PART 2Organiser: Thank you, Marina for the question...please, Sergei, you question...Belarussian Business Gazette.
David: Hi....How you're doing?
Question: You have a good sense of humour, did it happen that it let you down or...saved you?
David: Oh, it saved me...consistently
Question: And the other band members?
David: Oh...Marco doesn't have a sense of humour! [everybody laughs]
Marco: I find myself talking to myself a lot.
David laughs.
Tommy: You wouldn't last very long in this business if you don't have a good sense of humour.
All the band members nod.
David: We now...in...a...over two and a half months on tour...which is...without a break...and it's very very concentrated to be together 24 hours a day seven days a week...and a sense of humour helps make get us through this...as well as the respect of a...talent of the musicians...And when we play tomorrow you'll see just how much of sense of humour we have [laughs].
Organiser: Thank you for the question, the next one please.
The guy who asked: Thank you very much for your answer.
David: Oh, pleasure, pleasure.
Question: If I am not mistaken, David seven years ago said that the Whitesnake history is over...
Woman translates
David: Yeah, a lot.
The same question: If the information is correct your daughter grew up without you and you didn't notice how she...
David: Oh...well, no, it's...she didn't grow up WITHOUT me, but I was away touring a great deal of the time, she was very much aware that I was her father, but I didn't realize the importance of bonding with your child...[after the woman translates] yeah, please don't think that I wasn't there for my daughter...my daughter and I are very close...and this year she blessed me with a granddaughter...so now I am a rocking grandfather. [everyone claps hard]
Question: So now as we know you have a little son.
David: Yes
Question: And if you proceed working with a band will that mean that...
David [not waiting for the question to finish]: No...I'm in a very fortunate position that...that to work for me now is much more of a pleasure than a necessity and there is no way that I will compromise my...my relationship with my son. That's one of the reasons that I stopped working away...so he's now eight years old...and loves his daddy being in a rock band...in fact it's very important for me to be working ‘cause he spoke to me last week and said he wanted me to buy an airplane [everybody laughs]
Translator: So, did you buy?
David: Not yet! Hopefully for Christmas. [everyone keeps laughing]
Translator: Thank you for your answer, now I will allow one of the most charming journalists of Belarussian Republic from the "Soviet Belarus" paper.
David: Yeah, absolutely....you work for the "Babe TV"!
Translator: The question is for the whole band.
Question: How do you explain the fact that with hard rock in hard rock groups there are such tall men are working with long hair?
David: It's ears, big ears! [everyone laughs and claps]
Tommy: This hair covers most of the sins.
Translator: The question is for everyone
Tommy: Well, my hair covers most of the sins. If you saw me without this hair you'd empty this room very quick. [David laughs]
Doug: I love the seventies, that's my favourite time...seventies
David: Eighteen seventies! [laughs]
Doug: And so, you know, this is kinda like we're just living in...for me it's cool cause it's like being in the seventies.
Marco: For me...to back up what Doug said I also feel...I go through this...well, I feel like a teenager to be honest...just I can't believe that I'm still doing this.
David: And behaves like one! [everyone laughs]
Marco: I insist on...I insist on us being young.
David: The...one of things hair's keeping warm...and it's cold...you know...but the time when our colleague, our friend was discussing seven years ago I cut my hair short for the first time in...living memory! Eight years ago or something....my son was a baby, so he kept grabbing my hair and chewing on it...as any parent...no...it's a very uncomfortable experience thinking like eight inches of your hair is going into your son's mouth...so I cut it...so I cut it and I felt very uncomfortable performing rock and roll onstage with...[woman translates]...so...
Translator: So we hope that this question has got a little bit of a joke...
David: Oh, yeah! Absolutely.
Translator: ...and a little bit of philosophy as well
Translator [introducing the next journalist]: First musical channel
Question: From a long time ago we know that all the serious rock bands bring with them on tour all the equipment, the light, stage, sound because every show is a performance...it is the same these days?
David: Oh, totally, it's very necessary. Most of our equipment is customised to accommodate the individual musicians...We work with a great lighting director and the lights can enhance the music for the people in the audience...it's not a distraction from the music, it's complimented...and we work with...at such high volume in terms of the sound, it's very loud and it has to be balanced...so [
] that we use is the latest in equipment technology that to be presented to try to makes it as perfect evening as possible.
Question: Do you know that in Soviet Union, in soviet times there was LP released of Whitesnake
David: It's...I've never signed...when I've been to Russia I have never signed a legitimate...record....everything is bootlegged...everything is bootlegged...I've never signed...I don't know what the quality's like
Organiser: Thank you for the question.
David: Thank you.
Organiser: We don't have much time, so this will probably be the last question.
A woman journalist from the audience: May I ask a patriotic question?
Organiser: No, you may not ask the patriotic one.
Translator [introduces the journalist]: Julia Zykova from the city television.
David: Hello.
Question: The question to all the musicians. Do you bring some things with you on tour that remind you of home, of the close persons and do you buy any souvenirs in the countries you visit?
David: Most of the time we're very flattered, very complimented that people who supported our music bring little gifts and tokens for us...so we have our...lots of our cases are bursting right now after two and a half months.
Doug: I bring my guitar, the most precious thing I always bring with me...and there's the [takes a wallet out of his pocket]...you know...the good luck charms that you have...which is...if I can get it opened... (opens the wallet)
David: That's what happens when he buys his drinks.
Doug: Actually I have to show you because it's...I have two good luck charms...
David: Ohh, yeah yeah yeah....
Doug: I have a...Pete Townshend [shows guitar pick]
David: From The Who
Doug: And...and a...another great...Eric Clapton...so they just stay...you know...close by...
David: And Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend have Doug Aldrich picks
Translator forgets names and asks David to repeat.
David: Oh, no...these...these are gifts...Doug is a very very excellent guitarist...so...I think Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend would probably have this stuff.
Organiser: Our press conference is over, I thank everyone. I ask the band to hold on and all the press to leave.
David: Can anybody get their questions? That's fine, we got another few minutes...Anybody have one...Sure...
Organiser (in Russian): How many questions can they ask?
David: Let's have some more! Yeah, let's have some more!
Translator: How many questions can they ask?
David: Couple of questions it will do?
Translator [to the press]: If you are going to behave yourself like you do I will finish the press conference now.
Organiser: I give the word to the "Radio Rocks" that helps Belarussian people to listen to the real music.
David: Perfect.
Translator: They promote Whitesnake and your concert.
David: Oh, lovely...How are you?
Journalist says: Fine, thank you.
Another woman: In Russian only please
Journalist: Yes, yes, I understand. Question to all the band members: there is an opinion nowadays that contemporary music is not as deep as it used to be many...twenty or...many...years ago. Do you think that any of contemporary musicians would have the same meaning as Whitesnake, so popular. [in the future]
David: Twenty five! Twenty six!
Tommy: Aerosmith
Doug: Aerosmith
David: Aerosmith...The Who...Aerosmith...
Tommy: Aerosmith [everyone laughs]
David: Yeahh, The Rolling Stones...Aerosmith...
Translator: No, out of the young musicians
David: Oh, young...I don't know...we stopped being young a long time ago.
Doug tells something to David and David goes: Oh, bands NOW? It will all depend on their songs. Musicians move on...music sometimes gets a little bit flat or whatever...but songs can live forever...songs can live for-ever...that's what important...and passion...passion helps too.
Journalist says: Thank you.
Part 3... next