Streisand / Radio

The original story below by Mark Iskowitz appeared on his BJS Music Guide site:

Barbra Returns to Radio's Delilah Show January 23
Posted/Updated: 27 July 2003

It was “Barbra Streisand Night,” declared Delilah, as Barbra returned to the syndicated evening Delilah® Show on January 23, 2003 for a rare radio interview. Pre-recorded while eating a late afternoon salad, Barbra spoke via telephone with an admiring Delilah about various subjects, from thrift store shopping to her new duet with Barry Manilow. 

Barbra admitted being quite pleased and surprised with her singing voice's excellent clarity on “I Won't Be The One To Let Go” despite her age. Regarding the duet with Josh Groban, “All I Know Of Love,” Barbra explained that they didn't record together in the studio, because the song was originally intended for her and Andrea Bocelli. Two years ago, before Groban was known, he and another unnamed singer made demo recordings for David Foster, and Barbra loved Groban's sound. 

“She's so real, so human, so down to earth,” said Delilah (a major fan for 30 years) following the interview, which also touched on Barbra's Malibu dream house and grounds featuring 1200 rose bushes (including the Barbra Streisand Rose, noted BJS), cactus, and vegetable gardens. Barbra said she always feels comfortable at home, preferring loose-fitting clothing with elastic waists, no bras, and no makeup - “I'm a total slob—wearing a sweat suit and sneakers.” The previous day, when tree sellers arrived, she wondered, “I must be so disappointing them. They're expecting to see some glamorous movie star.” When dressing up (which she resents) Barbra likes to select fashions around pieces of jewelry. Recently finding some old '60s and '70s photos (particularly some with Kris Kristofferson for A Star Is Born), she was amazed at how thin she appeared—“I'm not thin anymore.” She called anonymity a gift and misses it, rarely avoiding staring eyes in public, even at her favorite area flea market. 

Delilah expressed her adoration for Barbra's 1972 comedy film What's Up, Doc? and drew Barbra into a discussion of humor. Barbra said she never understood the film, having difficulty following the many suitcases. However, she did laugh out loud while watching 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember starring Mike Myers. Barbra and Delilah also appreciated My Big Fat Greek Wedding, another comedy hit from last year. 

BJS songs played during the hour: “The Way We Were,” “I Won't Be The One To Let Go” (radio version edit—very similar to Duets track), “My Heart Belongs To Me,” and “All I Ask Of You.” The show was broadcast live to all time zones beginning at 7:00 pm Eastern Time and ran till midnight Eastern on many stations. Barbra's interview and music segments commenced shortly after 10:00 pm Eastern, which was 9:00 pm Central, 8:00 pm Mountain, and 7:00 pm Pacific Time. 

[ ... ]

This follows Barbra's December 12, 2002 radio interview, telephoning Delilah to discuss Christmas and her Duets CD briefly. The short interview segments also featured three recorded songs, “Jingle Bells,” “On Holy Ground,” and “I Won't Be The One To Let Go.”

Delilah's Seattle-based radio program, The Delilah® Show, is heard by seven million listeners Monday-Friday nightly from seven to midnight on adult contemporary radio stations in 225 markets throughout the U.S. and Canada. 

Transcript

Delilah: You’re strong, and you’re independent and you’re smart and you’re funny ... I mean, you seem funny. It seems like you have a great sense of humor.

BJS: Well, y’know ... funny is serious. To be funny, sometimes, it’s a very serious thing — comedy; tripping is something that makes me laugh out loud. But when somebody’s telling me a joke or something like that, I go, ‘That’s funny. That’s funny! ’ And very seriously, so they don ’t think I appreciate it but it’s...you know, things that are absurd make me laugh. I like Austin Powers. That made me laugh out loud. 

Delilah: I can’t think of the last movie I went....Ah! My Big Fat Greek Wedding. 

BJS: I liked that, too. That was very good. 

Delilah: When I really want to laugh, I either get out It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World or What’s Up, Doc? 

BJS: Really? ...Y’know, it is funny, you always see me elegant, but... Like yesterday, I had to meet tree people. They sell trees and I ’m very much into my garden, y’know? I think to myself when they came in my driveway, ‘I ’m wearing a baggy T-shirt, my hair is a mess. No makeup. Funny little shorts — y ’know above the knee like the old Bermuda [shorts]; well, no — they were actually a little tight above the knee, and funny baggy socks and sneakers. And I ’m thinking, ‘I must be so disappointing them.’ They’re expecting to see some glamorous movie star, right? And I look, you know — just like you wanna look; you wanna feel — comfortable! 

Delilah: Well, good for you! 

BJS: Yeah, [well] that’s the truth!

Delilah: That makes me happy to know that you’re as real as a heart attack. 

BJS: (Giggles) Oh God, yeah... 

Delilah: Okay, so tell me about Josh Groban: when you did this song with him, did you record it in the studio with him? 

BJS: No. The funny part about Josh Groban ’s song is I recorded it a while ago before he got famous. And he was a substitution for Andrea Bocelli. In other words, Linda [Thompson] and my friend David Foster had written the song for me and Bocelli ... I never heard of Josh, but he had a really nice voice, so he did the part that Bocelli was gonna sing. (Laughing) Isn ’t that funny? Then he all of a sudden became very hot with Ally McBeal. David always believed in him... 

Delilah: Wasn’t it David Foster who found him when he was 17? 

BJS: Yeah. David played two different [male] voices for me. A different kid who was Italian and [Josh]. I picked Josh. ‘Would you like to work together?’ 

Delilah: Well, he was here in the studio just a couple of weeks ago, and he’s just this cute little kid, then he opens his [mouth], and out comes that voice! 

BJS: I know! Which duet did you like better: the Groban one or the Manilow one? 

Delilah: Um...yes. 

BJS: You can ’t say? 

Delilah: No. Yes — I liked them both better because I love them both! 

BJS: You love them both? 

Delilah: I love them both. 

BJS: I was surprised — my voice surprised me — that it was so clear. I was actually very happy about [it], because sometimes you think as you get older [that] your voice is gonna disappear. And I thought my voice sounded really good on these records.

Delilah: Your voice sounded wonderful... 

BJS: I mean, on this latest one that I just did with Barry. 

Delilah: As I was saying a few minutes ago, I have waited many, many, many years to talk to Barbra Streisand. ...She’s funny, she’s brilliant, she’s a hard worker and we were just talking about the multitude of awards that she’s won and forgotten about over the years. 

BJS: I don ’t remember my awards. I ’m always asking like, ‘Did I win more Golden Globes or Grammys? How many did I get?’ I’m funny about that. I just don ’t remember awards. Except I remember the Academy Awards. But I get the others mixed up. [I] didn’t even know I ’d won certain awards until we did [Just for the Record], where we did a wonderful booklet and I said, ‘My God, I won the Drama Critics Award?’ I have no memory of it. 

Delilah: I remember the outfits you wore. 

BJS: I like to do clothes around jewelry. 

Delilah: 90% of my wardrobe comes from thrift stores. 

BJS: Oh really? 

Delilah: I’m addicted to thrift stores ... I love the challenge of going to thrift stores and finding like funky antique clothes and stuff.

BJS: Oh —— good for you! That’s how I started! When you have no money, you go to thrift shops. I figured rich women that gave the clothes would be clean! 

Delilah: You go to an antique store and you pay $400- 500, but you go to a thrift store and you can score! 

BJS: I found some of my greatest possessions, like antique fur coats from the ’30s, with the beautiful embroidered linings for $10, y’know? 

Delilah: And you feel like, ‘Wow, I look great and this is was [just] 10 bucks!" 

BJS: Yeah. It’s really fun to find stuff like that. 

Delilah: But do you have a hard time, like if you went out to my local Good Will would people mob you? 

BJS: Hmm...I don’t think they would mob me, but I remember going to the Pasadena Flea Market once and I thought I would do an experiement and think of myself as a nobody. Y’know, like, ‘I’m nobody famous, I’m just Barbara Joan, and nobody looked at me — I swear to God — for an hour! And then I said, ‘Wow, isn ’t that great? Nobody’s looking at me.’ And I broke the spell. [Suddenly] Everybody started staring at me and coming over to me. So, its an interesting thing. Really, y ’know — anonymity is a gift. 

Delilah: Yeah, that would have to be the downside of all the incredible success that you’ve enjoyed. 

BJS: I remember going to a hotel one weekend [using] an assumed name — on the flight, everything was [with an assumed name]. The paparazzi found out, and literally, we couldn’t walk from the hotel room to the dining room without them hiding in the bushes. And the hotel pretending they were protecting us, but really telling them where we are. It was a nightmare. So people don ’t know the pros and the cons of getting what you wish, which is to be successful, y’know?

Delilah: We’re talking to Barbra Streisand about her new home. 

BJS: I searched for my house for 25 years, it’s my dream house. We overlook the ocean and I have 1,200 rose bushes, and it is so beautiful that every time we travel — even though it’s fun to travel — we come home and say, ‘Oh, my God, this is more beautiful than where we’ve been!’

Delilah: Gardening and art are my passions. 

BJS: What do you do with art? 

Delilah: I do pen and ink, I do pencil, I do acrylics and this past year I’ve become obessesed with pottery. I take pictures of my flowers... 

BJS: We do, too! I [also] love my vegetable garden. I just love picking my strawberries and my corn and tomatoes. Isn’t it great to have home grown vegetables? 

Delilah: It is. I was out composting today. 

BJS: You have an organic garden? 

Delilah: Yeah. Well, I’d love to see pictures of your garden. 

BJS: Well, y’know what? One day I plan to make a book. Like, I have a cactus garden and a rose garden. ...Delilah, I have to go because I have a dinner party and I ’m sitting in my sweatsuit and my sneakers and no makeup as I told you and I gotta go get fa-tootsed, you know? (Laughs) 

Delilah: All right — go get gorgeous! 

BJS: Thank you very much. 

Delilah: Bye bye. 

BJS: You take care!

End.