On Sunday, I walked from the drizzling rain into the dazzling lights of the Maharani Hotel where I was to interview John Paul Young.
He came and sat beside me, melting my heart, and began answering the questions that I fired at him.
There has been some misunderstanding over his age, but he made it clear that he was born 28 years ago in Glasgow, Scotland.
He used to play a piano recorder outside the local pub to collect pennies. This came to an end when he and his family emigrated to Australia when he was 11. His parents and younger brother, James, as well as his two sisters, Kathy and Ann are very proud of him.
JPY later took up the part of Annas in the theater production of “Jesus Christ-Superstar,” though he says that it is highly unlikely that he will ever act again. He has been offered two or three film parts which he has refused.
It was while he was in the play that he met Lynette Marks (his present girlfriend), whom he lives with in a Sydney suburb, Bondi, by the beach (although he never goes to the beach).
They have a daughter, Mandy, who calls him John, Johnny or Daddy. Lynette and John may get married one day though neither of them feel like tying the strings just yet.
What JPY hates most is getting up early in the morning. What he loves most, is fishing. He does this purely for enjoyment as neither he nor Lynette eat fish so much. His biggest catch so far is a 45 kg tunny though he hopes to get a bigger one this year.
JPY has no false teeth and uses Colgate toothpaste. “Tell the kids at your school that I chew bones instead,” was his remark.
Since we last saw him, he has been to Europe on promotion work. While in the U.K., he took a trip to his grandparents in Scotland who he reports to be fine, and proud of him. One of his grandmothers is 93!
During the interview we were given toasted sandwiches. When John had finished his first one, I asked him what type it had been. He couldn’t remember. He didn’t even know how many sugars he had put in his tea.
He was quite disgusted by the fact that one of his fans wanted a piece of gum that he’d chewed.
The chain that JPY always wears around his neck (it resembles a Roman numeral two), is the Gemini 21 so he is half Gemini, half Cancer (his Cancer streak is that he sometimes cooks).
When he was asked why he was renowned as a man difficult to interview, he said interviews bored him. Well John, I hope I didn’t bore you, but you certainly did not bore me.