A big yellow bucket is passed around. Olivia Newton-John puts it on her head and smiles like the trouper she is. The Tracks hack does likewise and makes a feeble attempt to gurgle in baby talk. He won’t forget this interview in a hurry.
Olivia Newton John has flown in from her LA base to chat about her new album ‘The Rumour’ with its Elton John produced title track, a naughty song called ‘Can’t We Talk It Over In Bed’ and the very magnificent self-penned ‘Car Games’. This suits everyone fine except for Chloe her, er, delightful three-year-old daughter who demands attention and drowns mummy with all too real tears should she not get any.
Between showing quite an aptitude for building blocks, Olivia ponders on being 40 when she’s still perceived as the goody-goody in Grease or a shy acoustic singer warbling ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’. “Well, I’m very flattered if people still think of me as being so young!” And how does she cope with being an international celebrity, adored wherever she goes, feted by the rich, famous, and oily? “I’m used to it, I guess. Sometimes I can’t understand why people want to talk to me and this little light bulb goes on and I suddenly remember. At the moment I’m really concentrating on being a wife and mother first. That’s what it’s all about, you know. I hope my chain of boutiques, Koala Blue, will be more successful, and I’d like to be less in the public eye.”
A knock at the door, time is up. But we have built a Lego replica of the Taj Mahal!
Ed- Inside Tracks was a UK record store’s promotional magazine.