I have spoken before in this blog about Barry Manilow being the first concert I was ever taken to as a kid. It was a show that my folks took me to at the local campus venue. Debby Boone also played, and of course performed “You Light Up My Life”. Was Anne Murray there too? That part is fuzzy… at any rate, the event itself made more of an impression on me than the music. I was 13 at the time and was already formulating an impression of the music I liked, but to be fair didn’t have much to compare and contrast. I enjoyed the show as much as any 13 year old can enjoy the spectacle of live music. 

I’m pretty sure it was my Mom who dug Barry. I recall we had the Barry Manilow Live album where he is in blue on the cover in the apartment when I was a little older and we were in Mishawaka Indiana.

That was the period when I was really getting into music and was listening to everything we had. Donna Summer, Barry, Hooked on Bach, you name it.

My taste for Barry Manilow faded eventually when I started getting my own musical palette and discovering what I really liked.

Regardless, I also ran into a lot of Barry Manilow when I went back to vinyl record collecting. The $1 discount bin was fairly replete with Barry. I flipped past Barry Manilow Live many many many times. I have explored various musical paths in my time, toyed with countless musical genres and styles and I have long since taken that position here on The Aural Retentive that it is not my place to trash a band, or talk smack about an artist. There is enough negativity out there for one thing, and for another even a crap band is better than the band that I don’t front or play in, so I try and remember my place in the world and if I don’t like a band, I just don’t listen to them and I don’t write about them. Simple.

I have changed my opinion of bands throughout the years. It happens to us all. I choose to believe that if your not into it now, maybe the time isn’t right and one day it might be. I may not be a huge fan of Barry at this point in my life, but there are many out there that are big fans. 

I followed this person in line at a drive up the other day.

Someone loves Barry Manilow enough to buy a license plate holder. I can see them picking it up from the Las Vegas Hilton gift shop right after the show, high on Barry’s live performance. They imagined putting this on their car to display their fandom to all as they drive to and fro. Loud and proud.

I had to genuinely smile when I saw this. You go Barry Manilow fan! 

I feel the same way when I wear my Iron Maiden hoodie.

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