Just a minute with: Barry Manilow on his new album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Barry Manilow, the piano man who didn't write his big hits despite proclaiming otherwise in "I Write the Songs," is back in stores with his first album of original material in a decade.

"15 Minutes," a guitar-driven concept album he co-wrote with lyricist Enoch Anderson, details the rise, fall and possible redemption of a young musician. There are traces of Manilow in the storyline, but he says it can apply to anyone trying to make it in their chosen field.

The album debuted in the top 10 of the U.S. pop album chart last week, and is at No. 20 on the current UK chart. It will be released in Europe in September.

Q: This record indicates to me that you're a closeted rocker?

A: "Aha! I wouldn't call me a closeted rocker. I would say that I'm crazy about all sorts of styles of music. My only weak spot is singing them because I don't consider myself a singer. I've sort of fooled the public into thinking that I really could sing. Luther Vandross is a singer, George Michael is a singer. But I was able to get through because I can act the lyric. I can perform a song, and I think that was good."

Q: What parts of you do you recognize in the character?

A: "I didn't start off wanting to write an autobiographical story, but I had gone through just about every experience in every song except for the very last two cuts, which is when he's really down and I'm imagining him in a hotel room saying, 'What happened?' Thank goodness I didn't go down that far, but everything else I experienced."

Q: What's the closest you've come to derailing?

A: "Not very successful albums, some singles that were released that didn't make it, shows that didn't sell out. They really affect you when you're flying high. This fame thing is a rollercoaster. And I'll tell you something, if you do it for the fame you are asking for trouble. For me, I never did it for the fame, I did it for the music. I did it because I couldn't not do it. It saved my ass."

Q: If you're not self-destructive, when you look in the mirror what character flaws do you see?

A: "I got offered everything when I was starting out. I had to make a decision whether I wanted that life or not. My biggest decision was how was I treating people? When 'Mandy' hit and I had five No. 1 records in a row, was I being the guy that I was five years ago, or had I changed? I said, I changed and I had to make that decision to be a good guy again."

Q: Are you a good guy now?

A: "I try to be. I don't think I'm that ego, fear-based guy that I was when my life was out of control."

Q: How did you develop such a thick skin?

A: "I'll tell you one of the things that definitely helped. I had a lot of people around me who were very supportive. I had family, I had old friends. I had a record company. I had people around me saying, 'Don't listen to any of this stuff, you're doing great work.' They would boost me up. When Sinatra (reportedly in the 1970s) said, 'He's next,' that was a very, very important moment for me."

Q: To what extent do you keep a hand-on approach to the Barry Manilow business?

A: "I must say that I don't pay attention to the money as much as I should, because I did go bankrupt twice ... I should have taken responsibility for that. I just don't. It doesn't mean anything to me, it really doesn't. I'll miss it when it's gone."

Q: Do you work out?

A: "I do, three times a week. I eat well. I go to the gym. I got my hair. I'm telling you, so there you go, I'm lucky. I'm a lucky guy.

(Editing by Patricia Reaney)

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Barry Manilow tackles fame in risky concept album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Not bad for a decidedly unfashionable singer.

Barry Manilow earned a coveted spot as a trending topic on Twitter recently when he went on a daytime TV chat show to promote his first album of original material in 10 years. The honor is usually reserved for high-flying hotshots rather than golden-oldie types.

Alas, the Internet buzz did not reflect the momentous occasion. "Barry Manilow is performing, and I'm three seconds from blowing my head off," said one tweeter. Added another, "Barry Manilow is just plain scary looking."

But Manilow, whose eerily smooth face belies his 67 years (he turns 68 on June 17), has heard it all before. After 40 years in the business as the butt of all sorts of jokes, there's nothing that can faze him.

"I'm surprised I'm still here, I really am, because they were really hard on me, from the late-night talk shows to the press," he said in an interview with Reuters hours after his appearance on "The Talk." "But the audiences, most of the times, were on my side. They were there for me."

But will his older-skewing female fans be there for his new album "15 Minutes," an ambitious follow-up to a series of covers albums that sent him to the upper reaches of the charts for the first time since his '70s heyday?

Set for release in the United States and Canada on Tuesday (and the UK on June 20), the rock-flavored project is inspired by the harsh media spotlight shone on young celebrities.

ANGRY MANILOW

The 16 songs detail the rise, fall and possible redemption of a youngster who seeks fame and fortune. Manilow wrote the music, working with lyricist Enoch Anderson. He released it on his own label.

"It's not pretty piano tinkling," he said. "It's got a lot of energy. Some of it is anger. I don't know whether they'll like that. But there's a lot of great melodies on it, so hopefully they'll connect with that."

The project took hold while Britney Spears was undergoing a public meltdown in 2007, shaving her head and later landing in a psych ward under the full gaze of the paparazzi.

"(We) both said, Is that the price of fame? Is this what's going on these days?," Manilow said.

"If you do it for the fame, you are asking for trouble," he added. "I did it for the music. I did it because I couldn't not do it. It saved my ass."

By the time Manilow scored his first No. 1 single with "Mandy" in early 1975, he was a 31-year-old veteran well versed in the cruel reality of showbiz. More hits quickly followed: "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Copacabana (At the Copa)."

But by his admission he became a bit of a tyrant, and he had to try to be "a good guy again." He considers himself pretty secure these days.

So, no plastic surgery then? "Not a thing," he said with a straight face. "This is what my family looks like."

The fans -- a.k.a. the "fanilows" -- can't get enough. Manilow is seven years into a Las Vegas residency, jetting to the weekend engagements from his home in nearby Palm Springs where he maintains a strict fitness and dietary regimen.

He always knows exactly what is planned for the next five years. A recent stint at London's 02 Arena with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was taped for a live album that will come out in the winter. Then he plans to record a follow-up to his first jazz album, 1984's "2:00 A.M. Paradise Cafe."

By the end of this five-year plan he would be 73. "In my head I'm going on 35," he insisted with a smile that barely creased his face. "Five years from now I'll be 40. Hey!"

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

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Barry Manilow tackles fame in risky concept album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Not bad for a decidedly unfashionable singer.

Barry Manilow earned a coveted spot as a trending topic on Twitter recently when he went on a daytime TV chat show to promote his first album of original material in 10 years. The honor is usually reserved for high-flying hotshots rather than golden-oldie types.

Alas, the Internet buzz did not reflect the momentous occasion. "Barry Manilow is performing, and I'm three seconds from blowing my head off," said one tweeter. Added another, "Barry Manilow is just plain scary looking."

But Manilow, whose eerily smooth faces belies his 67 years (he turns 68 on June 17), has heard it all before. After 40 years in the business as the butt of all sorts of jokes, there's nothing that can faze him.

"I'm surprised I'm still here, I really am, because they were really hard on me, from the late-night talk shows to the press," he said in an interview with Reuters hours after his appearance on "The Talk." "But the audiences, most of the times, were on my side. They were there for me."

But will his older-skewing female fans be there for his new album "15 Minutes," an ambitious follow-up to a series of covers albums that sent him to the upper reaches of the charts for the first time since his '70s heyday?

Set for release in the United States and Canada on Tuesday (and the UK on June 20), the rock-flavored project is inspired by the harsh media spotlight shone on young celebrities.

ANGRY MANILOW

The 16 songs detail the rise, fall and possible redemption of a youngster who seeks fame and fortune. Manilow wrote the music, working with lyricist Enoch Anderson. He released it on his own label.

"It's not pretty piano tinkling," he said. "It's got a lot of energy. Some of it is anger. I don't know whether they'll like that. But there's a lot of great melodies on it, so hopefully they'll connect with that."

The project took hold while Britney Spears was undergoing a public meltdown in 2007, shaving her head and later landing in a psych ward under the full gaze of the paparazzi.

"(We) both said, Is that the price of fame? Is this what's going on these days?," Manilow said.

"If you do it for the fame, you are asking for trouble," he added. "I did it for the music. I did it because I couldn't not do it. It saved my ass."

By the time Manilow scored his first No. 1 single with "Mandy" in early 1975, he was a 31-year-old veteran well versed in the cruel reality of showbiz. More hits quickly followed: "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You," "Copacabana (At the Copa)."

But by his admission he became a bit of a tyrant, and he had to try to be "a good guy again." He considers himself pretty secure these days.

So, no plastic surgery then? "Not a thing," he said with a straight face. "This is what my family looks like."

The fans -- a.k.a. the "fanilows" -- can't get enough. Manilow is seven years into a Las Vegas residency, jetting to the weekend engagements from his home in nearby Palm Springs where he maintains a strict fitness and dietary regimen.

He always knows exactly what is planned for the next five years. A recent stint at London's 02 Arena with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was taped for a live album that will come out in the winter. Then he plans to record a follow-up to his first jazz album, 1984's "2:00 A.M. Paradise Cafe."

By the end of this five-year plan he would be 73. "In my head I'm going on 35," he insisted with a smile that barely creased his face. "Five years from now I'll be 40. Hey!"

(Editing by Jill Serjeant)

(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog "Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters.com/fanfare/)

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Barry Manilow Heartbroken at Pal Elizabeth Taylor's Death: 'Sad Day for Me'

EXCLUSIVE: When Elizabeth Taylor needed a superstar to headline one of her earliest benefits to raise money for HIV/AIDS in 1986, long before it was a cause that all in Hollywood were ready to support, she turned to her dear friend Barry Manilow. Without pause, Barry jumped at the chance, and today with news of her passing, the legendary singer is heartbroken.

"She was the last great movie star and one of my closest friends," Barry tells me. "This is a sad day for me."

Not many people got to be so close to greatness like Barry did, but what he remembers most is her warmness and huge laugh that filled rooms.

"What I'll always remember about Elizabeth was her laugh," he says. "She would walk in looking like a princess, and out of her mouth would come this cackling laugh that would crack all of us up."
Dame Elizabeth called Barry her hero for jumping in when she needed him most -- remember in 1986, most celebrities were hesitant to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS -- and never forgot that her dear friend was always a phone call away.

He went on to perform alongside other huge stars in Liz's 1992 telethon, 'In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS,' and he was the master of ceremonies at her 60th birthday party at Disneyland.



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