0:00:00.817,0:00:04.817 (Whistling) 0:02:00.784,0:02:03.333 (Whistling ends) 0:02:04.160,0:02:07.479 (Applause) 0:02:07.503,0:02:08.976 Thank you. 0:02:09.000,0:02:11.576 (Applause) 0:02:11.600,0:02:12.976 Thank you very much. 0:02:13.734,0:02:15.073 That was whistling. 0:02:15.097,0:02:18.976 I'm trying to do this in English. 0:02:19.000,0:02:24.092 What is a chubby,[br]curly-haired guy from Holland -- 0:02:24.231,0:02:25.749 why is he whistling? 0:02:25.773,0:02:29.204 Well actually, I've been whistling[br]since the age of four, about four. 0:02:29.228,0:02:31.394 My dad was always whistling[br]around the house, 0:02:31.418,0:02:34.485 and I just thought that's part[br]of communication in my family. 0:02:34.509,0:02:36.208 So I whistled along with him. 0:02:36.232,0:02:39.695 And actually, until I was 34, 0:02:39.719,0:02:44.259 I always annoyed and irritated[br]people with whistling, 0:02:44.283,0:02:45.976 because, to be honest, 0:02:46.000,0:02:48.841 my whistling is a kind[br]of deviant behavior. 0:02:50.309,0:02:53.574 I whistled alone,[br]I whistled in the classroom, 0:02:53.598,0:02:56.168 I whistled on bike, I whistled everywhere. 0:02:56.308,0:02:59.688 And I also whistled[br]at a Christmas Eve party 0:02:59.712,0:03:01.433 with my family-in-law. 0:03:01.457,0:03:06.139 And they had some, in my opinion,[br]terrible Christmas music. 0:03:06.163,0:03:09.901 And when I hear music that I don't like,[br]I try to make it better. 0:03:09.925,0:03:11.307 (Laughter) 0:03:11.331,0:03:14.811 So when "Rudolph the Red-Nosed[br]Reindeer" -- you know it? 0:03:14.835,0:03:17.741 (Whistling) 0:03:17.765,0:03:19.467 But it can also sound like this. 0:03:19.491,0:03:22.614 (Whistling) 0:03:22.638,0:03:25.596 But during a Christmas party -- 0:03:25.620,0:03:27.833 at dinner, actually -- it's very annoying. 0:03:27.857,0:03:32.316 So my sister-in-law asked me a few times,[br]"Please stop whistling." 0:03:32.340,0:03:33.628 And I just couldn't. 0:03:33.652,0:03:34.853 And at one point -- 0:03:34.877,0:03:37.089 and I had some wine,[br]I have to admit that -- 0:03:37.113,0:03:40.388 at one point I said,[br]"If there was a contest, I would join." 0:03:40.412,0:03:41.854 And two weeks later, 0:03:41.878,0:03:45.286 I received a text message:[br]"You're going to America." 0:03:45.310,0:03:46.976 (Laughter) 0:03:47.220,0:03:50.048 So, OK, I'm going to America. 0:03:50.072,0:03:51.676 I would love to, but why? 0:03:51.700,0:03:53.857 So I immediately called her up, of course. 0:03:53.881,0:03:58.463 She googled, and she found[br]this World Whistling Championship 0:03:58.487,0:04:00.264 in America, of course. 0:04:00.288,0:04:01.438 (Laughter) 0:04:02.618,0:04:04.976 She didn't expect me to go there. 0:04:05.000,0:04:08.139 And I would have lost my face. 0:04:08.163,0:04:10.149 I don't know if that's correct English. 0:04:10.173,0:04:12.699 But the Dutch people here[br]will understand what I mean. 0:04:12.723,0:04:15.182 (Laughter) 0:04:15.206,0:04:16.976 I lost my face. 0:04:17.000,0:04:19.976 (Applause) 0:04:20.000,0:04:22.592 And she thought, "He will never go there." 0:04:22.616,0:04:24.202 But actually, I did. 0:04:24.226,0:04:29.771 So I went to Louisburg, North Carolina,[br]southeast of the United States, 0:04:29.795,0:04:32.152 and I entered the world of whistling. 0:04:32.810,0:04:35.320 And I also entered the World Championship, 0:04:35.344,0:04:37.976 and I won there, in 2004. 0:04:38.000,0:04:41.912 (Applause) 0:04:41.936,0:04:45.257 That was great fun, of course. 0:04:46.321,0:04:51.817 And to defend my title --[br]like judokas do and sportsmen -- 0:04:51.841,0:04:54.182 I thought, well let's go back in 2005 -- 0:04:54.206,0:04:55.365 and I won again. 0:04:55.389,0:04:56.825 (Laughter) 0:04:56.928,0:04:59.025 Then I couldn't participate[br]for a few years. 0:04:59.049,0:05:03.591 And in 2008, I entered again[br]in Japan, Tokyo, and I won again. 0:05:03.615,0:05:05.976 So what happened now 0:05:06.000,0:05:09.816 is I'm standing here in Rotterdam,[br]in the beautiful city, on a big stage, 0:05:09.840,0:05:11.750 and I'm talking about whistling. 0:05:11.774,0:05:15.253 And actually, I earn my money[br]whistling, at the moment. 0:05:15.277,0:05:17.976 So I quit my day job as a nurse. 0:05:18.000,0:05:22.976 (Applause) 0:05:23.000,0:05:24.976 And I try to live my dream -- 0:05:25.000,0:05:28.145 well, actually, it was never my dream,[br]but it sounds so good. 0:05:28.169,0:05:29.976 (Laughter) 0:05:30.000,0:05:32.293 OK, I'm not the only one whistling here. 0:05:32.317,0:05:34.442 You say, "Huh, what do you mean?" 0:05:34.466,0:05:37.024 Well actually, you are going[br]to whistle along. 0:05:40.476,0:05:42.914 And then always the same thing happens: 0:05:42.938,0:05:45.712 people are watching each other[br]and think, "Oh, my God. 0:05:45.736,0:05:47.890 Why? Can I go away?" 0:05:47.914,0:05:49.323 No, you can't. 0:05:49.347,0:05:51.267 (Laughter) 0:05:51.846,0:05:53.194 Actually, it's very simple. 0:05:53.218,0:05:56.638 The track that I will whistle[br]is called "Fête de la Belle." 0:05:57.154,0:05:58.971 It's about 80 minutes long. 0:05:58.995,0:06:00.400 (Laughter) 0:06:00.424,0:06:02.976 No, no, no. It's four minutes long. 0:06:03.000,0:06:06.308 And I want to first rehearse[br]with you your whistling. 0:06:07.167,0:06:08.919 Yes, so I whistle the tone. 0:06:08.943,0:06:10.976 (Whistling) 0:06:11.000,0:06:13.216 (Laughter) 0:06:13.348,0:06:15.362 Sorry, I forgot one thing -- 0:06:16.163,0:06:18.732 you whistle the same tone as me. 0:06:18.756,0:06:20.605 (Laughter) 0:06:20.629,0:06:26.559 I heard a wide variety of tones. 0:06:26.790,0:06:31.847 (Geert Chatrou and audience whistling) 0:06:40.099,0:06:41.305 (Whistling ends) 0:06:41.329,0:06:42.688 This is very promising. 0:06:42.712,0:06:43.899 (Laughter) 0:06:43.923,0:06:45.264 This is very promising. 0:06:45.288,0:06:47.976 I'll ask the technicians[br]to start the music. 0:06:48.000,0:06:51.238 And if it's started,[br]I just point where you whistle along, 0:06:51.262,0:06:52.835 and we will see what happens. 0:06:52.859,0:06:54.994 (Laughter) 0:06:58.623,0:07:02.646 Oh, I'm so sorry, technicians. 0:07:02.670,0:07:06.899 (Laughter) 0:07:06.923,0:07:08.121 I'm so used to that. 0:07:08.145,0:07:09.169 (Laughter) 0:07:09.193,0:07:10.518 I start it myself. 0:07:10.542,0:07:11.703 (Laughter) 0:07:11.727,0:07:12.976 OK, here it is. 0:07:13.000,0:07:16.349 (Laughter) 0:07:16.373,0:07:18.319 (Music) 0:07:18.343,0:07:24.000 (Whistling) 0:07:29.108,0:07:30.259 (Whistling ends) 0:07:30.283,0:07:32.975 (Music) 0:07:34.322,0:07:35.502 OK. 0:07:36.426,0:07:41.666 (Whistling) 0:08:23.819,0:08:25.571 It's easy, isn't it? 0:08:26.000,0:08:32.000 (Whistling) 0:09:00.349,0:09:03.349 Now comes the solo,[br]I propose I do that myself, OK? 0:09:03.373,0:09:05.976 (Music) 0:09:06.000,0:09:12.000 (Whistling) 0:11:19.000,0:11:25.253 (Applause) 0:11:30.000,0:11:33.729 Max Westerman: Geert Chatrou,[br]the World Champion of Whistling. 0:11:33.753,0:11:35.928 Geert Chatrou: Thank you. Thank you.