Barry Manilow's early songs were about his wife

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Brandy (MANilow) MANdy. No doubt, his wife, who he called perfect , who he had mistakenly turned away.

Somewhere down the road: No doubt this song talks about his leaving home for a great career, in hopes that his wife would understand - and his hopes of getting back together with her.

Even Now: He now has a girlfriend, but even so he tries to hide from her the fact that he still can't get his wife off his mind. He realizes that he is wrong for leaving her.

If I should love again: it would be "pretend" because he's really in love with his wife.

His early songs weren't about a brand new love, it was always about someone he left behind.

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

We made it. He chose to sing this song because he discovered his wife now had a boyfriend and he had a girl friend, yet, in the song he still can't get his wife out of his mind, as she is everywhere.

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Again...


The Old Songs - this song, is, again, not about a new love. It's about his wife who he hopes will be inspired by his "old songs" on those 45's - to want to get back with him and stay.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

On Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 2:40:44 PM UTC-4, Astero...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Again...
>
>
> The Old Songs - this song, is, again, not about a new love. It's about his wife who he hopes will be inspired by his "old songs" on those 45's - to want to get back with him and stay.

Well this was a weird little way to start the morning.

Interesting literary analysis of the Manilow catalog. Good luck with your doctoral dissertation there.....

Annie

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

It's more than a doctoral dissertation. If you read his autobiography and pay attention to the little clues here and there, sooner or later it will dawn on you that he was using his songs to communicate with his wife. In his auto he talks about how he phoned his wife and her son picked up the phone. He fell to his knees and thought he could have been his son with picket fences and all. The more songs that you listen to the more real his life becomes. In another song he talks about how her man isn't capable, but he is. Then you listen to the songs about dealing with depression and so fourth. All these have the same message. There's a woman out there that he had for a very short time (in his biography just a couple of years with his wife) and he rose to success, wanted her back, was very sad he left her and woke up in the night crying all the time. Then, eventually it will hit you that his songs were literally true and he did wake up nights crying. It's a true story. Barry Manilow has had a very heavy, terrific burden, and a very sad life. He had the constitution to deal with it all while others may have succumbed to the pressure and bowed out. He did not. Once you realize it you will hear the music, see his failed number one goal in life - to win over his wife,( and fail), you will be brought to tears when you hear his music. It's all true. He's gone on TV shows that would show him to be a good family man, good with children and so fourth just to convince his wife. He was doing everything he could and wrote the most beautiful songs to win over his wife. Can you imagine how he had to endure the critics who came down on his music - his personal love letters? You will never look at his music the same again.


>
> Annie

[Scooter]

Astero...@yahoo.com wrote

Alternate reality? Parallel universe? Sixth dimension?

In other words, I don't agree with your analysis. But you're, of course,
entitled to your opinion.

Scooter

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

What opinion? Barry Manilow, himself, said, in his autobiography, that the number one thing that's important in his life is his wife, and that he hoped that she would love him as much as he loves her. I'm just going by Barry's words. If it weren't so then Barry is a liar.


>
> Scooter

[annielove...@gmail.com]

Okay while we wait for the solar eclipse let's do a close read of the following passage:

Her name was Lola/She was a showgirl/ With yellow feathers in her hair/And a dress cut down to there/She would meringue/And do the cha-cha


Discuss.

Annie

[starn...@gmail.com]

So this is the story of Barry's favorite pastry chef, who made lighter than air whipped egg white treats that he hungered for long after he left Brooklyn. He still remembers the way she would dance around the bakery showing off trays of sweets while her parrot perched on her head, her ankle-length skirts dusted with flour.

[Blintzy]

Could you point us in the direction of relevant page number that these gems of wisdom come from because unless my copy has magically rewritten itself differently what you say is complete nonsense.

[dcsharon]

>
> Could you point us in the direction of relevant page number that these gems of wisdom come from because unless my copy has magically rewritten itself differently what you say is complete nonsense.

No - because it's a total eclipse of their reality.

Just trolls -- best to ignore.

(DC) Sharon

[Scooter]

dcsharon <beav...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Just trolls -- best to ignore.
>

I don't think it's a troll. I think it's someone whose reading
comprehension and lyric interpretation is highly suspect.

Scooter

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Really? Cite the passages and prove me wrong.

[dcsharon]

Here's an example -

Mandy was ORIGINALLY written by Scott Kerr. It wasn't written by Barry Manilow pining for his wife.

Because Looking Glass already had a song called "Brandy", Barry changed the title to Mandy.

Source: http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Scott_English:Brandy

Barry Manilow's "Mandy"
Barry Manilow's 1974 "Mandy" was a cover of a song originally titled "Brandy", released in February 1972 by Scott English; however, Manilow changed the title following the success of the Looking Glass single, so as not to get the two songs confused. This song is not related to the song by Looking Glass.

So Who's Brandy?

http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/animal-advocacy/dogs-in-song

andy by Barry Manilow

Sorry folks, that bit about Mandy being Manilow’s dog is an urban myth. Songwriter and performer, Scott English, wrote this song but it was entitled “Brandy”. It was changed to “Mandy” to avoid confusion with the Looking Glass hit “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl).” Scott English says he was woken by a phone call from a reporter, wanting to know who “Brandy” was. “I would have said anything to get rid of him,” says English, “So I spat out the first thing that came to mind: It was about a dog like Lassie and I had sent her away – now you go away!’ And I hung up on him.”

I don’t know what it is about this song, but, it’s been parodied in every which way but loose. It was parodied in The Simpsons, The Family Guy, Will & Grace, and Angel. Not very flattering either.

Millions of us wouldn’t dream of living without dogs. They are friends like no other. As you can see, dogs are an indelible part of our popular culture.

Even Mandy.

So -- a song about his wife?

No.

(DC) Sharon

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

On Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at 9:47:14 AM UTC-7, dcsharon wrote:
> Here's an example -
>
> Mandy was ORIGINALLY written by Scott Kerr. It wasn't written by Barry Manilow pining for his wife.

Everyone knows that. The original song was called Brandy. I believe that Barry selected that song. At any rate Barry said, in an interview that his wife was perfect, and of course, he left her. If he didn't select that song he sung it nontheless. I can image that through this circumstance, he couldn't help but think about his wife whenever he sung it. .

Singers appropriate songs that others have written to give their own messages or sentiments.



>
> (DC) Sharon

[dcsharon]

> Everyone knows that. The original song was called Brandy.

Nope. Clive Davis selected that song. Barry wanted to record his own original material.

I'll share this link, even though it has the dreaded "f" word in it.

https://www.biography.com/news/barry-manilow-mandy

(DC) Sharon

[starn...@gmail.com]

So, all this regret and love he had for his wife...was this before or after he realized he was gay?

[Scooter]

Astero...@yahoo.com wrote:

> I can image that through this circumstance,
> he couldn't help but think about his wife
> whenever he sung it. .

But now when he sings those songs he thinks of Garry, right?

Scooter

[Scooter]

I'm talking about the love songs like "Somewhere In The Night" and "Could It
Be Magic."

Scooter

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

On Tuesday, August 22, 2017 at 1:38:16 PM UTC-7, starn...@gmail.com wrote:
> So, all this regret and love he had for his wife...was this before or after he realized he was gay?

I don't think he realized he was gay as he wasn't gay. Listen to all his songs and note when they were produced or sung in sequence. In his later songs he began to realize the hopelessness in thinking that he could get back with his wife. This is in contrast to his optimism in Somewhere down the road. He then sang songs about his desire to get over it. No doubt it was a hard thing for him. Meanwhile he had other girl friends that came and had went. Watching some of the television shows in which he appeared, it seems that he was more masculine in personality in his earlier years. There is definitely a change in personality. Between, perhaps sometime in the mid 80's into 90's as something happened. Personally I think he suffered from burn-out, loss, and something of a loss of his own identity as that went out with his wife. Barry is a man who struggled as a perfectionist. No doubt his number one goal, his wife, left him, but because of his strong constitution and loss of that goal he was able to avoid despondency.

In some ways he has become a better person over the years. He is a man of many regrets. Just read what he has to say. He has been attacked by critics and tried to figure out the cause. By reading what he has to say, and watching his actions, I believe that he cares about people and he cares about his fans. When he does his "Can't Smile Without You" routine, he wishes that he could give everyone a turn.

I do not call myself a fan of Barry, I'm just someone who has been moved by his situation and liked his music. I do not agree with everything that he has done. I have been impressed with his singing though and his songs. I can remember a couple of instances where I heard his songs for the first time, and I remember where I was when I heard it, and stood attention to hear it all. It's rare for me to stop with attention in anticipation of hearing more of a song to it's end. In some cases I immediately been singing parts of the refrain. Two songs that have done that to me were I write the songs and I came through the rain. There is no other artist that I can say that has caused me to stand at attention like that. His songs (songs he either co-wrote or selected) are unique. I think some people hated him because he has a great voice and sang a melody that was really nice. In America people like singing voices that aren't very good - even ones that sound like the singer is on helium. But that's OK.

[qmcneal...@gmail.com]

--

Friends . . . Why waste your time trying to establish who Barry's early songs were "about"? More than half weren't even written by Barry, so you'd have to ask the writer who they were about. Only Barry knows who those songs were "about" in his heart when he sang them.

And the same is true for the songs that Barry himself penned. Only he knows who they were about.

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

It's worth your time, especially since even his Even Now song tells the same story.

[Suzan]

> It's worth your time, especially since even his Even Now song tells the same story.

The lyrics to the songs you mention (Mandy, Even Now, Somewhere down the road, etc.) are all written by others. So, following your logic, Scott Kerr or Marty Panzer or Tom Snow or Cynthia Weil may have been secretly reaching out to a lost love. Barry, however, only wrote and arranged the music. He has stated he is happily married (now, not previously) and in love. Personally, I'm glad for him and wish him and his husband many more years of happiness together.

But, you seem to have created quite a detailed narrative. Perhaps you should consider writing a fictional love story about a musician who is secretly pining for his ex and trying to reach her through his lyrics. It might be an interesting story, as long as you aren't confusing fact and fiction.

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

8:07 PMSuzan

> It's worth your time, especially since even his Even Now song tells the same story.

>The lyrics to the songs you mention (Mandy, Even Now, Somewhere down the road, etc.) are all written by others. So, following your logic, Scott Kerr or Marty Panzer or Tom Snow or Cynthia Weil may have been secretly reaching out to a lost love. Barry, however, only wrote and arranged the music. He has stated he is happily married (now, not previously) and in love. Personally, I'm glad for him and wish him and his husband many more years of happiness together.

>But, you seem to have created quite a detailed narrative. Perhaps you should consider writing a fictional love story about a musician who is secretly pining for his ex and trying to reach her through his lyrics. It might be an interesting story, as long as you aren't confusing fact and fiction.

On a QVC program Berry said he worked with lyricists. Have you ever tried to write a song? You usually have an idea as to what you want to say and then you create the melody. You ususally try to find the right words to fit the melody.

Barry said that he worked with Marty Panzer and that it was one of the parts of his life that he liked. In Even Now Berry composed the music, which is what usually comes first, then had Marty fill in the words. So you want to say that the words coincidently line up with his autobiography? Barry told Marty what he wanted to say. Panzer, by the way, received no invitation to the wedding and was surprised to find out about it.

You're just telling everyone to ignore his autobiography.

[IreneH]

I'd love to see you give the page nos in his autobiography where he says he is pining for his wife.

[Blintzy]

On Saturday, August 26, 2017 at 10:38:42 AM UTC+1, IreneH wrote:
> I'd love to see you give the page nos in his autobiography where he says he is pining for his wife.

He/she has already been asked to provide them but has been unable to do so.

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

I found this online.


Mrs Baggy Manilow; 34 years on...meet the girl Barry married before his pop career took off.



WITH her sensible shoes and her comfortable clothes she looks just the kind of middle-aged, middle-of-the road mum who likes to relax by listening to Barry Manilow.

But Susan Deixler is more than just another fan of the singer with worldwide hits like Mandy and I Write The Songs.

For the woman with a mop of grey hair who is now fighting a losing battle against middle-age spread was the beautiful high school sweetheart who became his wife.

Now a trip to the Copacabana or just about any nightclub is as unlikely as a trip to the moon for Manilow's first love.

Weighed down by brown paper bags, she shops for junk food in budget stores, while her home is in a run-down suburb a million miles away from the lavish homes Manilow keeps around the world.

At 55 she is only a year older than her superstar ex. But the years have taken a heavy toll as she scrapes a living offering therapies like acupressure from her clapboard home in Point Reyes, California.

Outside, the house has an overgrown garden with an old washing machine lying among the uncut grass.

Visitors say the inside of the wooden bungalow isn't any smarter, with dirty dishes cluttering the kitchen and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

She is often seen scouring charity shops for bargains, driving through the small town in her beaten-up car with an old suitcase and bits of broken furniture on the back seat.



Yet back in Brooklyn, where they both grew up, things were very different.

Susan was the school beauty and he was the geek who couldn't believe his luck when she agreed to go out with him.

Apart from the prominent nose which has been the butt of a million jokes, Barry wore braces on his teeth back in the Sixties.

Susan was an object of desire for just about every boy at Eastern High School.

"I couldn't believe it when she seemed to fall for me as hard as I fell for her," he says in his autobiography, Sweet Life.

"She was adorable - small, with great legs and a voluptuous figure. She had jet-black hair, brown eyes and a smile that lit up the room.

"During all my years with Susan I never met anyone who wasn't crazy about her.

"President of every club, she had boundless energy and was always tearing through the hallways laden with books or posters. I could never catch up with her. There were always crowds around her. She had loads of friends and teachers and students alike adored her."

A shared love of music brought them together.

Barry said: "She was very musical and played piano too. We spent long evenings together playing duets on the piano. I would accompany her while she sang and sometimes we'd sing romantic duets while her family looked on dreamily.

"We'd sit on the subway holding hands, oblivious to the people around us. She was pretty, smart, musical. Perfect.

"We were in love. There was no question we were destined to spend our lives together.

"I loved Susan completely - I loved what she represented, as well as who she was."

He adds: "We were great for each other".

Although Barry's mother warned him they were too young to settle down - he was 19, she was 20 - the madly-in-love pair couldn't wait to get married.

"My mother was not in favour of me getting married. She really liked Susan but believed I was too young for all the responsibility. Even my friends felt I was rushing into marriage.

"But I didn't agree. I was on the road to the fantasy life with Susan that I had created years ago: The house in Long Island with the white picket fence and the kids playing in the yard.

"Every time we'd hold each other it made us both stronger and more determined to marry and begin our life together."



In May 1965, the sweethearts married in a quiet City Hall ceremony.

But their devoutly Jewish families refused to let them move into their own flat until they'd been married by a rabbi - so they held a second ceremony on Long Island before setting up home.

Then they moved into a flat in Greenwich Village and Manilow found work arranging songs for Broadway shows.

It didn't take long for producers to spot his musical talents.

And when Manilow's dreams of being a famous songwriter started to come true he told a devastated Susan he was "going on a musical adventure" and left.

On January 6, 1966 their short marriage was annulled- less than eight months after they wed.

Barry threw himself into work - playing piano for Bette Midler at New York's notorious gay haunt the Continental Baths, before leaving on a US tour to promote his debut album, Barry Manilow, in 1974.

He never returned to live in the city and spent years touring the world before settling in Bel Air, California.

Neither Susan or Manilow, 53, have married again, although she has had two children, Pauline and Danny, after relationships with two different men.

But her humdrum existence is miles away from the jet-set lifestyle of her glamorous ex.

Perma-tanned Barry, who played a sell-out UK tour earlier this year, has made millions from his phenomenal singing career. He's sold more than 50 million records worldwide and produced 29 hit albums.

But, although he's been linked to a string of glamorous women, he's never found one to share his success.

And, despite everything, Susan has no hard feelings.

"I've gotten on with my life," she says. "I wish him well and he wishes me well. I bear him no animosity.

"It's a wonderful gift he has - and he's sharing it with the world."
COPYRIGHT 2000 MGN LTD
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2000 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

Please bookmark with social media, your votes are noticed and appreciated:






Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author: Donnelly, Claire
Publication: Sunday Mirror (London, England)
Date: May 28, 2000
Words: 957
Previous Article: CHEESED OFF.
Next Article: BROSNAN'S GRIEF; 007 Star distraught as boy he befriended dies of brain cancer.

[qmcneal...@gmail.com]

Right, and so any further engagement is just feeding into what appears to be "troll" type behavior.

That's where a perfectly (or relatively) new person introduces themselves to the group, not in the normal more gradual course of time, but rather with a splash: a provocative and controversial opinion intended (often) to suprise or shock the group and then get them talking. The hallmark of this behavior is that the topic is substantiated by little more than shock value and also that the contributor is more or less a stranger who will engage and then go away.

I could be wrong; and I apologize if I have misjudged this. But this is really what I think we are dealing with.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

Ok so after a day of cleaning and packing up our stuff, I settle down with a glass of wine and I have to read this shit?

Ugh. Okay, so here goes:


Dear Astero-whatever,

You are a horrible person. That article there you quoted extensively from? WTF was the purpose of that? How does that add anything to the discourse?

Your delusions and theories about a celebrity you've never even met are one thing, but bringing the private citizen ex-wife into it crosses a line.

How would YOU feel if you were written about in such a manner?


And I DO NOT intend to get into a discussion with you about the veracity of the "facts" stated in your little article there; that is not my point.

My point is this:

As a woman, you should be ashamed of yourself.

There is a special place in hell for women who do not support other women.

Stop repeating gossip about the ex-wife. She is a private citizen. Let her live her life in peace.

That was a horrible, horrible article denigrating someone who has no public profile.

And yeah, okay, so you didn't write that article. Right, but stop reposting it! By doing so you are just as bad as whoever wrote it.


Again, to be clear, don't even THINK about trying to start up a discussion about "facts" in that article you quoted from. WE'RE NOT HAVING IT.

You may be a troll trying to stir shit. If so, by dragging the ex-wife into it all you are doing is revealing yourself to be a small-minded, cruel person.


Or, you may be genuinely mentally ill. If THAT's the case, hear this:

You need help.


Bottom line: stop with this! No one here is going to continue to engage with you.

Do you get what I am saying?

Go away. Get the help you so clearly need.


Sincerely,
Annie

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

No offense, but I merely posted an interesting article - one that quoted Barry's book and supporting my view. The article contrasted Susan Diexler's humble life to that of Barry's stratospheric one. People that know Susan supposedly claim that she's got a humble abold. Inside her house there's dirty dishes in the sink. She goes out to thrift stores to purchase things. That's pretty much the case with many singles, such as I, who struggles to make a living. I identify with that. You're out working and when you get home your home suffers.

On the other hand you have Barry living a high life. If you look at the pictures of his wife you'd see that she's a happy person despite her situation in not living the high life. I don't see that sort of happiness in Barry, who is. But regardless of this, this article sorely paints an inaccurate picture about Barry, not mentioning the work he has done for charity. This article is an old one and just reflects the happenstance of what happens in life. It's not Barry's fault that anyone has to live humbly. But you have to look at the trade-offs. One who is rich isn't happy, and one who is poor is rich. So, in this sense there is equality.

I think Barry's a great guy, one who's become a better person over the years, and he's a hard worker and trying to give back.

[bear...@comcast.net]

I should know better than to feed the trolls, but there's one line in this total load of crap that I can't leave alone:

"I don't think he realized he was gay as he wasn't gay."

I must have missed something along the way. Apparently you think being/not being gay is a choice? This group has already had that discussion several times but you wouldn't know about that... and I'm not intending to start it again.

So just when does one choose? If Barry wasn't, but now is, when did he choose? Can he chose to change back? Can anyone else? And why would they make that decision?

Idiot troll.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

Not a choice? Well now, let's not jump to conclusions here....

Despite the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association concluding that homosexuality is NOT a choice, when it comes down to it, all we know of human behavior is really just theory and conjecture.

Unlike other organs, the human brain cannot be objectively studied. Sure, we map the anatomy and physiology of the brain, but as to how the brain controls behavior, well, it's all theoretical.

Unlike the pancreas, where we know the collection of cells called the islands of Langerhans produce insulin and polypeptides, there is not a neuron, or group of neurons, in the brain we can point to and say "THIS is where human sexuality is located".

We know with certainty that the production of insulin and glucagon by the pancreas is not a choice, but being gay? The jury *might* still be out on that one, the brain remaining, at the end of the day, an enigma.


So, for the sake of discussion, let's say being gay IS a choice.

Okay, so does that mean if Mr M made the choice to be gay, then at some point he could choose to be straight?


Well, yes. Yes it does.

Good news for the fanilows, right?


But! think again....

have you SEEN Mr M's husband, Mr Garry Kief?

NO WAY is Mr M gonna choose to walk away from that fine man.

Mr Garry "handsome AF" Kief. Mr Garry "moves like Jagger" Kief.


Never gonna happen, my friends.


Now, for those new to this ng, here's the deal: in the unlikely event Mr M wakes up one day and decides "You know what? I'm straight".....

....you newbies need to know I called dibs on Mr Kief some time ago. And a basic tenet of the girl code is "Respect the dibs, girlfriends!"

so there you have it.

Annie

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

You're asking lot's of questions. He tells you that he was madly in love with his wife. In his early days he sounds masculine. So what happened in the in-between time is something I do not know. What is your theory?

[annielove...@gmail.com]

On Monday, August 28, 2017 at 2:57:55 AM UTC-4, Astero...@yahoo.com wrote:

> > On Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 7:49:19 PM UTC-4, bear...@comcast.net wrote:

> > >

> > > Idiot troll.

> >
>
> You're asking lot's of questions. He tells you that he was madly in love >with his wife. In his early days he sounds masculine. So what happened in the >in-between time is something I do not know. What is your theory?

My theory is that it's none of our fucking business.

Annie

[meshuga]

I don't usually engage with trolls. or in conversations that are so ridiculous, but this has just gone too far.

If anyone wonders why Barry won't even share the names of his dogs with his fans, look no further than this the origin of this thread. It's loaded with speculation, disrespect, and outright stupidity.

Barry didn't write all of his songs in the 70s. He still doesn't. And even if he did, we'd never know what he was thinking when he wrote them unless he told us himself. So speculate all you want; it's all conjecture.

The stories in "Sweet Life," as much as we'd like to think they're all true as written, have most likely been embellished to a degree. Remember, Clive had Barry lie about his age to appeal to a certain demographic. You think there wasn't pressure to do this about his personal life, as well?

And speaking of his personal life, we'll NEVER know the truth about when he discovered his true sexuality. And we shouldn't know, because it's NONE of our business. You want to discuss theories of sexuality? Find a professor and chat. Talk to a gay person or two, or a dozen. They'll all tell you something different.

I will tell you that being gay is NOT a choice. No one chooses to be different from the majority of society. No one chooses to fight for basic civil rights. No one chooses to be fearful to hold their partner's hand in public. No one chooses to wonder if their family will accept their same-sex partner. No one chooses to be vilified by a bigoted government administration. Shall I continue, or do you understand yet that it's not a choice?

If you want to engage with other Barry fans, great. Do it responsibly. Sign your name and engage like an adult, not a troll with an agenda that's clearly meant to provoke. If you have a problem with Barry being gay, see a shrink. Get to know some gay people. Don't bring your homophobia bullshit here.

Amy

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

How do you see my statements as being about "homophobia"?
Why do you see my statements as connoting that I'm a "troll"?
Why so much anxiety about my writings being possibly "homophobic"?

The reason I find it hard to believe that Barry wasn't gay was because he married her. And when asked as to his sincerity, he said that he loved his wife. Also, Kief said that he's bi.

Secondly, I find it interesting that in Even Now, a song that he initiated and thus did write with the help of Marty Panzer, speaks of a person, long ago, that he loved - that he wrong - and hoped that she would know that he still thinking of her as he became successful in life. In his autobiography he says that he left her. He wronged her. So the circumstances are the same. They were relatively poor, he became very successful and that's his life's story. So, it seems to me that Even Now is about his wife. Watch his Paris, live video of Even Now on youtube and look at the tears in his eyes as he sings that song. I think it's real. It's not something to be angry over.


And while you see my statement as being about homophobia, I see it as one in which you get to know the man better and really love him. His life's story is a very sad one, to me.

So you can take it the way you want to, and I'll take it the way I want to. His autobiography was true to what really happened. A woman wrote a biography of him and said that he was gay. Well, in 2002 that was probably true.

[bookwo...@gmail.com]

On Monday, August 28, 2017 at 7:39:02 AM UTC-7, meshuga wrote:

Amen............Amen again!! Obviously this person has NOT done any research on this subject and just likes to post to stir the pot! Ignore them and they will eventually go away. JW

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Obviously you haven't read my statements.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

On Monday, August 28, 2017 at 11:53:23 AM UTC-4, Astero...@yahoo.com wrote:
>
> Obviously you haven't read my statements.

Yes we have.

And we get it.

You're either https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/troll

or you're a Stephen King-level batshit crazy fan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_(novel)


Annie
(no relation to "Wilkes", but ^you^ might be...)

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

9:46 AMannielove...@gmail.com

No, I'm not. You seem to be rather callous. You believe that Barry left his wife because he was gay and didn't feel bad about it. Yet his song Even Now says that he felt sorry about it. And you're saying Barry was lying when he said that he hoped that his wife loved him as much he loved her. I believe Barry rather than you. He's a good man. To think you'd have those terrible thoughts about him. You should tell him you're sorry.

[Brenda M]

I'm sorry ... I've been away awhile ...

But this post made me laugh out loud.

Thank you for the comedy relief!

Brenda

[Brenda M]

OMG ...

"Letter From A Fan" ... that's about YOU!

I seriously need your autograph.

Brenda

[dcsharon]

I didn't realize that, but I think you're right!

Time to pull out 15 Minutes again.

(DC) Sharon

[Brenda M]

15 Minutes is such an awesome CD.

I listen to that one as much as I listen to Mayflower!

I know Barry has said it could never be a Broadway show, but he was wrong.

:-)

Bren

P.S. Barry, I'm back, Baby! As Scooter would say .... "BwaHaHaHaHaHa!" Fuck it, life's short, let's party!

[Suzan]

You claim that Barry doesn't seem happy, but in the People Magazine article he repeatedly states that he is VERY happy with Garry and his life. Please take him at his word. He's not pining for anyone.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

Hi Suzan
Good to hear from you and I hope you were spared the worst of the last storm

Best
Annie

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

On Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at 8:40:16 AM UTC-7, Suzan wrote:
> You claim that Barry doesn't seem happy, but in the People Magazine article he repeatedly states that he is VERY happy with Garry and his life. Please take him at his word. He's not pining for anyone.

Was.

[annielove...@gmail.com]

Okay I'm taking a shot in the dark here......Astro are YOU the long-lost wife that Mr M has been pining away for lo these long and lonely years?

(sorry fellow alt.fans....slow night at work and I couldn't resist. Let the festivities begin....)

Annie

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Nope. Not even. Little do you know. I think I did see her twice at the gas station in my town. Not only did she look like her, but her car had the license plate number that said something that spelled out Holistic Healer. Susan Deixler is a holistic healer. And she lives sorta near my area, and since healers are popular where I live, it's very possible.

I didn't think what I wrote would be considered as controversial and opposed as I found it to be. I wonder what Deixler felt about Manilow's songs. Even Now is the one he initiated and had Marty Panzer write, and even that song refers to a woman that some guy left, who became successful after he left her, and regrets it. So did Deixler hear that song and feel that it was she that he was singing about? Don't know. When a reporter asked Deixler about Manilow's wedding, she said that she had children. This sort of like saying that she couldn't get back to Manilow because she had other obligations and didn't care about the wedding. Of course this is just speculation. Just looking at her pictures I think she's content with her life. I can't see that in any of Manilow's pictures or video. You know, even if he didn't want to get back with Susan, I feel that he regrets leaving her and feels that he did a great injustice. And he did. What he did was terrible and wrong. To say that he doesn't care about his mistake, or that he doesn't have any regrets, makes him out to be a monster. Barry is not a monster. He was young and he made a mistake -that I think has occupied his mind for a long time. I think his wedding was sort of his way consoling himself and chiding Susan (in a way) and I think the way Susan responded indicated that she understood this. Like I said, I am not a fan of Manilow. I just feel sorry for him. I don't see a happy man enjoying his wealth . I think I see a man who regrets part of his life and can't escape it. It's a sad story. Barry has had a tough time. I think he had hopes that his music would be well liked by everyone. But some people intensely hate it. I know people who don't like his music. They hate sentimental music. Personally I like the sound. I think it's great. I see a man who has become humble and struggled with self-doubts yet has confidence in many areas. I see a man who I think has done good things and really stupid things. His stupid performance at the end of Copabana for instance. I'd like to kick his rear end. Such a stupid act. But you can't throw a man out just because he does something stupid. I wish him well and that's all I can say.

[Brenda M]

I love your posts.

It's hard to find high-quality pulp fiction these days.

Brenda

[Astero...@yahoo.com]

Whatever. How can I love your posts when you don't response in detail?

[Suzan]

Thanks for the good wishes and prayers, everyone. We were really lucky--just power loss for around 3 days or so. The water in the runoff creek came up from 6 inches to just under 20 feet, we had a raging river behind the house, but it never quite crested the banks, so our house was OK. If the banks had overflowed, we would have been flooded out. We're very lucky and blessed.

But, all that water ran downhill into Cypress Creek, and a number of people lost everything. The Barbara Bush Library, the Centrum Performing Arts Center, many restaurants and stores--all had 3-4 feet of flooding. Not even a mile from my home, the neighborhoods looked like a solid lake. A boat could easily have traveled over a mile east to west through suburbs and flooded homes.

It appears to be mostly dry now...I don't know how. I took my dogs for a walk along the creek on Labor Day and I could see the mud line on the plants lining the creek. First at about 2 feet, then 3 feet, then 5 feet, and eventually over my head! It really sunk in just how much water had been there. I saw many of my neighbors with their entire lives (books, drywall, furniture, carpet, etc.) piled in front of their homes. It's incredibly sad.

Now Irma is headed right for my parent's home in Fort Lauderdale. They're too old and stubborn to go to a shelter, so they plan to ride it out. Flooding isn't expected to be as much of an issue for Irma, but 180 m.p.h. winds more that make up for it. My thoughts are with everyone in her path. Stay safe!

[Brenda M]

Sometimes less is more, more or less. :-)

Brenda