Kurt Maloo: Swiss band Double; The Captain of Her Heart, Felix Haug, and other stories
Kurt Maloo(Double)
47:31•3,398 views
“The Captain of Her Heart” wasn’t supposed to be Double’s first single. Kurt Maloo tells Steve Blame how record-company staff kept whistling its melody—and how an unconventional song found its audience around the world.
Kurt revisits his partnership with Felix Haug, from their early band Ping Pong to Double’s album Blue. He explains the space and melancholy in their biggest hit, recalls Herb Alpert recording the trumpet part for “Devil’s Ball”, and shares why he and Felix chose to separate before their musical differences threatened their friendship.
Along the way: The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, experimental art in Zurich, unreleased recordings with Phil Manzanera, the pressures of promotion, and the freedom—and loneliness—of going solo.
This is an archive interview. References to releases, projects and personal circumstances reflect the time of recording.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction and interview highlights
01:03 Welcome to Kurt Maloo
01:36 Growing up in a musical family
03:17 His mother’s love of Herb Alpert
04:22 Meeting Herb Alpert and recording Devil’s Ball
06:44 School bands and discovering The Beatles
08:50 Learning guitar and the influence of Jimi Hendrix
11:52 Painting, performance art and Troppo
15:44 New wave, meeting Felix Haug and forming Ping Pong
17:43 Recording with a Revox tape machine
19:04 Ping Pong on stage and at Montreux
20:33 Double’s partnership and sharing everything equally
21:46 Unreleased recordings with Phil Manzanera
22:33 Early singles, setbacks and the road to Blue
24:19 A short message from Steve
24:38 Why The Captain of Her Heart became a single
25:53 The song’s unusual instrumental middle section
27:05 Radio, television and the breakthrough
27:49 A year of promotion and pressure for another album
28:42 TV playback and the pressure of singing live
29:50 Felix’s reluctance to perform and the tours that never happened
32:00 Did a blackbird inspire the piano melody?
32:58 The lyrics and the sequel, Twice in a Lifetime
34:10 Why Double split—and preserved their friendship
35:19 Recording together again and paying tribute to Felix
36:33 Going solo and missing a creative partner
38:47 Looking back at his songs
39:52 Why the reunion didn’t work out
41:13 Releasing songs without album pressure
42:11 Living with the success of The Captain of Her Heart
43:26 Why music remains part of his life
44:13 Books, travel and living in different countries
45:29 Family life and choosing Hamburg
46:39 Closing reflections and farewell
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