Musician Frank Stallone Opens Up About His Italian Heritage, Pizza And Heroes Ahead Of His Performance In Abacoa

800

Culture seeker, fashion lover, pasta enthusiast and music maker, Frank Stallone and his band will headline this month’s Feast of Little Italy in Abacoa. We spoke with Stallone about his Italian heritage, pizza and his musical heroes.

Why did you decide to headline the Feast of Little Italy?

I don’t like to turn down work. For me, it’s a privilege to be able to do it. I might stay down—I have a large group of friends in Wellington, so it could be fun. I’m in Los Angeles, and the only thing I know about Jupiter is Burt Reynolds and Perry Como lived there.

How Italian are you?

There’s Italian, and then there’s Italian. I don’t walk around in a wife-beater with a gold chain around my neck … but I’m very proud to be Italian on a few different levels—[opera legend Giacomo] Puccini, [film director Martin] Scorsese, fashion. I love Italian fashion.

What about Italian food?

I love Italian food. Fagioli. Pizza. As you get older, the weight’s a little harder to keep off. My mother is 94. My aunt lived to 99. My father, God rest his soul, watched what he ate. There were no fat people in the Stallone family.

Who are your musical heroes?

I am an Elvis fanatic. The Kinks. The Who. Jimi Hendrix. I also love listening to [German composer Richard] Wagner. I love the blues—Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. I came from an era when radio wasn’t just owned by Clear Channel. There were independent owners, and they played an array of music. They would have Frank Sinatra on and then the Rolling Stones. I had my guitar, and I would try to play all of it.

You’ve appeared in more than 70 movies, garnered four platinum albums and written 200-plus songs. As an actor, singer and songwriter, what do you identify with most?

I’ve always been a ham, so you can say actor, singer, songwriter and ham. I really consider myself more than anything, a musician. Big band, acoustic, country rock, rock ’n’ roll—I can do a lot of different voices. The American songbook and blues—I actually do it all in my show.

What is your latest project?

My latest project is a potential Broadway play … “Posthumously Yours.” It’s a musical. It’s very well-written and funny.

What’s it like being Sly’s baby brother?

I never really think about it until I’m asked about it. I was in show business long before he was.

Any woman would consider you a great catch, so why are you single?

Marriage is not high on my priority list. I’m not really what you call a dating kind of guy. I am in love [with] being in a rock band and playing my music. I have a lot of things that keep me company. I have seven, eight, nine hardback books in my trunk all the time


Related articles:

La Fontana Pizzeria

Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant Is Closing For Renovations That Will Create A Lot More Space

Jové Kitchen & Bar At The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach Puts Modern Twist On Traditional Italian

Facebook Comments