Fred van Leer opens up

From his bedroom in Alblasserdam, Fred van Leer – sturdy, bullied, different – could just see the Euromast. There, by that Euromast, Rotterdam was waiting. The city where it happened, where it sizzled and creaked. The city where he would fit in. This week, about forty years later, that same Euromast turned pink, especially for Fred. At least, that's what I thought. Turned out to be a Photoshop action by Fred, and that is so characteristic: Fred colors life.

Your book presentation could only take place in one place; in the Euromast in Rotterdam. What makes this place so special for you?

“I used to look out over the skyline of Rotterdam from my house. I am that city, I love that city, Rotterdam is the greatest love I have. It is a city that wakes up every day and says to itself: ‘Today we are going to do everything differently.’ It is constantly in motion. The rawness and the glamour, it's all there.”

Fred, being exposed... we don't really bat an eye at that in our profession. But showing the soul – that's the real work, right? When did you decide: I'm going to share this side of myself too?

“I've always done it, occasionally in interviews and of course in conversations with people around me. Over the past five years, I've been through a number of things, and I was asked by publisher Meulenhoff if I wanted to write a book following an interview I gave in LINDA. There were so many special reactions to that interview that there was apparently a need for it. Conny, my manager, wanted to do that. Conny has been my manager for twenty years and I feel safe with her, so it was very nice to do it that way.”

Isn't it strange in life that when you share the most vulnerable part of yourself, you can actually count on support and warmth – much more than when you hide it away?

“I'm not really concerned with what's weird and what's not weird. I get up, do my thing, and go back to bed. And in between, I do a lot of fun things, and there are also bad things.”

That was so after ‘that one video’, and now with this book even more so. People find you even more likable than they already thought. Because Fred, your new theater show: so many performances, and all sold out. Many comedians are jealous of that. When do you think the moment will come when you realize how special all this is? When you're eighty?

“It's of course very special. I never really think about it. I never stand in the moment and don't think too much about today's success, but always think about tomorrow's success. I also think that's good, because otherwise I would have completely fluttered away. These shows were also sold out within one or two days, so I'm very grateful to all the people who bought a ticket. Stopping to think about that when I'm eighty? No, I won't do that. Definitely not.”

To conclude: a few questions that the writer-philosopher Marcel Proust used to get to know people differently and better.

When was the last time you cried?
“This morning.”
Which living person do you admire the most?
“My friends around me. Those are the people I admire. I think it's very impressive how my friend Britt, who is a jaw surgeon, has three children, works hard, has time to do fun things, and also sports.”
What unique talent would you like to possess?
“If I could play the piano and sing like Jamai.”
What is your favorite pastime?
“Doing nothing. Sitting on the couch and watching videos on YouTube, for example, where real-life bodycam. That's real, not acted. I'm so done with fake that I only want to watch real people doing real things.”

At how many sold books does the champagne pop?
“Not, because I don't like champagne and I hardly drink anymore anyway. But if I were to drink champagne, it would have been open a long time ago – because many books have already been sold.”

Nothing is as it seems – Fred van Leer and Conny Schalke – is now available at Bruna.

And of course at bookstores and Bol.com.

And for the enthusiasts, here's a cozy video of Fred and me from the old box.