane crashed...
Russell:	Right, it's, you know it's a good observation...
Ruud:	And now you're, er, knocked out.
Russell:	It's true. I don't know what the reason is of that.
Ruud:	Coincidence?
Russell:	Ehm, it's probably not a coincidence.
Ron:	It's probably more than a coincidence.
Russell:	It's happened three times. It's er, too much of a coincidence
Ruud:	Well, what do you think are the best tracks off the new album? First Russ?
Russell:	Er, I like Tips For Teens and I Married A Martian.
Ruud:	Mmm, good lyrics.
Russell:	And That's Not Nastassia.
Ruud:	That's the best one, I think.
Russell:	Yeah?
Ruud:	What about you, Ron?
Ron:	Er, I don't know, this album, I really like the whole album, more than individual tracks. Usually, usually I feel like this a lot of times (laughs). Er, I've never seen most of these singles.
Ruud:	I've even more but I thought these were pretty much to take er, I didn't take them all. I'm glad you did sign them, some of them, most of them.
Russell:	All of them (laughs).
Ron:	All of them (laughs).
Ruud:	All of them?
Russell:	They're all ruined now, you're nice covers.
Ruud:	No, I don't think they're ruined, I'm glad with them. Er, who thought up to release the "Funny Face" single, the record company? I think Tips For Teens would have been.... (Both Ron and Russell start to laugh.) You did?
Russell:	No, it wasn't, no, the company usually tend to decide what they think that, er...
Ruud:	You have no influence in that?
Russell:	Well, we never strong opinion because we like everything on the album so if, if they're excited about one song and think that it should be that then there's no reason, unless we felt that it definitely wasn't a single but it's as, it's as good a choice as, as anything else on the album to be a single.
Ruud:	How is the situation at the moment in the States? How was the Terminal Jive album, er...
Russell:	Terminal Jive was, was nothing at all. The new album will be one a new label, we gonna be with RCA now in America, and so, we're hoping with a new, er, just a new company and they're real excited about it, that, you know, maybe er...
Ruud:	Well, it's an exciting album.
Russell:	Thanks.
Ruud:	It's er, it's like a combination of er, Kimono My House and Introducing Sparks.
Russell:	Ahha.
Ruud:	More modern.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	I think.
Ron:	Yeah, yeah.
Ruud:	You used, er, well I don't know how great the influence of the producer was but I think, er, it's got your own style, your Sparks style.
Ron:	It's true, it's really true. He really likes, he, he doesn't necessarily like the purely clinical kind of sound, he..., yeah.
Ruud:	He only did the arrangements?
Ron:	No, the arrangements were all ours, but, but the sound is a large part of it, you know. It's just the way everybody plays.
Ruud:	Well, I'd like to..., I've got no blank paper, 'cause then, if I had, you could sign something to the Dutch members.
Russell:	Oh yeah.
Ron:	Yeah, yeah. If you, if you find..., there must be a piece of paper. Well, we can get it, we can do it later.
Ruud:	If you'll have the time.
Ron:	Sure.
Ruud:	Yeah?
Ron:	Yeah.
Russell:	Just whenever you find, find a piece of paper, we'll sign it.
Ruud:	Yeah. Er, you won't be playing live will you? The programme will be live but...
Russell:	The programme's broadcast live but we're not playing live.
Ruud:	Have you rehearsed?
Russell:	No, er, and the other musicians, the other musicians apart from Les are still in Los Angeles, so...
Ruud:	The other two?
Russell:	Yeah, so...
Ruud:	There are only two more musicians?
Russell:	We may be adding also another synthesiser player for live, another guy from Los Angeles, so, there may be six when we tour.
Ruud:	Is John Hewlett still your manager?
Russell:	John Hewlett's not, he's not been our manager for a few years, three years...
Ruud:	Oh. I still thought...
Russell:	No.
Ruud:	And there's me, still looking for John's Children singles. Who's your new manager?
Russell:	We don't have one, we're...
Ruud:	Considering yourselves?
Russell:	Yeah, yeah.
Ruud:	That's the way to do it. What er, how, er, do you really live close to Mary Martin. She always gave the impression that she...
Russell:	Yeah, we're...
Ruud:	You know her very well?
Russell:	Yeah, yeah, she lives in the same, er...
Ruud:	Street?
Russell:	No, not in the same street but the same area as him, not in the same area as me.
Ron:	It's in West, Westwood.
Ruud:	You live on a farm, don't you?
Ron:	Farm? Oh God, no.
Ruud:	Well...
Russell:	Check your information!
Ron:	I hate farms. I live in an apartment in West.
Ruud:	Well I have all these scrap books and one of them features an article that mentions that you lived on a farm, no, Russell would live on a farm and you would live in a flat.
Ron:	I live in a flat, yeah.
Russell:	He lives in a flat, yeah, but I don't live on a farm, I live in a hill-sort of like, it's, it's not a farm, it's in the er, Canyon.
Ruud:	This is the original of that cover, you see?
Ron:	Oh, yeah.
Ruud:	I used it for the fan club magazine.
Russell:	Where's this, where is this one from?
Ruud:	Muziek Parade, Holland.
Russell:	Ahha. How long ago was that?
Ruud:	'79, I think.
Russell:	Ahha.
Ruud:	April.
Russell:	Yeah.
Ruud:	I've never seen your videos like Tryouts For The Human Race nor Beat The Clock. Well, I've seen the Beat The Clock one, but not the Tryout... one.
Russell:	Les, did you ever see these photos, there from...
Leslie:	Yeah.
Russell:	Did you ever see it?
Ruud:	These are some photos of you from an article that was made about the very first time you were in Holland. I don't think you will remember it. It was with, er... what about this one, Ron?
Ron:	Jarti.
Ruud:	Jarti?
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	Who's Jarti?
Ron:	It's er... It's Constant Meijer's ex-girl-friend.
Ruud:	Ex-girl-friend, yeah. Here's Jarti and Russell, well this is a photocopy of the original.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	This magazine doesn't exist anymore. It was pre-"Oor", you know "Oor".
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	Why did you change your hair?
Ron:	Well... (hesitating)
Ruud:	You don't know?
Ron:	I still, I still don't like long hairs.
Ruud:	So the curls in the beginning of Sparks were just an image?
Ron:	Well, the curls are still there, just they're plastered down so much now.
Ruud:	You got your own curls?
Ron:	Oh yeah, my hair's really curly. (Into the microphone): A Dutch exclusive!
Ruud:	Just like Russ.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	Yeah, you look a lot the same.
Ron:	We do?
Ruud:	Yeah (laughs). This was placed in the American fan club magazine. I haven't heard from her for quite a while.
Russell:	The new one I think is coming out real soon.
Ruud:	I haven't received any magazines for four or five months, I think she's ignoring me.
Russell:	Ignoring you?
Ruud:	Yeah, 'cause we have some British members. She doesn't like that.
Russell:	Yeah, 'cause it gets a bit complicated, when there's six fan clubs.
Ruud:	No, there's only one in Europe. We're the only, we're the same fan club as Bart van den Hoogen had.
Russell:	Right.
Ruud:	I've taken over, but she wanted that I had to give the money and the addresses of the foreign, the members abroad to her. But they wanted to stay our member as well. Well, er, I've no questions any more at the moment. I'm sure when you're gone I have thousands of them but I'm too nervous to think about...
Ron:	Oh don't worry. It's really nice that you have all these singles.
Ruud:	Yeah?
Ron:	I wish I had those singles.
Ruud:	I suppose you got all your albums at home, and your singles, don't you?
Ron:	Not any more near to this.
Ruud:	I put all my records on paper, so when I get the opportunity to buy another one...
Ron:	Ahha.
Ruud:	....I first have to check, like "Well, I got it already, it's a German copy".
Ron:	That's amazing.
Ruud:	You can look through it, if you want to. You'd be amazed how many records there were actually released by you.
Ron:	Yeah we got, quite a, quite a past.
Ruud:	Yeah, much huh?
Ron:	I Wanna Hold Your Hand in Japan. That's pretty good.
Ruud:	I've got a Finnish copy too but it didn't have a photo cover so I didn't bring it with me. Before I forget, could you please, well, I know I'm a bore but...
Ron:	Oh, no!
Ruud:	...could you please, er...
Ron:	Sign these?
Ruud:	...sign these ones for the fans?
Ron:	Sure.
Ruud:	So we can make a contest to win it. Mary Martin's always the only one who has collector's items to win and we never have anything, so... (Meanwhile Ron takes the cover of the UK No. 1 Song In Heaven). I've got the green one as well, but boy was it expensive. (Ron and Russ are still signing covers, so I go to Les) What er, what bands did you play in before Sparks?
Leslie:	Oh, I played in a lot of, just bands in Los Angeles.
Ruud:	Famous ones, or not?
Leslie:	No, not particularly famous, local. (To Ron and Russell:) Was I in famous bands?
Russell:	Black Sabbath.
Leslie:	I was in Black Sabbath.
Ruud:	Black Sabbath.
Leslie:	Black Sabbath and with Ted Nugent, actually I am Ted Nugent.
Ruud:	Yeah, I can see that. Just a bit shorter hairs. Were you born in Los Angeles?
Leslie:	Yeah.
Ruud:	Would you like to give an impression of the new members?
Leslie:	I can tell you about the others, one's from New York and the other's from Chicago.
Ruud:	From?
Leslie:	Chicago.
Ruud:	Oh, that's pretty far from...
Leslie:	Yeah.
Ruud:	And did you have any influence on the new album or did you just play what you had to play?
Leslie:	(To Ron and Russell:) Did I have any influence on the new album?
Russell:	None! Probably none, only negative.
Ron:	Yeah, negative influence.
Leslie:	It couldn't have possibly been quite the same without me.
Russell:	Yeah, I don't know. You see the only problem is, before we used to get a lot of girls coming 'round the band and now with, you know Les here, it's hurt everything, you know? Somehow it's just attracting from any overall femenal appeal.
Leslie:	I think only that, I know that, they're well, I don't know how to say it.
Russell:	He's speechless.
Leslie:	Yeah, I'm speechless. No, I had absolutely no influence on the record, actually, I didn't play on the album, it's all synthesisers.
Russell:	We saw his face...
Leslie:	They just, yeah, they really like the way I look and, er, they like me around with them.
Ruud:	Could you tell me something about the others, your friends, I guess?
Leslie:	'Bout the others, well, not that much...
Ron:	(Looking up from signing the sleeves) What's that?
Leslie:	No, the others, the real band.
Ron:	Oh, the real band.
Russell:	Oh, the real, oh...
Leslie:	The drummer's an aristocrat.
Ruud:	?
Ron:	He's the most intellectual drummer in the world.
Ruud:	The what?
Russell:	The most intellectual drummer in the world.
Leslie:	He's actually not sane, he's cricket.
Ruud:	Well, have heard, er, the new, I mean the single that Earle Mankey once released, "Mau Mau"?
Ron:	Yeah, it's good, it's good, it's good.
Ruud:	It's a nice song, yeah. Er, Do you still see him? Is he a friend?
Ron:	No not, well, he's a friend but he's moved further away from us, so we don't really see him.
Ruud:	I've heard er, Harley Feinstein or Feinstein, I don't know how to pronounce it...
Russell:	He's an attorney.
Ruud:	He is...?
Russell:	He's an attorney now.
Ruud:	Attorney?
Russell:	An advocate?
Ruud:	Ah, lawyer.
Ls:	Oh. Lawyer.
Ruud:	He, er, I heard when you asked him to play the drums on your albums he had never played drums before. Is that right?
Russell:	No he played drums.
Ron:	He just drummed that way.
Russell:	He was pretty bad (laughs).
Ron:	Sure looked damn good.
Russell:	He looked great, ahead of his time.
Ron:	Er, no he played drums, he played drums. I think it was his first band.
Russell:	Yeah, it was his first, er...
Ruud:	Well, I noticed on the records that, er, he drums very, very, er...
Russell:	(To the stage manager, who just entered:) Ten minutes?
Ruud:	...very strange, other than you might...
Russell:	It's called out of time.
Ron:	(Laughs) No, he's drummed before.
Ruud:	I would suppose it, er, it would be different, the songs, the drumming is very, er...
Russell:	It's really important to the way he thinks.
Ruud:	Yeah, it's different than you expect on these.. er. He drums contra!
Ron:	Yeah, a lot of the time.
Russell:	Yeah, it wasn't intended to...
Ron:	A lot of it is that the songs were kind of, so the beat on the songs is just, were so funny that it's hard for, any drummer to drum to those songs.
Ruud:	Yeah, they're really funny, I think they're great.
Ron:	Thanks.
Ruud:	I think all of your albums are great, one a bit less than the others, I think, but...
Russell:	The one "Terminal Jive", that is the one you don't like, right?
Ruud:	Well, I like it, it's just that...
Russell:	No, it's okay.
Ron:	No...
Russell:	You're totally right.
Ruud:	I would lie if I say I don't like it, I do but I just think it's er, it's not your common level, it's I mean...
Ron:	No, you're right, you're right.
Ruud:	It's below...
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	...your class, you can do very much more than that. I think that this album (about Whomp That Sucker) is, er, well, I don't know if it's gonna be a hit. It's typical Sparks, that's the problem.
Russell:	(Laughs)
Ron:	(Laughs) I know. (Laughs)
Ruud:	It's very good, but it's not very commercial.
Russell:	You don't think so. (looking surprised)
Leslie:	Oh yes, it is!
Ruud:	Well, commercial, er, for the fans for sure...
Russell:	(Looking worried) For the, for the fans?
Ruud:	Mmmm, the fans would love it.
Ron:	Well, come back in six months when it's a gold album in England.
Ruud:	Well, I hope so, I really do 'cause it's been a long time since you had a major hit. Beat The Clock got very much airplay.
Ron:	Yeah.
Ruud:	And, er, it was the favourite record of some radio station. It actually ended up being number 14 in the Dutch Top 50.
Russell:	That's good.
Ron:	Phone up the Dutch company and tell them to release a single.
Ruud:	Ariola?
Ron:	Yeah.
Russell:	You should phone them and tell them what you think.
Ruud:	I'm not so sure I'll have any influence.
Russell:	No, they...
Ron:	Everybody, everybody that, that talk to them, tell...
Russell:	You should phone them, tell them...
Ron:	Tell them you bought the album and, er...
Ruud:	Well, I actually got the album from them.
Ron:	Well, tell them...
Russell:	Tell them you got the album for free...
Leslie:	Lie!
Russell:	Yeah, lie! I should probably get ready 'cause it is in ten minutes, okay, so if, er...
Ron:	Yeah, good talking with you, thanks for the hail, thanks for the chocolate.
Russell:	We'll have good breakfast tomorrow morning.
Ruud:	I hope so.
Russell:	(To Ron:) I like this flavour better, it's just this is pure chocolate, this milk chocolate (grabs Ron's box of hail from his hands and gives him his box of chocolate).
Ruud:	(To Les:) Are you nervous?
Leslie:	Who, me? No!
Ruud:	It's not the first time you're on television?
Russell:	You look nervous.
Leslie:	Am I nervous?
Ruud:	It is the first time on t.v.?
Leslie:	Oh no, er, no it's just when you're not really playing, there's no, you know, what it is...

That's all I recorded on tape that day and I still am horrified by the sometimes silly and naive way of talking to them. We did chat much more during that day though. Hope you've enjoyed it anyway.

Ruud Swart