Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:15 PM

By Josué Maloni

Managing Director / Editor-in-Chief

John Ford Coley offered a disclaimer before we started our conversation: “Thank you for taking the time to ask me a few questions. I’ll tell as many lies as I can, and by the time we’re done, they’ll all make me look good. “

Fans can expect that kind of humor – and the hits “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight”, “Love Is the Answer” and “Nights are Forever” – when the performer returns to the Historic Riviera Theater. for a wholesale performance Tuesday. , September 14.

The singer and actor, who rose to fame in the 1970s with England duo Dan & John Ford Coley, said: “I’ve performed at the Riviera Theater, my God, three or four times, and it’s still a little place. nice to come to. We used to come to Buffalo years ago when Dan and I were playing. And so, it’s always a pleasure to come back up there.

Coley explained, “I’ve performed in the theater a few times, but on my own. I played with Pure Prairie League and other bands, and still played alone. They want me to play with a band this time. So we have a group going up. I’m going to still, in the middle of the show, stop with the band, have them sit down, and I’m just going to play three, four songs by myself, because I like to play only acoustically.

“I tell a lot of stories. I tell a lot of jokes. I’m not talking politics. I don’t speak religion. I am not talking about controversial things. I’m just here to take you back in time. Make yourself laugh a little and tell yourself a few stories. It’s a fun night. We’re just trying to get you out of your state of mind that you are probably in right now; come a few hours and we’ll just laugh.

2020, of course, was no laughing matter for musicians.

“I personally lost more than 60 concerts last year; and we only really started a few weeks ago this year, ”Coley said. “So it’s been an intriguing time; that’s for sure.”

Since returning to the stage, Coley has noticed that fans are “so grateful to have the opportunity to hear live music again. It was a real thrill.

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Although he performed the aforementioned hit songs – as well as a myriad of deep cuts critically hailed as soft rock gems in a sea of ​​’70s excess – Coley said he still appreciates the bond. that his music establishes with the public.

“First of all, I don’t like to listen to the songs – the recorded songs – and I don’t necessarily like to repeat them. But, when I get on that stage, this song is different and new every night, ”he said. “There are also people who have never heard this song before.

“I, sincerely, love to play the songs. … You are always looking for the reaction of the public, and that, frankly, is very pleasant for me. Because, once again, there are going to be people who haven’t heard it. I play a little differently, because I play alone most of the time.

“The other element was that Dan and I were a duo, but Dan had the lead vocals and I had the harmony vocals. So even when I was singing lead on something on the records, I was also singing harmonies. on it, because Dan couldn’t sing harmonies. So it’s a little different that I sing it now. And sometimes I go from lead to harmony without even thinking about it.

“So, I mean, it’s always different; every night is different. Some nights you’ll forget the lyrics to those songs you’ve been playing for 40 years. And I just tell people, if I ever forget the lyrics, it’s like, ‘Guys, I live in Nashville, and the understanding there is that if you can remember the lyrics to all the songs that you’ve written or performed and recorded, you just haven’t written enough.

“I’m having a good time with it. It’s fun for me to go up there and play.

After his famous duo split in 1980, Coley decided to try acting. He played a role in the 1987 drama “Scenes from the Goldmine”, which IMDb describes as the story of a young singer / songwriter who joins a rock band and develops feelings for the lead singer – who is trying to steal his songs.

In 1989, Coley was part of the Corey Feldman-Corey Haim comedy-drama “Dream a Little Dream”. Here, a disillusioned teenager and an elderly person exchange bodies, find love, and develop an appreciation for life.

Coley said he liked to play because he was offering something new.

On tour with the same musicians, “They know and talk about music, which bores me to tears. But when I was an actor, you had daytime players; so, you have somebody who comes in who has two days of work. Another is coming in three days. And then they left. But they always bring fresh jokes. I really had such a kick in it, ”he said. “And it’s like people have said to me, ‘Which one do you prefer?’ And my comment is always kind of like you know, “Who do you love most, your mom or your dad?” They’re both great. So, I appreciate both.

Arriving on the set of ‘Dream a Little Dream’, “I remember Cory Feldman and Corey Haim walking down the street, around 2 am when I arrived; walking down the street, doing the scene, ”recalls Coley. “And they are wrong. You hear, ‘Uggggh.’ And the girl claps her hands, and she says, “Take 26”. And I thought, ‘Take 26?’ After taking three I had put these boys aside and we had some serious communication. I said, ‘This thing is going to be fine over time.’ Well, I was scheduled for three days. Two weeks later, I left. That’s how far behind they were because of the mess.

Still, Coley said it was a fun experience.

“Susan Blakely was an absolute darling to me. I got along very well with the Coreys. They were great kids, “he said.” I have to throw Corey (Feldman) up the stairs. It was my first scene. I just gave him a karate flip, and he said to me ‘Arrrrggh.’ And they say, ‘OK, John, a little lighter next time.’ He was fully dressed.

“But Susan Blakely, the girl who played the mother (of Meredith Salenger’s character), she was just an absolute darling to me. And I remember most clearly I had a kissing scene with her that wasn’t part of the movie. And her husband is setting in the room, not far away, watching me kiss his wife. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is the strangest thing I’ve ever done in my life.’

“But, I mean, it was really great, because I met Harry Dean Stanton. I always liked Jason Robards, but he wasn’t on set when I was there.… Victoria Jackson, she lives in Nashville, so every once in a while I’ll see her. And Alex Rocco was there. He played her husband. And I knew Bo years ago when he was in “The Godfather”, and had been in a movie with him titled “Scenes from the Gold Mine”.

“It was a nice time. It’s just, you know, you have a lot of time to sit down, talk to people, get to know each other. So you would really like it. It’s fun.”

John Ford Coley will headline a 7 p.m. performance Tuesday at the Historic Riviera Theater, 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda. Joey Molland from Badfinger will provide support. For more information or for tickets, visit https://rivierathatre.org/events/list/.

The artist is online on http://www.johnfordcoley.com and https://www.facebook.com/johnfordcoleypage/.