Richard Marx may be known for such timeless hits as “Should’ve Known Better” and “Hazard,” but the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter surprisingly doesn’t consider himself to be a singer.
“Hands down I’m a songwriter,” Marx told Examiner.com. “That’s what I put on my custom forms and that’s the most important part of what I do. It’s not the most fun part, though; it’s the hardest. Songwriting brings out my self-hatred, but it also brings me joy. It’s not something I take for granted. Every time I write a song a part of me goes, ‘Holy s&%t, I just wrote a song.’ I’m still in love with the mystery. It seduces me. Performing live—that’s just the most fun hobby ever. It’s not my career.”
Having celebrated his 14th No. 1 single—“Long Hot Summer” which he co-wrote with Keith Urban—this past October, Richard Marx is one of the industry’s most celebrated songwriters, having had a No. 1 hit in each of the last four decades. While he may not think of himself as a performer, though, Marx is one of the industry’s best acts to see live, as he always gives fans something new to enjoy. Returning to The Orleans Showroom Feb. 11-12, Marx will be backed by 20 stringed instruments, performing his greatest hits as they’ve never been heard before. But just because it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, don’t think Marx will only be performing love songs.
“I would be bored out of my mind,” Marx confessed. “Even though I’ve enjoyed massive success with some of my ballads, for every ‘Right Here Waiting’ there’s a ‘Satisfied.’ A lot of people who just think of me because of my ballads see me live and then leave the show going, ‘I totally pegged him in a different way.’ I like to kid around during my shows and talk a lot to the audience. But then when I perform a song like ‘Now and Forever,’ I’m as romantic as I can be.”
Oddly enough, the man behind some of the most romantic love songs of all time (in addition to “Right Here Waiting” and “Now and Forever,” Marx has also written such romantic hits as *NSYNC’s “This I Promise You”) admits that he’s not a big fan of happy love songs.
“I actually haven’t written many positive love songs,” Marx stated. “In real life I may have hit the wife lottery (Marx is married to Dirty Dancing actress Cynthia Rhodes), but as a listener, I don’t want to hear happy love songs. They’re just so sappy. I like love songs that attract pain and heartache because people can relate to those better. My favorite love song is probably ‘After the Love Has Gone’ by Earth, Wind & Fire, but that’s not a happy, Valentine’s Day-type of love song. Actually, I do like Stevie Wonder’s “Knocks Me Off My Feet”—he just kills it.”
While Marx may not be a big fan of sappy love songs, he is a big fan of one of Las Vegas’ most romantic restaurants: Joël Robuchon inside MGM Grand.
“A couple of years ago I had dinner there and it was just insane; I’d love to go back,” Marx said when asked about his favorite Vegas restaurants. “I usually just end up eating at my gigs, though, as I don’t have time to go out. Being a singer isn’t nearly as glamorous as people think—it’s actually very boring.”
Marx also admitted that he’s a big chocoholic.
“I love chocolate—I try to eat a little bit of dark chocolate every day,” Marx stated. “Cynthia actually makes these great homemade dark chocolate chip cookies with sea salt. Since I love chocolate so much, though, I’m actually a pretty healthy eater. I don’t eat red meat—I eat fish—I hardly ever eat chicken…I become closer and closer to becoming a vegetarian every day. Not a vegan, though—I love cheese too much to become a vegan. If I don’t eat any cheese, I become cranky.”
Because of Marx’s vegetarian-like eating habits (“If you question my eating habits, just watch Food, Inc.,” he said), the singer-songwriter said he likes to go online before a show to familiarize himself with what restaurants are in the area so he can have his dinner brought in.
“I’m thin enough without being onstage for two hours and then just having a grilled cheese sandwich to eat,” he said. “There are a lot more vegetarian options out there now, though, than in the past, so I don’t have to waste away when I’m on tour.”
Having performed at The Orleans last March, one may wonder if Marx would ever consider leaving his home just outside of Chicago for an extended run in Las Vegas—a city where there’s no shortage of vegetarian or chocolate offerings (Ethel M, anyone?). Although Marx said he’s “open to whatever,” he admitted that he wouldn’t do anything that would take him away from writing and producing with other artists. Of course, living in Las Vegas could spark some unusual collaborations.
“David Copperfield and I actually wrote a song together once—‘Beyond Imagination,’” Marx, who’s been friends with the magician for 20 years, recalled. “It was recorded by a Scandinavian artist named Sissel. I remember David telling me, ‘I don’t write lyrics,’ but I just told him to write down his stream of consciousness.”
When asked who else he would like to work with, Marx modestly replied that if he’s a huge fan of someone, they clearly don’t need his help writing songs.
“I’m a huge fan of Pink, but she doesn’t need to write with me; the different people she already writes with clearly works,” Marx stated. “For the most part, I’m interested in writing with unknown artists—people working on their first record—because when you’re a new artist you’re fearless. You don’t have to worry about alienating an audience because you don’t have one yet.”
While Marx may not have any specific artists he wants to work with in the future, he did say there was one genre he hasn’t done much in that he’d like to record something for: rap.
“I’d just like to do a track or a vocal hook or sing the chorus,” Marx explained. “I’d let someone else rap over the verse. I would do that in a heartbeat. You never know what’s next, though. I’ve done country, hard rock, R&B, classical…I’m a student of music. I just love to crawl into different genres.”
So is there one song Marx regrets writing for someone else?
“I don’t think in terms like that,” Marx replied. “If a song is a hit, I’m thrilled, regardless of if I’m singing it or not. I’ve been in lucky in that I’ve had a lot of hit songs, so I know the feeling of having an audience sing a song back to me. If I hadn’t experienced that, then yeah, maybe there would be a song. I’m just so complimented, though, by the artists who’ve recorded my work. I even have a joke now, although it’s not really a joke: if I really want a song to be a hit, I give it to someone else.”
Despite his storied songwriting career, Marx said he “hasn’t cracked the code” yet on what makes a song a success. As for his marriage (“We’ve been married for 100 years,” Marx joked), when asked if he had any advice for couples in the audience this Valentine’s Day weekend on how to maintain a successful relationship, Marx humbly stated that he doesn’t give relationship tips, as that implies that people can plug their own relationship into his.
“Everyone’s dynamics are different,” Marx said. “Cynthia and I have been together for 27 years, but we’ve had our ups and downs just like everyone else. I think the best thing I ever heard anyone say about being in a relationship was from Paul Newman. He was married to Joanne Woodward for a long time before he died (50 years), and he once said when asked about his relationship, ‘We live in this little town in Connecticut, and when our toaster breaks, we take it into town and get it fixed. We don’t buy a new one. We just fix the one we have.’ I think that’s a great metaphor that extends to families. We live in a disposable society, and when relationships get hard people tend to toss them away because it’s easier to get a new one. Couples need to attempt to fix their problems instead of walking away from them, though. Sometimes you can’t, but you need to at least try. When your relationship is in a peaceful zone, that’s when you need to worry, as the hardest thing to do is maintain a good marriage. A marriage needs constant monitoring, and you need to constantly work on stuff.”
That being said, Marx did have one piece of advice for those thinking about popping the question this Valentine’s Day.
“Marry up,” Marx concluded. “Marry way out of your league.”
Richard Marx performs inside The Orleans Showroom Feb. 11-12 at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.95, plus taxes and convenience fees. To reserve your seats, call 702-365-7075 or simply click here.
Richard Marx’s Stories to Tell is now available in stores.
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