There's a very interesting interview with dEUS-manager Christian Pierre in De Standaard. It also contains some old dEUS-pics.
Here's a short summary:
- Christian and Filip (Eyckmans) were schoolfriends of Tom
- They weren't musicians but they immediately started to manage the band
- Christian stopped school and became their manager
- They got loads of offers from recordcompanies after Zea, but they picked Island because they had Tom Waits and Bob Marley
- They made no commercial compromises: Little Arithmetics nearly made it to the UK Top 40, but the noisy part probably ruined that
- They started to make money independent from the recordcompany and copyrights at the time of the Ideal Crash-tour when they played all around Europe in rooms bigger that 1.000 visitors
- They sell more albums than Queens of the Stone Age in France and more than The Raconteurs in The Netherlands
- In the main cities in Europe they sell out venues from 2.000 to 4.000 places.They will go back to the States, but they're still looking for a good recordcompany that will support them 200%
Go Standaard go! dEUS written as it should be. tom barman will be ever so happy! :-)
De Standaard also interviewed Mauro together with Tim Vanhamel titled 'Kings of Cool'.
Will try to translate some quotes concerning Mauro:
He rarely gives interviews, but this time it seemed like fun together with Tim: I'm a clown with a Dries van Noten suit and Wibra underpants.
Music is a job as any other job, it doesn't need more chit-chat. All he needs to say he does either on a record or on stage.
His hands itch for the dEUS-tour. No more nerves, due to too many gigs with 'ball-orchestras'. And still, standing there behind the microphone with guitar will always be like standing in the nude.
There's not a piece of wall in Flanders where Mauro hasn't casually leant against for photograps, as he couldn't find a comforting pose in the beginning.
Tim: It has always been the passion that brought us together, not the playing techniques.
Mauro: I hate 'perfectionisme'. Tommy (Barman) claims that I walk into the studio and play the song in 1 take. I have to restart 3 or 4times.
He only wants 1 thing from music, which is to be enjoyed from it.
He makes music by starting to think what his day could be like and creates a soundtrack with that thought. Silly enough something then also originates in real life.
Afther the question if they want to leave Belgium, away from a dozed off Europe, he replies that it's very pleasant to live in Antwerp.
He's in London on a regular basis and in all funky towns. But they shouldn't be overrated. Belgium is just as funky.