It was always something unique and uniquely exciting whenever I went backstage into an artist’s or idol’s dressing room. It really makes you feel special, even when it happened again and again. I was so surprised at the VIP when Donny said, “If you have time, could you come to my dressing room after the show?” I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
We were escorted to his dressing room just as he was finishing his final song on stage. As we waited, we looked at the photos of his grandchildren that filled one wall. No Donny posters, etc. – just family. It was groovy when Donny greeted me with yet another bear hug! Then I introduced my husband, Tony and my BFF, Robrt Pela.
At first, we told him our impressions of the show. I told him how magnificent it was and how his band and dancers really contributed to the “high” that enveloped the showroom. He then told us a story about how some of the new dancers and new musicians were chosen and he shared that their enthusiasm was the most important quality to him. He said at the auditions, 337 dancers auditioned, and they were all great dancers. So, how did he choose? He picked the ones that he could feel would keep up with him on stage and keep the momentum at a high pitch throughout the 90-minute show.
Donny told us the whole, true story of how “Soldier of Love” became at hit. We were all dying laughing! I have no idea if he’s told this long story before, but I didn’t know all the details and he as having as much fun telling it as we were hearing it!
What I didn’t expect was for Donny to ask ME about my life the past 50 years. I said, “Tony and I got married in Salt Lake City.” And Donny cut in, “That’s where I got married, too!” Always with the quip or funny! I told him how I had moved to Utah when I fell in love with skiing in 1978-79. How Tony and I met and married in a meadow in Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City.
I went on to share how even before we were engaged, we had discussed that we both wanted to be married and to have a family. I also shared that we began trying to have a family even before our wedding! That made him laugh. I said we struggled with infertility and that I had a total of three ectopic pregnancies. I shared how we investigated adoption and then how the stars began to align. He seemed so pleased as I told him their adoption stories – we were chosen by both our sons’ birth mothers, how we took Matt home at nine hours old and how we got to be in the delivery room with Mike, 15 months later, when he was born. He understood completely how dramatically this changed our lives for the better. I know he was happy for me and Tony.
He had learned that Tony worked in television news in the early years of our marriage and that’s why we didn’t stay in SLC, because as Tony moved up in his career we had to move to larger TV markets.
He asked Robrt what he did for a living and Robrt explained that he had been a journalist for 35 years. He told Donny, “I used to read Tiger Beat and read the articles about Bobby Sherman, the Osmonds and David Cassidy, but I was really buying it for Ann Moses – she had the coolest job hanging around all the stars. At nine years old I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
Robrt did ask one “interview-type” curiosity question: “How did you deal with the down times in your career?” Donny answered honestly, “I worked my whole life and it was really hard to NOT work. I give my wife, Debbie all the credit for getting me through.” He added, “Ann, you would love Debbie.” I knew I would too!
By this time over a half hour had passed too quickly and Donny looked exhausted. Us oldies—me 77, Tony 75, Robrt 67—all agreed and told Donny: “We don’t know how you do that every night!” He kind of giggled and said, “Well I really do crash into bed every night!”
As he was walking us out, I asked if he’d be willing to do a real – for the record – interview. He said “yes.” He was too busy the next day, understandably, but he said we could do a Zoom interview soon. I also conspired with him about doing a Tiger Beat-style contest for my followers on Facebook and Instagram, just like the old days. He was 100% on board and I know you’ll LOVE what we’re planning for contest prizes!
You can take the girl out of Tiger Beat, but you can’t take the Tiger Beat out of the girl!
Editor’s note: please give me time to respond to all your amazing comments on my posts – we’re off to see our older son, Matt and daughter-in-law, Tracy, in Houston and I’ll be chillin’ for a couple of days.
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