Talking with Tony Bennett, who has a new TV special next week

By MARK BROWN
Scripps Howard News Service
15-NOV-06

Tony Bennett's new TV special, which airs at 8 p.m. EST Nov. 21 on NBC, calls him "An American Classic." What more can you say? The crooner recently released "Duets: An American Classic," in which he sings with Bono, Paul McCartney, Elton John and more, doing songs that range from standards to Green Day.

In the special he'll sing with Barbra Streisand, John Legend and others. He recently got on the phone with producer-director Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and reporters and spoke about his career at age 80.

Q: What impressed you about the artists you worked with on this disc and on the special?

A: Well, there are a lot of good artists. But I think my son really did a great choice of artists that are on the album. Every one of them is just magnificent. I had questions whether they were going to be prepared and professional. Everyone was and everyone had a great time. And you never know when the labor of love happens, but that's what happened to me on that special and with this album.

Q: What was the visual concept?

A: (From Rob Marshall): It really is in some ways like 10 small different films. We have 10 numbers and the look of it was really, I mean, I really took the whole idea of the special from Tony's career. So they begin, for instance, with a '40s jazz club where Tony was inspired to sing and we move to the Columbia artist recording studios of the '50s and we go to variety specials from the '60s and Vegas of the '60s.

Q: Frank Sinatra called you the best singer in the world. Who would you choose for that title these days?

A: Well, I like Michael Buble an awful lot. John Legend is going to be around. They're not going to be fading out in a year or five years from now. After finding out how professional they all were and how prepared they were when they came in, everybody is just a consummate artist already.

Q: You're known for your positivity despite hardships in your early life.

A: Well, I just think that only comes from someone that has a very strong passion and as far back as I could remember since I was a little boy I've always just loved (music). I just adore it. And I love to study it, and you know just get wrapped up in the creative zone of music and art. So when happy times come, which it's just something that happens to everybody in life, I've just learned to just, you know, realize that you have to be very flexible and go for it.

Q: How do you prepare for performing?

A: I just learned a long time ago learning from masters _ in fact, the late Buddy Rich. ... He said: "You know they usually say in show business you're only as good as your last show." But, he said that's not an accident. He says: "You're only as good as your next show. The last one is gone already." So you have to really strive every time you go in front of an audience. You have to make it like the first time you've ever done it and go for it.

Q: What's the secret of your ongoing popularity?

A: Well, I just try to be as consistent as possible, but I just can't believe that for 45 years I've been sold out everywhere in the world. I think because of that you want to just, you know, get, as Sting once mentioned on an interview, he said you get addicted to the audience. You know you hear the applause. It turns you on. You know you just can't wait for that next show in the next town.

Q: You're called an American classic. Does such praise ever embarrass you?

A: Not really. I mean, I've very flattered by it. My God, I can't believe _ where I came from, you know, from during the Depression and where I've landed, it's so fantastic. And I don't like to regress.