The durable rock-and-roll songwriter & performer will have a solid 2011 -- with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this March. Here are some paragraphs from a Rolling Stone article (Dec. 2010):
Neil Diamond got his start as a Brill Building songwriter, writing "I'm A Believer" for the Monkees, among many other hits. His own career launched in 1966 with instant classics "Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry." By the early 1970s he was one of the most popular live acts on the road, a role he's maintained for the last four decades.
Congratulations. What's your first reaction to the news?
I think it's great. I'm happy that that they recognized me and my work. Any club that has Chuck Berry and Little Richard and The Everly Brothers is a club that I want to be a part of.
Do you see yourself as a rock star?
Yeah. I guess. I do all the things that fit under that heading, so I guess that's what you'd call me.
Tell me about your upcoming tour.
It starts in the middle of February. Right now it's New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. We'll see where we go after that.
Might you come to America after that?
Yeah. If the tour continues, definitely.
Do you think standing at the podium is going to be emotional for you?
You never know until you get there, but I think it will be. My grandson sent me an e-mail yesterday congratulating me. He's looking forward to coming. Having some kids and some grandkids there makes it even more fun and meaningful. It's like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae.
I've always looked at it like rock & roll was a circus. We're just clowns in that circus. We're doing our bid to entertain and make people smile. In the scheme of things, I don't know how important any of us are. I think we're much more important than was assumed when rock first started. It was kind of like a joke and it was looked down on. I think rock has stood the test of time and really matured and become something valuable and important.
I'm sure at the start of your career you couldn't have imagined that rock & roll would be honored at something like the Hall of Fame. It's gotta feel great to be in the same club as The Beatles and Elvis Presley and Ray Charles.
Absolutely. I feel a sense of camaraderie with all those people anyway. We've shared the same life and been through the same bumpy roads and beautiful clear skies. I feel very lucky to have been able to do this for a lifetime.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/neil-diamond-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-inductee-says-he-feels-very-lucky-20101214
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