Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip - Barry Manilow

Sunday Diva / Three From The Hip

Barry Manilow

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such loveable mensch?

Mr. Barry Manilow.

What's not to love?

He's given generation after generation a reason to smile. A reason to sing. 

His special combination of musical influences - the American songbook, jazz, swing, ragtime, and schmaltz - has resulted in his own lexicon which will live on long after he no longer takes the stage. 

When one lives life with a singular love one cherishes and enjoys as much as this man loves his music, what other possible outcome could there be?

Where did it all begin?

Well, if Bette Midler got her start in the baths, then Barry Manilow did too!

He earned his chops, toiling away as an arranger, accompanist, and band leader for The Divine One, helping launch her juggernaut of a career by producing Midler's debut album. 

And even after his own career soared, yielding Top 40 hit after hit... he still paid tribute to those who helped pave the way or helped the careers of others - thanks to him, Dionne Warwick had one hell of a third act. 

He withstood the slings and arrows of the critics, the whims of public taste, and the alteration of AM radio - all with a charm and a self-deprecating sense of humility and gratitude. 

This diva was the ultimate entertainer.

As for the man?

Throughout the decades - from day one - there were whispers, a little side-eye, rumors...

But the man knew his fan base and he was incredibly protective of them and the musical legacy he'd built, so he kept 'it' to himself... until the world caught up and he found he needn't anymore. 

That he could be his true self and still be adored and cherished meant the world to him, just as his music continues to mean so much to so many to this day.

Yesterday, Mr. Manilow celebrated his 80th birthday. 

Here's hoping he sees many more.

The gospel according to him?

Well, here are three from the hip, falling from his lips.

The Topic: Beautiful Music

"I am a musician. My passion for music has obliterated everything in its path for my entire life."

"No one person or material thing could ever come close to the feeling I get when the music is right."

"Whenever there was a choice between music and anything else, music won hands down every time."

"I love any opportunity I have to make music."

"To write a love song that might be able to make it on the radio, that is something that is terrifying to me. But I can definitely write a song about that chair over there. That I can do, but to sit and write a pop song out of the clear blue sky, that is very difficult and I admire the people that can do it."

"What we hear now is great-sounding records with great-sounding grooves and loops. And the sound of these records is irresistible, but the craft of songwriting is just about over. That's why, whenever I get an opportunity to do an album full of standards, I jump at it because I miss it."

"Everybody has to find out: who are you? What do you believe in?"

"I feel that after all those horrible reviews and jokes, I wasn't crazy all these years to stand up for the music I believe in."

"My goal was always to be involved in music that would outlive me. And maybe that's actually happening."

"I'm still hungry. I've still got a million ideas. I'm still strong and ready to create."

Mandy - Barry Manilow

Copacabana - Barry Manilow

Please Don't Be Scared - Barry Manilow

And one last parting shot...

"Misfits aren't misfits among other misfits."

I Need Your Help, Barry Manilow - Ray Stevens