Unexpurgated Kylie

(WELL, portions of this interview were edited for content. But that did not affect the outcome.)

At any rate, I’m running this because I just watched a preview of the Kylie 3D Aphrodite Les Folies concert movie at Golden Village. And I must say, it’s an impressive show. It’s basically the big brother of the show that happened here and if you’re a fan, it’s worth a ticket. Trust me on this.

So to commemorate the occasion, I’ve plucked this from the Unexpurgated vaults – the interview with the lovely Ms Minogue that was done earlier this year, just before she was due to go onstage in Melbourne, Australia.  

*****

Hi Kylie! How are you? I’m fine! How are you? How is Singapore?

Oh, the usual: It’s hot.Ha ha!

I’ve been reading all these reviews about your tour and it by all accounts, it’s been great. You know what? I concur! Ha ha! No, it’s been a great tour. We’ve done Aphrodite Les Folies which is the full-on big show, and Aphrodite Live, which is the smaller show that we’ve toured in Japan and North America, and which is what we’re bringing to Singapore. Every show has been different, even though the template has been the same. And I’ve absolutely loved it. And I can’t say that for every tour.

Really? How come?  For a start, it feels like I’ve hit my stride as a performer, in terms of understanding what I have to do. I’m sure there’s still a lot to learn but I really like the stage I’m in at the moment. To have 25 years of history with an audience just amazes me. I think it’s a beautiful wondrous thing and I really appreciate it. It’s a great show and I can’t wait for you see it!

What do you remember about your show here the last time? The audience was very enthusiastic. I loved it and I’m excited to be coming back. But do let me know I need to organise extra fans because when we were on stage, I remember it was so hot on stage. We were all practically dying or melting onstage. But it was a good show!

Have you had any Spinal Tap moments on this tour so far? There’s always a Spinal Tap moment. This actually happened last night. I’m getting in the zone, I’ve got my costume on, there’s the 10-minute call and we’re walking to the stage, walking, walking, walking and my tour manager’s got the torch - and he took me the wrong way. And I had to say, “Hello, Cleveland!”

What was it like performing in Melbourne, your hometown? I was very excited because I had my family here – four generations went to see the show: My grandmother, who loved it; my parents, my brother and sister, and my brother’s two kids who were two and five. The two-year-old didn’t make it. He got about six songs in and that was enough. But my five-year-old nephew made it through the whole show and gave me a really intense grilling afterwards, asking me so many questions like, “When you get changed, do you come back to the dressing room?”

Did Danni get up onstage with you too? We did perform together at this venue on my Homecoming tour, but not this time.

About the album, some have said Aphrodite was just a version of X, that it was a step backwards, and it wasn’t that good. What do you say to criticism like that? I would be as bold as to say some of the songs on X were ahead of its time, you know, with songs like Speakerphone. In the last couple of years, a lot more Americans are using that European sound and they’re now understanding that it’s also pop, as opposed to R&B pop. Aphrodite was me settling into a more classic mode, because I had just done the heavily produced sound like on Nu-di-ty and Speakerphone. So for me, it was a change. I don’t mind what they say. To make an entire album with every song that everyone loves is like the golden egg. If I can do that again at any point of my career I’ll be over the moon. I think to have an album at least that fans are excited by, and you provide great remixes and a launch pad for a concert like this show. There would be no Aphrodite Les Folies show without my album. So you’ve got to take the good and any criticisms that come along. Hindsight can be a – oh, I won’t use the word…

No, you can say it. We can’t print it is all. Ha ha! Okay. B****. And it’s very easy after the fact to say, “Oh it could have been this or could’ve been that”. That’s why it’s really difficult making an album. Finding the songs or writing the songs is one thing, but making decisions like to say, “Okay, we’ve to stop writing and we need to actually put it out” – that’s always kind of a terrifying moment for me because you don’t know what’s going to happen. But overall, I’m happy with Aphrodite.

It’s very interesting you mentioned that because people see you as this dance diva, and I think some people forget that you’ve actually been rather experimental with your music through the years. I mean, Impossible Princess was so left of centre for you. And now I can really appreciate how out of the ballpark that would have seemed to people but you know, I must’ve had an overwhelming desire to be experimental. I mean, after five albums with PWL including the greatest hits and then the first Deconstruction album which I had a lot of support with. And then came Impossible Princess which was a mixture of many things. I didn’t get the support that I would’ve benefited from, and combined with the fact that I was out there – I loved working with those dance DJs that sounded different and felt different. Of course, it wasn’t commercially successful, but for a lot of my die-hard fans, that’s their favourite part. Lyrically, I’ve never written songs like that. They weren’t pop lyrics for one. Songs like Through The Years, or Drunk. I really was writing from a place of some kind of anguish and experimental nature. But I think it’s all part of the process and it took me full circle to get back on the “proper” pop train, combined with a bit of the DJ production edge.

Would you do something along the lines of Impossible Princess again, something that’s a 180 from what you’re doing now?Yeah. I’d loved to. I just think I wouldn’t be under any illusion that it would be the taste of my wider audience. I’ve spoken about doing an Anti-Tour. Which would be the polar opposite to the tour I’m doing at the moment. It would involve having a…

Sit-down? A good ol’ sit down. No dancers, no lights, just the musicians and myself and performing tracks that would never ever have a hope in hell of being in one of these spectacular shows. And they should have been in this show. For fans, I think they love the big show as well. But perhaps it’s something that would make me feel more creatively balanced. I’m sure it’s going to happen. I don’t know when or where, but it would be very small-scale, very small venues, very intimate. And really just done as a kind of personal, fun thing to do. Just for the music’s sake. And don’t do all the songs that people know, just do songs that super fans will never hear, and never have heard, me sing live before. Even I’ve never heard them live. But for the moment I’m loving the Aphrodite tour and it’s really fulfilling every dream I would have had about this tour.

You’ve been through a lot, not just in your professional life, but your personal life – your battle with cancer, all that talk about your ex, the gossip about your family - some people might say enough is enough but yet you seem to keep it moving on. Have you ever thought of - I mean, I don’t want to say “quit”, but… Take an extended bow? I think about it quite regularly. Because touring isgruelling. It needs to look like a fantasy – look and feel a certain way that will transport the audience to another world – but behind that, it’s not short of blood, sweat and tears. And bruises and no sleep and you know, it’s really tough. There’s definitely points in my life where I’ve said, “Oh my god, never again”. But of course, I’ve said that at many points through the years, and here I am, about to go onstage again. Like I said, it’s part of the process.

What motivates you to keep going on? I think as time passes, I have more understanding of what my job is. Although it’s such a big part of my life I could even say it’s what my life is - not just a job. It’s what I do, what I spend my time thinking about and working on and perfecting and taking punches from time to time. I guess what keeps me going is I love it. To be honest, sometimes I hate it – the same moments I say “never again”. And sometimes you question yourself - ”is it worth it”? But I think yes, it is worth it. I would say that the biggest inspiration is the audience. The people who listen to the music, and have experiences to the music and are interested in me and what part I play in their lives. I know it sounds a bit corny, but that is the truth.

Well, you know that some of the girls here are jealous about your boyfriend. Oh really? I’m going to make them extra jealous now, because he’s here with me in Australia. If you had a ticket in the splash zone – he’s normally in that zone, with his own little fan club there. Okay, I’m getting the dreaded wind-up from the lady…

Just this last one then: What’s best thing or worst thing in your life at the moment? I have beautiful people in my life – my family, my boyfriend, my work colleagues – we’re like a big family, through thick and thin, up and downs. Humanity is just the greatest thing of all, so whoever you’re sharing that with, that’s the most important. The worst thing is probably that I’m not getting enough sleep. But that’s not a bad thing. Life’s good!

Kylie 3D: Aphrodite Les Folies will be screened at Golden Village cinemas on Aug 26 and 27. Visit www.gv.com.sg for screening and ticketing details.