Olivia Newton-John talks to Ray Fox-Cumming
by Ray Fox-Cumming
SOME INTERVIEWEES need only to be given their head with a single question before sounding off about their whole life history and psyche, while the reporter has an easy time of it just recording each quotable pearl of wisdom. Olivia Newton-John does not.
Her answers are concise, mainly monosyllabic and not always very informative. As total answers “Yes,” “No,” “Maybe” and “I don’t know” figure frequently and, as she dispatches each question with equal alacrity, those wide eyes give you a challenging stare not unmixed with amusement as you fumble for the next.
When we met at her manager’s Savile Row offices she glanced at press cuttings concerning her current three-week cabaret engagement at the Savoy and came across one, which included a lengthy polysyllabic quote, attributed to her, describing why she liked working there.
She looks at it in awed astonishment. “Did I really say that,” she gasps, knowing perfectly well that she didn’t. Such inventions don’t bother her one bit, but when papers start showing more interest in speculating about whom she might be on the verge of marrying she’s not at all pleased - and there’s been quite a lot of that over the past few days.
“It’s ridiculous,” she complains, “it’s just lies. I never said any of the things attributed to me. I haven’t said anything.”
She is enjoying the Savoy though. “I was told that the audiences there tended to be rather reticent, but most of the songs have been applauded at the opening, so there are people in the audience that know them.”
“Singles hits are important to me. It’s fun watching them going up and down the chart and they mean I’m keeping a young image and that’s how I want it to be.”
Her current hit was released way back in October and didn’t lift off initially, probably because she didn’t have much time to promote it with TV appearances until late November. “I’d really given up hope of it getting anywhere,” she said, “and had begun thinking about the next one.”
Olivia is, in fact, still thinking about the next one and, after her Savoy stint ends, will be recording songs for a new album, to be released late summer. From them will be chosen her next single. No songs have yet been earmarked, but Olivia has written a couple herself called “Rosewater” and “I’m Sorry About The Pain,” which she may record.
As yet though she has little confidence in herself as a songwriter. “I’m seldom even game enough to play them to anyone,” she confessed.
The Savoy; she reckons, is good experience for her in that, whereas in the past she’s been used to short 15 minute spots, her cabaret set is almost half an hour and she intends to build up from there to, say, 45-minute appearances. “I might eventually play guitar a bit onstage,” she said. “I’m not very good though, just a few basic chords.”
Did she play any other musical instruments? “Piano, but only by ear, oh, and the recorder.” The recorder? “Yes, actually I played recorder on Hank (Marvin) and John Farrar’s next album - just on one track, but I only did it for fun.”
Late last autumn Olivia made an hour-long film with Georgie Fame in York, and she enjoyed that greatly. In Britain the film will go the rounds of the cinemas, in company with something else, and in the States it’s designed to be a pilot TV programme that, hopefully, will develop into a series.
Olivia’s work is known in the States where her records have enjoyed modest success, and she’d like to do more work there. Britain won’t be seeing her on tour yet awhile though. “I did two tours here last year, so I won’t be doing another at least until late this year.”
Recording she seems to take perhaps more seriously than any other aspect of her work. Her most recent and second album, “Olivia,” was a great improvement on her first, surprising many people and being well received critically. “The next one though has got to be better still.”
–
Reader Ian took Disc’s picture desk to task for their choice of photo, so the magazine printed a different one for him a couple of weeks later.
