Image by: Bigstock

Tony Bennett on Making Love to His Music and Why Stars Are Shy

From: Blank on Blank
Series: Blank on Blank
Length: 06:41

"Whenever they (fans) tell me they make love to my music, I tell them to do one for me." - Tony Bennett during a 1991 interview with Jeanne Wolf. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Tony Bennett on Making Love to His Music and Why ...
From: Blank on Blank

Tony_bennett_square_small We're unlocking a classic interview with Tony Bennett recorded in 1991 in Bennett's Hollywood office. He was speaking with award-winning Hollywood journalist Jeanne Wolf about the release of a 40-year retrospective of his singing career. They talked about a number of things, including his dreams of singing when he was a kid in Brooklyn and his favorite song from his long career. And they also talked about what you’re about to hear: stars being shy offstage and not so shy in the bedroom. Enjoy.

Also in the Blank on Blank series

Maurice Sendak on Being a Kid (06:00)
From: Blank on Blank

"I still think the same way I thought as a child. I still worry. I'm still frightened... Nothing changes." - Maurice Sendak In 2009 Newsweek's Andrew Romano and Ramin ...

James Brown on Conviction, Respect & Reagan (05:38)
From: Blank on Blank

"Black is not a color; it's an attitude. It's the attitude of independence, respect and dignity." - James Brown Interview by Rocci Fisch 1984. Washington, D.C. Convention ...

Wilt Chamberlain on Tall Tales (04:50)
From: Blank on Blank

"Can you imagine going through America at that time, a man of color, a little boy, 14 years old, that height? You know, I was looked upon as a freak." - Wilt Chamberlain. ...

Beastie Boys on Being Stupid (05:56)
From: Blank on Blank

"There’s a way we talk and it includes profanity. We never figured we’d be arrested for it." - Mike "Mike D" Diamond. Back in May 1985, the Beastie Boys were fresh on the ...

Jim Morrison on Why Fat is Beautiful (04:39)
From: Blank on Blank

"What's wrong with being fat? That's what I want to know. Why is it so onerous to be fat?" - Jim Morrison Interview by Howard Smith | TheSmithTapes.com | Los Angeles, 1969

Larry King on Getting Seduced (04:48)
From: Blank on Blank

"I’m playing these records. The phone rings and I pick it up: 'WAHR'. And this lady’s voice--I can still hear her voice--she goes: 'I want you.'" Larry King tells the story ...

Sam Pickering on How to Teach and Not Dead Poets Society (07:01)
From: Blank on Blank

"I looked in the mirror the other day and I said: My God, what happened to that handsome young man? Who is this grizzled b-a-s-t-a-r-d staring at me?" Interview by John ...

Art Blakey on How to Build a Band (05:46)
From: Blank on Blank

"You’re in your birthday suit up there. People can see clean through you. And your music, your actions and the vibes you bring forth to the audience come out. You cannot hide ...

David Sedaris on Breast Milk and Book Tours (07:42)
From: Blank on Blank

"People would come and defecate on the floor of the dressing room. So I just thought that was his Gap, but I came to find out that it happens in all stores across America." - ...

Brian Selznick on Einstein, God, and Reaching His Potential (06:36)
From: Blank on Blank

"So I bought the postcard, memorized it and sent it off to a friend. And I never thought about God again after that." - Brian Selznick Brian Selznick is the author and ...

Piece Description

We're unlocking a classic interview with Tony Bennett recorded in 1991 in Bennett's Hollywood office. He was speaking with award-winning Hollywood journalist Jeanne Wolf about the release of a 40-year retrospective of his singing career. They talked about a number of things, including his dreams of singing when he was a kid in Brooklyn and his favorite song from his long career. And they also talked about what you’re about to hear: stars being shy offstage and not so shy in the bedroom. Enjoy.

Transcript

David Gerlach: You’re listening to Blank on Blank. Where lost interviews come to life. Distributed by the Public Radio Exchange. PRX.org. I’m David Gerlach.

Tony Bennett: My family name is Benedetto. And Bob Hope, he said, “Let’s Americanize your name” and gave me the name Tony Bennett.

David Gerlach: That’s Tony Bennett, born Tony Benedetto, during an interview recorded in his Hollywood office back in 1991. He was speaking with award-winning Hollywood journalist Jeanne Wolf about the release of a 40-year retrospective of his singing career. They talked about a number of things, including his dreams of singing when he was a kid in Brooklyn and his favorite song from his long career.

[Music: Tony Bennett - “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”]

David Gerlach: And they also talked about what you’re about to hear: stars being shy offstage and not so shy in the bedroom. This is Blank on Bla...
Read the full transcript

Musical Works

Title	Artist	Album	Label	Year	Length
I Left My Heart In San Francisco	Tony Bennett	Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett .	Sony	1997	00:00
For Once In My Life	Tony Bennett	Forty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett.	Sony	1997	00:00
The Very Thought of You	Tony Bennett	Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett.	Sony	1997	00:00
Steppin’ Out With My Baby	Tony Bennett	Steppin' Out.	Sony	1993	00:00