ELISABET BOND-BEAN: GERMAN ENTERTAINMENT

Elisabet Bond-Bean participating in German Got Talent

Elisabet Bond-Bean. Reality Show Participant. Germany.

I'm Elisabet Bond-Bean. I was born in Berlin when the city was divided in four parts: The American, the British, the French and the Russian one. I'm from the German Democratic Republic, a country that doesn't exist today. Living under the URSS was difficult because we hadn't got anything and we lived under a big poverty. I'm a reality show participant, a person who appears on TV creating opinion and entertainment. I like colours, reading and travelling. I'm like Berlin was. I'm a mix of Bean and Bond and it's fantastic because I have grown in experiences with the two families. I was Eli with The Bonds and I'm Elisabet with The Beans. I haven't changed a  lot, I'm the same person.

-Good morning, Elisabet Bond and thanks to attend us.

-Good morning. It's an honour.

-How was life in the GDR?

-Difficult. It was very difficult. I think that this age influenced me a lot and, perhaps, this is the main reason about my job.

-Why?

-Because in the GDR you worked thousands of hours and you didn't earn a lot of money. When the wall fell, capitalism arrived to us and, although it isn't a perfect economic system and creates a lot of differences, it's better than living under the communism.

-Do you miss anything about the GDR?

-Well, people were very educated and polite but I don't know if it was because of the control of the system over the citizens or because of the idiosyncrasy of the East German people.

-When did you decide to be a TV Star?

-I'm not exactly a TV Star. I won a reality show and then a lot of TV viewers discovered me but I try to live as anonymous as I can.

-Do you believe this kind of TV programmes are good for children or they're rubbish like some people think?

-I don't understand why people speak badly about these entertainment programmes. There are lots of channels on TV. If you don't like this programme, you can choose another and if children are watching these programmes, I suppose, it's because their parents accept or they aren't at home. In this case, perhaps the problem is about the families' schedules and not about TV.

-How do you define yourself?

-I'm a person with an open mind who likes learning things and travelling around the world. We were prisoners too much time and now that we have the opportunity; I'm not going to miss it.

-Which is your favourite country?

-All of them. Every country has something to offer but if I have to choose, I like the USA because I'm in love with New York City and Ireland, because all the country is a fairy tale.

-Have you visited these countries, then?

-Yes, I have. Last year, with The Bonds, I was in New York City and it was an incredible experience. I travelled from NYC to San Francisco because I wanted to visit Berkley University and Silicon Valley. San Francisco is an amazing city and I discovered that the origin of jeans was thanks to Levi Strauss, who in 1850 created them. Later, I visited San Diego and I was the Pacific Ocean for first time. This year, I have repeated the same experience and it has been incredible again.

-And Ireland?

-Yes. I was also in Ireland. I visited all the country from the north to the south and I discovered nice people with strong ideas who were very proud of their culture. I want to homage Dolores O' Riordan who I admired and admire a lot

-Now, Germany is the most powerful European country...

-I don't agree. I think that Norway, Luxembourg, Vatican City, Netherlands or even Andorra are better than us. A country must offer services to its citizens and those five countries offer many and better services than Germany. Working on TV has showed me how important is marketing to promote your ideas. I think Germany is a big marketing campaign, in that sense. It's not necessary to be the biggest or the country with the highest number of population. The most important is taking care of your inhabitants, all of them, without exceptions.

-Are you a sceptic?

-Yes, in some things that people accept without thinking twice, I often have another opinion.

-Why do you think people accept the official version so easily?

-I don't know. The influence of mass media over the population is huge. You can't trust on newspapers, TV or radio because they explain the reality that they want and they're interested in. If you say one lie thousands of times, finally, people will accept it like a truth.

-Which is the solution to fight against this?

-It's difficult. You can't live without trusting in anything or anybody but you can try to be critic and observe as things as you can before giving your opinion about something. You must listen to all versions and try to extract the real information which is hidden. We must be proactive citizens.

-How do you feel being a member of The Beans?

-Very well. It's an incredible experience. I got married with Jaume Bond and we arrived to a friendly divorce. He's an artist and he needed space. Now, I get married again with Edgar Bean and I'm living another dream. I have lived lots of emotions and great moments. Óscar is also an important person for me.

-How is a normal day with The Beans?

-We haven't got similar days. Every day is different and this is something very important because it offers to you the possibility of living fantastic experiences every day and enjoys them with all your heart because you know that next day you're going to put the score to zero and we're going to start again. It's a non-stopping life.

-Which is your best memory with The Beans?

-It’s difficult to choose only one. I remembered my birthday. It was a great surprise the family appreciated it. I love them.

-How long have you been studying English?

-I never studied English in the school. It was forbidden. We studied Russian and Spanish because we only could travel to the URSS and to Cuba. I started to learn English when the wall fell and I had the chance to travel.

-Was English difficult to learn?

-Not a lot. English and German have a lot of things in common. They're from the same linguistic family. When I met Jaume Bond, we talked in German because he's Dutch and he speaks it. Learning English wasn't necessary until we had the opportunity of travelling and have business with foreign enterprises. Now, I’m also reviewing my French because of Edgar Bean.

-You like reading, don't you. Recommend me a book...

-I like George Orwell. I recommend you Homage to Catalonia, a book about the resistance of Catalan people during the Spanish Civil War. This war was very important for us because, as Winston Churchill said, if Europe had helped the Spanish Republic, we hadn't suffered the WWII. But Europe, like always, decided to look to other side and the tragedy was consumed in all Europe. I also recommend you 1984, the book where Orwell talks about the big brother and the future idea of governments controlling all the populations.

-Do you think we are under a big brother?

-Of course, we are. We are totally controlled by mobile phone, internet, passports, DNA... We haven't got privacy and this is very important in life because is good staying alone with you without the control of the power. 

-Define yourself in one sentence.

-My life is changing every day in every possible way.

-Thank you very much, Elisabet Bond-Bean.

-You're welcome.

For an artist or an entertainer, it's the ultimate when you can go to the forest when you're done your work and escape. 

Dolores O'Riordan