Interview with Olivia in Luxury Las Vegas Magazine/Site

http://luxurylv.com/2010/10/up-close-and-personal/7165

With Olivia Newton-John

By  by Marsala Rypka

October 2010

Ever since “Grease” became the musical blockbuster hit of 1978, fans have been hopelessly devoted to Olivia Newton-John. She immortalized the part of Sandy Olsson, the goody-two-shoes-girl-next-door, who trades in her wholesome “Sandra Dee” image for some skintight spandex pants, red peep-toe heels, an off-the-shoulder top, teased hair, and horror-of-horrors, a cigarette, in order to win the heart of Danny Zuko, the leather-clad leader of the T-Birds gang, played by John Travolta.

In 1980, the English-born, Australian-raised singer/songwriter/actress starred in another film, “Xanadu,” which included her No. 1 chartbuster “Magic.” The four-time Grammy winner has sold more than 100 million records and had 15 Top 10 singles which include “Let Me Be There,” “I Honestly Love You,” “Have You Ever Been Mellow” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Magic,” and “Physical.”

Over the years Olivia has added health and environmental activist to her credentials. She was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme and national spokesperson for Healthy Child Healthy World, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about the link between childhood diseases and the toxins in our environment.

A breast cancer survivor since 1992, Olivia works diligently to help educate women about their health. Among many other things, she is a co-host on PBS’ “Healing Quest” series. Olivia’s music reflects her life’s journey. She just re-released her 2006 album “Grace and Gratitude Renewed” with a new track entitled “Help Me to Heal.”

Keeping up with Olivia is quite a workout as she talks about her passion for life and her husband of two years, her trips to the Amazon, her recent appearance on the hit show “Glee,” her Wellness Center in Australia, her spa and retreat, and much more. When you’re finished reading this month’s Up Close and Personal try getting physical — bench press the magazine 50 times. Come on, let me hear your body talk.

Marsala Rypka: What three words best describe you?

Olivia Newton-John: Positive. I tend to see the good in people and situations, which has worked out well for me with the things I’ve come through in life. Even though I’ve gone through a lot of ups and downs like everyone else, I’m basically resilient. And I’m curious about everything. My husband and I like to watch TV programs that have to do with science. When you’re young, you think you know everything, then when you get older, you realize how little you know and how much there is to learn. There aren’t enough hours in the day for all the things I want to do.

MR: Name something people would be surprised to learn about you.

ON-J: “Grease” stamped peoples’ image of me as the “girl next door,” and while I’m partly that, if you asked my friends, they would say I also have a pretty bawdy sense of humor.

MR: Who has profoundly influenced your life?

ON-J: My parents, who were very educated, intelligent and hard-working. My father, Brinley Newton-John, was Welsh. He came from a working class background, but he won a scholarship to Cambridge University where he was at the top of his class. He was a language major who went on to become a professor. He was an Air Force Commander in WWII who interrogated German prisoners of war. He was the officer who took Rudolph Hess into custody.

My mother, Irene, was the daughter of German physicist Max Born who won the Nobel Prize in 1954 for Quantum Mechanics. Money wasn’t important to either of my parents. They cared about what you thought, how hard you worked, your intelligence, and the way you behaved, which was a great way to be brought up. I never knew what my father earned or what we had. It never occurred to me. We could eat and we had a place to live and I never thought about money. My parents divorced when I was nine and I was the typical child of a divorced family. I had low self esteem but I was also pretty grounded because I grew up in Australia, which is a pretty grounded society.

Career-wise I’d say my first manager, Peter Gormley, and my first record producers, John Farrar and Bruce Welch. They guided my career as a team and put me on the path they thought I should go, which was country/folk music. Bruce Welch had just been to America and had heard the Eagles and was very impressed with them. I had a whole different idea of who I should be. I wanted to sing these big ballads and I didn’t realize then that I was too young to pull them off. My first hit was a Joan Baez song, “Banks of the Ohio,” which I didn’t really like, but I was wrong. Also Cliff Richard who booked me on his television show in England and got me my start. We’re still friends. These four people had a big influence on my career.

MR: What makes you angry?

ON-J: Any kind of cruelty and unfairness, whether it’s to animals or the environment like deforesting the rainforest or what’s happening in the Gulf. My heart aches for the animals that have no way of escaping the area. I heard that BP is burning some animals alive. They get caught in the oil and I don’t know if it is too difficult to remove them, but they set them on fire. I get angry about children in the world who don’t have homes. There’s so much that’s unfair. My mother always said that the downfall of man is his greed.

MR: Who would you trade places with for 24 hours?

ON-J: Environmentalist Margaret Owings who fought for the survival of sea otters, sea lions, mountain lions and other wild creatures. She led campaigns to protect the world’s forests and oceans. She was on the council of Save the Redwoods and Big Sur Land Trust. She was a trustee of Defenders of Wildlife, African Wildlife Leadership Foundation and Environmental Defense Fund. I once told her, ‘When I grow up, I want to be like you.’ I am still waiting. But we did get one of the first Tesla’s. We waited a year for it. The fact that you never have to go to a gas station is great. We’re also remodeling a house and we’re going to have solar panels.

MR: What is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness?

ON-J: Besides chocolate my greatest weakness is probably my sensitivity, which is also my greatest strength. It’s a double edge sword because when you’re sensitive you are inspired to take on causes and try to change things, but you also take things to heart too much.

MR: What five people would you invite to a dinner party?

ON-J: That’s hard to answer. My parents divorced so I’d love to see them when they were in their twenties and still happy and in love.

I’d invite astronomer Carl Sagan who always used the phrase “billions and billions.” I used to watch him on TV and I was fascinated by his knowledge of the stars. I always wanted to ask him if he believed in other life forms.

I’d love to invite my grandfather and his friend Albert Einstein. When my mother was young, Einstein came to their home and played the violin. Later in life my mother translated letters between her father and Einstein. It would be fascinating to talk with them.

I’d invite Jacques Cousteau who I met in the 1980s. He was intense and fascinating and I was blown away when he came to my house. John Denver had been with him on his expedition vessel, the Calypso, and had written a song by that name and I wanted to become involved in some project with him. We talked about it, but it didn’t work out.

I’d invite someone funny like George Burns, who I adored. I was on holiday at the Kahala Hilton once and Helen Reddy, who is also from Australia, and her then-husband Jeff Wald were there, and they knew George Burns. So Helen and I put on grass skirts and sang a welcome song to him as he arrived at the hotel. He had a little cigar and he was exactly as you would imagine. We had dinner with him and he had so many stories.

I’d invite the Rat Pack. One of my first television experiences in America was in 1972 when I sang with Dean Martin on the “Dean Martin Comedy Hour.” When I got to the studio they told me that Dean only knew about six songs and I had to pick one. Years later I was invited to tour with Sinatra. One of my only career regrets is that I didn’t do it. My daughter, Chloe, was a baby and I wanted to stay home with her. I know that’s more than five people, but there are so many I’d love to have to dinner.

MR: “Grease” was the biggest box office hit of 1978. The soundtrack spent 12 weeks at No. 1 with three hits “You’re the One That I Want” (with John Travolta), “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Summer Nights” (with the entire cast). “Grease” was re-released for its 20th anniversary in 1998 and a sing-along version was released in July 2010. Are you amazed that it is still so popular?

ON-J: No one could have imagined it would become so iconic. I was 29 when I made it and I thought I was too old to play a high school senior. I wasn’t an experienced actress so I insisted on a screen test with John. Luckily the role of Sandy fit me like a glove. I didn’t think I would be able to do an American accent so they made it work for me by rewriting the part as an Australian girl who moved to the States with her family. I remember one scene where John and I were at the drive-in. It was my close-up and after I said my lines, John waved in front of the camera and yelled, ‘Cut.’ Then he came over and whispered, ‘I know you can do it better.’ That was really generous of him to support me like that. That showed who he was. To this day everyone in the movie has a lifelong connection. We have emails that go out to everybody.

MR: In May you appeared on the hit show “Glee.” In the episode the hilarious villain, caustic cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch, gets a taste of her own medicine when one of the Glee club kids posts an embarrassing video of her jazzercising to your 1981 video “Physical.” It goes viral and Sue becomes the laughing stock of the school. Then you call her and offer to remake the video with her. How much fun was that?

ON-J: Jane and I laughed nonstop for 12 hours. I had no idea how popular that show is until I told people I was going to be on it and they started shrieking. The set was recreated to look almost exactly as it did in the original video and we were dancing with all these hard-bodied young guys. It was funny because I remember after I recorded the original video in 1981, I thought it was so suggestive that I freaked out and called my manager and told him to pull the record. He said it was to late, it was already on the radio. It stayed No. 1 for 10 weeks.

MR: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. You are a breast cancer survivor; please share your story?

ON-J: In the summer of 1992, I felt a lump in my right breast. I’d found lumps before, but this time I wasn’t feeling well. I went for a mammogram which came back negative. My instinct told me something wasn’t right so I asked my doctor to perform a needle biopsy. The result was benign. I was still convinced something was very wrong so my doctor agreed to do a surgical biopsy. I finally got the news that I had cancer the same weekend my father died of liver cancer.

MR: What advice do you have for women?

ON-J: Do a self-examination once a month so you get to know what’s normal for you because glands can go up and down cyclically. After a certain age, have regular yearly mammograms. Trust your instincts and follow up if you feel something is wrong even if your doctors tell you it is nothing. Ask your body and your body will answer you. If I had waited for my regular checkup and never checked myself, it could’ve been weeks or months before it was detected.

MR: In 2008 you partnered with Curves to distribute one million Liv® Breast Self-Exam Aids (Liv as in Olivia). How does it work?

ON-J: The Liv® Breast Self-Exam Aid is a simple device that acts like a magnifying glass for your fingers. The kit includes a soft, heart-shaped, latex-free polyurethane pouch filled with a small amount of non-toxic lubricant that you place over the breast while you perform the exam. It reduces friction between your fingers and the skin and allows your fingers to glide smoothly across your breast, which increases sensitivity. For more information, go to www.Liv.com

MR: What are you most passionate about?

ON-J: I’m passionate about the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center (ONJCC) that’s part of Austin Health, a research hospital in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia. The wellness aspect is really important to me. When I had a modified mastectomy, reconstruction and chemotherapy, I had the best doctors, but I knew it had to be more than a slash and burn approach for me. I wanted to integrate complementary therapies like homeopathy, herbs, massage, acupuncture, yoga, and meditation into my treatment plan and I had to look outside the hospital for that.

I was lucky because I knew Deepak Chopra and I knew about meditation, homeopathy and herbs, but not everyone does. So when I was asked to lend my name to the cancer center so they could raise awareness and money, I met with the hospital executives and I told them I’d be very happy to put my name on this if they included a wellness center where everything could be under one roof. Now it not only has state-of-the-art medical treatments for cancer, but we also offer the wellness part where people can receive holistic healing, some yoga, some massage, some music therapy that makes you feel good. I hope that part will grow even further.

MR: What important life lesson have you learned?

ON-J: Discovering my limits and my limitlessness. I learned that I’m even stronger than I knew. I always said that as Mother Earth is getting sick, we women are getting sick too. We are a byproduct of the Earth. We need to take better care of ourselves. One of the problems with women and cancer is that because we’re such caretakers, we don’t take care of ourselves. When I was diagnosed, my big worries were about my daughter, who was only seven at the time, about the band and my fans. My illness forced me to refocus. A therapist told me, ‘You have to wean everyone off of you because your breast is your nurturing thing.’ It became clear I had to learn to put myself first.

MR: In 1994 you wrote all the songs on an album you called “Gaia: One Woman’s Journey.” Many of the tracks are about your experience with cancer especially “Why Me,” and “Not Gonna Give In.” You used the word Gaia, which refers to Mother Earth, again in 2005 when you and your business partners opened the Gaia Retreat and Spa in Australia’s Byron Bay.

ON-J: It was very interesting because it was a sad time that ended up being a most wonderful time. My mother had just passed away and I was bringing some of her ashes to my farm, which is about half an hour from what is now the healing retreat. My friend Greg, who was like a son to my mother, was with me and we were driving around and we saw a sign that said, Sanctuary, and it grew from this dream of a place where we could bring friends to a unique 20-room healing retreat set on 25 acres and majestically poised on the highest point in the shire with exquisite vistas of green valleys and undulating hills. Gaia has won several awards including the 2008 Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Spa Award.

MR: In June 2008 you married John Easterling, founder and president of the Amazon Herb Company, and two years later you seem like you’re still on your honeymoon.

ON-J: I’d known John for 15 years before we got married. I’ve always respected and liked him, so to fall in love with him made for an amazing union. Our life is a wonderful adventure. John really “walks the walk.” He creates products from herbs found in the Amazon in Peru, and in so doing, helps the people of the Amazon and the rainforest. We got married in Peru and we go down there once a year for our anniversary. We just spent ten days there. We took 16 people from my husband’s company who earned a trip to Machu Picchu and the rainforest. Everyone had a great time.

MR: What is your most treasured material possession?

ON-J: My wedding ring. It’s two twin diamonds in the rough so it’s very symbolic of our union and our love. John found the stones and we had the ring made. Material things mean very little to me. I treasure baby photos of my daughter, Chloe, who is 24 now. She is an old soul, and she has amazing knowledge and wisdom for a young person. She took on an amazing challenge doing the TV show “Rock the Cradle,” and she’s about to embark on her own reality show. She’s writing her own music and starting her own production company with some of her friends. I’m so proud of her.

MR: Two months prior to getting married, you led a team of 100 friends that included celebrities, sports figures and people from the corporate world as well as a number of fellow cancer survivors on an arduous trek along the Great Wall of China that raised more than $2 million to help fund the ONJCC.

ON-J: It was life changing, difficult, challenging, illuminating, and scary. Everyone who went with me felt the same way. We spent three weeks in China, a country we were unfamiliar with, challenging ourselves to walk a 141 miles in all kinds of weather from ice and snow to sun scorched deserts, and in some places the wall was broken or the path was quite steep. In addition to the physical toll that walking took each day, it was sometimes equally challenging emotionally as everyone dealt with their own experiences with cancer, whether their own or that of a loved one. I got sick, as a lot of us did, but I had to keep walking because I was leading everyone. Every morning we would sing my song “Magic.” You have to believe we are magic, nothing can stand in our way.

I liken it to the cancer journey in that it was the unknown. We didn’t know what to expect. Every time we completed a segment, we’d feel a great sense of accomplishment. It was like going through the treatment. It was incredibly challenging. People would walk together and share their cancer stories and their feelings. It was very healing to know that others had gone through the same thing. It was also terribly difficult for me because John’s brother’s wife passed away from brain cancer while I was in Beijing. I wanted to be there to support John and his brother, but he understood that I needed to stay. I was really torn but it reinforced why I was there.

MR: You are in a new movie called “Score: A Hockey Musical” that kicked off five film festivals across Canada in September. You play the mom of a home-schooled hockey prodigy that becomes a national sensation. But you also have another film coming out this month.

ON-J: It’s a breast cancer docudrama called “1 a Minute.” The disease claims the life of one woman every 69 seconds which translates into more than 465,000 deaths each year. On October 6 “1 a Minute LIVE”, which supports the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, will be broadcast to 525 theaters across the country. It will bring together survivors and celebrities like Jaclyn Smith, Melissa Etheridge, Diahann Carroll, Kelly McGillis, Namrata Singh Gujral, William and Daniel Baldwin, whose mother is a cancer survivor, Deepak Chopra, myself, and many others for an inspiring evening of hope, awareness and discussion.

MR: Last words of wisdom?

ON-J: Two words come to mind – choose life. I feel very fortunate and blessed. I use the term “survivor-thriver.” Survivor sounds like you’ve climbed your way through something which is great, but thriver is even more positive. You’re thriving past a challenge and not visualizing it as still hanging around. I’ve had an amazing career and now I’m in a whole new area of health and wellness with John, and my spa and hospital. It’s a wonderful new view of life for me.