Sexy, feminist, a role-playing game
Translation from German:
Good evening Europe,
greeted the ever-more beautiful Olivia Newton-John from Los Angeles.
Good morning Olivia,
replied I, the ever-aging one from the film center of the N.O.S. television studios in Hilversum, Holland. With that, the event, a first
for all involved (the interviewer, the interviewee, and the record company), had already begun.
The tension was palpable. The first fifteen minutes of the planned hour were already lost due to technical problems. But once the audio and video connections were finally established, the tech — who was organizing the whole thing — didn't let the cat out of the bag.
On the four square meters of screen, as well as from two television monitors, Olivia's warm smile beamed down at me. I was charmed, until I remembered that she couldn't see my happy face. So, mild disappointment. For me, it would be more than just a kind of elevated telephone interview.
But thanks to Olivia's natural enthusiasm, professionalism, entrepreneurial spirit, and experience, I didn't have to worry about whether I could establish personal contact with this acclaimed, celebrated, yet very private woman across the thousands of kilometers of a satellite signal.
Despite her academic heritage (her grandfather is the Nobel laureate Max Born, and her father was principal of Ormond College in Melbourne, Australia), her early-developed interest in singing and dancing enabled her, at the age of fifteen, to win a tour of her native England as first prize in a talent competition. Much to her father's dismay, she decided to dedicate herself to music. She left school and traveled away. In England, she gained considerable experience performing in clubs, cabarets, and on television, often as a duet partner of Pat Carroll, another Australian who later reappears in the story.
Her first single, a cover of Bob Dylan's If Not For You,
established her in England and Australia. The following year, she conquered America when she won a Grammy for Best Country Vocalist. Two more Grammy Awards followed in 1974, in the Country and Pop categories. And since then, the accolades haven't stopped. Everything she sings goes gold and platinum. She has sold nearly 60 million records worldwide.
Her LP Physical
was one of the first concept albums with a video, and she showcased her acting talents in films like Grease,
Xanadu
and Two of a Kind.
Now, four years after Physical,
she releases Soul Kiss
on a new label and with a new, more mature, and alluring image.
The seductive image
The seductive image of Physical was the first step to getting rid of my 'eternal girl' image. It was more mature. The songs were bolder. But at the time, I wasn't so sure if it was the right thing to do,
she admits. Now my image is much more in line with who I really am, a multifaceted woman.
Based on the overall effect of the record sleeve, the (somewhat cold-looking). Regarding the video and the choice of songs, I can only agree with this assertion. Visually, it not only expressed the wholesome Olivia of earlier days, but also (thanks to the excellent photographs by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts) the sensuality of a Brigitte Bardot and the erotic sophistication of a Catherine Deneuve. A complex image, which the music also reflects.
Many of the songs we chose also presented me with technical challenges as a singer. The melodies are more complex and demanding. I had to work very hard. As a performer, it was also a challenge to grapple with such a broad spectrum. Every song on the LP tells a little story. Some are serious, some romantic, and others funny. 'Driving Music,' for example, is about a female taxi driver on the night shift with only the music on the radio for company. 'Overnight Observation' tells the story of a woman who is seduced in a doctor's office, and 'Queen of the Publication,' written in the first person, is the portrait of a journalist who believes she can intrude on the private atmosphere and write everything she's told.
Seduction in the doctor's office
But where does the real Olivia Newton-John lie? How does she feel about the diverse messages, ranging from the tough feminism of the reggae-tinged rocker Toughen Up
to the egoism of the pivot in a Culture love triangle, from Schock
to the almost resigned romance of the title track or Emotional Tangle
?
Singing is like acting and feelings. They're little roles, like films, that you have to slip into. Experience has taught me a lot about myself. And I don't see a contradiction in a woman being confident and romantic at the same time. I feel all these things inside me. On my other LPs, I always tried to include a song of my own. But this time I didn't manage to write anything that was good enough. After 'Physical,' everything had to be perfect.
And the global superstar is feeling romantic at the moment. After her 'Physical' world tour, she retreated to her Malibu ranch to her family of animals (5 cats, 7 dogs, and 5 horses), she says she can enjoy a normal life.
She took another step in this direction last December when she married actor Matt Lattanzi (who also appears in the video) at home with family and friends by candlelight and an open fireplace, and the happy couple is already expecting a baby.
But this domesticity doesn't diminish her hard-won self-confidence and dedication to show business, nor her adventurous attitude. Olivia has plenty to do at the moment, but there are priorities, and having a family is the most important thing I've ever done,
she asserts with all the certainty in the world.
Family, a new seduction
Two years ago, Olivia opened a shop in Los Angeles, Koala Blue,
with Pat Carroll, her former partner, who is now married to Olivia's producer, John Farrar. They sell everything from fashion and music to milkshakes imported from Australia. The shop has been so successful that the dynamic entrepreneurs have been able to open another store in Japan and begin negotiations for European and Australian branches.
With her experience, her interest in the entire artistic process is also growing. She wants to explore new avenues, seeing a work through from conception to the finished product.
Together with my friend Nancy Gordon (Editor - Chuda), I've also been developing an idea for a film,
she says excitedly. We were walking on the beach, and suddenly I had this idea for a comedy. We discussed it and developed it further. The script is being written now. We have to pitch it to a studio ourselves. We're going to produce it, and I hope I can act in it too.
She's certainly not giving up on music. She plans to release a country LP in addition to her regular albums, as well as an album of classic oldies she grew up with. Only when it comes to touring does she notice a (for a pop star) potentially dangerous delay. That's the hardest thing for me, and I'm glad I don't have to do it right now. Never say never, but I have no desire to go on tour again.
By Robert Lyng