I knew lyricist, Enoch Anderson’s brilliant work via his collaborations with Barry Manilow over the years on many of his beautiful and thought provoking songs. In January 2011, as hints surfaced about “15 Minutes” the new, original album Barry Manilow was in the process of creating - his first in ten years - we learned that it was Mr. Anderson’s words being set to music and I was struck with the idea to interview him for this site. It seemed to me many people would be fascinated to learn about the man and the creation process of the album we were all looking forward to.
When I rendered the courage to send Enoch an out of the blue message on Facebook, I thought he might either ignore it or worse become annoyed wondering how the heck I had the nerve to think he’d waste his time talking to me. More often than not the worst case scenarios we spend time worrying about never happen! Fortunately, in this case that was true. Enoch was thoughtful, professional and best of all he said YES!
And so we began the process; sending emails back and forth, honing, adjusting and getting it just right with diligent and respectful foresight in not giving any information about the album Barry Manilow himself might not want shared just yet.
It was and will remain one of the most exciting pieces I’ve ever worked on. The most difficult part was reminding myself to do it as an unbiased journalist and not go over the top in exclaiming how much I personally loved the collaborations of Manilow/E. Anderson, especially in regard to one of their songs; “Sandra”, which holds a very significant place in my life.
On February 3rd 2011, I was beyond thrilled to be given final approval that the interview could be published. It was an indescribable honor and privilege to have this opportunity to get to know Enoch and that he, Barry and all involved trusted me to share some of the background of such an important body of work, that they’d been creating for years.
I was on cloud nine and didn’t think it could get any better. But the next day I had congratulatory messages from people, some who I didn’t even know, and I had no clue for what. Finally I received one that shed light on the mystery. A notification about the interview had gone out in a “hotline” blast from the Barry Manilow International Fan Club and it was now featured on Barry’s official web-site. I was flabbergasted! I’d hoped it would be read and enjoyed, but never imagined it to be acknowledged in such a way.
John, my oldest son, called to tell me he needed to expand the capacity of itcouldbemagic because it was on the verge of crashing due to so many visits (he’s the web-developer computer guru, so all of that was foreign to me). In turn he was stuck with me yammering away through happy tears, as he said “you did a good job Mom!” :)
Since then I’ve been fortunate to meet Enoch a few times, and had the honor of a second interview after “15 Minutes” was released last June. He’s a delightful, unassuming gentleman, with a ready smile. It’s still difficult to not be awe-struck when you hear his genius in writing most of the incredible and unique pieces that comprise this album, which is a masterpiece in concept, music, lyrics and performance.
When I listen to the album, and Enoch’s other songs, I can’t help but think of the background behind them and the thought process that went into them. Both combine to make the experience of hearing even more enjoyable.
I truly hope Enoch and Barry, two creative giants, will collaborate again in the not too distant future.
I’ve shared many times in the past five years how Barry (Manilow) and his music is the catalyst for courage in inspiration in this new life of mine. The interview was another example of that. If I’d not taken a chance and made the initial request, this unforgettable experience, in what I hope will be a career in writing, never would have happened. Because of it I’ve had the courage to step out of my comfort zone and venture after other ideas for articles and interviews as they come to mind.
Lastly, I want to again sincerely thank Enoch Anderson for affording me the opportunity to have one of the top happiest experiences in my life.