ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK!

When I was a snot-nosed kid, I remember an image of a gorgeous guy dressed in a white shirt drowning in ruffles all classically framed by a deep blue velvet jacket. I also remember thinking, "This guy is sexy." OK, he wasn't any Jim Morrison and my knowledge of sex was limited to the miscellaneous Playgirl magazines my mom had lying around the house, but I knew he was the epitome of what a man should look and sound like.

Some 25 years later, I find myself driving my beat-up VW convertible through the fancy-schmancy, high walled world of Beverly Hills, en route to the Ruffled One himself.

As my car chugs up to the Pink Palace (the infamous estate of Jayne Mansfield) I can't seem to get the image of the man in the shirt out of my mind. Minus the ruffles and dressed in a casual golf shirt and slacks, Engelbert simply looks relaxed, ready to talk and at the age of 60, still gorgeous. Elegance oozes out of every pore on this man. With a 3 1/2 octave range most singers would sell their soul for, 68 gold and 23 platinum records, not to mention a rigorous touring schedule, Enge is showing no signs of slowing down. Not only is he getting ready to release a new LP, After Dark, this Summer, but he's also busy devoting his time to the plight of children with cancer and AIDS.

A TOUR OF THE PINK PALACE
Before our interview begins, a proud Enge takes me on a tour of the 1930's palatial pinkdom. A wall in the den, which once held a large fish tank, now displays a collection of fine glassware. Highly superstitious, Enge promptly removed the tank upon moving in. "It's bad luck to have fish in the house," he says matter-of-factly. Other no-no's are placing shoes on a table, whistling in the dressing room and throwing a hat on the bed. "Unless it's followed by high heels and nylons!" jokes my host. We stroll through the impressive living room, where a chandelier the size of my kitchen hangs over our heads. This room acts as the perfect showcase for the white grand piano that George Gershwin wrote Rhapsody In Blue on. And while showing me the infamous heart-shaped pool that Mansfield had built on the estate, he tells a story of when Jayne's daughter came to visit.

Next to the large pool lies a tiny heart-shaped wading pool. "Since it was not a jacuzzi and served no real purpose, I covered it," Enge gently admits. After the daughter's visit, though, he was so touched by her wanting to see the tiny pool her mother had specially designed for her that he changed his mind. "Right after she left, I took the plastic off and kept it as is. . . out of respect for Jayne and her little girl." As we sit down to begin the interview, I get the feeling that there's more to this man than mere ruffles.

EH: Not anymore. If it was Jayne, she's gone to her resting place by now. It's been about eight years since we've heard anything. I don't get afraid of those things. Besides it's the living that will hurt you, not the dead.

BBB: You have such a comfortable persona on stage. It's as if you were born under the spotlight. How old were you when you knew this was what you really wanted to do?

EH: I knew what I wanted to do when I was eleven years old. I wanted to be a musician. Well, I really wanted to be a band leader. I wanted to be a sax player and stand in front of an orchestra. You see, my real (last) name was Dorsey and I thought I might be another band leader. I didn't realize that six years later it would change and the instrument would be in my throat instead of in my hands.

BBB: Do you remember the first time you went on stage?

EH: Yes, I was seventeen years old at a working man's club in England. Everyone was getting up and singing and I had a pint of beer that gave me a little courage. I just got up and sang a song my family and I would sing at home. They gave me a standing ovation. At the time I didn't know I was auditioning.

An agent who booked the club came up and asked, "Who's your agent? Where have you worked?" I said, "Agent? I don't have an agent!" That's how it all began. I never took a singing lesson, I just learned what keys I sang in, then I worked in little clubs and gained experience and the rest is history.

BBB: So you played a lot of small clubs. It must have required a lot of time and work to lay down your roots.

EH: Well an auto mechanic just doesn't start off with an engine. He goes through a training period and learns all about the car before he can fix the engine. As an entertainer, you have to learn by a lot of mistakes you make on stage in order to be an accomplished entertainer. You have to learn how to sustain, rather than be momentary. (A loud thump is heard)

BBB: Is someone there?

EH: Someone is probably upstairs walking around.

BBB: It is a person upstairs, right?

EH: Oh yeah. (laughs) I think!

BBB: Were your parents supportive of your aspirations?

EH: In the beginning, no. I'm a very proud person and I didn't ask for any help. Early on, I lived in a state of poverty. My parents would have helped me, had I told them. I took a lot of rejection in the early years and heard a lot of "OK, we'll call you." It never happened. When you sit by the phone and they never call, there's no work and there's no money coming in, so you don't eat. I've even slept in public conveniences.

BBB: What on earth are those?

EH: Public toilets in England. I'd put a penny in and I'd be safe and under cover. But when I got on stage, nobody knew that I had slept on the street the night before. When I met my wife, they said to her "Why don't you tell him to get a proper job?"

BBB: With the largest fan club in the world (8 million members) you must get some interesting requests from your ardent fans. Any memorable ones in particular?

EH: One time I grew my hair long and some of my fans didn't like it. They'd say, "Why did you cut your hair?" That use to bore me and get on my nerves. I really don't like people telling me what to do. They don't do that anymore, probably because I made them aware of that. But they are very loyal and militant if anybody says anything derogatory about me.

BBB: With so many female fans throwing themselves at you, does your wife ever get jealous?

EH: Perhaps in the early days she was, but by now she's quite use to it. We've been married thirty two years, so I don't think it bothers her anymore.

BBB: I know how important the healing power you have is in your life. Do you find some people are uncomfortable with the whole "healing" thing?

EH: You see, with the healing, I rely upon my faith. I don't think it's me that's doing it, I'm just an instrument. I consider myself a hypo-dermic needle. The medication comes from above. I find if I don't do the healing, I get sick. Sort of like you have to pay something back for what you've got. I've had a lot of wonderful results with children afflicted with cancer and HIV/AIDS.

BBB: Do you find that when people know about your healing ability, they start asking you to heal any little ache and pain?

EH: I've had people say, "Can you touch me here?" I'll say, "You'll be OK." I have to feel the need for my help. One other thing. On my third song in any concert, I do a mass healing. Nobody knows I'm doing it, but I'm focusing on the people in the audience. The sound is only for that song and has a healing effect on you. The thoughts I'm putting out are healing ones. Some of my audience have gotten hysterical, some have even fainted. But you have to close your eyes. If you open them, you lose it.

BBB: I understand that you go to a Chinese doctor for help from time to time.

EH: Twelve years ago I had asthma. I had it for two years and every time I came offstage I thought my career would be folding soon. So a friend told me of Dr. Ha, here in Los Angeles, and he came to visit me. He treated me twice in Vegas and twice in L.A. and I haven't had asthma since. In 1985, my mother was dying and her doctors gave her six days to live. I flew there and called Dr. Ha and asked him to help her. He treated her for two days and said she had six months. He came back in three months and she lived another three years. All through acupuncture.

BBB: In concert, you give some interesting hand signals to your sound engineer. Can you tell me what tapping the top of your head means?

EH: The sound was good at the top of the show.

BBB: What is it when you make a "T" with your hands?

EH: That means I can't hear tuning in the monitors. Vegas damages my voice all the time, because the room is small and the voice has nowhere to go. Everything's padded and there's no wood, no resonance. I hate going into a recording studio with no wood. I've walked out of studios because they were carpeted.

BBB: Being the "Raja of Romance"...

EH: Who called me the "Raja of Romance"?

BBB: A lot of writers have called you that title.

EH: I prefer the other one. I was always known as the King of Romance! It all started with Elvis and him being the King of Rock. That reminds me, one night Elvis came to my show and I introduced him to the crowd. He stood up on the chair, opened up his cloak and the audience went wild. Then he came backstage afterwards, and he's so humble, he said to me, (doing a very decent Elvis impression) "Engelbert, feel this. It's real velvet. Real velvet. I felt his cloak and said, "Yes it is El, it's real velvet." In those days everybody dressed real flashy. Nowadays I dress down.

BBB: To this day I still associate you with those white ruffled shirts.

EH: Oh yeah, I use to be real flashy, full of jewelry. Diamonds, big gold buckles and a big gold cross.

BBB: Is there anything you haven't done yet, that you would like to accomplish?

EH: I use to think that acting would be a part of my lifestyle. But every time I get an acting role, they want me to sing in it. So therefore I'm not really bothered about acting.

BBB: I could see you being a brilliant actor.

EH: I'd like to do it. Perhaps cameos, like Joe Pesci started out in. I watched Forest Gump this morning and was really impressed with Tom Hanks. He's a great actor. I like challenges like that. It's easy to sing like someone else, the challenge is taking something someone else wrote and making it your own.

And with that, we took a long sip from our beverages of choice and I proceeded to enjoy the rest of my day with class at the Pink Palace.