Yeah Right. I don't Think So.

Carly was over on Facebook checking out the what was happening. Vicki sent her the latest Facebook message that Brian Murphy had posted. In his Facebook post Brian was thanking his fans for all their years of support and love. He mentioned that after the UK shows that was going to be it when it came to touring. Carly thought Brian was so full of BS. She knew he'd be back on the road again. Maybe not for long stretches  but short stretches. Brian never learned how to pace himself. He just kept going and going which was not a good thing. At least Barry knew how to pace himself so he wouldn't be burned out. This Sunday June twelfth was the Tony Awards. Carly had her dress for the night. Then on Monday Barry was getting up bright and early six am to get ready to go to JFK. Carly was taking him to the airport to say goodbye to him. Barry flight was at eleven fifteen am New York time. Barry was headed off to London. He would start his Palladium run on Thursday June sixteenth.  The BMIFC's convention started on Wednesday June fifteenth and ended Sunday June nineteenth. Carly wasn't going to the convention. Her friends Janice, Kate and Vicki weren't to happy about that at all. July twelfth was  Carly's first wedding anniversary she wanted to spend it with Barry. So he would be leaving Friday July eighth at ten thirty am on Delta airlines. Carly was staying in London till July seventeenth. She was going to see three of Barry's Palladium shows, Once Barry got back home from the UK they were going on vacation. Now of course they were going by Amtrak.  San Francisco was where Barry thought they might go. While there they could go to Napa Valley which is wine country. Barry's friends Brian Murphy, Dave Koz and Michael Lington kept after him about getting his own wine. Brian had his M wine, Dave had his Koz wine and Michael had his Lington Wine. Because Michael also smoked cigars he had his own cigar line. Barry told those guys he'd think about it. Carly heard her phone ring so she picked it up. It was Janice. Hello she said. Janice wanted Carly to know she. Kate and Vicki got much sought after tickets to Brian Murphy's O2 show on June twenty fourth. The O2 was the last show Brian was doing in the UK. Right now Brian was up in  Edinburgh for one show.  Then it was on to Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bournemouth. With London's O2 being the last show. However Barry told Carly that Brian was adding one more show for Saturday June twenty fifth. Carly made Janice aware of that fact incase the girls wanted to go on Saturday to see Brian.  Barry's Palladium run was going thru Saturday August twenty seven.
Then Barry wouldn't be busy again until  November eighth when he would be at Rough Trade in Williamsburg for an album signing.  That was the day his secret album was being released. The album was coming out on CD and vinyl formats. Barry was surprising his fans with a couple of songs off that secret album during the Palladium shows. Then came the New Years Eve shows at Radio City Music Hall. Barry would then be off till March when he toured Canada. Next summer was the big sheds tour. During summer sheds tour Barry was doing three nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in July. The Colorado Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Andrew Litton would be on stage with him for all three shows. The three shows were being audio and video taped for a CD and DVD combo set. Since his dear friend John Denver was from Aspen Colorado Barry decided to pay tribute to him. He was going to start all three Red Rocks shows singing some of John's classic songs. Barry had chosen Music Is You, Welcome To My Morning (Farewell Andromeda), Rocky mountain High, Leaving On A Jet Plane, Fly Away and Calypso. What none of the fans knew was  that Barry had taken up the acoustic guitar . He bought himself a Yamaha FG 180 acoustic guitar. He had secretly been taking guitar lesions and actually he was pretty good at it. Barry could play guitar,  keyboards, piano and synthesizer. Barry had a Yamaha C2X baby grand, a Yamaha Avant Grand, a Yamaha Disklavier, a Yamaha CP4 Stage Digital piano, a Yamaha MOTIF FX synthesizer and now a Yamaha Acoustic FG 180 guitar. Barry had all his musical instruments and his recording equipment insured. So if anything got stolen it could be replaced. His Yamaha C2X baby grand cost over fifty thousand dollars alone. Barry saw Garry who was over in London. His wife Denise was a huge Brian Murphy fan. So he promised her he'd take her to see Brian in the UK. They went to the Newcastle concert and Garry said there were loads of people down in front video taping the show. Boy was Gregory Knoffler going to have a field day telling those people to take down their streaming videos. Also having their Youtube accounts deleted. That was one thing Barry never had to worry about. From the beginning of Barry's concert career Barry had his concerts filmed.  Once the internet became popular he started his BTV channel. The BTV channel was for his fans to watch the concerts that had been filmed over the years since nineteen eighty four. Nineteen eighty four was the first time Barry toured. That tour the Paradise Café Tour was a huge success. Every concert was standing room only. It was the highest grossing concert of nineteen eighty four. Beating out artist Whitney Houston. Which made Clive Davis very upset since he was also on Arista Records at the time. Clive hated Barry Alan Manilow with a passion. When Barry was born back in nineteen forty three he was named Barry Alan Pincus. When he turned thirteen his relatives wanted his name changed Barry kept his first name and middle name. He just changing his last from Pincus to Manilow which was his mom Edna's madden name. The reason Clive hated Barry was the fact that his first album 2:00AM Paradise Café was such a huge success. The album came out certified quadruple platinum. It entered the Billboard Hot 200 album chart at number one. Billboard Jazz chart number one. First single Paradise Café was certified quadruple platinum when it came out. It debut on Billboard's  Hot 100 singles chart at number one. Grammy Awards nineteen eight five  2:00AM Paradise Café  Grammy Award for Best Jazz album.  Barry Manilow Grammy for Best Jazz Artist. Every album after that the same things would happen. When LA Reed took over Arista Records Barry was so glad to leave Arista Records. In two thousand one Barry went to a dinner party where he met Glen Barros the head of Concord Records. Glen had heard of Barry and knew his successful track record. So he quickly signed him to the Concord Records Concord Jazz label. Which is where Barry's been ever since.

Oh London

The phone rang and Barry went to answer it. I made it here in one piece said Brian Murphy. The bad thing is it's raining cats and dogs here in Dublin. Which makes it sort of damp and cold. So how's the weather back in New York? he asked. Hot and muggy said Barry. So what's new on your end?  Brian asked. We got a new dog said Barry. Oh you did he said. Yes we did said Barry. Shellington Carly's dachshund needed a playmate his own size.  Yeah you have the two Labrador Retriever's said Brian. So I can see why you got another dog. This ones a male dachshund just like Shelington. Carly named him Kwazii. Oh really said Brian. Yes there is a Disney jr program called Octonauts. It's about these animals who explore, rescue and protect the sea creatures. Shelligton is a professor who's a sea otter. While Kwazii is a  kitten. Carly's sister Jill has a grandson who loves the Octonauts. That's how she found out about the program. That makes four dogs now. Your first show is this coming Thursday June second said Barry. Right said Brian then it's off to Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the rest. I'm not leaving till Monday June thirteen said Barry.  That's because of the Tony Awards on Sunday June twelfth. Oh did Here At The Mayflower get nominated? asked Brian. Yes it did said Barry. Do you have room for those Tony's if you win? asked Brian. I think so said Barry. My Palladium run doesn't start till Thursday June sixteenth. I'm doing four nights Thursday thru Sunday till Saturday August twenty seventh.  Now Gregory and I are coming back to London after Tel Aviv to catch a couple of your Palladium shows said Brian. We'll have to go out for dinner one night said Barry. That we will said Brian. One question did you finally find some new backup singers? he asked. Yes Barry. I have Kyan Harris, Dana Stevens and Shelly Greco.  Tomorrow Kyan, Dana and Shelly and I are going for a costume fitting. Who designed your outfits for your Palladium run? asked Brian. Anthony Kahn designed the clothes we're wearing on stage said Barry. Kyan's wearing a black sequined bolero jacket with black pants and a white shirt. Dana and Shelly are wearing  sleeveless navy blue dresses with some sequins on them. My outfit is black dress pants, white shirt with stand up collar and a black knee length duster coat. The coat has a silver design on the bottom of the sleeves. Nor for the second half my jacket is a grey jacket.  I dragged my set from my Manilow Live 2001/2002 tour out of the warehouse. Hanging from the stage ceiling will be televisions that can project  different kinds  of photos. Broadway exterior and interior photos for the first half. Apartment building exterior and interior photos for the second half. I'm opening my show with Putting It Together. Then I'm doing two more  songs off the Stephen Sondheim album. I'll stay on the Broadway theme by doing a few songs from Showstoppers.  The television screens will then show the New York City skyline for my jazz segment before the intermission. In the second half the television screens will show apartment building exteriors and interiors. That's when I'm going to do my Here At The Mayflower segment.  During the segment I'm surprising the fans with two new songs I Miss My Esther and Who Is The Shadow Man?. Oh two new songs said Brian. Fans already knew about my Stephen Sondheim tribute album which comes out this month. But what they don't know is I've been working on another album that comes out this fall. I dumped the 2:00Am Paradise Café II idea which the fans weren't to happy about. But I think they're going to be freaking out when they find out about Here At The Mayflower II (Many more stories inside.)  Now I wasn't finished telling the stories of the tenants that lived in the Mayflower. So I decided to tell some more stories about the tenants who live there. Fans thought I was the shadow man. I'm not the shadow man. That's because the shadow man kept his personal life to himself. Which I never did. My personal life has always been an open book. I have never hidden anything from my fans. The fans have always knew my sexual orientation. Which is straight. Who my girlfriends were from Susan Deixler to Dr. Carly Simon who I married. Why hide when your fans will be sticking their nose into your personal life. Telling you that they have every right to know your personal business. I know loads of your fans went digging up stuff about you Brian? Because I ended up on your Alt-fan message board one night and saw your fans talking about the gay issue. They were even talking about me which was strange since it was your message board not mine. I know one fan said "Oh he's gay too." I don't normally post on message boards like that. But that time I did reply to their post. I told them "Sorry to disappoint you but my life is an open book. I don't have anything to hide." I'm straight not gay as you seem to think I am. I have a girlfriend  that I've been seeing for a year now. That was back in two thousand twelve one year after I started dating Carly. I didn't write the Shadow Man about you Brian. Even though some fans thought I did.  So what else is new said Brian. Some fans have nothing better in their in lives so they go looking for juicy gossip on their favorite celebrities.

Putting It Together

Barry Manilow had a huge surprise for his fans. Barry had been secretly working on an album he knew the fans would love. Since tons of fans kept begging for another show tunes album. This album was called Barry Manilow  The New York Pops Orchestra Putting It Together The Songs of Stephen Sondheim.  Barry went on the internet and looked at all of Stephen Sondheim's musicals to find the songs he liked the best. A Little Night Music, Company Finan's Rainbow, Follies, Gypsy, Saturday Night, Side By Side, Sunday In The Park With George, Sweeny Todd and West Side Story. He picked the songs Putting It Together, Make The Most Of Your Music, All I Need Is The Girl, Fair Brooklyn, Ah Paris, Getting Married Today, Marry Me A Little, New York Sequence, No Place Like London, Old Friends, Look To The Rainbow, Somewhere, Being alive, I Love You Et Cetra, One Hand One Heart, Send In The Clowns, Not While I'm Around, Someone Is Waiting, Tonight and Something's Coming. Twenty of Stephen Sondheim songs in all. Barry Manilow, The New York Pops Orchestra and studio musicians were recording the album in January 2016. The album would come out in May 2016. He asked Barbra Striesand if he could use herversion of Putting It Together from the Stephen Sondheim's musical  Sunday In The Park with George. He loved the opening of her version with the guys talking while she sang. Barry was also going to ask Barbara Cook to duet with him again on Look To The Rainbow from Finnan's Rainbow for the album. Just like she did for his Showstoppers album in nineteen ninety,

Hello Garry Calling

Which is true said Barry. People say one thing and do something completely different. I'll agree with you on that said Garry.  Next year I'm rolling out the tour busses again said Barry.  I'll use them in March when I tour Canada. Also when I play the sheds in the summer. I've already figured out what hotel the fan club is using for next years Denver convention. It's the Sheraton Downtown Denver. The  Sheraton Downtown Denver has one thousand two hundred thirty one regular rooms and eighty two suites.. The convention will start on Wednesday July fifth and go thru Sunday July ninth. That's while I'm in Denver for three show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday July sixth, Friday July seventh and Saturday July eighth. The BMIFC members will get tickets for both Friday and Saturday nights shows. Saturday before the show we'll be having a picnic. We're having hamburgers, all beef hot dogs, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, buns, drinks and all the fixings. The picnic will be instead of the usual formal sit down diner. Alicia said we have fifteen thousand fans signed up for this years UK convention. Carly's buddies Janice, Kate and Vicki are upset because Carly's not going to this years convention.  Carly explained to them she was coming to the UK in July to celebrate our first wedding anniversary on July twelfth. Carly leaves July eighth on a late night flight. She should get in Saturday July ninth sometime. Carly's staying till Saturday July fifteenth. Her flight leaves sometime after six pm. I'm off on Tuesday July twelfth so we can celebrate our anniversary together said Barry. Then in the fall we're going on vacation somewhere.  We haven't decided exactly where we're going yet. Now Carly's not home yet. But wait till she gets home do I have a surprise for her said Barry. Ok so what did you get her? asked Garry. Well it's got long soft hair and it's so cute. Shellington going to love this. What did you do? said Garry. Last month when I was at BARC for my usual  volunteer day  I saw Shirley with this cute dachshund. I asked her about the dog. Shirley said someone brought it in to BARC. The person said they saw someone throw the dog out of their car window. They stopped and picked up the dog. The person then brought the dog to BARC. Shirley was in the process of  getting the dog ready for adoption. I asked her to put the dog on hold after it was ready for adoption. She said oh are you thinking of adopting the dog? I told yes.  Because Shellington needs someone his own size to play with. Maggie and Max my Labrador Retrievers are too big for Shellington to play with. The dog is a male long haired dachshund.. Just then Barry heard a car door slam. He heard the door open and Carly said hello is any body home? Barry told Garry I'll let you go. Ok talk to you later said Garry. So how was your day? Barry asked Carly. Great said Carly. We have a new baby giraffe male and a new female tiger cub. Just then Maggie and Max came into the living room. Donna told me her son Kevin's was having a new baby. Donna's baby sitting Jake her grandson while his mom has her new baby.  Donna brought Jake over to se the doggies. He said I'm going to have a baby brother.
That's Donna's son Kevin who's wife is having the baby. I just got off the phone with Garry. He said tell Carly we both said hi. and happy birthday  He said he and Denise were coming over in July to see a few shows at the Palladium. Then he said ran into Brian Murphy and Gregory Knoffler at Spagos. Brian said he was leaving for Dublin this coming Saturday. Brian mentioned he was doing Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, London, Bournemouth and Cardiff. Then It was off to Tel Aviv Israel for two shows in July.  Brian mentioned he and Gregory would be coming back to London to see two of my shows before heading home. He told Garry he needed some time off. This morning I touched base with my fans on Facebook. I posted a new message telling them what's news and what's up,. I gave them a little teaser about my super secret project. I gave them a hint. Which was doors and windows. OMG are you talking about the people who live at the Mayflower apartment building? asked Carly. Now after putting  out Here At The Mayflower in two thousand one. Fans hoped you'd put out another album with more stories to tell from the Mayflower . few wondered who really is the shadow man? Are you the shadow man and was that song written about you? Did Ken get a better paying job? How's Joe  getting along now that his beloved Esther's gone?  Now that Freddie was dead who took over as the elevator operator? Plus the rest of the tenants we haven't met and their stories. I always wanted an other album about the Mayflower said Carly. That was one of my favorite albums of yours said Carly. The other ones were 2:00AM Paradise Café, Barry  Manilow your first pop album,  Barry Manilow At The Gershwin, Showstoppers, Night Song and New York State Of Mind.

New Barry Stuff

Fictional Barry Manilow's new merchandise. Two baseball caps and two tee shirts.

                 Putting It Together The Song Of Stephen Sondheim album baseball cap.

 

                                       Barry Manilow Putting It Together Tour baseball cap.

                                           Barry Manilow Putting It Together Tour tee shirt.

 

                                           It's A Manilow Thing Only Fans Understand shirt.

 

Barry's Facebook Message 5/21/16

Hi Gang
It's me Barry coming at you with exciting news. I've been working on a super secret project. This one is something your going to love. Believe you me you going to love it. I know some of you asked for another jazz album 2:00AM Paradise Café II. Well I sort of dumped that idea for something else. Oh No! I can see some of you freaking right now. "What do you mean no 2:00AM Paradise Café II." We were looking so forward to that. Calm down everyone. I can give you a hint about the super secret project. Two words doors and windows. Doors and windows really? Yes really  doors and windows. Now I'm still putting out my Putting It Together album. It's already to be released on Tuesday June twenty first. That's the day there will be a record signing at Rough Trade records. The signing will
start at one pm and go till four pm.. I'll be signing copies of the Putting It Together CD. I hope to see you UK fans there. Then on Sunday November thirteenth I'll be doing another signing this time at Rough Trade records Williamsburg. Actually it's an album signing because I'll be signing vinyl copies of my super secret project. Tickets will go on sale at the end of August for the New Years Eve shows. That's Radio City Music Hall Wednesday December twenty eighth thru Sunday January first. The BMIFC is planning a New Years Eve Party weekend for Friday December thirty thru Sunday January first. We will be using the same hotel as last years NYC Rhythm Convention the Grand Hyatt.  It took us two days to record the Putting It Together album. It was recorded at Carnegie Hall with  the New York Pops Orchestra. Plus my band and back up singers. We were at Carnegie Hall February twenty fifth and twenty sixth. After I come back from "Merry Old England" I'm going on vacation with Carly. We haven't decided exactly where we're going. I do know we're going by rail. I enjoyed taking the train last year. We took Amtrak's Adirondack to Montreal and Via Rail to Quebec. Just like last years tour across America by tour bus. Which I loved,  So I'm doing that again in March two thousand seventeen when I tour Canada Plus during the summer when I play the outdoor sheds. Well I have some dogs looking at me wanting to go out.
Hugs,
Barry

Goodbye Everyone Now Really!

Carly got every other weekend off from the Bronx Zoo. This being her weekend off Carly decided to check Facebook to see what was going on over there. Someone had posted two concert videos of Barry's. The person said they were the last two shows that Barry was going to do ever. What said Carly is this person talking about last two shows. The last two shows Barry did was in June of two thousand fifteen. The PBS taping of Great Performances Wednesday June seventeenth. And the BMIFC members only concert at the Delacorte  Theatre in Central Park Saturday June twentieth. The next batch of shows would be this summer in London at the Palladium between Friday June seventeenth and Saturday August twenty seventh. Barry had always wanted to do a short run on London's West End. Just like he did twice on Broadway. Once at the Gershwin Theatre in nineteen eighty nine and the St. James Theatre in two thousand thirteen.  The show would be Thursday thru Sunday of each week. With Barry having Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays off. Barry would be off till the last week in December. That's when he was doing five nights at Radio City Music Hall from Wednesday December twenty eighth thru Sunday January first. March two thousand eighteen Barry was touring Canada. Summer two thousand eighteen would be the sheds tour. Barry would be playing outdoor venues all across the US. Barry had just finished his new album Barry Manilow The New York Pops Orchestra Putting It Together The Songs of Stephen Sondheim. It was a tribute album to one of his favorite Broadway songwriters. He was doing a duet with Barbra Streisand on the song Somewhere from West Side Story. So Carly couldn't figure out why this person thought this was the end for Barry when it wasn't. Carly knew that Brian Murphy wanted to slow it down. But then he has a ton of health issues to deal with and Barry didn't. Just then the phone rang. Carly picked it up and said hello. Hello Carly it's Garry is Barry home? Not he's out picking up his car. His car said Garry was there something wrong with it. Oh didn't Barry tell you last fall his two thousand thirteen Range Rover was leaking gasoline. No he didn't said Garry. Well it was said Carly. So he took it to Dave's Auto Import repair shop. Dave put it up on the rack only to discover the gas tank had a big rust hole in it. Dave told Barry he'd be better off getting a new SUV that replacing the gas tank. So Barry sold Dave his Range Rover for parts. So I take it he's getting a new Range Rover? asked Garry. I think so said Carly. Just then Carly heard a door close. She looked out the window and saw Barry getting out of a blue SUV. Barry just came home but that sure doesn't look like a Range Rover out there. From what I can tell from here it's blue said Carly. Barry came in the front door. I'm home he said. Carly said I'm on the phone with Garry. He thought you were getting a new Range Rover. But that SUV sure doesn't look like a Range Rover. No it's not said Barry. Range Rovers start around Sixty five thousand dollars. By the time you add taxes and other charges they're over ninety five thousand or more. I still got an SUV but I paid less money for it. Which is exactly  what I did said Barry. Carly put Garry on speaker phone so he could hear Barry talk. My new SUV is a two thousand sixteen Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. The color is true blue pearl exterior. The interior is Morocco black leather. So with taxes and other charges I paid thirty five thousand, three hundred and seventy nine for my new SUV. It will fit me, Carly and the three dogs said Barry. I just couldn't see shelling out at lot of money on another Range Rover. The BMW, the Roll Royce and all the Range Rovers I had in the past were expensive vehicles. I have driven Carly's Jeep Wrangler a few times.  And I liked how it felt when I drove it.  Did you hear about Brian Murphy's Night Time With Brian? asked Garry.  It was after Brian's second show at the Pantages Theatre in LA. Yes I heard he was doing one said Barry. I got to go thanks to Gregory Knofler Brian's husband said Garry. It was sort of interesting.
He thanked his son who just graduated from college, his daughter and his husband. Really said Barry. Brian doesn't have any kids. Gregory Knofler has a daughter Elizabeth from a relationship with one of his beards. Gregory is gay but he's always had a beard when he goes out somewhere. One of his beards got pregnant and had a little girl. Last month Carly and I saw Brian at the Barclay Center said Barry. Of course Suzanne and Scott were there. I think they were looking to see if I had shown up. A few of Brian's fans saw me with Carly going to our seats. After the concert we went to Nibbles for a drink and a snack. Carly saw Alan, Suzanne and Scott come into Nibbles. Luckily they didn't see us. We were out in the glass enclosed patio. They were over closer to the bar. Brian mentioned he could put his suitcase away. He wouldn't have to shave any more. I guess he wants to look like Grizzly Adams said Barry. If I let my beard grow I'd look like a bum. Brian will be in the UK next month for some shows. Plus the one show in Tel Aviv Israel. Now what about Europe, Russia, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Mexico and South America? asked Garry. He's got fans in those parts of the world who want him to saw thank you one last time to them. Besides he's never ever been down to South America except on vacation.   What is it "Say one thing and do another." said Barry.