Flashback: Patty Brard in VARAgids (2014)

VARAgids reposts old articles through Bendle.com. One of them dates back to 2014 and deals with Patty Brard's career on television.

In her interview for the Dutch TV guide, the diva looked back on her most iconic TV programs. Miss Brard has been present on the small screen for nearly 40 years.

Click here to read the article. The larger than life media personality made comments on her work. Here are excerpts:

Het is weer zo laat (Waldolala) (1978)

"Luv's popularity was closely linked to television. We didn't get much airplay because our music was considered as awkward. It was too childish to play it on the radio. We were like K3 and not adult enough. But when we were on television, things started to change...Youngsters in the Netherlands followed us because of our simple dance routines. My Luv' colleague Marga Scheide and I had dancing experience but José Hoebee not at all. She wanted simple moves. Our producer Hans van Hemert decided that we had to be on Sjef van Oekel's program on VPRO so we could appear on television on a regular basis. It was also to put us in a particular atmosphere (Waldolala took place in an erotic nightclub). José was not happy with that. She thought it was very vulgar. We did the theme song....On Waldolala we were kind of cult and hip. Not because of the song but because we belonged to this TV show. And then VARA radio started to play our music. I was in my mother's home and I thought: "Wow! We're on the radio". "U.O.Me (Welcome to Waldolala)" became a huge hit. I was the beginning of everything".

Showbizzquiz 

"It was always crazy when we performed on "Showbizquizz" (hosted by my then husband Ron Brandsteder)....Our problem was: "On which TV show are we going to perform and what are we going to wear?" For each single we had to have 5 different outfits so people didn't see us wearing the same thing. We thought that when we arrived somewhere we always had to look the same.....We wore sweetshirts with our logo on them. In retrospect, we could have use them for merchandising. But at the time it was not common practise. I was very fashionable. José was more mainstream. In the 1980s, there were coats with shoulder pads. José refused them....We had a disagreement but finally it was the force of the group. Actually these coats were not commercial enough. If José didn't want to wear them, the majority of people would not accept them. It was the same issue as the dance routines.....I also remember that there was panic when we didn't have enough outfits. So I flew to Paris in the morning and I came back in the evening with new outfits because we had to be on "TopPop". We signed a deal with a French record company. The label sent a limousine to the airport and I went to a couple of adresses in Saint Germain and then I came back. We were very enterprising. We were pop stars. It was normal to us."

Bananasplit (1983–1985)

"It was my first experience as a TV presenter. I came all the way from America (where I lived with my second husband) to tape episodes. I didn't take part in pranks in the street but I interviewed guests in the studio. Some broadcasts drew 7 million viewers. I didn't realize it as I was focused on myself. For example, my solo career in the music industry was important to me. Ralf Inbar had a big ego. He was a great program maker. A fantastic personality. But a bad presenter. He did too much: behind the camera, in front of the camera. He wanted to be everywhere...."

Festival della canzone Italiana di Sanremo (1985)

"I talked about it a couple of weeks ago on Linda's Zomerweek hosted by Linda de Mol. She was surprised when she found out a video in which I co-hosted the Sanremo Festival in Italian. It was one of the greatest project in my solo career. Every evening live on TV for a whole week. I learned Italian for two weeks, from 8.00 am to midnight. Then I had an audition with 300 Italian girls. I was scared. I had to interview Frankie Goes To Hollywood and Duran Duran in English....I'm good at languages.....No-one paid attention to this. That's why Linda was so impressed."

Gááán met die banaan (1989)

"This program (inspired by Bananasplit) started when RTL Véronique (later renamed RTL 4) was launched. It was a perfect timing. I wanted to go back to the Netherlands because I broke up with Carlo Nasi. The program was not good. There was copyright on candid cameras. RTL Veronique thought it was too expensive."

Hart van de stad (1994)

"Hart van de stad, Brard gaat extreem....it was the beginning of my "reality TV" era. I was compared to Ruby Wax."

Sterren springen op zaterdag (2012)

"I still don't know why I dived this way. I remember I did my best to train and everything went well. But in the end I didn't succeed. This dive brought me many things but I didn't do it on purpose."

Shownieuws (2007–2011, 2013–present)

"I'm still working on "Shownieuws" in addition to other programs. I'm fond of Beau van Erven Dorens and Bridget Maasland. I would like to do something specially with Beau."

Source: VARAgids, Bendle.com