Barry Manilow is a New York legend. Can we all agree on that? The Williamsburg-born king of easy listening has released more than 31 albums since 1973, has landed 51 Top 40 singles on the Adult Contemporary charts, and his impeccable style defined a whole generation of feathered mullets. And so, as the 81-year-old showman embarks upon his final arena tour before a long and restful retirement (and back to his permanent residency in Vegas), we have been trying to secure Barry Manilow: The Hell Gate Interview. Could he maybe give our readers some sage advice? What does he think of the mayor? Is he subletting his apartment? Where are his prime hangout spots in the next two weeks?!
Unfortunately, Mr. Manilow has been stonewalling our efforts for nearly a year.
In May of 2023, after Mr. Manilow announced a run of five shows at Radio City Music Hall, I made my first good-faith attempt to open a dialog through his longtime publicist. What followed was a stony, 17-month-long silence. His performances came and went. The shows looked great, and so did Barry! He actually broke the lifetime record for most performances at Radio City Music Hall—he’s played 42 of them over his career. In the interim, Barry actually did approve an interview, in April 2024 with NBC News.
"I just love making music," Manilow told NBC's Chloe Melas. "I love creating." A handful of Rockettes wearing sequined dresses presented him with a giant plaque on the night of his 42nd show at Radio City.
Then he went back to Vegas, where he's been maintaining a lifetime residency at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. (He beat Elvis's record for the most shows there, at 637.) When he returned to Radio City in October of 2024, I spotted my chance and pounced:
"Hey! Any availability for Mr. Manilow to speak ahead of his concert?"
This time I got a reply:
"I’m afraid not."