John Farnham to wear a leotard if Olivia Newton-John plays Physical on their joint tour

JOHN Farnham says he is so excited about a tour with Olivia Netwon-John that he will wear a leotard if she sings hit song Physical.

IF you were disappointed John Farnham didn’t sing with Lionel Richie on their joint tour this year you were not alone.

“Frankly, I was disappointed too,” John Farnham says.

The unlikely pairing played a swag of arenas earlier this year, however the tour wound up being Farnham as the world’s most over-qualified opening act. Fans got to see two headline acts in fine form on one bill, just separately.

“I’d spoken to Lionel and we’d decided to get some songs together,” Farnham explains. “It just didn’t work out that way unfortunately. We really didn’t spend any time together, apart from having a meal at a restaurant together one night with (promoter) Paul Dainty and (manager) Glenn (Wheatley).

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AUSTRALIAN TOUR: John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John

Duets and leotards ... John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John will tour together in April next year. Picture: Martin Philbey

“Lionel never hung around, he was using private jets, flying all over the place. He’d turn up not long before he went on so I didn’t get to spend much time with him. He was a lovely man when I did get time with him, I’m not dissing him at all, I’ve got complete respect for him, he’s an absolute legend. But it just didn’t work out that way, I was disappointed and I think he was as well. That’s just the way it ran. There just wasn’t time to rehearse anything.”

Anyone fearing another ships-in-the-night approach to Farnham’s next double header tour, with Olivia Newton-John next year, can relax.

“Oh no, this one will be completely different,” Farnham assures. “Olivia and are right up for working together. That’s what excited her when I first spoke to her about doing this, she was into it at a million miles an hour. Olivia and I is a natural fit. We’re very different, she’s a lady and I’m a man but we get on, we know each other well and we like each other. You never know what could happen.”

There’s a long history of Farnsey and Livvie working together, stretching back to the `70s, with various TV shows, parties and charity gigs. The biggest example was a duet at the opening of the Olympics in Sydney in 2000. Before that they took part in The Main Event, the 1998 arena tour where the pair were joined by Anthony Warlow. The most recent was Farnham flying down from his Queensland home to sing with Olivia at a charity ball for her Cancer and Wellness Centre last month.

“I can’t say no to her,” Farnham said of the September pairing.

“We hadn’t rehearsed. I’m getting a bit old now, so I’ve got a screen in front of me with the lyrics on them, I have no problem saying that. I very rarely refer to them, but it’s like a little safety net. So many people are using them now, it’s a handy little thing. If she wasn’t quite sure of the lyric of AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock and Roll she was able to glance at the screen and get a refresher course. We didn’t rehearse, we just went and did it, and it was great.”

Olympic Games 2000 opening ceremony press conference ... Olivia Newton-John with John Farnham in Sydney.

As he was on the Main Event, Farnham was Danny to Livvy’s Sandy for the Grease duet You’re the One That I Want.

Will that get a run at the Two Strong Hearts tour next year?

“I’ve done it before and I will possibly do it again,” Farnham says. “Well, it’s almost a shoo-in, isn’t it? And we’ll do Two Strong Hearts together, because that’s the name of the tour. Otherwise we haven’t started to plan how it’s going to work yet. She’s working in Las Vegas right now, so we’ll spend a bit of time on the phone talking about what we’re going to do.”

Farnham is particularly fond of Olivia’s Peter Allen period, including I Honesty Love You.

“I know Peter adored her,” Farnham says. “But having said that, Physical was kind of fun. There’s a potential duet for us, I’ll get into a leotard ...”

These days there’s around five years between new John Farnham albums. The last release was 2010’s Jack, which means a 13th studio album is a possibility for next year.

Farnham admits to increasing pressure from his record label, but he’s still in the process of looking for suitable songs.

“It’s difficult,” he says. “I don’t want to make an album unless I’ve got the right songs. I don’t want to make another covers album. I’m 65. I’ve got to find some grown-up songs.”

Have a great repoire ... Olivia Newton-John with John Farnham performing on stage during the Main Event concert.

His manager Glenn Wheatley recently met serial hit maker Diane Warren, who has penned iconic hits for Celine Dion, Aerosmith, Cher, Meat Loaf, LeAnn Rimes and this year Paloma Faith’s No. 1 Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

Warren recently Tweeted she’s now more interested in working with artists outside of America and is a Farnham fan.

“She told Glenn she was well aware of me, which was lovely and very flattering,” Farnham said.

``She’s vowed to write me some songs. That’s very nice. She’s an incredible songwriter. I asked Lionel to write me a song too, which I’m going to follow him up on. I don’t write a great deal myself. I do write but it’s like pulling teeth for me.”

Acutely aware of the chorus of haters every time he announces another tour (“those folks aren’t going to come and see me anyway”) Farnham is enjoying a slower pace of life, fishing or riding his beloved horses in between sporadic touring and recording.

“I’m a very lucky man,” he says. ``I love what I do and I get to do it under the best possible circumstances. I’ve reached a stage in my life where I don’t want to do it unless I get a chance to do it as well as I possibly can.”

Fiftieth birthday party ... John Farnham with Olivia Newton John for the launch of his tour.

John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John. Sandalford Estate, Margaret River, April 4. Rod Laver Arena, April 8. Adelaide Entertainment Centre April 11. Brisbane Entertainment Centre April 14. Tempus Two Winery, Hunter Valley, April 18. Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney, April 19.

On sale tomorrow Monday, Ticketek

*(Tempus Two Winery, on sale tomorrow, Ticketmaster)

Originally published as John Farnham to wear a leotard if Olivia Newton-John plays Physical on their joint tour