Finally, it's Frankie

AT AGE 79, Frankie Valli – a genuine American icon – has seen a lot of seasons come and go, both on the calendar and in his backing group. But when Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons perform for the first time in Bangkok on January 22, everyone in the audience will know every single tune.
The New Jersey singer and his backup quartet struck gold repeatedly in the early 1960s with such timeless hits as “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and “Walk Like a Man”.
There have been dozens of albums and many personnel changes in the 50 years since, but just from 1962 to 1978, Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio sold more than 100 million records. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.
Still basking in the reflected glow of the 2005 Tony Award-winning jukebox musical “Jersey Boys”, which chronicles the life and times of Valli and the Four Seasons, the group is back on the road and extending it ever further. Valli’s first tour of Asia – backed by Landon Beard, Todd Fournier and Brian and Brandon Brigham – coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Seasons’ first hit, “Sherry”.
We made a phone call and talked to a legend.

IT’S BEEN SEVEN YEARS SINCE YOUR LAST ALBUM, “ROMANCING THE ’60S.” ANY PLANS FOR ANOTHER?
It’s very possible that I’ll do something, but I’ll have to wait till after this Asian tour to finalise everything and decide what I want to do next.

YOU HAD QUITE A YEAR IN 2013, TOURING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS WELL AS AUSTRALIA AND THE UK. HOW DO YOU TAKE SUCH GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF?
[Laughing] It’s not easy, you know! You have to do all the right things and stay in shape, because that’s how you can perform and tour like this.

YOUR TENOR SINGING VOICE IS VERY DISTINCTIVE. IS IT NATURAL OR WERE YOU TRAINED?
It’s the voice I was born with – it’s natural! I have a very wide range.

ALL THOSE YEARS PERFORMING AND WE NEVER GOT TO SEE YOU ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD.
What’s exciting for me is this is my first time going to places like Australia and Asia. When we had the early success in the ’60s, some of the original guys didn’t like to travel so much, so there were some countries we never went to.
I just thought, about two years ago, that I would like to go to Asia. A lot of our records were hits in Asia. Then I talked to my agent, and here I am, coming to Thailand. I am very excited. I am really looking forward to this show in Bangkok.
I’d wanted to come there for a long time but it didn’t seem as though anybody else was interested, maybe because we hadn’t been there before. Then we had the play about the Four Seasons that came out on Broadway, which has toured various part of the world, and I think that creates new interest. I’m sure it’s very helpful.

OF ALL THOSE HIT RECORDS, DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL FAVOURITE?
I don’t think I have any favourites. There are some, though, that stand out because of the projects they were involved with. When I recorded “Grease” – the last song in the movie – it became an immense hit and there were other projects that followed. We had a lot of success.

WHAT DO CREDIT FOR 50 YEARS OF SUCCESS?
If I could answer that question I would be able to help a lot of people!
Maybe it’s because you’re doing something you love. You love to perform in front of people. You should care about what you do and do it as good as you possibly could.
We’ve created a big fan base in many parts of the world. That’s what brought us here and keeps us going, I guess.

HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED RETIRING?
To be honest with you, I have never even thought about that. If I start to think about retiring I might get tired, but I’m still having fun doing it.

DO YOU LISTEN TO THE NEW MUSIC?
I do listen to a lot of current music, but I particularly like music from the ’70s and ’80s. I like a lot of rap and some hip-hop. I just like good music – I’m a fan of good music regardless of genre or era. I like Paul McCartney, Neil Simon, Gladys Knight and such.

WHAT ABOUT FACEBOOK AND TWITTER?
I don’t feel the need to do anything besides the thing I like to do most, which is singing and performing. I just hope that people will like what I do and come out to see me – and enjoy themselves.

IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
Catch Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on January 22 in BCC Hall on the fifth floor of Central Lat Phrao.
Seats cost Bt2,500 to Bt4,500. Call (02) 262 3456 or check out www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.