FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Leo Sayer
What are you working on at the moment?
Preparing for my new tour.
When are you at your happiest?
When I’m writing songs.
What is your greatest fear?
I have a fear of drowning. I can’t swim.
What is your earliest memory?
I’m in the garden of my house in Shoreham-by-Sea and I remember around the age of two, still in my pram, we got a new dog. The dog was very excited to see me and it leapt almost into the pram and licked my face. That’s my earliest memory, Jerry the dog. We became really good friends and he was very gentle. I thought he was wonderful. I can still see that image now and I’m looking up at the sky and all of a sudden this big black head appears.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’d love to be tougher but it’s not in my nature.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Bob Dylan. There was something about him that young people could really link with; it seemed that nobody could tell him what to do, ever. I loved that kind of rebellion. I loved the fact that he never really gave in to anybody.
What is your most treasured possession?
I went to a place called Parachilna in South Australia to do a concert to help raise awareness of the fossils in the area and get more tourists there. I was given a 555-million-year-old fossil as a thank-you. To think that 555 million years ago this little creature was one of the first living organisms on Earth, and I’ve got it, I think that’s very cool.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
I have a bugbear about politicians because they don’t listen to people.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’ve got a crooked face. I have difficulty sometimes looking at my crooked face and I’d love to even it up, but then some people think I’m quite cute, so what can you do?
What is your favourite book?
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
What is your favourite piece of music?
Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks.
And your favourite film?
Les Enfants Du Paradis.
What is your favourite meal?
Pasta is always the best; penne all’Arrabbiata is a lovely dish.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
George Orwell, Julian Assange, Brigitte Bardot and Albert Einstein.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
There was a guy who said: ‘Leo, you’ve got to realise – you’re past it. You’re over 40 now and you’ve had your day.’
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe in spirits and ghosts, I think that we are surrounded by spirits. People that I’ve lost, like my mother. I’ve always felt that she’s there somewhere, guiding me. I’m very good at making decisions and I know that my decision-making isn’t done on my own. I’d like to believe that there are other beings, that we’re not totally alone.
What is your secret vice?
Pretending to be young. Mentally I’m 20. I don’t feel that I’m ever going to get old and yet I’m 67.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I write quick scribbles.
What phrase do you most overuse?
‘In my opinion’.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
If everybody was honest.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’m quite intellectual. I have a high IQ, I haven’t measured it recently but it’s somewhere in the 130s. I’ve always been this inquisitive, intelligent chap.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Had a good time all the time.’
Leo’s album Restless Years is out on 28 August and his UK tour begins in September: www.leosayer.com
Preparing for my new tour.
When are you at your happiest?
When I’m writing songs.
What is your greatest fear?
I have a fear of drowning. I can’t swim.
What is your earliest memory?
I’m in the garden of my house in Shoreham-by-Sea and I remember around the age of two, still in my pram, we got a new dog. The dog was very excited to see me and it leapt almost into the pram and licked my face. That’s my earliest memory, Jerry the dog. We became really good friends and he was very gentle. I thought he was wonderful. I can still see that image now and I’m looking up at the sky and all of a sudden this big black head appears.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I’d love to be tougher but it’s not in my nature.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Bob Dylan. There was something about him that young people could really link with; it seemed that nobody could tell him what to do, ever. I loved that kind of rebellion. I loved the fact that he never really gave in to anybody.
What is your most treasured possession?
I went to a place called Parachilna in South Australia to do a concert to help raise awareness of the fossils in the area and get more tourists there. I was given a 555-million-year-old fossil as a thank-you. To think that 555 million years ago this little creature was one of the first living organisms on Earth, and I’ve got it, I think that’s very cool.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
I have a bugbear about politicians because they don’t listen to people.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I’ve got a crooked face. I have difficulty sometimes looking at my crooked face and I’d love to even it up, but then some people think I’m quite cute, so what can you do?
What is your favourite book?
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.
What is your favourite piece of music?
Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks.
And your favourite film?
Les Enfants Du Paradis.
What is your favourite meal?
Pasta is always the best; penne all’Arrabbiata is a lovely dish.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
George Orwell, Julian Assange, Brigitte Bardot and Albert Einstein.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
There was a guy who said: ‘Leo, you’ve got to realise – you’re past it. You’re over 40 now and you’ve had your day.’
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe in spirits and ghosts, I think that we are surrounded by spirits. People that I’ve lost, like my mother. I’ve always felt that she’s there somewhere, guiding me. I’m very good at making decisions and I know that my decision-making isn’t done on my own. I’d like to believe that there are other beings, that we’re not totally alone.
What is your secret vice?
Pretending to be young. Mentally I’m 20. I don’t feel that I’m ever going to get old and yet I’m 67.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I write quick scribbles.
What phrase do you most overuse?
‘In my opinion’.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
If everybody was honest.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’m quite intellectual. I have a high IQ, I haven’t measured it recently but it’s somewhere in the 130s. I’ve always been this inquisitive, intelligent chap.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Had a good time all the time.’
Leo’s album Restless Years is out on 28 August and his UK tour begins in September: www.leosayer.com