Marriage should be up to the individual - Gaydar

GM: Hello, Olivia Newton-John. (she giggles) First and foremost, I am supposed to tell you how absolutely fabulous Michael Caprio is. (MC is her agent and good friend. He set this interview up for Gaydar Magazine)
ONJ: (Laughs) I know he is.

GM: Second I should lay some background for you. I am a lifelong fan. I remember coming home from basketball practice and plopping into my beanbag chair and listening to your greatest hits until the needle wore through to the other side. In part, I credit your music with helping me accept my sexual orientation at an early age in a healthy manner.
ONJ: Well thank you. That is so sweet to hear.

GM: Enough about me. We're here to talk your 30 years in the entertainment business and what's new.
ONJ: Okay. Let's do it.

GM: I've never read who influenced you before you became a household name.
ONJ: Oh, well, Joan Baez, Dionne Warwick and others. My album Indigo was a tribute to those women. I learned many things from these women. I don't listen to much now because I don't want to be influenced by what others are doing, I don't want to copy anyone else's style. I need to be myself. What I do listen to is more new agey. I also listen to talk radio and written music. Music can be emotional.

GM: What are your favorite ONJ recording?
ONJ: Oh, wow. I love the old John Farrar songs, especially Suspended in Time (from Xanadu) and Falling. He is a great songwriter.

GM: I love those too. The country to pop to even big band feel of Whenever I'm Away from You. Can I take you back in time to ask about some of your duet partners?
ONJ: Oh my. Okay.

GM: Share your thoughts on recording with Andy Gibb (Rest Your Love on Me & I Can't Help it)
ONJ: Andy was such a sweet guy and his death was such a tragedy. He had such a distinctive voice and it allowed me to work with Barry Gibb as well.

GM: I saw a video clip on youtube.com the other day. You were sitting in a circle singing random songs with ABBA and Andy Gibb.
ONJ: Yes, I remember that. The director of my TV special had done a special with Elvis and said the best feedback was from a segment where Elvis sat and did some improve songs. So that's we did. I hadn't thought about that in so long. You just gave me a very happy memory. I would love to see that again.

GM: What about John Travolta (You're the One That I Want, Summer Nights, Take a Chance)?
ONJ: John is one of my favorite people. It was wonderful performing with him. And the reunion tour was such fun.

GM: Cliff Richard (Suddenly)?
ONJ: Cliff really got me started in TV and recording. I was a permanent fixture on his show in England before coming to the US.

GM: And, John Denver (Fly Away)?
ONJ: John Denver was a brilliant writer. I spent my first Thanksgiving in the US with he and Annie at their home. He was always concerned about the environment. He was very good to me.

Marriage should be up to the individuals. And it should be all about love. Wherever you can find it, go for it.

GM: Okay let's talk about the films. Your thoughts on Grease?
ONJ: Well, it's just amazing. Who could've guessed its longevity. It's still getting fans now.

GM: It had that resurgence in the 90's and has recently been repackaged in a black leather jacket which just debuted in the top ten. High School Musical certainly owes some of its success to the Grease formula. Xanadu?
ONJ: I think the dancing and fashion was way ahead of it's time. And the soundtrack had some great tunes.

GM: I just interviewed Jason & DeMarco. When I asked their favorite songs of all time, Jason chose Xanadu. We hi-fived, because I love it too. The gays love you. What about Two of a Kind?
ONJ: John and I wanted to work together again. To the point that we didn't really look long enough at the script. Another good soundtrack though.

GM: I agree. I love Twist of Fate and Livin' in Desperate Times. Share some thoughts about the film It's My Party.
ONJ: Well, I had worked with Mark Randell on Grease. It's My Party was his own personal story. It allowed me my first dramatic role with a standard of actors that included Gregory Harrison, Eric Roberts, Margret Cho, Lee Grant and others. It's a moving and emotional story. I was grateful to be part of it.

GM: I remember seeing it and feeling thrilled that you were in it. What about Sordid Lives?
ONJ: Del Shore's Fun. I saw the play and suggested it be made into a movie and offered myself for a role. Later he called and asked me to do it. We did the whole movie in only a few days. I found it challenging to play that character. It played for a year in Palm Springs. We attended the Gays & Grays weekend and realized it had a cult following. It was a really fun thing to do.

GM: With your history in the recording and film industry, your Order of the British Empire, your Goodwill Ambassadorship, your Koala Blue product line, the environmental issues addressed by Planet Ark, and your new breast health products, what do you consider to be your proudest achievement?
ONJ: (without hesitation) My daughter.

GM: How is Chloe?
ONJ: She's great. She's a singer, too. In fact she has a CD coming out in the new year, to premiere on my space.

GM: We mentioned the new breast health products available exclusively at WalGreen's. What should gay men know about breast cancer?
ONJ: Everyone should know that, although not as prevalent, breast cancer does occur in men. So you should check yourself. Or, perhaps get a partner and check each other out. It could be fun. The Walgreen's product can be given to the women in their lives. Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, girlfriends. The package comes with a supplement that will help keep women more healthy. Each song on the disc was written to help relax and heal. If you really want to relax and/or treat the woman in your life come to my Gaia Retreat in Australia. We call it the Barefoot Armani.

GM: Sounds wholistically decadant! And I love the interludes between the songs on the new cd, Grace & Gratitude. In the liner notes you say that life, with all it's ups and downs, is a gift of grace that I accept with gratitude. You suggest that we are all searching for peace, love and compassion. If that is so, how do you explain all the war and senseless death in the world?
ONJ: There have always been horrors in the world. We learn about them more rapidly now because of the constant media coverage and our immediate access to everything now. It's going to take time to heal. Where there is darkness, only put out light.

GM: I like that. You are embarking on a new tour. How do you prepare for going on the road?
ONJ: The usual. I do voice warm ups. I treat it like a marathon and take it day by day.

GM:Didn't you once suffer from stage fright?
ONJ: Yes, it was paralyzing. But, I conquered it. I used to be terrified of making mistakes. I had to come to realize it's human to make mistakes. I gave up on perfection.

GM: Compare the woman who recorded Physical to who you are now.
ONJ: Oh. I can't remember who I was then. Life's journey helps you mature. I've learned you can grow a beautiful lotus out of the surge. I was different then.

GM: The new cd, Grace & Gratitude is dedicated to Patrick. What do you want our readers to know about Patrick and how you've been coping since his disappearance?
ONJ: I would like your readers to know that I love him and always will. Patrick was a wonderful father. And (pause), yes, he was my best friend.

GM: Speaking of love. What are your thoughts on gay marriage?
ONJ: Marriage should be up to the individuals. And it should be all about love. Wherever you can find it, go for it.

GM: The song Instrument of Peace was inspired by the words of St Francis of Assiss and was written for the film, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. Are you in the film?
ONJ: I am in the movie. I had an instinct that I should call the director. It was a wonderful experience and he is a wonderful teacher. It will hopefully be released in 2007.

GM: We spoke of decadence a few minutes ago. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
ONJ: Oh...eating chocolate. Anything chocolate.

GM: I am right there with you. I knew we were soul mates since I was 10 years old.
ONJ: Chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. I prefer to think of it as fun, not guilty. Guilt makes it sound bad. We deserve to treat ourselves. Everything in moderation.

GM: Biggest vice?
ONJ: Oh, I can't share that. That's my secret. Let's just say chocolate again.

GM: Amen!