"Last time we served this at Christmas time, clothes came off. It was great. We’ll leave it at that."
Those words were some of the first out of the mouth of Canadian crooner Matt Dusk, sipping a glass of Wild Vines fruit infused wine beverage before a recent show at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino. Dusk is a natural flirt. Whether jumping off stage for an audience sing along, greeting fans after the show, or casually chatting for an interview beforehand, he is so naturally charming and likeable that it is clear why people of every age, sex, and sexual orientation have become smitten with him.
It is the combination of charm and talent that has lead to his success internationally in a style of music that doesn’t get much mainstream notice.
"When I look at when I started singing this genre, I was 18 and am now 32. 14 years and probably close to 1000 shows by now in my career, I am sure when I am older I will look back and say those years were really short. In my perspective now, it has taken a lot of hard work and attention to the positives. Media has a wonderful way of focusing on the things you’ve done well. Most successful people are failures nine out of ten times, what makes you successful is continuing to do what you do and capture the wave to success," he said. "Music careers are full of heights and depths as well. It is very interesting because it has been like that in my career - on TV in front of 12 million people a week and then for a year nobody cares about you. Then you suddenly have a number one hit, then disappear again. Music at the end of the day has a shelf life, unless you continue to make music most likely you will be forgotten. It is always a weird way of how to constantly be out there but I love getting out there because I learn more and become a better performer. That excites me - to get old excites me. I met Tony Bennet and asked him how he does these songs over and over again and he said, I am always learning. This is a guy who has been singing for sixty years! I hope he was telling me the truth."
Dusk has connected with fans in a way that many artists only wish they could. In part this is due to his willingness to meet fans - it seems everyone has a "meeting Matt Dusk" story.
"That is the best compliment a person can hear. I don’t really see myself as a ‘celebrity’ I see myself as a person who tries to look at the positive and live in the realm of happiness. I know it sounds really cliché and cheesy but it is true. If I can get that kind of enjoyment out of music why can’t someone else? I feel like everyone should be part of that party. When I am on stage I hope it is welcoming, I want people to come and not remember that they have to pick up their child from soccer the next day or pay their phone bill I want them to be there and enjoy it. It is just like when you have great sex, when you make great love, you never ever think about anything else but that moment. Music is an emotion. When you get in that moment of enjoying it you have completely escaped and that is why I love doing what I do."
Dusk was on tour, presented by Wild Vines, in advance of his new Live From Las Vegas album out May 10th. The album sees Dusk return to where he launched his career and lived for four years.
"I was first introduced to singing in Vegas in 2004 when I did the Mark Burnette reality show The Casino. It was funny because I always thought I would be in Vegas, but at the same time I didn’t think I would be there that early in my life. I was only 23 or 24. I fell in love with the city. I was single at the time which is one of the reasons you want to say there, it is Sin City.. anything you want can be obtained fairly easily it isn’t on the hidden side of things it is pretty accessible. So when I was very young I was just there to be around a lot of people that wanted to have a great time. It was fantastic. Then I met a girl in Toronto and I fell in love and quickly realized Vegas was no longer the place to be, too much temptation," he said. "Because I lived there for four years I know the city very well and Vegas has always been synonymous with The Rat Pack, the crooning genre was what Vegas was all about. When I was thinking about doing a live record, half of my professional career was in Vegas so why not go back to where it all began. It is a destination place so it is easier to bring people down to it. If you say ‘hey guys do you want to go Omaha, Nebraska’ you can’t get people go. My dream is still to be there again permanently hitting golf balls in the morning and drinking cocktails and singing later on."
One of the highlights on the album is Lorna Luft joining Dusk for You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You. Including the daughter of Judy Garland, who referred to Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and Dean Martin as "uncle", they really tied the album into the history of the music.
"She is part of the real deal, the connection to the actual reality of what Las Vegas is. If I had my choice I would love to sing with every older person who has been around because they are so much wiser than I am and can teach me things. I will be at an age one day where I will sing with someone 40 years younger and be like, kid you’ve got a long way to go. The one thing you learn as you get older is that you don’t know anything. Being around Lorna and her enjoyment of what she does and her personality is great. It means you can grow old and be happy and not jaded. A lot of musicians are because they did not receive this. Life and music isn’t about receiving something, it is about giving and sharing. When I do my shows I am not there as the entertainer or celebrity, I am a channel of the music. People ask how I can have such a great time. It is easy, I am singing the tunes, they like the tunes, we are all here having a musical moment. It is like great sex, it is great communication right?"
The album ends with one of the best known classic songs ever: My Way. It’s a song that has been covered countless times, and to include it on an album is a big deal.
"I have been singing My Way for about 14 years since I got into the genre. It was the song I always put off and said, I can’t record it until I am older. If you never tackle a song at any age, you aren’t doing any justice to the song. Every song has to have a level of acting to it. It is like saying you couldn’t sing a Cole Porter song unless you were married and confused about your sexuality. With something like My Way, it was a french song written by Paul Anka when he was 29 years old. These are the words that we abide by, but they are written by a 29 year old so what does he know about singing a life that’s full? So you have to put your mindset not as a person who is 98 years and dying in a bed, but if tomorrow was my last day how would I judge my life? If I look back at my career and life my cup is full, I have had a wonderful life. Will the song change? Absolutely, my interpretation and understanding of the song will change. Is one right or wrong, absolutely not. When Paul Anka wrote the lyrics he brought a naivety to the table, he had no clue what he was writing beyond an imagination. I give that same presentation on stage. When I am 70 the lyrics will mean one thing to me but when I do it now, it has been a great ride."
There were a lot of references and comparisons to great sex over the course of conversation - remember what I wrote about being a flirt? It’s not a surprise that Dusk is on the long list of entertainers that develop a gay fanbase, who in turn hope that maybe at some point said entertainer will come out as gay. It then leads to some disappointment, such as when Dusk moved to Toronto with girlfriend Julita, ending the rumors that he might be gay.
"That doesn’t mean anything though," he said, claiming the distinction of being the first celebrity interview to leave me momentarily speechless.
"It is true though. I had an uncle who was married for years and now isn’t married and has a partner. I saw the movie Kinsey and he explained the numbers from 1 to 6. The truth is you have to find what makes you happy. You can be gay in a gay relationship and not be happy, and gay in a straight relationship and be happy, and vice versa. The purpose of any relationship is to be happy and make sure your partner understands you and vice versa. You don’t want to come home and find out you put the cups in the cupboard upside down and they hate that. Moral of the story... don’t worry... be happy. Sexuality is one of those things that I am very comfortable in mine. Nothing really bothers me. I think when you find you can be comfortable in your own skin you shouldn’t feel apprehensive at certain things. If someone asked me if I would mind if some crazy gay guy was all over me, I would mind just as much as if a crazy girl was all over me. Maybe I don’t want to be around them. At the end of the day I know what I like and hope everyone can enjoy in the same happiness that I am."
The combination of looks and talent can be a blessing and a curse at times. Balancing all aspects of life and business is something Dusk has learned to do well.
"It doesn’t make any difference to me, I am in it for the music. I remember in my teens the first time I sang in front of a bunch of girls they were fighting over my phone number. I went to an all guys school so it was like, what’s going on?! Have you ever been sober and you have that first couple of glasses of wine and hit that nice high? That is my life on stage, it is the only part of my business that is effortless because I can be honest and have fun. When I leave the stage it is all business... where are we going, is the gig set up, what interviews are we doing? You can have time for one thing and another."
Expect Matt Dusk to be back in Calgary soon after he releases his next studio album in 2012.
"I am on a ten week run and when I am done I am going to want to do nothing but sit by my pool and drink wine. This summer I have a bunch of gigs and festivals here and there but my main focus is writing for a new record to be released in 2012 if we don’t blow ourselves up by then. I hope the record doesn’t delay it until December 14th. We are making a record that is really focusing on the chilled out relaxed side of life. A lot of the stuff I have done recently is really up tempo and energetic but music has really revolved around one topic - love. People don’t sing about having to go and fill my truck up with gas, it’s about I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family even as kids. We will be recording in the fall and planning to have it out Valentine’s Day."