“I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside
I find it all, all so amusing”
(Lyrics from the song “My Way” made famous by Frank Sinatra)
I recall being asked by a stranger dressed in hip hop fashion who my favorite musician was after he learned what an ardent music fan I was. There was a brief pause and I said the name. I say it several times every week: Sinatra.
The faithful understand. Frank Sinatra is not and was not just a singer. The man and his history, mannerisms and mystique all matter. Then there’s the music. The recordings are sacred. Not a single detail is irrelevant.
Someone once suggested I attempt to interview the actor and singer Robert Davi because of my Sinatra fixation. Most people know Robert Davi for acting in a diverse number of films from The Goonies to the Bond film Licence to Kill and of course Showgirls.
However, he released an acclaimed album of songs popularized by Frank Sinatra produced by the late great Phil Ramone. He’s said that singing is more a part of his core than the acting. At first I wasn’t very excited about the idea of interviewing him. Another actor trying to launch a vanity music career I figured. This all changed when a package arrived in my PO Box.
All these years after getting a now well worn copy of the CD Davi Sings Sinatra: On the Road to Romance, I can recall the first seconds of hearing Davi’s voice.
The first track on the album, “Day In, Day Out” and I stopped what I was doing and involuntarily stared at my stereo. Wow… It became an album that I would habitually listen to from beginning to end. As I listened repeatedly I began to get an idea of why the songs were selected and their sequence. The singer was clearly telling a story from beginning to end. I already had these songs as sung and recorded by Frank Sinatra. So why was I listening to this CD? Robert Davi has a great voice, an opinion the legendary sound engineer Al Schmitt at Capitol Studios expressed on my show. It’s not just a great voice that causes me to connect with a singer. The vocalist has to feel and live the song. As Sinatra once famously said, “When I sing, I believe. I’m honest.” Davi has that same fervor and something about me hearing these versions kept drawing me in.
I soon had a great appreciation and respect for Robert Davi’s singing career and sought an interview with him. We emailed back and forth and planned and finally an interview was done by telephone. It was a beautiful exchange, one that has had three lives: as a radio broadcast with musical selections, in print form in a magazine and more recently as a podcast episode.
2015 was the Centenary year of Sinatra, 100 years since his birth. Some would say I took things fanatically on my radio show. Few songs other than Frank Sinatra recordings and other singers paying him homage were played on my radio show during the latter part of that year. Imagine two months dedicated to Sinatra. I’m sure this wasn’t for everybody, but I thought it was great.
It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in my devout ambitions of tribute to Sinatra. For a whole year, Robert Davi was planning on recreating a concert Sinatra did called “The Main Event.” The Main Event – Live was a live album and a television concert special by Frank Sinatra in 1974. Most of the tracks from the album were recorded at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The documentary film Davi’s Way chronicles Robert Davi’s quest to make the dream of a beautiful tribute into a reality. Was it what I expected? Not at all.
It was better.
The sad reality is the classics are rarely treated with the reverence that they deserve. At times my daily life is a sobering reminder of that reality. The conflict in the film seems to be Davi versus the popular culture. Frank Sinatra was a man who sang the American Songbook, what Davi calls America’s Shakespeare. It’s a little too deep for a society where many are keeping up with the Kardashians.
Despite insurmountable odds and plenty of naysayers, Davi moves steadfastly towards realizing his vision. The heartbreaking thing about the entertainment business is that there are lots of beautiful and poetic ideas that don’t come to fruition because they conflict with the business side of entertainment. It is, after all, a business. It does not go smoothly and I would be curious to know how he views the concert looking back at it.
Robert Davi’s flaws are on display with no camouflage, but despite his sometimes gruff exterior, he wins over the audience and the other people in the film. His intentions are so pure. It’s clear that what he wants most is to celebrate the life of Frank Sinatra, a man who had an incredible influence and changed his life. In Robert’s case, he wasn’t just a picture on an album cover. He knew him.
The song “My Way” very much applies to Robert Davi and in the hour and a half I spent watching Davi’s Way I experienced the full range of human emotions. There were more than a few laughs. I was surprised to find myself getting misty eyed more than a few times.
Davi’s Way is a film worth watching. It’s not really a documentary about a tribute concert to Sinatra. It’s about a man following his heart and who does it his way.
DAVI’S WAY is available to rent or buy on Amazon.
Directed by Tom Donahue.
Starring Robert Davi, Stevie Guttman and Danny A. Abeckaser.
