Jimmy Osmond online

Find out what happened when Osmond legend Jimmy joined GMTV on the web for a chat about showbiz, family and his teddy

Val: How do you keep your enthusiasm after all these years?

Jimmy: I think you keep the enthusiasm because you enjoy what you doing, I think the people, the general public are pretty savvy when they see someone just going through the paces or doing it for the wrong reasons, but for me- I'm doing it because I love it. And hopefully people will allow me to keep doing it for as long as possible.  So far it's been forty years, that's a long time.

Joan: You have been in the limelight for many years, and you have been a pop idol for many for years, but who is your pop idol?

Jimmy: I have many favourite artists. I don't really follow bands as much as I follow individual artists, but I'm into classic rock. I love the Eagles and songs from Bread, I do like a lot of Bread stuff, but there are some artists coming onto the scene like the group who had a number one single here... Anyway, nostalgic rock is my favourite.

Maureen: What are your concert plans for the UK?

Jimmy: Well, it's my brother's 50th, my 40th. That's a long time to do what you love and I hope it's going to be a special celebration. Nothing is really set up yet in the US as far as what the brothers are going to do. As for coming over here and doing concerts, we are planning on doing a 10 show tour again called Once in a Lifetime, Rewind. We did it once before and it was so successful that people have been writing and asking us to do it again and that's with David Essex, David Cassidy, showaddywaddy and the Osmonds, that should be fun. And we've just finished our own tour, that was really great, we did 21 cities, and they were sell-outs everywhere.  As a matter-of-fact, that's what the DVD we have just released is all about. We shot the video at the Apollo in Hammersmith and it was released yesterday and everybody is going crazy for it, it's kind of fun after all these years to have something in the charts.

And you had a part in the DVD, because you did some filming?

Jimmy: I did. I got in a lot of trouble with my brothers because I had nightvision on my camera and I played a little bit of 'I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here', where I watched them in their bunks, and saw them with sticking-up hair, it was fun. I figured if the Osbournes could do it then so could the Osmonds.

Julie: What advice would you give to people who want to pursue a career in music as a performer?

Jimmy: Don't do it! I think it's great, music is so powerful and to be part of a musical history or contribute in some way- there's nothing more exciting. If you want my advice I would say don't take yourself too seriously, because it's a rough business. It's a lot rougher than when we were first on the scene, there's so many people out there now so many genres of music, so many television stations and radio channels that it's really difficult, and just make sure you're a happy person before you go into it.

Carole: You've had quite an unusual life, quite a one-off that most people could not imagine, being at such a young age and being a star. Do you ever think you might want to go back and change things?

Jimmy: I have no regrets, I did start as a young kid- I thought everyone did what we did. There's times in my life where maybe I have made a mistake or whatever- we all go through those things, but if I were anything but grateful I would be a real fool because I have been able to grow up around people who were my mentors, the so-called legends in the world now, I had the opportunity of knowing them as people and as friends and all the fans that have followed us, I call them friends because when you stick with someone that long you are no longer a fan, you're a friend. I wouldn't trade a day of knowing any of them.

What's your favourite song of all time?

Jimmy: Oh my goodness, there's so many great songs. Andy Williams used to sing a song, 'The Days of Wine and Roses', I love that. I love the McCartney's 'Michelle'. There are so many great songs I don't really have just one. And no, it's no an Osmond's tune! Although I do like a few of those.

If you could tour with anybody, who would it be?

Jimmy: I think it would be fun to tour with the Jacksons. Over the years in the '70s people always pitted our families against each other, they thought it would sell magazines but the truth be known is that we are very friendly with them. I worked with Michael for a couple of years, I helped with some of his tours in the Pacific Rim. They are really nice people if you know them as people and I think we would have a blast if we did something like that. But I don't know if that will ever happen- I doubt it.

So there was never any rivalry between you?

Jimmy: No really, not when we actually saw each other, but I remember being on a plane with Michael once, we were going to Japan and he said his Dad used to make all the Jacksons watch us on the Andy Williams show, so I don't think they really loved that part of it. We were big fans, and they are nice people.

You've achieved a lot in your career. Is there anything you haven't yet achieved that you'd like to?

Jimmy: I don't know. I don't think about the so-called accolades. I think about just keeping going and enjoying each day and hopefully there's more of the same but I am grateful for everything that's happened to us and just hope for more.

We hear you are performing in the UK tomorrow, at a music store?

Jimmy: I am. I've never done this before, but HMV asked me to do a little mini-concert, it's in their big store. I guess a lot of people have done it, but I've never done it before so we'll see how we go. That's tomorrow at 6pm at HMV on Oxford St, but if no-one shows I'll be very depressed. On Thursday I do something similar in Manchester, for ASDA.  I'm going to wear one of their uniforms. No, I'm teasing, but we all love ASDA, don't we?

Debs: Do you ever get really nervous when you meet the masses of fans that come to see you?

Jimmy: No, I think when you do a show you get nervous because you care, if you don't feel those butterflies you should get out of showbusiness, but I am always excited to go onstage and go out and meet people. Over the years I have been in showbusiness, I have performed in all kinds of venues, and performed all kinds of music, from country to barber-shop to rock and roll to pop music and each audience is different but it's always exciting and a challenge to hopefully make the time and money they've spent to come see you to make it all valuable and worthwhile and so I always look forward to it.

We have talked a lot about your career and your busy life- how do you relax?

Jimmy: I draw pictures. I'm a cartoonist. I'm not really good, but I like to do that. When I was in the jungle I would take tree bark and I would make charcoal out of the fire, and that's what got me through that crazy deal. I've been on a lot of planes, and there's a lot of waiting around in our business, and so cartooning kind of gets me through it.

What's your favourite song from the latest album?

Jimmy: I like a song called Shine. I wasn't really a hit, but for me it means a lot- it's about my wife and our kids. We have four kids, two girls, two boys and a puppy dog, and life's good, and that's what that song is about.

Jane: Is Marie is ever going to tour with the brothers?

Jimmy: Not if we can help it, no! I love my sister, she is awesome, and she does really well on her own. She's great, in fact she's getting ready to do a tour, in the US- a Christmas tour, and the brothers are doing a Christmas tour, and Donny is on Broadway, he is in Beauty and the Beast, he's the Beauty! No I'm teasing, he's Gaston, which is really hilarious. I want to see it, but I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to do that.

Anita: You just mentioned that you had a puppy. What is his/her name?

Jimmy: Her name is Daisy. I like big dogs, and this is the smallest dog you have ever seen in your life. But she's so sweet. Her temperament is great for the kids. I have a little girl named Bella, and she's four, and it's so sweet to see her walking along with this fluffy little Maltese, but it's a miniature Maltese, and it's a little yappy thing. I'm learning to love it and I never thought I would. It's really weird, when I'm walking around, going to the carwash or whatever, and I'm not the smallest guy in the world, but I've got this weird little Maltese puppy- people look at me a bit funny, but I don't care.

La-la: Have you been in the recording studio lately and if so, what type of songs have you been recording?

Jimmy: I have finished another Spanish album, which sounds crazy, but I had some hits in South America in the past, singing in Spanish, and I have always liked singing in different languages, so that's going to come out next Christmas, and it's with Sol de Mexico. And I'm working on some stuff to be ready for the tour in April, with the brothers.

Vicky: I saw you on 'I'm a Celebrity...' What happened to your teddy?

Jimmy: My teddy is a little worse for the wear. I did that just to be cheeky, but I didn't realise they were that serious on that programme, so I really got in trouble. It's amazing how many people have tried to buy that teddy-bear from me, when I got out I was offered the most ridiculous price, but you don't sell that kind of thing, that's personal. I do cartoon, so I created bears, and different things, and people collect them, so whenever you go to an Osmonds concert and people are holding up a teddy-bear you'll understand that we are not weird, it's just part of the thing.

Cathy: I'm part of a large family and we all get together one day over the Christmas holidays. Do the Osmonds do the same thing?

Jimmy: We come in waves these days, because there are so many of us, there's over 50-something grandkids, that's why we're still working. But its fun and we do see each other. But we work together a lot so we kind of come in waves.

Deb: Are you going to be writing a book about your life?

Jimmy: I trying to quit! Everyone else is writing a book, and Donny wrote a book, not too long ago and he signed one for me which I thought was kind of weird and wrote, "Thanks for all the stories" And I go, "Oh good, now I don't have to write one." But my book will probably be a cartoon book, if I do it at all.

The biggest wish of true Osmond fans is to experience that magical 7-part harmony, on a UK stage at least one more time. Is this an impossible dream?

Jimmy: I don't know, I don't see it happening, but then again I didn't see what happened at the Apollo, on the DVD. I'm not being cheeky and trying to promote it, I'm being serious, that it was really an amazing time to see my brother Alan who has MS, actually show up and be on stage with us, and throw his cane away and start to cry on stage and start to cry and the whole audience cried, and it was just amazing, the loyalty and the amount of people who have stuck with us over the years. It was a beautiful moment, but who knows if that will really happen. As a family we're intact, and this is what we do as our craft, and if we can do it all together it's always magical.

Sharon: Would you do any more reality TV shows?

Jimmy: I never thought I'd do the first one, and I got into that deal for the right reasons, it was for charity thing and I thought that would be cool, I'll get voted off first, and go to Australia with my family, because I used to have a house in Australia, and I thought that would be cool, but it was really, really hard. But I made it and I came out of there so pumped that if the right opportunity came along, that wasn't some commercial, cheeky thing to do, I would consider it, because it made me feel good about myself and I think it was the only time in the history of that programme where everybody got along in spite of all the problems we had, and it was a good experience. I may not do it again, because I would hate to blow it.