The singer recently appeared on the cover of PEOPLE to discuss his cancer diagnosis
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NEED TO KNOW
- Barry Manilow reflects on years of harsh criticism of his music
- The singer said he “stupidly” used to read what the critics wrote about him, but “didn’t agree with them”
- Manilow was diagnosed with cancer last year
Barry Manilow is opening up about the damaging effect early criticism of his music had on his state of mind.
The legendary singer, 82, is one of the best-selling artists of all time. But for years, his music was dismissed by critics as schmaltzy and even, as Phil Collins once said in a 1986 Playboy interview, “spineless.”
In a new interview with the Guardian, Manilow admitted that the naysayers did bring him down, despite adoring support from his Fanilows.
“It was as if I'd hurt somebody in their family. It lasted for so long — from putting me down for the songs, and then putting me down for what I looked like,” he said. “If you wanted to get a big laugh, you would mention my name. It was 15 years of relentless, horrible reviews.”
The “Mandy” singer said he'd “stupidly” read some of the things being written about him, which would cause him to “go into my self-pity, and I'd pull the covers over my head.”
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“And then I would get dressed and go to the sound check, and that was that,” he said. “Because I didn't agree with them.”
Manilow touched on the issue of his critics in a 1984 interview with PEOPLE, saying that all of the name-calling he received hurt “so badly because I call myself all those names before they do.”
Still, he ended on a positive note.
“I think I trust myself more. I believe in myself, in my talent,” he said. “I think I'm better than a lot of people give me credit for. If I'm still annoying [the critics], that means there's still a lot of life left.”
The Grammy winner appeared on the cover of PEOPLE in March, and opened up about his stage 1 lung cancer diagnosis.
The star was forced to cancel a number of shows due to his diagnosis and treatment, which has included a lobectomy.
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Manilow is now cancer free, though the fate of his performing career remains up in the air as he works to reclaim his voice.
“I'm still waiting for the strength that I lost to come back,” he said. “I'm still going through it, but I'm pulling myself back together. I'm not even sure I can go to the next level yet. My body doesn't want to take me there. It's not even doctor's orders, it's my body's orders — it won't let me do it.”
The star — whose new album What a Time is out June 5 — also opened up about the support he's received from his beloved Fanilows, as well as his husband and manager Garry Kief.
“I had no idea that there were that many people out there that even knew I was alive,” he said. “[Fans] sent the most beautiful things to me, from all over the world, people writing to me and wishing me well. Don't make me start to cry. It should be a horrible experience, and it was, but those notes and those people made it doable.”
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