Culture
Donny Osmond talks sustaining 60 years in show biz, bringing full Vegas production on tour, importance of Ohio market
By: Ian Saint
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KETTERING, Ohio (WOUB) – Few names are as synonymous with Las Vegas as Donny Osmond’s.
When Marie Osmond spoke to WOUB last year, she lovingly quipped that “Donny will die in in Vegas, he’ll be the next Wayne Newton!”
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Donny and Marie concluded an impressive 11-year run of their historic Vegas residency at the Flamingo, where they captivated audiences with 1,730 shows together. As the Strip reopened, Donny embarked on his very first solo residency at Harrah’s.
Donny is taking his full Las Vegas production on the road, making two stops in Ohio later this month: first at Kettering’s Fraze Pavilion (695 Lincoln Park Blvd.) on Wednesday, July 26, followed by Northfield MGM Park (10777 Northfield Rd.) on Friday, July 28.
Before his Ohio tour dates (one of which WOUB’s Ian Saint is attending with his mother), Osmond squeezed in an in-depth conversation about his 60-year career in show business with Saint via Zoom.
Watch WOUB’s exclusive interview with Donny Osmond above, and find a transcript of the conversation edited for length and clarity, below.
Thank you, Donny Osmond, so much for speaking with us at WOUB! We are a NPR and PBS affiliate based out of Ohio, where this very exciting tour has you visiting two swaths of the Buckeye State —
Donny Osmond:
Ian, do you know how important Ohio is — and I’m not just saying this because you’re in Ohio — do you know how important Ohio is for my career?
Ian Saint:
Well, that was going to be my first question, actually!
Donny Osmond:
Well, when [1970’s] One Bad Apple came out, and it started going up the charts, it went No. 1; and we had no idea of what kind of crowds we were going to get. So the first two concerts we did, they were test concerts — in Cleveland and Columbus. And I remember — this is a vivid memory in my mind — we entered the stage in a blackout. My brothers and I were stage left. The blackout takes place. We run on stage. Now, what I’m about to tell you happened in nanoseconds, right?
We run out on stage, in the dark, and there’s all these screams — and my initial reaction, I looked out in the audience, I thought “somebody’s hurt!” Then I realized, “hold on, they’re screaming for us!” <laugh> It was the most amazing feeling.
Ian Saint:
So your first dose of that experience was in Ohio?
Donny Osmond:
That was in Ohio! And then, of course, the Ohio State Fair.
Ian Saint:
Yes! Marie talked about that with me. She said the Ohio State Fair was a real staple in your careers.
Donny Osmond:
Ohio has always been a very, very important market, for all of our careers. And to be able to come back to the state again is going to be a fun part of the tour. We kicked the tour off just last night, and it was unbelievable. Unbelievable!
So we’re all pumped up, ready to come to Ohio. Because you know what I did, Ian? This is my residency show in Las Vegas, at Harrah’s. And sometimes, when people take big shows on the road, they pare ’em down a little bit — because of expenses, and things like that. I brought the entire production; I’m bringing Las Vegas to Ohio! <laugh>
I’m bringing all my dancers, the full band, all the production, my stage crew, the huge video walls… because I decided this isn’t a concert — this is an experience. People want an experience these days; not just a concert.
Ian Saint:
You’re absolutely right about that. And I was going to mention, your residency at Harrah’s has been extended. So you’ll be performing 46 shows, across September, October, November. Vegas is a top vacation destination for Ohioans, so if they don’t get to catch you on this tour, because they’re out of town or [the Ohio shows are] sold out – because it looks like they’re pretty close to sold out – then they can catch you there in Vegas.
My understanding is that every show is a little bit different. Actually, I’m good friends with Jim West, the guitarist for Weird Al [Yankovic] — I know that Weird Al’s a good friend of yours…
Donny Osmond:
<laugh> I love Al!
Ian Saint:
Jim said that when he saw you in Vegas, his mind was just blown by how you had this *massive* bank of songs for people to request from. Is that going to be carried into the tour?
Donny Osmond:
Absolutely, Ian; I call it the request segment. I’ve always wanted to do this with a show, and I’ve finally figured it out how to do it. I put all 65 albums on the big screens behind me, and anyone in the audience can pick any song from any album I’ve ever done in my entire life — and we do it, just like that!
The audience gets to hear what they want to hear, and the show changes every night. It’s always different! So, it’s probably become one of the fan favorite segments — that, and the rap. Have you heard about the rap?
Ian Saint:
I have heard about the rap; but I’d love to hear it about it directly from you.
Donny Osmond:
Okay! <laugh> So I thought, “how am I gonna fit six decades of show business into one show?” So, kind of like the musical Hamilton, I put it all in rhyme. It starts, “it all began back in Utah, I was four years old, started singing with my brothers, and the sound was like gold. So my folks took a leap and said, ‘what the hey, we gotta get these monsters out to California!’” And it gets faster and faster, for 10 minutes! Everything in the rap, you actually see, visually on all the screens.
Ian Saint:
Something that I was going to bring up, in regards to the song request section, and your vast catalog… my mom brought up that for Christmas of 1973, her top Christmas wish was the Alone Together Limited Edition album, which has a hype sticker that says it “includes an exclusive mounted an easel Donny photograph,” and she still has it!
Donny Osmond:
<gasps> Stop. Are you kidding me? Oh… My… Goodness! That’s awesome! To find that album with that — still having that pop-out — is kind of a rarity. But it’s cool that she’s got that.
I tell you what: during this request segment, you gotta have [your mother] stand up and request a song from that album. You know, what’s really interesting is [in] that segment I get, you know, mainly the “Puppy Lovers.” I call ’em the “Puppy Lovers,” that demographic. [Editor’s Note: “Puppy Love” was a Gold single for Donny, released in 1972.]
But what’s really interesting… I just got a message, [about a] family bringing their grandkids to my show. The grandkids know me as Captain Shang from the Disney movie Mulan. In fact, when we do [the song from Mulan, I’ll Make a Man Out of You] we turn the theater into a Mulan experience. Disney gave me the rights to use the film in the show, and we do the same stick-fight dancing onstage as Captain Shang is doing behind me — because a lot of people don’t know that I am Captain Shang [until they hear me sing] “let’s get down to business!” and [their reactions are] like “whoa!!”
But these little kids, they request songs. The other day in Las Vegas, this little 9 year-old girl requested a song from my new album. And I thought, “oh, that’s kind of cute; her mother’s prompting her to say something.” I said, “what song would you like?” She tells me, and she asks “can I sing it with you?” I said, “Sure!” I got her up on stage; and this little 9 year-old girl, she knew all the licks, she knew all the lyrics. She says, “I listen to this song every day!”
So what’s really interesting nowadays is with the advent of Spotify and YouTube and all these kind of things, a whole new generation has discovered who I am. And so the demographics, when I look out in the audience, [are] just so wide and varied. It’s pretty phenomenal.
Ian Saint:
I was thinking: this year marks the 25th anniversary of Mulan. That movie was so popular when I was a little boy — and now my five-year-old niece loves the movie. What’s so interesting is that I’ll Make a Man Out of You came out 28 years after One Bad Apple!
I mean, my parents were in first grade when One Bad Apple went No.1. My generation, we were little kids rocking out to this contemporary Donny Osmond hit back in 1998. And now we’re old enough to be parents ourselves. My grandparents are 93 and 91; they just saw Marie [Osmond]’s Christmas show with me in December. And my grandma was reminiscing about how much she enjoyed watching you on the Andy Williams Show.
Not many performers get to have contemporary hits that span three-plus generations…
Donny Osmond:
I’m so grateful that I do. I recognize the importance of it; and I’m very grateful for the fact that I’m still doing this 60 years on. You know, nowadays, Ian… if you have a five-year career, that’s a long time — let alone 60. And last night, I wish you could have seen the concert, it was just absolutely crazy. It reminded me of those first concerts that I did in Ohio. And I guess what I keep reiterating — sorry, I’m repeating myself — is that I’m grateful! I’m grateful for it.
This residency in Las Vegas… somebody said something to me the other day — this is so awesome — I was doing an interview, and he said, “Donny, do you recognize how fortunate you are?” And I said “Yes, I…” and he [cuts me off with] “no, no, no; do you understand how fortunate you are in Las Vegas?” I said, “what do you mean?” He said, “how many people have their own show on the strip, and use just their first name?” I said, “Well, that’s kind of cool. You’ve got Adele, you’ve got Cher, you’ve got Donny…” <laugh>
Ian Saint:
That’s a great point! And I think about how many people have seen your Vegas show — you know, between your own, and then 11 years with Marie, and yet there’s still all this demand for you to go out on tour, not only in this country, but also in the UK.
Donny Osmond:
Unbelievable! But with that, Ian, comes a huge responsibility. And that’s why I said earlier, I don’t just put on a concert anymore; I want to put on an experience. I want people to walk away saying “that was worth more than the price of admission, because of what we just witnessed.” And I hear that all the time! You know, I don’t just get up and sing songs… when you win Dancing With the Stars, people expect some dancing, right? So I got all my dancers with me and, you talk about production — like I said, Vegas is coming to Ohio. It’s the full Vegas show.
Ian Saint:
I’m glad you brought up the timeline, because I’m gonna get a little philosophical here. I was thinking about, in the 60 years of your career, so much has happened in our society — not only in terms of world events, but also paradigm shifts. Like, the ’80s were a very tough time for you — as far as where you were at in your career, and what was popular. You even had a publicist who recommended manufacturing a drug bust story, to give you a little bit of street cred.
Donny Osmond:
<laugh> You heard about that?
Ian Saint:
Yes. <laugh> But you obviously did not do that. And I’m sure, 40 years later, you’re glad that you didn’t. There’s a lot of discourse about authenticity, and being proud in who you are and what makes you unique — rather than following trends. And that can manifest in all different ways. Do you feel like in the present you feel the most room to be authentically… you?
Donny Osmond:
Fabulous question, Ian. It’s a double-edged sword. When you’re inventing yourself, you can’t live in a vacuum. You can’t say, “this is me and you like it!” You have to know what’s going on. And as I look back in the last six decades of show business, you do have to, to a certain extent, conform with what’s popular. Like, for instance, [1989’s] Soldier of Love. Nobody thought I’d ever come back to the charts. [Editor’s note: Soldier of Love reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.]
But then they called it “the comeback of the ‘80s.” But it wasn’t anything like Puppy Love; it wasn’t anything like One Bad Apple. It was really current for the time. So you do have to conform to what’s happening in the industry, what’s palatable to the public. And the only way to be relevant is to be current.
But then again, you can’t sell out and say, “well, everybody else is doing this; I’m gonna do that.” You have to be true to yourself, which is what I’ve done over the years — which is really interesting for me, because when I do this show, it’s kind of like, “this is your life” for me every night. I watch the progression of what I’ve done over six decades. And yes, I conformed to what was happening throughout my career; but I always stayed true to myself. I always recorded the music I wanted to record. I always said the things that I wanted to say. I didn’t conform to that publicity stunt, that you referred to, about me getting busted for drugs — because it’s not me!
But, yeah, [in Soldier of Love] I wore the torn jeans, I wore the leather jacket, and all that kind of stuff. In fact, when Soldier came out, everybody said it sounded so contemporary that it could have been someone like George Michael, which was such a great compliment to me. Because no, it’s not Puppy Love, it’s not One Bad Apple. It’s new, but it’s relevant.
And like, for instance, the new album — my 65th album, Start Again. It took three and a half years to write that thing. And I thought, “okay, what do I want to be now? Who am I at this moment in time? Who do I like? Who has influenced me?” Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth — I listened to all these guys, so I went in that direction, because that’s what I love. That’s who I am now.
So I hope that answers your question. It’s a double-edged sword: you have to be true to yourself, but you also have to know what’s relevant. I’ve got a very dear friend, who was a producer, [but] he’s not a good producer anymore. Nobody knows who he is. I’m not going to mention his name — but you know what he did? He produced in a vacuum, because he thought “this [is] my style and this is going to be,” and the world moved on.
Ian Saint:
Yes. Okay, I’m gonna marinate on that for a while — that was a phenomenal answer. And I know you’ve gotta run to sound check; so the last thing I was gonna ask was…
Donny Osmond:
Oh, they’ll start, they’ll start — you keep going! <laugh>
Ian Saint:
Okay! Well — going back to the request section. I was thinking about how vast your catalog is. My mom, when I asked her what her favorite song of yours is, she mentioned one that is probably fairly obscure. She said it was, I’m Dyin’ —
Donny Osmond:
<bursts into song> “Can’t you see that I’m dying? Tell the doctor it’s a broken heart!” Yeeeah! I don’t think we’ve ever done that one. That’s a cool song.
Ian Saint:
I wanted to ask if you’ve ever [performed] it!
Donny Osmond:
I don’t think we have. But I’m ready for it!
Ian Saint:
Okay! Well, I was wondering: what are your favorite deep cuts?
Donny Osmond:
Off the new album, or anything?
Ian Saint:
Anything.
Donny:
<pause> Oh, I’d have to see all the albums. But there’s a song on the new album that I wrote with Amy Wadge — she co-wrote Thinking Out Loud with Ed Sheeran. And [our song] is called The Way You Are. <sings> “The way you love, the way you touch, the way you give of yourself just a bit too much.” It’s such a cool song. Amy and I wrote that over Zoom, because we wrote it during COVID. She was over in the UK, and I was at home; and that is a song that is very dear.
There’s another one, called What I Meant to Say… I wanted to write a love song with all the cliches, but then I wanted a twist — because I like lyrics that just kinda, like, grab you and take you someplace where you don’t think you’re going. I’m gonna sing you the first verse, because it’s all cliches.
<singing> “I want you, I need you. I long to be near you, for now and forever more. Hold me in your arms so close, and stay by my side every night and day.” And here’s the kicker: “that is what I meant to say.” He never said it! All these cliches, all these beautiful love things, he never said it. “That is what I meant to say.” And he never said it! Very cool lyric.
Ian Saint:
Well, this has been incredible; I could, you know, talk to you for a whole hour — but I know you got a show to put on tonight. Thank you, once again, for speaking to WOUB. We’re thrilled that Ohio’s been such a bedrock in your career, and that there’s going to be another chapter of that journey.
Donny Osmond:
<laugh> Okay, sounds great. Great talking with you, Ian. Take care, buddy.
Donny Osmond brings his Vegas show to southwest Ohio’s Fraze Pavilion in Kettering (695 Lincoln Park Blvd.) on Wednesday, July 26 and northeast Ohio’s Northfield MGM Park (10777 Northfield Rd.) on Friday, July 28. Donny’s Vegas residency at Harrah’s plays 46 shows from September through November of 2023. For more information on his tour and Vegas residency, visit his official website: www.donny.com.