Gloria Gaynor
At 57, the legendary singer says she’s ‘emotionally and spiritually stronger than before’
By Pamela Grossman
Published: September 7th, 2007 | 11:28am
It must feel pretty good to be Gloria Gaynor. A look around the online guestbook of her fan club on gloriagaynor.com reveals devoted notes from all over the world: Korea, New Zealand, South Africa, Croatia, Nicaragua, and big chunks of Western Europe are represented in just the first 20 or so entries. Though her biggest commercial radio presence in the United States came in the late ’70s, peaking with her eternal smash hit “I Will Survive,” today Gaynor and her music are adored by fans of all ages and backgrounds.
In the guestbook, William from Indiana thanks Gaynor for keeping him slim by creating music he’s been dancing to for decades. Hans from the Netherlands gushes about the greatness of the Gaynor set he heard at an event in June 2007. Matt, a teenager in West Virginia, checks in to proclaim his fanhood — and so does his mom. Melissa from the Philippines announces that “I Will Survive” is the ringtone on her cell phone, and Lily from Canada reports that she’ll be singing the song with two friends in an upcoming talent show. “I hope you don’t mind,” Lily says. “Oh, I forgot to say I am 10 years old.”
Gaynor’s got famous fans, too, including Prince Albert of Monaco, who in 2002 presented her with a Legend Award at the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo. And in a 2005 New York City ceremony, Gaynor was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. Her album releases total well into the double digits — 22, counting compilations — and her career has spanned more than three decades. At 57, Gaynor’s come a long way from her working-class childhood home in Newark, New Jersey (where she was raised with a sister and five brothers), and her roots as a jazz/pop singer with the Soul Satisfiers.
I caught up with Gaynor by phone, on one of her rare nights off from recording and touring, to discuss her upcoming holiday album, Christmas Presence. (When we spoke, the record was due out in the fall; its release date was subsequently moved up to August 7, 2007, a switch even her PR rep doesn’t claim to fully understand). With all her fame and adulation, you might expect Gaynor to be chatty — eager to wax on about her career, her renown, and all things Gloria. But you’d be wrong.
She’s more like, say, a wise relative who dispenses practical advice and takes no nonsense from herself or anyone else. She does not babble; she does not blurt. Her tone was matter-of-fact — but not impatient, unpleasant, curt, or any such thing. She knows what she wants to say, says it, and is done. This can be disconcerting at first, especially when her responses are surprisingly short. (Question: “Were you nervous when I Wish You Love [Gaynor’s first Stateside release in 15 years] came out?” Answer: “No! I was excited.”) But her directness and lack of pretense are refreshing, and it quickly becomes clear that it’s best to embrace these qualities and go with the BS-free flow.
Some other things you may not know about Gaynor: Though perhaps you haven’t heard tons of her new work in recent years, she hasn’t stopped recording. In the years prior to 2002’s I Wish You Love (“passionate and full of heart,” read one review), she made eight records that kept fans all over the world grooving. And she’s a devout Christian. In the early ’80s, she fell and was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Recovery was arduous and slow. “God took that opportunity,” she says, “to say, ‘Now that you’re still, maybe you can listen.’”
Gaynor came through fully healed and with a brand-new religious life. Before that, she says, “I went to church on Easter or when I could. Now I read the Bible every day, and I try to live by it. I'm emotionally and spiritually stronger than before, and I have more integrity.” Furthermore, she puts her energies where her faith is — through, for example, supporting charities. The Christian Broadcasting Network and the Christian Children's Fund are organizations she supports, along with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and Save the Children.
One more thing that has changed in Gaynor’s life: She and her husband divorced in 2005, after 25 years of marriage. When asked if there’s anything she might want to say about that, she replies in a perfectly gracious tone but with her characteristic straightforwardness: “You can ask me, and if I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”
OK, um, well … what happened? “I just got tired,” she replies. “I was tired of making it what I thought it should be, by myself.” This makes sense and is the bottom-line reason behind many a breakup. Prying further seems unnecessary, and anyway, there’s a sensible admonition against idle gossip in the “Encouragement” section of Gaynor’s Web site. So we move on.
Having survived relationship challenges herself, Gaynor barely hesitates when asked what advice she’d give to young women today. “Don’t shack up!” she says. “It’s never to your advantage. Too often women do that when they really want to be married.” But don’t things sometimes go from shacking up to wedding bells? “She pushes, and finally he gives in,” she explains. “He thinks she just wants the paper, and she doesn’t realize that at that point marriage won’t deepen his commitment.” If you are going to live with somebody, she says, first “go for counseling. Issues need to be dealt with, earlier rather than later, before the time has been invested and the finances are all mixed together.” See? The lady is practical.
Women, in Gaynor's view, will want to be more vigilant than men about commitment and marriage plans, because those plans lay at the heart of who they are. On her Web site, she states that “women are relationship-oriented. They find fulfillment in their relationships …. Men are accomplishment-oriented. They find fulfillment in their jobs.” But many women care a lot about their jobs — and wouldn't Gaynor count herself among them? “A woman's career is what she does,” she says. “A man’s work is who he is. Women understand that a job is a job. But women and men compliment each other. Vive la différence.”
Her advice, though reasoned, is not exactly what’s flowing off everyone’s tongue these days. “You don’t hear these kinds of things anymore,” Gaynor agrees. “The important stuff isn’t being talked about. But we haven’t changed.” Haven’t we, though, at least a little? For instance, because women have careers these days, they can, among other things, generate their own cash. Doesn’t that change the playing field? “Culture has changed, yes,” Gaynor concedes. “But basic human needs have not changed.”
Speaking of human needs, a seemingly inevitable question for Gaynor might also be a tricky one. Gay men are some of Gaynor’s most ardent fans, but many Christian churches don’t exactly welcome them or their lifestyles. What would Gaynor say to her gay fans? Would she respond again with “vive la différence?” “I’d say the same to them that I’d say to anybody,” she responds. “‘Seek truth and surrender to it.’”
Not surprisingly, Gaynor says that a Christmas album is something she’s wanted to do for a long time. “I was finally able to bring it to fruition,” she says. “There are some classics — and some new songs that we hope will become classics.”
Poised, looking amazing, and in great voice, Gaynor has likewise become a classic entertainer, inspiring an almost spiritual zeal in her fans — though she’d be the last person to say so. We’ll leave those accolades to Michael from Brooklyn, whose note in her guestbook concludes, “Gloria, you give hope and faith to all through your music and personal strength. I admire you and respect you in every way. I wish you all the love and happiness in your incredible life.” Amen.
Issue #33
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