Photo montage by Marco Rens
Photo credits: Marco Rens, Marga Scheide, Jos Theuns, David Hay Gibson and Ralph Ruiz
I was born on May 25th, 1978 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to a Dutch mother and a French father. I moved to France with my parents when I was five months old. Due to a friend in common, Mieke van den Hurk, I first got in touch with José Hoebee in August 1990. At the time, the singer retired from show business to raise her son, Tim. Mieke offered me my first Luv' and José records when I was four years old. That's how my Luv' adventure started. I later met José several times during meet 'n greet afternoons and lunches with fans. My bond with her is very strong. Because I know her, I became a huge fan of her Luv' and solo career.
In April 2017, Marco Rens and I started a Luv' fan page at Marga Scheide's request: https://www.facebook.com/girlgroupLUV. Marco is such a devoted fan of the trio and an excellent partner to work with.
I visit my Dutch family and friends based in Best (where José lives) and Eindhoven once a year. Earlier this month, I met the Luv' ladies. It was the icing on the cake of my holidays.
A wonderful lunch with Marga, Michiel, José, Marco, José at David, Leon & Little Bailey's house in Best
On July 7th, David Hay Gibson (Luv's tour manager between 2017 and 2019) and his husband, Leon, invited the original Luv' ladies, José Hoebee and Marga Scheide, with Marco Rens (co-administrator of Official Luv'), Jos Theuns (José's biggest fan and friend), Michiel Gunning (Marga's partner) and me in their beautiful house in Best. My aunt and uncle's home, where I stayed, is just seven minutes within walking distance from David and Leon's villa. So it was easy to get there.
From left to right: Marco, Leon, David, me, Jos, José, Marga and Michiel
Marga and Michiel's presence was a complete surprise as no one informed me about their arrival. It felt like a gift to me. It was the first time I enjoyed a private meeting with the charismatic ex-Luv' singer. Previously, I only saw her at Luv's 40th-anniversary party at the Quatre Bras restaurant in Best five years ago. Marga had a good sense of humour and it was nice to see how José and she clicked.
David and Leon's dog, Little Bailey, stole the show.
David and Little Bailey
We enjoyed a fabulous three-course lunch cooked by Leon. We had mango, avocado and mozzarella tartare as an appetizer, shrimp bisque as a side dish, redfish with pesto as a main course and coffee with chocolates as dessert.
A delicious summer dish for starters: Mango, avocado and mozzarella tartare
Leon’s delicious homemade Shrimp Bisque
The main course: Redfish on a bed of fine pasta with drops of pesto
We had a nice and spontaneous talk with the ladies. We laughed and remembered the good moments we shared. After lunch, we posed with Marga and José for photos.
Marga and José with me
José and me
I would like to thank David and Leon for the invitation and the "Michelin-like" meal. Marga, Michiel and José for being present and always grateful to the fans as well as my friends Marco and Jos for sharing this unique moment with me.
A Marvellous lunch and dinner with Ria and Marco in Amsterdam and a special meeting with Uschi
Two days later, on July 9th, Marco and I visited Ria Thielsch (member of Luv' in 1980-1981 and 2016-2018) at her house in Amsterdam. Ria has been essential to the trio, and the fans supported her when she came to the group's rescue twice. Her kindness and positivity are what define her the most. In 2020, after Luv's latest break-up, Ria gave me and Marco the green light to start a fan page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riathielschfanzone
First, we had a friendly chat and lunch with Ria.
A few minutes after our meal, Ria received a call from her best friend, Uschi Schreiner, who was sitting in a neighbouring café. She asked us: "Hey boys, don't you mind if we have a drink with my friend Uschi?". Of course, we accepted the offer and five minutes later we were at the Goos café-restaurant. I didn't know who Uschi was. She told us that she had known Ria since 1980 when she was part of Luv'. Ria and Uschi were both models at the time and rapidly became friends. After Luv's first break-up in 1981, the two ladies kept on collaborating in the fashion world. Uschi explained that she appeared on the high-rated TROS/Nederland 1's reality show "Het mooiste meisje van de klas". I later googled what she told us and found out that this TV program was about women who were "the most beautiful girls in the class" during their teen years. Former classmates told anecdotes about these popular girls. Some female celebrities took part in this show. Among them were France-based animal rights and vegan activist Esther Kooiman (formerly known as Zara Whites when she was an actress for adult movies in the 1990s)...and Uschi Schreiner. The episode of "Het mooiste meisje van de klas" featuring Uschi drew 973.000 viewers (market share: 14.2%) on February 26th, 2009. Click here to watch the program. Uschi and José had something in common: they both had been married to the real estate agent, Marteen Andreoli. José was his wife in the 1970s before she joined Luv' and Uschi was his spouse in the 2000s. Moreover, Uschi wrote a column in the Dutch magazine "De Nieuwe Revu" in the 1980s.
Ria, Uschi, Marco and I had a nice moment for one hour at Goos and even posed for some pictures.
Me, Marco, Ria and Uschi
Ria
Uschi & Ria
Then Marco and I came back to Ria's house for dinner. Ria cooked us a very tasty Bami Goreng, a staple of Indonesian cuisine (one of my favourites!). Marco took other photos.
Me, Ria and Marco
Ria's delicious lunch and Bami Goreng
One more little kissy from Ria
Marco and I would like to thank Ria for her hospitality, and the good moment we had together.
A drink with José at Café Ambacht in Best
On July 10th, José and I had a drink at the Ambacht Café in Best. I often went there with Luv's former lead singer. I really appreciated this intimate discussion with her. José is one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever known. She travelled the whole world with Luv', had dozens of hits with the group and solo, collected gold and platinum records, collaborated with influential music professionals and she remains as normal as possible. I would like to thank her for her confidence in Marco and me. I wish her all the best.
José and me
These three Luv' meetings made my Dutch holidays so special.
Source: Facebook (Official Luv', Marco Rens, Jos Theuns, David Hay Gibson, José Hoebee's Fan Page, Ria Thielsch Fan Zone), Marga Scheide