I would appreciate some of DU's good vibes or

[highplainsdem]

101. A new interview with George's VK bandmate Boudewijn de Groot has some great comments on

George and their late bandmate Henny Vrienten. And this article, originally published in Dutch at

https://www.trouw.nl/cultuur-media/laatste-album-is-noodgedwongen-sluitstuk-voor-vreemde-kostgangers-we-haalden-het-beste-in-elkaar-naar-boven~b6924b48/

is in English at https://news.trenddetail.com/euro/amp/361409 .

Well, sort of in English. The translation seems awkward in places, but the original Dutch article requires registering if not subscribing to get the full text, and with the translation I found elsewhere I won't bother with that yet.

The title given in English isn't complete, though. The original Dutch title, translated via Google Translate, is:

Interview
Boudewijn de Groot
Last album is forced to be the closing piece for Strange Boarders: 'We brought out the best in each other

With the knowledge about the fate of Henny Vrienten and George Kooymans, some songs are played Fog unintentionally a wry edge. Like in Too little time in which Vrienten sings about his urge to want to do as much as possible: “Will I ever be able to get used to lying down / I have to keep going because I’m short of time” and “A person has eighty years / well I can’t handle that /I want a century or two to finish everything.”

Or the title track, again sung by Vrienten, which not only describes a weather condition, but also the last phase in someone’s life. Also wry: George Kooymans in Fender Strat heard him sing full of passion and love about the love for his guitars, the very instrument that he can no longer play due to his ALS muscle condition.

But Boudewijn doesn't want that to be the focus for people listening to the album: "We can talk about Henny’s death and George’s illness, but it shouldn’t immediately become a soggy melodrama." He said that people unaware that Henny died of cancer soon after much of the album was finished, and George was diagnosed with ALS, will hear a very positive, lively album that's fun to listen to. "Hear how George and Henny sing and join in the positive feeling and emotion of the lyrics. As a listener you should not dwell on the situation of the singer behind it."

De Groot: “Our division of roles was very pleasant. Henny in the middle, who spoke and he thought it was fantastic to do. He was very good at that too. And George and I on the side. That felt like a huge relief to me and made it very relaxed. From that feeling you naturally have much more fun than when it feels perfunctory or tense. We had the greatest fun on stage. I still enjoyed performing that way. As long as it’s with people I know, like, get along with and love.”

-snip-

His time as Strange Boarder has ‘opened his ears in a way’ says De Groot. “It was an enrichment. I could write songs that I probably wouldn’t be singing very quickly myself, like Fender Strat or I hate the blues. I got even more admiration for Henny and George. I thought Henny was already the Paul McCartney of the Low Countries, and that was confirmed once again. And I found out that George is the best Dutch-speaking singer there is. With Strange Boarders we brought out the best in each other and were able to inspire each other.”