NEWS
Sunday with Engelbert Humperdinck: My dreams are the blueprints of my reality
Nick McGrath, The Guardian, January 19, 2020
To relax at the weekends, the singer enjoys Scrabble, golf and riding his Harley-Davidson
How do you start the day? I get up at at 6.30am. I watch a little TV – usually the news – to wake up my mind, and then I do exercises, followed by breakfast.
Who’s the first person you speak to? My life has changed since my wife, Patricia, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, that terrible disease. So now when I go downstairs, I usually just sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee and do my crosswords. The first people I talk to are the live-in carers who help me look after her. I’m pleased to say that Patricia is making some progress. She’s starting to talk a little. She said ‘Good morning’ to me this morning, which was rather lovely.
What’s for breakfast? I tend to smoke the whole house out because I fry chilli and onions for my favourite Sunday breakfast: chilli, egg and onions on toast.
How do you relax? I spend time playing golf, at a course two miles from our Beverly Hills home, where I’ll grab some lunch and a nice glass of wine in the clubhouse. If I really want to let my hair down I’ll ride my Harley-Davidson around the Hollywood Hills. Sometimes I’ll get to the lights, pull up my visor, and see people next to me do a double take: ’Oh my God, it’s Engelbert Humperdinck.’ I don’t mind. Recognition is one of the greatest compliments you can have.
Are Sundays active? Sunday is Scrabble day. Friends come over and we sit down and play. I love it. I love words.
Signing off on Sundays… My LA home has four floors. I’m on the top floor and the carers live on the second floor with my wife, so the last thing I do on Sunday night – and every night – is give Patricia a kiss and tell her that I love her and that I’ll see her in the morning. I dream music and if I have a strong idea for a song I’ll wake up, record it on my phone then record it the next day. My dreams are the blueprints of my reality.
Engelbert Humperdinck plays the London Palladium on 4 May