"We had a real singer when we started, but he left, so we tossed the coin and I lost. That was the cost - whoever loses is gonna be the singer..."

The Toy Dolls' founder, frontman and only surviving memner through all these years, Michael "Olga" Algar, confesses he cannot sing, states he's a pessimist, enjoys sharing a neighbourhood with Sir Paul McCartney, and expects "some audience" at the band's first ever show in Bulgaria on March 23. He still doesn't know he's gonna play and sing in front of thousands...

Vassil Varbanov: Hey, Michael, how are you?

Olga: I'm fine. My name is Olga, by the way.

V. V.: Oh, sorry. Well, what are you up to now, guys?

O.: Рўhe last place we played was South America, so we did lots of rehearsals to get ready for the next stage of the tour, which starts in Bulgaria.

V. V.: What about studio work? Was 2004's "Our Last Album?" really your last album?

O.: Maybe, he-he...

V. V.: You have lots of albums and hits, but which of your songs are you the most proud of?

O.: To be honest,В I think there are only five or six songs which are good. Maybe "Alec's Gone" and "Fisticuffs in Frederick Street" and "Glenda and the Test Tube Baby"...

V. V.: Has anybody ever made an electronic remix of any of your songs?

O.: Ah, not that I know, but it would be nice to hear one. A lot of bands have done cover versions, but I've never heard of any techno remixes.

V. V.: You're famous for your guitar play, but you're also a very specific singer and...

O.: I can't sing - I have been pretending to sing for 28 years. We had a real singer when we started the band in 1979, but he left, so we tossed the coin and I lost. That's how I became the singer. That was the cost - whoever loses is gonna be the singer for two gigs. However, it turned out to be a lifetime story.

V. V.: While singing, your voice sounds different from the voice we hear now... Is it really you, Olga?

O.: Ha-ha-ha, yeah! What happened is - probably because I can't sing - I just had to make my voice squeek, so I can hear it on top of the guitars and drums. People always say that when they meet me: Oh, what's wrong with your voice? The way I speak is like a completely different voice.

V. V.: We can say that The Toy Dolls' songs are pretty funny in a way. Are you a happy and optimistic kind of person?

O.: No, I'm a pessimist. To be honest, all the songs have been written while I've been sitting depressed, girlfriends leaving me and things like that... I think that's why I actually write the songs - they make me look on the bright side of life. We're not doing a comedy type of thing, you know, and I'm really a pessimist.

V. V.: What were you like at school?

O.: I hated school. It was horrible for me, so I left it really early, when I was 14. Рўhat's when I started playing the guitar.

V. V.: And where do you live now?

O.: I live in Central London. I was born in the North-East of England, near Sunderland, but I left there a few years ago and I live right in the center of London, in the next street to Paul McCartney... but his house is much bigger than mine, he-he!

V. V.: I was about to ask you about your neighbours, but you already mentioned one...

O.: Yeah, ha-ha, Paul's in the next street. There are also the actors Jude Low and Ewan McGregor, and the guys from Oasis - they all live in this area. No one really talks to each other very much, I mean even my closest neighbours here don't know I play in a band at all.

V. V.: Is this good or bad?

O.: Neither. I really don't know what all the poeple do in the street, and it's been really quiet in this house, so I just keep myself for myself.

V. V.: Are you interested in football?

O.: I'm getting more and more interested in it, especially when the World Cup starts. All my friend are into football, but I don't know which team is from which town, to be honest...

V. V.: Finally, this is going to be your first concert in Bulgaria ever. What do you expect?

O.: It will be nice if there are some people there, 'cause we've never been to this place before. You have to work a lot harder when it's the first time somewhere. If you've been somewhere 500 times, obviously you'll do the show as best as you can, but it's easier, because this is gonna be a ready-made audience there. We've never been in Bulgaria, so I really don't know what to expect. Some audience would be very nice.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock