Danny Aiello & Dr. Sue
Where to go for swingin’ singin’ holiday? Try Danny Aiello’s new album My Christmas Song for You,which he debuted at our last meeting of the New York Sheet Music Society (NYSMS). Linda Amiel Burns, President of NYSMS and Director of The Singing Experience, interviewed Mr. Aiello.
But who can resist calling him “Danny”? He’s a down-to-earth guy from the old Italian neighborhood – a real paisan (Italian for friend, homie, amigo, landsman etc.) He’s also an Academy Award nominated actor and singer with performances in over 80 hit films.
Not that anyone expected Danny to have stars in his eyes – or if he did, it was because he was an amateur boxer. “I had a good left hook” Danny grins, “And. like most Italians, I was a physical guy - so I got a job as a bouncer.” Danny secretly wanted to be a singer “but in my neighborhood, that meant you were a sissy – not that there’s anything wrong with that.” He did get an audition for the Arthur Godfrey Show, but he panicked and excused himself to go to the bathroom. “I never came back.”
By the time he was in his 30′s he was married to Sandy “a gorgeous Jewish girl” and had three kids. Times were rough, and Danny used to lie awake at night imagining becoming homeless. He even slid into temptation and robbed a few safes that were stored in warehouses. “I’m ashamed to admit it, and robbery is always wrong. Besides, the most I ever got was $27… and I could have gone to jail!”
Fortunately, petty crime did not pay, and Danny did get a paying job at the old Greyhound station announcing the bus route – with flair. Producer Dore Schary heard him and offered him a job on a touring show. “But it was forty bucks a week and on the road. I had a family to support – so I passed.”
Danny finally did get his break on stage in That Championship Season. “I didn’t really know how to act, so I just put out a lot of energy – and the critics loved it!” Other offers followed on stage and screen, and Danny found himself hanging out with movie stars like Vincent Gardenia. When Danny told Gardenia that he wasn’t sure how to say his lines, Gardenia (familiar with unemployment statistics among actors), counseled: “Don’t worry about it – you’ll never work again.”
Danny gained renown as the pizzeria owner who stays in a tough, black neighborhood in Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing. “When Spike sent me the script, I turned the part down. He had me twirling pizza. I asked him, “How would you like it if I had you twirling watermelons? But Spike sweethearted me – he took me to Knicks games – and I finally agreed. I hated my line ‘these people grew up on my food’ but Spike insisted that we keep it – and that was the line the critics raved about!”
Danny also scored as Nicholas Cage’s weak-willed brother who is derailed from his engagement to Cher in Moonstruck. Nick gets the girl, and Danny goes back to his hypochrodriac mother. “I played such a wimp. After that, women would come up to me and offer me cokes – but that was all they offered me. I mean, I wouldn’t have done anything about it because my wife would kill me, but still…”
Danny must have been quite the actor, because in person – and especially when he sings – the wimp is nowhere in evidence. The New York Times says Danny “has the bounce of his idols Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra and Louis Prima, and the throaty lyricism of another idol, Tony Bennett.” Aiello puts a mellow, macho snap into “Santa’ Claus is Comin’ to Town” – but the warmth is all Danny. It’s that warmth that wins over the crowd from big arenas, to intimate bistros, to TV shows like Good Day New York, to to my heart when he complimented me on my red hat and pulled me in for the photo which I snapped from my own cell phone. Made me feel as cheery as Ms. Santa Claus!
Danny Aiello: "My Christmas Song for You"
Happiness Habits
- It’s never too late to do live your dream: Danny Aiello started acting when he was 35 – with no training. And now, at 70 plus, he’s making movies and performing and recording songs.
- Build bridges to other generations and cultures: Danny is back in the studio working on his fourth album entitled Bridges, a collaboration of standards with hip hop, due for release in 2011. As the singing host for the JCT Variety Show and singing professor at a community college, I also interact with the “hip hop generation.” I love the standards, but it’s good to keep your tastes, personality, and opinions open to fresh influences.
- Be honest, admit your mistakes, and move on: Being emotionally honest is crucial for actors – and for anyone in a close relationship. We may admire (if we believe) people who say they’ve always done the right thing, but we like and feel more comfortable with people who, like ourselves, have a few flaws. My blog is called “How to Be Happy If” Sometimes those “if’s” are on the inside.
- Enjoy Music and Humor: I’m so excited! I’m performing my bi-lingual video jingle for Safe Auto Do the Jingle Online Contest (beginning January 3, 2011)! Go to: www.dothejingle.com Click on “View Entries” – I’m dancing the salsa in my red hat and red boa – please vote for me!
- Listen to positive songs. You can hear me sing my inspirational, romantic songs by clicking on this link: CD Baby – Dr. Sue “Keys of Love”
- Here is the lyric to my chorus of my song “Dare to Believe”
- “Nothing is imposssible, nothing’s really out of reachAll your silent, secret longings wait for you somewhere – if you Dare to Believe.”
The first song: “Dare to Believe” is free.
Please look for my book “Queens of Comedy” by Susan Horowitz. (http://www.amazon.com/Queens-Comedy-Lucille-Phyllis-Generation/dp/2884492445)
Life is a story book – a collection of many stories – each one with a plot, characters, and the theme or message we take from it. Each story presents an opportunity to learn and practice Happiness Habits.
What’s your question? What’s your comment? What’s your story?
