Barry Manilow is getting candid about the criticism he's faced in his career. In particular, he said that early career haters affected him mentally.
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Manilow tells all in an interview with the Guardian.
"It was as if I'd hurt somebody in their family. It lasted for so long — from putting me down for the songs, and then putting me down for what I looked like," he said. "If you wanted to get a big laugh, you would mention my name. It was 15 years of relentless, horrible reviews."
Manilow said that he couldn't resist reading some of the hate written about him. He said that it hurt "so badly because I call myself all those names before they do."
But Manilow said he would push through the self-doubt that he experienced.
"And then I would get dressed and go to the sound check, and that was that," he said. "Because I didn't agree with them."
Barry Manilow Gets Candid
"I think I trust myself more - I believe in myself, in my talent," he also said. "I think I'm better than a lot of people give me credit for. If I'm still annoying [the critics], that means there's still a lot of life left."
Thankfully, Manilow didn't listen. And look at the career that he has created as a result. Beyond criticism, Manilow has also recently battled stage 1 lung cancer. He had a lobectomy performed and is now cancer-free as a result.
"I'm still waiting for the strength that I lost to come back," he said. "I'm still going through it. But I'm pulling myself back together. I'm not even sure I can go to the next level yet. My body doesn't want to take me there. It's not even doctor's orders, it's my body's orders — it won't let me do it."
He's been blown away by the support his fans have shown him.
"I had no idea that there were that many people out there that even knew I was alive," he said. "[Fans] sent the most beautiful things to me, from all over the world, people writing to me and wishing me well. Don't make me start to cry. It should be a horrible experience, and it was, but those notes and those people made it doable."
