Jack Wagner: Ready to roll on the turntable right now is an album called "Wayne Newton In Person", however ready to tell us about this album on the other microphone here is Bobby Darin, in person. Hi, Bob.
Bobby Darin:How are you, Jack?
JW: Good to see you again.
BD: Good to see you sir.
JW: Now, Wayne Newton is one of your discoveries, isn't he?
BD: Yes, actually Wayne Newton is the reason I went into the publishing and independent record production business.
JW: No kidding?
BD: That's right. About a year and half ago or so I was watching TV one night. The Jackie Gleason Show, in fact, and this very interesting, different sound came across the airwaves and I turned around and looked at the set and there was this All-American looking boy staring me in the kisser. And some comment was made, you know, few people in the room, "Gee, never heard of him but he sure looks exciting and so forth and sounds awfully good." P.S. A couple of hours later we all went to The Copacabana. Again inadvertently, there he was in the lounge. So two pieces of coincidence, like that, led me to go up introduce myself and then I asked him if he was recording and I was sure I was going to get a "Yes" answer. He said "No I'm not". I said, "Well if you can be", this was a Saturday evening incidentally, "if you can be at my hotel room tomorrow morning 11:30 or 12:00 maybe we can discuss something." That was on a Sunday, and by Monday he had gotten about five or six offers from majors who had seen him the same, scouts had seen him the same Saturday night, waited till Monday. I do business on Sunday and the next thing you know he was loyal enough and nice enough to hear what I had to offer and weigh it against the other things and I guess and as he says because I was first to approach him with it he decided to go with me.
JW: I mentioned several times on the show here in playing one of his records that it's apparent what influence you have had in his style of singing. Now have you actually coached him at all?
BD: No. I'm a firm believer that in a situation like Wayne's. Where he has so much talent, so much ability to project, so much personality that all you have to do is let the band swing and let him sing the way he feels. Once in a while, he will come to me and say "Gee Bob I don't think it's quite the right reading I'm giving this particular selection, have you got any ideas?" And then maybe I can give a suggestion like, "Well play against it or smile while you're singing". One of those kind of things, but 98% of what you hear of Wayne Newton is Wayne Newton.
JW: Well it's still apparent that's some of the Darin has rubbed off, I think.
BD: Well, I thank you. I think that's subconcious.
( Wayne's record "I Wish You Love" starts to play...)
JW: Bobby, I'm sure many of our listeners don't really realize how wrapped up you are in show business. That is, in addition to records and motion pictures, the publishing firms you mentioned earlier. I wonder if you would give them an idea of really some of the other things you're involved with.
BD: Oh, they run pretty wide gamit. And I don't know how much time we got, Jack. In addition to screening songs from writers and would-be writers. I screen artists, in terms of their vocal sound. I listen to all tapes and demos that are submitted to T. M. Music, Inc. It takes an awful lot of time out of the day, in addition to that, of course, I have to find time during the same work day in order to read scripts that are submitted to me for acting roles. Ideas for television series, which are submitted to me. Promotional ideas, details in terms of merchandising, in terms of advertising, there's an awful lot that goes on into a full work day for me. However...
JW: Do you have a favorite facet of all of this? I'm sorry, what were you going to say?
BD: What I was going to say, this is a five day a week situation for me and I do have my two days at home with my wife and the baby. Which makes it better for me than when I was just doing nightclubs seven days a week and in fifty different towns in one year. The facet that I love most is the performing facet in terms of acting. In other words, if I could spend fifty weeks a year working on screen, as an actor, why then I would do that, that would be my first choice.
JW: How do you feel about comedy, like the recent thing you did on the Jack Benny Show?
BD: I love to do comedy, but comedy is a difficult assignment. You have to be a much better actor than I am to accomplish comedy on a sustained level. In other words, playing off of Jack Benny, he makes you look good, he makes just about anybody look good, because he's so gigantic himsel
