Shadowman...it must be surreal

How can we ever be able to understand what it's like to be Barry Manilow? He walks out on stage and the idol worship begins. Fans scream, women swoon, the applause is deafening. All the while, he's just a man, living his life to the best of his ability, trying to make a difference in this world.

I wonder sometimes if he ever shakes his head in total disbelief that his fans feel the way they do about him. "No one knows you but they all love you... Look how many believe they need you... Look how many have tried to read you, no one can...every fan needs a fantasy."

We spend hours online and chatting about what we think he is like and dislikes. How he feels about his fans, his life, his music. We ponder what he's doing when he's not being "our Barry". We wonder which song he likes to sing the most and which song he detests singing over and over again. In all honesty, we can't possibly know the "real" shadowman?

Or do we? We see the way he treats his friends, many who have been with him since the beginning and still admire him. We see how he loved his grandparents and mother and how family is very important to him. We see how he loves the world and cares about the impact he makes among his fellow man. We see integrity in the way that he remains above reproach and is never a subject of tabloid press or inuendo. We see how he searches for the truth and has a deep spirituality about him.

"If they could see behind the smile and find the fear and doubt, they'd turn away, they'd have the whole thing figured out..."

Pondering the shadows,
Texas Fanilow