Zitat des Tages von Johnny Mathis:
I really, really enjoy music and that's why I do what I do.
I go to the gym rather early with a workout pal. I get there at 7, or a little before, and do weights and a little cardio for an hour, five days a week.
I would say three-quarters of what I do depends on the sincerity of it. You can croak, but if you croak good, they'll still listen.
Every performer has a little gem, a little pearl they have done that nobody pays much attention to. And then one day, somebody does recognize it, which is so gratifying.
Years ago, I went to Brazil and fell in love with it. I really like the music, samba, bossa nova, the language and the people.
I think most people don't understand: I have nothing to do with that. I just open my mouth, and it comes out that way.
Even though there's no forum for me on the radio for the kind of music I sing anymore, I am still excited about having a career where I can sing the best music in the world, and people will come and hear me because of the hit records I've had in the past.
When I was very young, it was all, 'Here's little Johnny,' and I got stuck with it, but I prefer John. There comes a time in a man's life when he shouldn't have a name ending in 'y'.
Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to.
I cannot tell you how lucky I am: the songs that I sing, I like!
It's very much like opera singers. They do the same thing. The first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, the thing they think about is their voice and how to take care of it.
It's always nice to hear people say, 'You sound the same,' when I know I don't.
But I am very grateful for my success, and with success, of course, comes a whole lot of celebrity.
When I was 12 and started to take singing lessons from a woman, she told me that I would probably spend the rest of my life taking care of my voice.
As a child, all I knew was that people kept asking me to sing, and because I liked to please, I would sing. It wasn't until my dad told me that my singing made him happy that I began to think my voice might be good.
Each person's voice is very different, so you need to find what works for you. Make sure you keep to your routine.
I love the whole aspect of music, especially the singing; I never get tired of finding new songs to sing and sing them in a way that's interesting for the public.
Tony Bennett and me are all the same... and he's still singing. I don't know what else to do.
I also met, early on Ella Fitzgerald. Her songbooks are some of the most amazing bodies of work.
The world changes. The world is completely different now from when I was growing up. Back then, you didn't say things like they say now, out loud, about race and things. But that's just progress. When are we going to find out that we're all the same - we're all absolutely, without a doubt, the same?
I've found that the more friends I have, the luckier I am.
Nat was my hero right from the very beginning. My dad brought his music into the house and played it over and over again.
I was always a little bit afraid because I found out at a very early age that once you make a record, all the mistakes and all the good things are there for eternity.
Every time I try to tell people things about my career, I wonder if that's the truth or something I'm fantasizing about.
Mancini was a big part of my life. I sang a lot of his music, and he became a good buddy.
I used to stay up all night, roam around, drink, and carry on like everybody else. That all changed when I got older, started to exercise and play golf. I knew by the time the day was over I would not feel like exercising, so I made it a point to exercise early.
I'm just one of the lucky people. I have no other reason for my longevity.
I decided right away that whomever was going to advise me had to be fundamentally interested in music. This protected me from the skullduggery common to the music industry then and that still exists today. Of course, using this method meant that some things we didn't know and just had to learn how to do it together.
I've had relationships with people from all over the world, but there has never been enough time in a day for me to have anything other than just close relationships. I've never been one to give myself over to anybody. I don't know what is wrong with me, but it never happened.
People are stubborn about what they perceive to be the right thing or the wrong thing, and it takes a long time to filter this human condition. There's a waiting period until people catch up. But if you have patience - which it takes when someone thinks differently from you - everybody always catches up. That patience is a wonderful virtue.
When you do interviews, you have to talk about yourself - and I like to find out about other people. I am so familiar with everything that I do. I've said it over and over again. I think it is boring.
Mitch Miller knew exactly what he wanted me to sing. He didn't want me to improvise at all.
I think there are a lot of people who really want to be famous, they really do. I don't. It sort of gets in the way of the everyday things that I do.
Sometimes being famous gets in the way of doing what you want to do.
No, I don't regret my decision at all, especially after I started this music career. My eyes were as big as saucers.
The voice muscle doesn't last forever. I have a lot of friends who are classical and opera singers. My friend Beverly Sills stopped singing in her 50s, so I'm careful with mine. But I'll keep going as long as it lets me.
