The Thousands

Donny Benet. His legendary backstory precedes him. We’ve heard about his father, the Italian disco accordionist who’s worked with Giorgio Moroder, and we’ve heard of Donny’s regular gig at the Scalabrini Retirement Village. We’ve heard of his stint in Las Vegas hotel lobbies, and we’ve heard of Donnyland Studios.

But we’ve also heard Don’t Hold Back, and felt encouraged by his smooth disco message. The music scene is a better and gladder place for his amazing bass and synth skills, his crisp white suits and his happy grin.

Most lately the Internet is going crazy for his new video clip, ‘Sophisticated Lover‘. It features the Knight Rider car, excellent outfits, and a guy who so resembles Donny the Internet thought it was finally getting to meet his famous father.

What was it like driving the Knight Rider car? Did you actually get to drive it?

(laughs) It had no brakes. Halfway through the day the brakes failed, and I had to drive around Melbourne peak hour in a Knight Rider with no brakes. So, that was pretty scary.

Oh my God that’s like a real Knight Rider mission! Or something…

Yeah (laughs) and actually everyone kept on trying to drag race me at the traffic lights, but the Knight Rider car was really slow. Its bark was more harmful than its bite. 

Oh no you’ve broken the Knight Rider car myth =( um, oh dear

Oh! Oh no, it was really quick, it was amazing, there you go (laughs).

Who approached you with the concept for the clip?

Luci Schroder, the director did. I met Luci after the Melbourne album launch and got a really good vibe from her. She seemed like a really young creative person that was really, really good at what they did, so for me I just let her do her thing and I kind of didn’t know until I got the clip what was happening and it was great. I think with creative people it’s really good to meet people like that and just see what they can do, I was really really blown away by it all and I think the results kind of speak for themselves; it’s a really, really fun and quirky clip.

Was there any time where she was telling you her concept where you were like uhhh…

She didn’t tell me any concept, she just told me what to do! (laughs)

So she wasn’t like, “We’re gonna have TWO DOGS and you’ll be on the beach…”

Well I was there and then two dogs turned up (laughs) but I just thought I know what she’s doing so I’m just going to go with it and it’ll be really cool. But I think it’s a really great clip and I’m so glad to be part of it and all the people doing it were really enthusiastic and supportive so it was a really great experience for me.

Did you enjoy hanging out with your video double? [Note: not his father!]

Yeah it was fun! It was really fun. I got lots of advice and wisdom from him, on everything from drycleaning to acting to food to relationships, everything. He used to have a drycleaning business. He was definitely pretty cool.

You’re going to go to Perth and Brisbane on the Sophisticated Lover tour, is this the first time you’ll have performed there?

Yeah I’m really excited about Perth. There’s a nice audience in Perth especially I think, so I’m looking forward to going there. And Brisbane will be really fun as well, so. I go to Brisbane a fair bit with other things, but it’s gonna be good to do some gigs up there.

What’s your plan after this tour?

My veggie patch, I want to spend a lot of time getting that going. I just want to spend a lot of time sitting on my deck at my house drinking and putting my feet up cos it’s been a really long year, and I am absolutely busting to get back into the studio. I’m running in and out all the time but just to really have a nice few solid weeks in the studio.

The audience in a Las Vegas hotel lobby, what’s it like playing to that kind of an audience as opposed to like, Goodgod?

It’s pretty cool because you get a lot of really highly stressed businessmen or gamblers that have had a bit of an unlucky streak, and they’re either drowning their sorrows or you might be able to kind of bring them out of that stupour.

[To truly grapple with the man inside the legend, it was crucial to first inquire about that least legendary of places: primary school.] What was your favourite recess snack?

Space food sticks! Or salami sandwiches.

Did you ever collect Tazos?

No, I couldn’t afford potato chips, so… (laughs)

What sports did you play?

I played a bit of soccer, and I was a child of the ’80s so I did a lot of BMX riding. I stopped doing that when I got more serious about music; I had to stop injuring myself.

How would you define the Touch?

It can be something like if you’re cooking – that vital way of cooking the pasta sauce at the right time, well, that’s the touch. Or the touch can also be if it’s a really cold night and you’re taking a lady out for a date and you just manage to give her your jacket and that’s kind of the sensitive touch as well. So it basically goes across a whole wide range of things.

Do you think it takes someone like Donny Benet to make everyone realise that we love disco?

I guess for me the music’s kinda fun and it brings back really happy periods of a lot of our childhoods and all that. So I don’t know, I think it’s just fun music and that seems to be a drawing point to it if that makes sense. And there’s a lot of things in life that we’ve kind of, not forgotten about, but just don’t want to admit that we like. So it’s definitely cool in that respect.

[The connection between Donna Summer and Donny Benet is threefold: Donna Summer worked with Giorgio Moroder, and so did Donny's dad. Secondly, Donna described her boyfriend in this interview as an Italian stallion. Thirdly, they are both sultry disco kings.] So these are questions from the 1978 Penthouse interview with Donna Summer. Does it bother you to have a woman whom you think of as a friend attracted to you sexually?

Does it bother me to think that I have a woman… uh… who is attracted to ME sexually… Does it bother me? Oh, yes and no. As long as they’re a good friend I’m not bothered.

What frightens you most about what you’re doing right now?

Missing a plane.

What do you wish your public would understand about you that they don’t now?

I think they have to understand what it’s like to be a bald man at this age and to still go out and enjoy yourself. Hopefully I’m kind of giving the young bald men of Australia a bit of hope in what they can do.

I think you’re bringing out the young bald man in all of us Donny.