Good Morning America 2004
ABC News: Good Morning America
7 April 2004
BARRY MANILOW SINGER RELEASES NEW DOUBLE CD
CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS: Times Square they call it. Of course, "The Times" moved away from the square. We want them to call it "Good Morning America" Square
now, but they won't do it.
GIBSON: Anyway, we have with us a man that "Rolling Stone" called the
showman of our generation, more than 40 albums, 60 million albums sold worldwide. And after all that, Barry Manilow says the most exciting and surprising tour of his 35-year career has been captured on his new two CD set, which is called "Barry Manilow, 2 Nights Live", just released this week, already gone gold.
GIBSON: In a moment we'll have some music from him, but first a chance to talk.
BARRY MANILOW, SINGER: I'm sorry, I just banged it, I've never been on a stage before, sorry, what is this thing?
GIBSON: You mentioned this album is the best in some ways but I asked a
performer once, what's the most important album you ever did and he
said the one I'm trying to sell now.
MANILOW: Oh, yeah, well that's a good answer. But I'm really excited about
this, you know why? It's a live album that sounds like you're in the 10th row. That's the difference between this live album, I think, and all the other live albums that I'm crazy about. This one, somehow, Tom Davis, my engineer and co-producer, put the audience in, the listener, in the 10th row and there's something fantastic about this.
GIBSON: Well, in just a moment, I know you're going to perform a medley from.
MANILOW: Yes, we snipped down some of the hits for you.
GIBSON: The album, but I heard that you're going to be one of the judges on "American Idol" this year?
MANILOW: I am.
GIBSON: Now, some of the contestants on there are really terrible.
MANILOW: Are they?
GIBSON: And some of them are gonna be singing Barry Manilow songs.
MANILOW: Well, you know, I asked ...
GIBSON: How are you gonna feel about this?
MANILOW: I asked the "American Idol" people if I could work with the contestants for a week before I got there and they're allowing me to do it. They're allowing me to actually help them work out the arrangements.
GIBSON: But Barry, somebody, if they're singing your songs, it's gonna sound like fingers on a black board.
MANILOW: For you. I mean, they're young, and they've got heart, you know, I did that, too. I can't believe anybody has the guts to do that kind of thing. I'm all for them.
GIBSON: Would you win if you were a contestant?
MANILOW: No, no way.
GIBSON: All right, it is good to have you back with us to help us celebrate ...
MANILOW: Thanks.
GIBSON: ... the birthday of Times Square. And now the songs that make the whole world sing, a medley from the new album. Here's Barry Manilow.
MANILOW: Give me my fanfare.
Performance by Barry Manilow
Commercial break
GIBSON: As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Times Square, we mentioned 22 Broadway theaters here around Times Square, and in one of them this fall will be opening a show, Barry Manilow wrote the music. The name of the new show will be "Harmony" and here he is to perform a ballad from that show. The name, we haven't even gotten to the song yet, "Every Single Day."
MANILOW: You know, Charlie, this song is on the new two CD live, it's such a fantastic show. I'm so proud of the score, so I hope you like this song. Okay, Steve, this is a song about making a really important decision. I'm taking my jacket off for this one.
Performance by Barry Manilow
MANILOW: Thank you.
Commercial break
GIBSON: We were going to give Barry the gold record for his new album, but you saw that, you saw a lot of that. We have a cake here for the 100th anniversary of Times Square. We're gonna celebrate with that, but Barry's gonna play us off the air with "New York Rhythm." Here he is.
MANILOW: Absolutely.
Performance by Barry Manilow