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American Morning

Interview with Tony Orlando

Aired October 16, 2002 - 09:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Tony Orlando and Dawn, remember their huge hits from the '70s, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," "Knock Three Times?" Well, that success propelled them to prime time, their own variety hour on CBS in the mid '70s. And Tony Orlando is back, revealing the highs and lows of his show business career.
And Tony Orlando, the man that made that song famous, joins us this morning.

TONY ORLANDO, PERFORMER: It's an honor, Paula, to be with you.

ZAHN: Pleasure to be with you. Also, an author, just out with a new books "Halfway to Paradise."

ORLANDO: With Patsy Dale Cox (ph), and she's done an amazing job in translating the story from a tape recorder, actually. And that's how you work with writers. They have a great way of putting it on the page. as writers are gifted to do, and she did an amazing job.

ZAHN: I love the story about "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." You almost say in this book that you were embarrassed by the hype this song got, because you didn't want to be a one-note wonder, a one-note...

ORLANDO: Yes. What happened, Paula, the same writers, Irvine Levine (ph) and Larry Brown (ph), wrote "Knock Three Times," wrote "The Yellow Ribbon and "Knock Three Times" was still, like, a novelty song. And what I wanted from that group that we had started was a career and I thought that anything that had any connotation of novelty, I thought, "Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree," in fact, I played this song for Bobby Vinton because Bobby had hits with colors. "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue," "Blue on Blue." I called him and I said, "Bobby, Yellow should be in your repertoire."

It was everything I could do not to record this song. And little did I know, it became the signature piece. I mean, it became, literally, the piece that we referred to as my career, which was that song.

ZAHN: So with the notoriety it brought you, why would you write, "I never, ever set out to be a novelty act, a singer associated with ditties or bubble gum tunes, yet, that was happening, "Yellow Ribbon" seemed like a novelty song to me."

ORLANDO: And I was wrong. "Yellow Ribbon" became an anthem of freedom. It was a great song. I didn't realize it, at the time, because I was so fixed on just, you know, trying to do other things. I wanted to be a rhythm and blues singer and I didn't want to go that way musically. The girl his come from Motown roots.

And so, basically, I didn't want to go that way, but my god, you know, when I sing that song now, to think it welcomed home the POWs from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and to think I was very much a part of that, and then the Iranian hostage crisis and then in Desert Storm, to see Americans fly those yellow ribbons, it's been an honor. All I was, really, was the mailman. All I did was deliver the letter. I didn't write it, I just delivered it.

ZAHN: Obviously, performing still brings you great joy. You're passionate about music, but you write very openly in this book about your descent into hell and you became addicted to cocaine. Why did you use it?

ORLANDO: Well, you know, here's a kid -- and I mean I was a kid -- who for -- well, see, I wrote this book, it's 58 years of my life. Only nine months of my life was cocaine. I never drank in my life and I still don't. Never drank a drink in my life. I don't like liquor. I never did drugs of any kind. And yet, cocaine seduced me and you say why?

Why? Well, when we were doing, 18-hour days and you're dragging and you're down and somebody walks in and, in my case, it was Red Fox and said, hey, well, you know, I had 18-hour days to the point where I really was bleary-eyed. And the responsibility I was holding back then was -- I was doing too much at once. And sometimes with the success at a young age and trying to fill all the holes and thinking about your responsibilities, everything from writing the show to doing the show to performing show, and to shaking hands and doing all the things you should do, you fall into these trappings and that was one of them.

And I did use cocaine for nine months. And what I wanted to do, more than anything else in this book, Paula, was to let someone out there know that nine months is no different than nine years, that you're going to end up paying a bill, at the end of this dinner,that the bill is going to be a major payment and the payment may be your life, it may be, literally, your life, it may be your career, it may be your marriage, it may be your financial life, but it's going to find a bill on your table and you're going to have to pay for it.

ZAHN: So I know the name of the book is "Halfway to Paradise." Where are you in your life right now?

ORLANDO: Well, my career may always be at halfway to paradise and that's OK, too, because I'm at paradise. I have the most wonderful wife. My wife Francine and I living in Hollister in Branson, Missouri. I have my beautiful daughter, Jenny Rose who is 11 years old. My son John goes on the road with me. He's a wonderful, actor-comedian.

And so, I'm at paradise right now. Everything is really sitting right. I have a new album, I have the book, I have a new movie out, so everything is just going so well. But more importantly, my family life is settled. But I wanted to share something with you and I don't think you even realize this, but we did a show, you and I, I think you were, at that time, on another network and you did a piece called Fast Forward.

ZAHN: Sure.

ORLANDO: It was a profile piece on performers and politicians and people and celebrities and it was a very well-done piece and you did one with me. And I -- you don't realize this, but that was the show that inspired "Behind the Music at VH-1 to be done. They gave me a chance to do my story with them and it was very well-received and high ratings. And then St. Martin's (ph) press came to me with the idea for the book, so it all began with you, Paula Zahn. And I want make sure that you know how much I appreciate that. Thank you.

ZAHN: Oh, I am so delighted to hear that.

ORLANDO: Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Well, we're glad your career is back up in the stratosphere again...

ORLANDO: Thanks.

ZAHN: ... and I hope it stays that way.

ORLANDO: Thank you.

ZAHN: Thanks for sharing that with me.

ORLANDO: Thank you.

ZAHN: Good luck to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 16, 2002 - 09:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Tony Orlando and Dawn, remember their huge hits from the '70s, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," "Knock Three Times?" Well, that success propelled them to prime time, their own variety hour on CBS in the mid '70s. And Tony Orlando is back, revealing the highs and lows of his show business career.
And Tony Orlando, the man that made that song famous, joins us this morning.

TONY ORLANDO, PERFORMER: It's an honor, Paula, to be with you.

ZAHN: Pleasure to be with you. Also, an author, just out with a new books "Halfway to Paradise."

ORLANDO: With Patsy Dale Cox (ph), and she's done an amazing job in translating the story from a tape recorder, actually. And that's how you work with writers. They have a great way of putting it on the page. as writers are gifted to do, and she did an amazing job.

ZAHN: I love the story about "Tie a Yellow Ribbon." You almost say in this book that you were embarrassed by the hype this song got, because you didn't want to be a one-note wonder, a one-note...

ORLANDO: Yes. What happened, Paula, the same writers, Irvine Levine (ph) and Larry Brown (ph), wrote "Knock Three Times," wrote "The Yellow Ribbon and "Knock Three Times" was still, like, a novelty song. And what I wanted from that group that we had started was a career and I thought that anything that had any connotation of novelty, I thought, "Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree," in fact, I played this song for Bobby Vinton because Bobby had hits with colors. "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue," "Blue on Blue." I called him and I said, "Bobby, Yellow should be in your repertoire."

It was everything I could do not to record this song. And little did I know, it became the signature piece. I mean, it became, literally, the piece that we referred to as my career, which was that song.

ZAHN: So with the notoriety it brought you, why would you write, "I never, ever set out to be a novelty act, a singer associated with ditties or bubble gum tunes, yet, that was happening, "Yellow Ribbon" seemed like a novelty song to me."

ORLANDO: And I was wrong. "Yellow Ribbon" became an anthem of freedom. It was a great song. I didn't realize it, at the time, because I was so fixed on just, you know, trying to do other things. I wanted to be a rhythm and blues singer and I didn't want to go that way musically. The girl his come from Motown roots.

And so, basically, I didn't want to go that way, but my god, you know, when I sing that song now, to think it welcomed home the POWs from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and to think I was very much a part of that, and then the Iranian hostage crisis and then in Desert Storm, to see Americans fly those yellow ribbons, it's been an honor. All I was, really, was the mailman. All I did was deliver the letter. I didn't write it, I just delivered it.

ZAHN: Obviously, performing still brings you great joy. You're passionate about music, but you write very openly in this book about your descent into hell and you became addicted to cocaine. Why did you use it?

ORLANDO: Well, you know, here's a kid -- and I mean I was a kid -- who for -- well, see, I wrote this book, it's 58 years of my life. Only nine months of my life was cocaine. I never drank in my life and I still don't. Never drank a drink in my life. I don't like liquor. I never did drugs of any kind. And yet, cocaine seduced me and you say why?

Why? Well, when we were doing, 18-hour days and you're dragging and you're down and somebody walks in and, in my case, it was Red Fox and said, hey, well, you know, I had 18-hour days to the point where I really was bleary-eyed. And the responsibility I was holding back then was -- I was doing too much at once. And sometimes with the success at a young age and trying to fill all the holes and thinking about your responsibilities, everything from writing the show to doing the show to performing show, and to shaking hands and doing all the things you should do, you fall into these trappings and that was one of them.

And I did use cocaine for nine months. And what I wanted to do, more than anything else in this book, Paula, was to let someone out there know that nine months is no different than nine years, that you're going to end up paying a bill, at the end of this dinner,that the bill is going to be a major payment and the payment may be your life, it may be, literally, your life, it may be your career, it may be your marriage, it may be your financial life, but it's going to find a bill on your table and you're going to have to pay for it.

ZAHN: So I know the name of the book is "Halfway to Paradise." Where are you in your life right now?

ORLANDO: Well, my career may always be at halfway to paradise and that's OK, too, because I'm at paradise. I have the most wonderful wife. My wife Francine and I living in Hollister in Branson, Missouri. I have my beautiful daughter, Jenny Rose who is 11 years old. My son John goes on the road with me. He's a wonderful, actor-comedian.

And so, I'm at paradise right now. Everything is really sitting right. I have a new album, I have the book, I have a new movie out, so everything is just going so well. But more importantly, my family life is settled. But I wanted to share something with you and I don't think you even realize this, but we did a show, you and I, I think you were, at that time, on another network and you did a piece called Fast Forward.

ZAHN: Sure.

ORLANDO: It was a profile piece on performers and politicians and people and celebrities and it was a very well-done piece and you did one with me. And I -- you don't realize this, but that was the show that inspired "Behind the Music at VH-1 to be done. They gave me a chance to do my story with them and it was very well-received and high ratings. And then St. Martin's (ph) press came to me with the idea for the book, so it all began with you, Paula Zahn. And I want make sure that you know how much I appreciate that. Thank you.

ZAHN: Oh, I am so delighted to hear that.

ORLANDO: Thank you very much.

ZAHN: Well, we're glad your career is back up in the stratosphere again...

ORLANDO: Thanks.

ZAHN: ... and I hope it stays that way.

ORLANDO: Thank you.

ZAHN: Thanks for sharing that with me.

ORLANDO: Thank you.

ZAHN: Good luck to you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com