Fred de Vries

Fred de Vries is the author of Little Leftovers, which explains what it’s like to follow a story - and a dream. Fred is a journalist, who has interviewed a lot of people, famous and otherwise, during a career that has spanned continents and covered everything from politics and people to music and books. His offering is one of our series of stories behind the stories.

Strange as it may seem, journalists can fall in love too and, in Little Leftovers, Fred tells the story of his grand crush on Justine Frischmann, singer of Elastica. and how he finally met her. But here is Fred’s own story. We thought you’d enjoy knowing a little more about him and what he’s covered..

Your short story is about a crush. Oh go on, tell us who else you’ve had crushes on in the course of your career as a journalist.

You mean people I’ve interviewed? Well, there were many. But of course most are a bit disappointing once you meet them in real life, so the crush disappears quite quickly. It’s a good cure actually.

There were however a few highlights, apart from Justine. Like the French writer whose name now escapes me. She was young and mad and druggy. After the interview she took me to a club where people from Air used to hang out. More recently there was the Japan and I interview, a South African punk band. They were all 19 when I spoke to them. They were pretty and funny and made me feel really old and jaded.

Oh, and once I kind of fell in love with a fundamentalist Moroccan girl who took me to the bus stop after I had interviewed her friend. And I was almost seduced by an Algerian journalist, who was incredibly pretty. I thought she worked for the secret service, so we only had a little kiss.

You’ve worked mainly in Africa and Europe. Tell us about the kind of work you’ve done and where it’s taken you.

I’ve lived in The Netherlands, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Eritrea, basically working as a freelance journalist for various Dutch and international publications. I went there with my then partner, who worked for an NGO and later for the Netherlands embassy. I loved Uganda and Kenya. I was in South Africa during the transition and covered the 1994 elections and the inauguration of Mandela. Those were very emotional moments.

I was also Africa editor for a Dutch national newspaper, which brought me to countries like Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Rwanda and Zaire (now DRC).  I’ve got shoeboxes full of the stories I’ve done, ranging from hardcore political stuff to frilly articles about football and music. One day they should all be collected and made into a book.

What’s the most exotic place you’ve been?

I guess illegally crossing the Congo river from Brazzaville to Kinshasa, together with Belgian writer Lieve Joris, aided by some very dodgy militias, should count as exotic.

And so does crossing the border of northern Uganda into southern Sudan, to the town of Kaya, which had just been taken over by the rebel movement of the SPLA. I was stuck there in a filthy hotel, sharing a room with the pregnant BBC correspondent.

We couldn’t leave and there was absolutely nothing to do. And when there, thinking how adventurous our journey had been, we heard that Mandela had been released. So no one was even remotely interested in southern Sudan.

You’ve done a great deal of music writing. How did you get into it?

I started in Kenya in 1985. It was the only thing I knew a lot about. So I suggested to the local paper, The Nation, that I could write them a story about the popularity of African music in Europe. They used it and asked me the next week: “So where’s your next story?”

From that moment I had a music column. Wow. I’ve always written about music, although I’ve never been a music journalist. But I have written a book about music, Club Risiko, about the ‘80s underground in Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Ljubljana, Johannesburg and Amsterdam.

I’ve also contributed to a Dutch book in which 100 writers talk about their desert island disc. Mine? Get Yer Ya-Yas Out, a live album by the Rolling Stones, the second record I ever bought. I must have been thirteen. Still love that album, and know each and every song inside out.
Is it as much fun as Almost Famous?

No. Although I really did enjoy the research for my Club Risiko book. Meeting heroes like Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth and Steve Ignorant of Crass was great. And walking around Manhattan with a mad, pretty girl who made hats and gave one to Björk when we met her in a restaurant in Lower East Side.

Tell us about your favourite bands. Which of them have you interviewed and what were they like?

Okay, I used to be a really big Rolling Stones fan. Never interviewed them, but saw them three times and did jump on the stage when they held a press conference in Joburg. I got autographs of Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. That was pretty cool.

Another fave band is Einstürzende Neubauten, a Berlin post-punk band, who’ve been going for over 20 years. Most people are into their early noisy stage. I prefer the later stages, and in particular Silence is Sexy, which I almost put there as my desert island disc.

Then there’s Cat Power, who has made the saddest record ever, You are Free. And I love the first Roxy Music album for its sheer audacity, decadence and weirdness. This was early ‘70s and here were these people who looked as if they came from another planet, making music that sounded both retro and futuristic. I also love the Replacements and The Fall, both ultimate boys bands (as in bands for boys).

But my all-time favourite band must be The Kinks. Ray Davies wrote and sang some of the most touching pop songs ever recorded. Listen to Days, Waterloo Sunset, Moments, I’m not like everybody else, Celluloid Heroes and I go to Sleep and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve never interviewed Ray Davies, but one day I will.

Click here to read Little Leftovers