Debbie Byrne - Good Morning Australia (1993)
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MusicTranscript
00:00That was wonderful. Thank you, Debbie. Please come over.
00:16Well, I didn't want you to do that to me. I didn't want to do it at this time of the morning.
00:21So much. It's a lovely song, isn't it?
00:23Well, it's a beautiful song. And also, lots of thanks to Tojo Kindamo, who was with us this morning.
00:29Thanks, Joe. Good to see you, Joe.
00:33We had Joe this morning, because John Forman doesn't like the music from Les Miserables.
00:37You know something? Just in watching you perform then, and having read an excellent story on you yesterday by Doug Ayton and the Fairfax Press...
00:45Oh, I was happy with that. Yeah, but good story.
00:47I rang Doug and thanked him for that. Yeah, he's very honest.
00:49And you know something? And enjoying your performance, I had a look around at the crew, and I mean, they see a lot of television and so forth,
00:56but their eyes were riveted upon you. And I think one of the reasons for your great success in your show business career
01:02is that we all feel we've moved with you, you know?
01:05And do you find that there's a special quality that people feel about you, want to be with you and talk to you?
01:12I feel like people know me. I feel, especially in the street, I feel people aren't frightened of me in any way.
01:19And that's very nice. It's very comfortable. And I can go anywhere with my children and feel very safe.
01:27That, you know, that people will be mostly friendly, which is, it's a lovely feeling.
01:33It came through in the story yesterday that this is obviously the happiest time of your life.
01:39What's the answer? Is it priorities, getting them right?
01:44Patience. And, you know, I did a lot of work as far as therapy.
01:53And I got a lot of good advice, and I overcame a lot of personal concerns.
02:02And just building, you know, a support system around myself that I don't think I had when I was much younger.
02:12And just, you know, having a lot of people that love me and that I love.
02:16And, yeah, it's taken a long time, but it's been well worth it, I think.
02:23Barbara Streisand once said that the essence of a really great song is one that...
02:28I'm thinking of Memory, of course, from Cats, which you're going to do again for us when the production opens.
02:33The essence of a great song is one that the performer, each performance, finds something new in that song.
02:41And she then went on to say the essence of a great performer is someone who can find it.
02:46And that must be one of the most special songs of all time for you to sing.
02:50Memory's a wonderful song.
02:51Is that a fair enough comment?
02:53Yeah, I think that's very fair. I think Barbara Streisand says very good things.
02:58But I think Memory, the words to Memory are beautiful.
03:03And I sometimes think the words by themselves as poetry stand up so well.
03:10And that's really why I enjoy singing it, because the words are wonderful.
03:15The line, if you touch me, you'll understand what happiness is.
03:20It's a wonderful thing to be able to sing that, because you're saying,
03:25not only will you see how good it makes me feel, you'll feel how good it feels to do that for someone.
03:33And, you know, it's very simple.
03:35You're looking forward to going back into the show?
03:37I am, very much.
03:38And to do it for ten weeks is, you know, it's a breeze, really.
03:42It's like a holiday, because you usually do things for, you know, two years or so.
03:46And, of course, the theatre has got such a lovely feel about it.
03:49Princess is wonderful.
03:50Well, it's got an aura of now, a great success.
03:53But also there's a special quality about that building, isn't there?
03:56Yeah, I danced there when I was a little girl, when I was about five.
04:01My auntie sang there when she was about 20, you know, quite a few years ago.
04:07So, yeah, I have a really, you know, strong connection with it over the years.
04:11Isn't that then going overseas?
04:12It is.
04:13I'm not.
04:14I'm starting my album today.
04:16Really?
04:17You start recording today?
04:18Yeah, I start pre-production on the album today with Mark Moffat.
04:20He's producing.
04:21And we'll start recording next week.
04:24And I'll finish in time to start rehearsals for Cats.
04:27So, I feel quite excited, a bit nervous today, but really excited
04:30because I'm just about to embark on a whole new thing.
04:32So, what sort of stuff are you going to do?
04:34Well, there's the original songs and I've co-written the album.
04:37And that's been great, two years of getting this together.
04:41And it's been, I think that also has had a lot to do with how I'm feeling about things
04:45because I've been exploring, you know, songs in a way that I don't usually,
04:50I usually interpret for other people.
04:53And to be able to sing what I, my thoughts, it's very, it's interesting.
04:58Is he playing piano on the album?
05:00Oh, I'm sure he'll get a chance to play on my album.
05:03I wonder what it is that Joe Condamo has.
05:04I mean, all the great names of show business,
05:06one of them, I mean, he's done an album with Olivia Newton-John
05:09and a whole range of people.
05:11Who else, Joe, can I ask you?
05:13Debbie Bird.
05:14Debbie, well, of course, we've just been talking about that, Joe.
05:16That's sort of how we really met.
05:17Yeah.
05:18Used to be my pianist for Channel 7.
05:19I know.
05:20Before he launched out.
05:21He's terrific, isn't he?
05:22He's a nice man, too.
05:23Once you get into the humour, it took me about four years.
05:25But, you know, lovely.
05:26He's a charming bastard one.
05:28There you go.
05:29Yeah, there you go.
05:30You see what I mean?
05:31No, I mean, about three days' time, you'll go into hysterics
05:33at what Joe just said there.
05:35We're about to do Mietas.
05:38Oh, that's right.
05:39This Friday and Saturday night and the following weekend.
05:41And that's something Joe and I really like because it's so close.
05:44I mean, theatre's wonderful for all those reasons.
05:47But somewhere like Mietas, well, Mietas especially,
05:50it's such a great atmosphere and the audience is so close to you
05:54that, yeah, I like working like that.
05:58I was terrified to work that close to humans, you know,
06:02having grown up in front of cameras and things.
06:04But now I really enjoy it.
06:06I'm much more comfortable.