It’s interesting that many thought his protege was bisexual.
Legendary record executive Clive Davis is released many secrets of his past in his new memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life.
Of
course, there are the obligatory chapters regarding Whitney Houston and
how he came to discover her, her many problems and of course, her
untimely demise. But what initially shocked the internet today was the
revelation that the now 80-year-old has had relationships with men.
The twice-married executive says he first began to experiment sexually
around three decades ago when he was approached by a male music fan at
famed New York nightclub Studio 54. “Was I nervous?” writes Davis.
“Absolutely. Did the heavens open up? No. But it was satisfying.” In
Soundtrack, Davis reveals that he has been in “a strong monogamous
relationship” with a man for the last seven years but makes it extremely
clear that he regards himself as bisexual rather than gay. “Do I feel I
could have been similarly attracted to a woman?” Davis writes. “The
answer is yes.”
While that was pretty big news in itself
(although rumors of his sexuality have run rampant for years), it was
another part of the book that caused another of his former proteges’ to
lash out in an open letter on her website.
You can check out who that person is and what they had to say after the jump.
Many
remember that Davis and American Idol’s Kelly Clarkson had a bit of a
row during her career in it’s early days, most notably regarding her
work on her third album, My December, which Davis was said to have hated
quite heavily.
In the book, he also touches on their working
relationship and how many times they came head-to-head during the early
days of her career:
The record executive discusses his
tumultuous working relationship with the Idol winner, which began
immediately after her victory. He says things like, “Kelly obviously is
very talented and has a big, powerful voice,” and that he helped delay
the release of From Justin to Kelly in order to help her debut release,
Thankful.
But he also claims that Clarkson hated “Since U
Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “really” wanted both songs
off her album.
(The “very tough conversation” was further
delayed “when Kelly burst into hysterical sobbing,” Davis writes. “We
all just sat there as she cried for several minutes.”)
“It
became a David-and-Goliath battle between an all-powerful music mogul
and a solitary young woman fighting bravely for the right to
self-expression.”
The extremely outspoken Clarkson went straight
for her website and gave her thoughts on the situation, explaining that
old age had probably twisted around quite a bit of what actually
happened to how he remembered it.
“Not true at all,” she wrote.
“His stories and songs are mixed up. I did want more guitars added to
the original demo (of “Since You’ve Been Gone”) and Clive did not. Max,
Luke and I still fought for the bigger sound and we prevailed and I
couldn’t be more proud of the life of that song.”
But, yes, I
did cry in his office once. I cried after I played him a song I had
written about my life called “Because Of You.” I cried because he hated
it and told me verbatim that I was a “sh*tty writer who should be
grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me.” He continued on about
how the song didn’t rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This
was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a
musical hero and was so honored to work with.”
Kelly also managed
to throw a little shade, sharing that the song was eventually released
as a single and became a “worldwide hit”.
In case anyone was
wondering why there was a need for any sort of comeback to his claims at
all, the newly engaged singer gave a bit of a life lesson.
“Growing up is awesome because you learn you don’t have to cower to anyone — even Clive Davis.”
Via Tabloid Prodigy
