OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN TRIBUTE - Today Extra (August 9, 2022)
Olivia Newton-John Tribute - Today Extra (August 9, 2022)
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00:00Welcome back to this special edition of today extra as we remember remember the remarkable life and career and talents of
00:07The beloved Olivia Newton-john and that voice ringing out there. She just had it didn't she she was a superstar Australian music historian
00:14Glenn a Baker has known and been following her career for decades. He joins us now from the Blue Mountains Glen
00:19It's always good to have your insight on this a tremendous
00:23Thank you very much
00:23We would say in the office this morning off the back of the great Archie Roach then Judith Durham and now Olivia
00:29It's a big loss for Australian music this last week. I
00:32think it's been a bit of a
00:35Double whammy a double sucker punch for the devotees and it's some there was a question about it
00:42Forgive me. My phone is ringing and
00:45course it is you'd be so you'd be so busy today clinic does everyone want your insiders because we all know you're one of the
00:51Foremost historians on music and you know every b-side that there is today as I still pad waiting for your phone to stop
00:57Whoever is calling Glenn a Baker, please not
00:59We're trying to speak about Olivia Newton-john, but Glenn you were saying about just a just her legacy is so massive. I
01:06think that
01:08People underestimated her and it was very easy to actually dismiss her because she was a pretty
01:16Face and she she was a girl next door it but she had great instincts
01:21She really knew what she were doing
01:23You've heard of them doing the John Denver song take me home country roads and for the early part of her career when she was
01:30Based in England. She was a big star in the country music community and it was in fact fairly controversial
01:37There were a number of country music
01:39Star saying who is this?
01:41British Australian girl who was actually, you know winning these awards and
01:47Etc. Go away. We don't need you, but she doesn't matter Olivia knew what suited her voice
01:53She knew what songs you wanted to sing and although one of her first hits was a Bob Dylan song
01:59If not for you, which is very interesting. But anyway, but there was something she clung always
02:05to
02:07Australians all the way through her career whether it was John Farrah who wrote a number of songs for her
02:13or whether it was, you know, it's like
02:16Roger Davies her manager or whether it was
02:19There was Australians all the way through. She knew how to gravitate
02:24she even opened a a boutique called koala blue at one stage and she she was loyal to it to Australia and
02:32There was there was something that was there was quite endearing about that the number of times I met her
02:38She was she was beguilingly sweet and and and she was she was quite remarkable
02:43But if you want to go back and see it's worthwhile looking up it's on it's on YouTube
02:48Who when she was in Australia, she didn't actually make records in Australia, but she did a film called
02:55Christmas time down on the funny things happened there down under and she's doing a scene in front of a Christmas tree
03:02And she's just she's she's she's got it all she's so
03:07Capable and she said she looks radiant and she looked she was only 17 at the time
03:12By the time she left left Australia and she left Australia with Pat Carroll her friend and
03:19There she is Pat Carroll and Pat Carroll, of course had married John Farrah of other strangers
03:24and so Pat became her partner when she was in England and John Farrah became her producer and
03:32that situation existed for quite a long time and it was um
03:38Yet
03:41They look so wonderful
03:43You know
03:44It's really interesting the way you point out the fact that a lot of people
03:49underestimated Olivia early on in her career and we were just hearing from the director of Greece who said he wasn't sure all the way through
03:55Filming whether she was up to that final scene in the leather
03:58and
03:59Well as we know now she was more than up to it, you know, that's an iconic moment in film film history, isn't it?
04:05But the other I think
04:07partnership apart from her and John Travolta that a lot of us have reflected on this morning was her partnership with John Farnham over the
04:13Years to tell us about that and how influential that was
04:16yes, it both she went and
04:19Because she had a voice and and he of course has a great voice
04:23But it matched his it blended with his and and she could step up to you know
04:28Whether it was Anthony Warlow or whether it was it didn't matter
04:32she could she could sing as any as good as anybody around and and it's and it's yes, so
04:38There was no question but talking about her instincts. It was something I said earlier
04:44That became when she did
04:47Her manager Roger Roger Davies was also looking after Steve Kipner
04:51Who would been in Australia leading a bank called Stephen the board and his father had produced the BG's and he'd written a song
04:58And he wanted to get it to Rod Stewart and he was playing it
05:03To Roger to Roger Davies and Olivia as the story goes and it may be right or maybe wrong
05:08But I think I like to think it's right was walking past and she put her head in the door
05:12She said what's that? And I said no. No, it's not for you Olivia. It's not for you. It's gonna be for Rod
05:18She didn't know what's that and it was physical and she said I want it and of course
05:25They said no, but it's not your image. It's not yet. They even knew that that they would have trouble
05:32convincing an audience out there that that she was
05:36physical
05:39Video clip that said that it was all about exercise and it was but it wasn't about exercise
05:46It's actually it it's largely about sex. No
05:49Don't ruin it
05:53We know you're gonna be busy your phones ring off the hook
05:55It's great to have your insight into this and thank you so much. You stay safe up there in the Blue Mountains
06:00Glenn a Baker they're just terrific. Thank you. Okay. I just wanted oh
06:05We've lost it. We've lost the connection. Thank you so much for sharing your insights this morning