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Yanni: Live in Hong Kong
The Greek-born New Age artist on fans, fame, and his mom's cookies
By KATE DRAKE

January 9, 2001
Web posted at 10:45 a.m. Hong Kong time, 9:45 p.m. EDT

Greek-born New Age artist Yanni has sung everywhere from the Parthenon to the Taj Mahal and was the first Western artist to perform in China's Forbidden City. In Hong Kong recently promoting his new album, If I Could Tell You, he spoke to TIME reporter Kate Drake.

TIME: You must have so many fans. Do women ever send you their panties or sexy pictures?
Yanni: Sometimes. They're pretty cute.

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TIME: You're known as a pretty romantic guy. I bet you were really young when you had your first kiss.
Yanni: I don't know what you consider young, I was 13.

TIME: You're also often described as gentle, soft-spoken and sensitive. How do you respond to that?
Yanni: I am all of the above.

TIME: Do you get teased for that?
Yanni: Yes, of course.

TIME: I've noticed that people often comment on your appearance. Someone called you a cross between Zorro, Keith Emerson and Fabio.
Yanni: Who's Fabio? Oh, the guy with the long hair.

TIME: You've never met him? I read an online Q&A between you and Fabio. It never happened?
Yanni: No.

TIME: Well, it was a funny interview. It asked who would win if you and Fabio fought. Who do you think would win?
Yanni: He can win. I don't fight. I haven't fought since I was 19.

TIME: Your college major was psychology, right? Do you use that now? Are there any subliminal messages in your music that I should know about?
Yanni: No. Psychology and music are only indirectly related.

TIME: I read that you invited one of your fans home with you for two weeks. Is that true?
Yanni: No, but fans often visit my parents' home in Greece. My mom's so nice she lets them come in and serves cookies. At a signing in Philadelphia one woman came up to me with a picture of her and my mother on my balcony. All I could think was "oh mom!"

TIME: Do you ever go back to Greece?
Yanni: Yes. I call my parents once a week, and I go home, usually in August. I put on shorts, go fishing and talk to the locals. They don't care who I am.

TIME: Have you ever performed in Japan?
Yanni: Yes, at Toji temple in Kyoto. I stayed for two weeks afterward, meeting and talking with the monks.

TIME: Which monks? Because I got hit on by a monk from Kitayama for two weeks.
Yanni: Really?

TIME: Yeah, he showed me around his temple. While smoking, he told me that he was a "player." No joke, he said it in English.
Yanni: I did think it was funny that they all smoked.

TIME: Where are you living now?
Yanni: South Florida.

TIME: So did you vote?
Yanni: Yes, but I don't know if it counted.

TIME: What, were you one of the dimpled chad voters?
Yanni: No, if I'm going to vote, I'm going to do it right. I punched all the way through.