AVIVA-BERLIN.de im November 2024 - Beitrag vom 10.03.2003


Amanda Lear told AVIVA-BERLIN her thoughts about the real values in her life
J.Gallagher + S. Adler

During a flying visit to Berlin´s Teddy Awards 2003, where she performed songs from her new album "Tendance", she reflected upon being an older woman, and her true passion - painting

Amanda Lear´s walk to fame began as a fashion model for Paco Rabanne in 1965. While on the catwalk she met Salvador Dali and became his muse and closest friend for 15 years.

It was during this time - when sexual ambiguity was fashionable - that rumours and legends about the transexuality of Amanda Lear started. In 1973 David Bowie fell in love with her and they were together for about a year. The fashion industry had always told Amanda, with her stunning Eurasian features, to "shut up and smile", but it was Bowie who encouraged her to use her voice and sing. Her multi-talent continued to develop. In 1981 she became a star on Italian TV when she was invited to host a prime time variety show. She has also appeared in various movies.

AVIVA-BERLIN: When you were 16 you went to Paris and you studied art. Where did you passion for art come from?
Amanda Lear: From a statue. There was a naked man and there was this naked woman. Her hair was falling everywhere. Everything was perfect. Her breasts were perfect, his legs, his muscles and I was looking at this statue and thinking, "how beautiful". And that gave me the taste for art.
After a fashion show in Paris, Paco introduced me to Salvador Dali and I said to Dali, "You know I went to art school. I´m a painter, too." And he said, "A woman painter? Terrible!" And I said, "Why?" He said, "Because women cannot be painters. It´s a man´s thing." This was a typical Spanish macho statement. He said that talent is exclusively in the testicles. Because of this, obviously, I did not show him my paintings because I was afraid that he would tell me they were horrible. After many, many years, finally one day I showed him a painting and said, "This is what I do." And he said, "It´s not bad, for a woman."

AVIVA-BERLIN: You once said when you were talking about one night stands that five hours is all you need to be with someone...
Amanda Lear: Well, I´ve changed my mind. I think now two hours is enough! But when I was talking about one night stands, I think what I meant about that was in a couple of hours, you just want to have a good time. But that´s gone, now. I realise that´s not what I want more in a man. I need companionship. It´s a very strange thing that past 50 I seem to attract younger men. I didn´t know that young men like older ladies. There is hope. Because you see, as a woman, It´s terrible that after a certain age - It´s like a jogurt: Past 50, gone. When I got to 50, they gave me this huge birthday party and I counted 50 - And I thought, "I can´t believe it, It´s not true." Anyway they said, "You look wonderful... at your age." Will you stop saying,"at your age". Just say, "you look wonderful". And when I hear some girlfriend of mine say, "Oh, I´d like to go to a disco but at my age..." Well, go to a disco. Or "I like that dress but at my age I can´t wear it ..." Wear it! You must stop this: "at my age". And that´s the secret.

AVIVA-BERLIN: Would you say that the role of women has changed, especially in advertising? Younger women are modelling for anti-cellulite creams. They are 20 or 16 years-old!
Amanda Lear: This is completely wrong. We live in a world which is totally obsessed with image. We are so stupid that we don´t realise that all these images we see of Naomi Campbell and all those girls are completely computer-retouched. We live in a world where we are so confused and we have to come back to real values.

AVIVA-BERLIN: And what are your real values?
Amanda Lear: The real value is love: Fidelity, being faithful. Having a proper life. If you marry, It´s forever. 20 years ago to shock everybody: I was nude in Playboy, and I was saying that I had a boyfriend every night. Now I don´t have to do this any more. I can behave like a normal person. In fact I think that It´s more shocking now when you say, "I am faithful and I go to church and I´m religious and I believe in marriage". We live in a society where everything is so perverse, so promiscuous but when you go back to real values you are a special thing.

AVIVA-BERLIN: You are an extraordinairily multi-talented person: modelling, singing, painting, primetime TV hosting...
Amanda Lear: People don´t like that. They are very suspicious of multi-talented people: "She does a bit of everything." I say, "Well what about John Cocteau?" But people say, "But you are more Cocktail than Cocteau."

AVIVA-BERLIN: But when people look back at your life, how would you want to be remembered?
Amanda Lear: Well, obviously painting is very important to me. It´s a real passion and if something will stay it will be a few paintings or canvasses. I know for sure that no one will remember my music. 20 years from now people will say, "Amanda Lear? Who was Amanda Lear?" "She used to sing." "What did she sing?" "Follow me." "They said she was a boy..." "Oh, her." That´s only thing they will remember. It´s a pity that they will only remember the publicity stunt and not remember what I did, what I painted, what I sang.

AVIVA-BERLIN: How do you find the time to paint? Is there a particular place where you paint?
Amanda Lear: I paint in the South of France, in my house in the Provence. I find it very difficult to be accepted as a proper painter because It´s always, "Amanda Lear is a singer. She paints also?" When I have an exhibition, people come and they look at me: "What does she look like in real life, has she had a face lift, has she got a wig on, what is it?" I say, "Look at the bloody painting! don´t look at me."
I want them to judge my work and look at a painting. But it will come slowly. The fact that I´ve been in show business, I was nude in Playboy - this is all not very serious stuff for a painter. But one day I can just sit in my house in the Provence with my pussy cats and just paint.

More about Amanda Lear:
amandalear.tripod.com
www.kunstbehandlung.de

Amanda Lear
TENDANCE
19,99 €
ISBN/EAN 5099751049920
Bestell-Nr. 510499 2
Erschienen 10.02.2003
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