September 6, 2013

Continuing our tribute to Barry during his birthday month, I’m printing a story from a wild and crazy New York City girl who talked to me one day in Central Park about her adoration for Barry and his brothers. I can see the fans nodding in agreement with Patti and her passionate opinion.

Patti

New York City

I am a Bee Gee expert…can sing any song at karoke and kick ass…have loved them since I was 14. Let’s just talk about Barry Gibb for a minute or two. When I was a teenager, he was ten years older, staring at me from that poster, wearing those white pants and letting his hairy chest show. Any teenage girl with a pulse was instantly in lust. Don’t tell any woman that he wasn’t a ladies’ man. He was so incredibly sexy but that wasn’t the X-factor that made me crazy. For me, my heart would race when he sang falsetto. There was something about the control and emotional connection in his voice. There is a song on “Spirits Having Flown” called “Until”. When I hear it, I imagine myself on an island with Barry, and he is fanning me with palm fronds and feeding me peeled green grapes (while he sings this song). In the 80’s when he worked with Streisand, I was so jealous of her but knew she was damn smart to have him writing music for her and singing with her. ( thought that “Guilty” cover was beyond wonderful, with all that testosterone going through the roof) As Barry ages, he gets better and more appealing. He has maturity with a great voice. There is no one in rock or pop like him. Think about it. Who are the superstars? McCartney is “cute” with an OK voice; Jagger is tough to look at but a bad boy appeal (not for most of us) and no new music FOREVER; Michael Jackson’s face kept changing (is this strange for other people or just too creepy for me?) and his sound was OK as he got older but not nearly as good as early years; Springsteen, whatever; Bon Jovi, they have longevity but no great songbook; Aerosmith, too noisy and not enough variety. I should be in a debate with anyone who thinks Barry Gibb and his brothers have a rival in the talent department. I’d win hands down. The best thing about the Bee Gees is that they wrote music and played music because they had PASSION. I don’t think that changed in 45 years. It was in their blood—their genes to be great songwriters. I loved the 90’s because it showed their variety, and the best thing happened when “This is Where I Came In” was released. Robin had a different sound  “She Keeps On Coming”(fabulous); Maurice tugged at my heart with his contributions (“Man in the Middle”); Barry had fun (“Technicolor Dreams”? So great) Barry continues to inspire me and want to laugh and have fun (and have sex) while he is singing in the background. Don’t let anyone fool you. He loves to thrill the ladies! My husband has been a part of my Bee Gee journey for 30 years. My kids grew up with them and spread their music around in an era of rap and techno and all kinds of weird music. I am just one fan in a world of millions, but my aesthetic is shared and cherished all over the world. I can’t imagine how to comprehend having that kind of impact on people. The music has such power…God given sounds. The world is so much richer because of their contributions, and Barry just continues to amaze me. Lucky, lucky Barry lovers….all of us.