I always loved chatting with rock stars who didn’t take themselves seriously. Here’s one of my faves.
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Singer Michael Bublé is the biggest thing to hit the big band/jazz-pop scene since Harry Connick Jr. melted your heart and bank account. The Canadian singer is touring behind his recently released second album, It’s Time, a record comprised mainly of Bublé wafting through standards (“How Sweet It Is”) and surprises (“Can’t Buy Me Love”). Here’s what he has to say for himself:
Q: How are you?
A: I’m tired, Malcolm. I’m calling from Charlottesville. I just rented a hockey rink here for a couple hours to play some hockey with the guys. God, I’m out of shape. All my life I wanted to be a hockey player. Now I have to do this [junk]….I have to sing for a living.
Q: Complain, complain.
A: Oh, I love it. I’m very, very lucky. I have a wonderful promoter – very Jerry McGuire. He believed in me in the beginning. He started me off in the clubs and said, “If you kill there, I’ll get you into small theaters.” And he did. Then he told me, “kill in the theaters, I’ll get you into 10,000-seaters.” And he did. I just kept working and doing shows and now every date on this tour is sold out.
Q: You don’t think your looks have anything to do with your success?
A: I’m not stupid. I know men are dragged to the shows and they’re like, “Oh, Jesus, there’s a game on TV. Do I have to go?? But by the end of the show, I think they’re turned around and they say to their husbands or wives, “I was dragged here but it was fun.” At least that’s what I’d like to think.
Q: You’re huge but in a different kind of way. You don’t even have a hit single.
A: It’s been quick and slow at the same time. No, I’m not like a new group with a gigantic hit that, all of a sudden, is playing an arena. I’ve been doing this four years and the way I’ve been doing it is working. This isn’t rocket science, you know. I sing timeless standards, but in an entertaining and fresh and fun sort of way. It’s a lost art. I think people are hungry for it.
Q: Your grandfather played a pivotal role in the way you developed as a singer.
A: He opened my eyes to Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Keely Smith, Sarah Vaughan and so many others but it wasn’t a hard sell. I fell in love with it quickly. When my voice matured, it was a natural fit for this kind of music. I love Aerosmith and the Beastie Boys and Guns N’ Roses, but “take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty” just doesn’t sound good coming out of my mouth.
Q: I hear you’re a big Bryan Adams fan.
A: Definitely. His career was a big morale boost for me, because here’s a guy from my hometown who made it big. I figured if he could do it, I could, too. We’ve become friends. It’s a trip, you know – I used to stare at his record covers when I was a kid. But he opened the door for me and I’m hoping that I’ll open the door for some other kid.
Q: How big of a rock star are you?
A: Not much of one. I still can’t drink more than two beers without having to pee.
Michael Bublé
8pm Friday
Will Rorgers Auditorium
Fort Worth
Sold out
Metro (214) 647-5700
