Saturday 9: I Will Always Love You

Saturday 9: I Will Always Love You

1. The Bodyguard is the best-selling movie soundtrack ever and this is the song most often associated with Whitney Houston. Is it on your iPod/mp3 player?
   -- Yes, both Whitney’s version and the original by Ms. Dolly Parton.
2. In the movie, Rachel (Whitney) sings "I Will Always Love You" after she realizes she can never see Frank (Kevin Costner) again. What song reminds you of a past love?
   -- Total Eclipse of the Heart reminds me of my x-wife… our marriage was a sham. I felt like everything was an act, things that normal couples would share, we didn’t. I wasn’t in the relationship because I was hiding my sexuality and she wasn’t there because I believe she knew it was a sham too.
   I hope to find the love Angel and Collins sings about….
   
   
   
3. Despite the movie's and the song's overwhelming popularity, Whitney Houston was awarded a Razzie Award as the worst actress of 1992. What's the most recent criticism you received?
   -- Occasionally in my job, my optimism gets the better of me and I get myself into a bind when I have to suddenly deal with reality. HA HA I say… I reject your reality and replace it with my own!
4. On the bright side, share the last compliment you received.
   -- John, you’ve been doing this job for five years, when you going to learn to curb your optimism?
5. In the 1980s, when Whitney first burst onto the scene, a trendy woman wore big hair, big bows and big shoulder pads. Can you think of anything you wore that was fashionable at the time, but looking back, makes you cringe? (An embarrassing photo to accompany your answer would be nice!)
   -- There aren’t many pictures in existence (that I know of), the one at right is from my high school yearbook from my junior year in 1986.
6. When this song was popular, cell phones were uncommon and Facebook was unheard of. Which has had a bigger impact on your life -- smart phones or social networking?
   -- Social networking has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to stay in touch with old friends far away and to meet new friends, but it can also be a wedge that prevents one from getting up and out to mingle with actual humans.
7. Whitney's marriage to Bobby Brown left many people shaking their heads. Whitney and Bobby's daughter recently married the young man who was raised as her brother. Have you ever been in a relationship your friends/family didn't approve of?
   -- I’m gay… there are a great number of family and friends who don’t approve of whom I choose to love. In the worlds of Dr.Seuss…
8. Whitney Houston's grave marker reads, "I Will Always Love You," so obviously her family is very proud of the success of this recording. How would you like to be remembered?
   -- I want to be remembered as someone who won a victory for mankind.
9. Whitney was born in Newark, the largest city in New Jersey. It's a major air, rail and shipping hub, and it's in the Eastern Time zone. Have you ever been to Newark ... or any town in New Jersey?
   -- When I was in high school my dad was a long-haul truck driver. He hurt himself and needed assistance to manage the cargo. One of the trips we made was to Vineland, NJ. I remember it as an industrial city in southern Jersey, just east of Philadelphia.