Diamond ringed by generations of fans
You wouldn’t think of Neil Diamond as someone who needs to re-invent himself.
But when an artist signs up to work with mega-producer Rick Rubin, he’s not signing up for business as usual.
So the 67-year-old Diamond now hitting concert stages is not only the sauntering showman of the ’60s-’70s – he’s this new millennium, toned down, Rubin-ized version.
Did you know that it was not until “Home Before Dark” – Diamond’s 29th studio album, released in May – that Diamond scored a No. 1 album?
When we caught up with Diamond in November, he talked about his relationship with Rubin, his current tour, his showmanship and his fans.
Question: Was it risky for you hooking up with Rick Rubin and doing this?
Answer: I don’t think it was risky at all. I’ve worked with some of the top record producers in the world. Rick is one of them. We hit it off. We spent quite a bit of time together and got to know each other. It was a very positive experience.
Q. Do you feel like Rick got something different out of you than another producer might have?
A. “I don’t know. I do know that I enjoyed the experience. I worked very hard on the songs.”
Q. The album debuted at No. 1. Was that something you were surprised by? Does it even matter at this point?
A. “The big surprise is that a number of these songs that I do onstage are so enthusiastically embraced by the audience. There’s something very positive about that. I like that very much. Usually it takes years for the audience to accept some new songs.”
Q. How are the fans? Are they as wild as ever?
A. “They’re loving it. That’s one of the great things about it. It’s very heartening to get out in front of the audience and see that they’re loving the show. It’s an inspiration for me.”
Q. How important is it to your longevity to have this fan base that is all about you and will eat up every single bit you give them?
A. “It’s critically important, but first I have to do work that deserves that. That’s what my focus is. To write the best possible songs I can write, the most wonderful songs that my imagination can come up with, then present them on stage in the most wonderful, exciting way possible. The audience has been with me throughout. And God bless them. I’m a lucky guy to have that.”
Q. How cool is it to see that you have the older fans who have been with you for years and you have these younger fans who know all the words?
A. “I love that, but I’ve seen generation changes in front of my eyes over the last 40 years. My older fans, don’t forget, were the original rock ’n’ roll fans, when rock ’n’ roll was young. We’ve grown older together and wiser.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Dyan Cannon is 72. Guitarist Bernard Sumner of New Order is 53. Actress Ann Magnuson is 53. Country singer Patty Loveless is 52. Singer Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is 49. Actor Dave Foley is 46. Actress Julia Ormond is 44. Country singer Deana Carter is 43. Harmonica player Benjamin Darvill of Crash Test Dummies is 42. Actress Jill Marie Jones is 34.