Author Mark Bego (far right) with some of his subjects: (l-r) Randy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Debbie Gibson.) (Photo: DisCompany)
The Village People always seemed to stir up the oddest reactions from people; if you survived the disco invasion back in the late-70s and 80s, you most likely danced to their music.
Their “Y.M.C.A.” became something of an anthem, but when Donald Trump started to champion the song and even dance to it, legions of fans—straight or gay—came to the forefront.
News that lead singer Victor Willis, best recognized as the police officer in the group, had passed marked a major turning point for the band. Willis—at the time of his death—was the only original member (and co-writer of “Y.M.C.A.”) still in the group.
Willis and his wife, Karen Willis, had managed the band for years and even engineered a major publishing sale to Primary Wave Music, the same firm involved in last year’s Hall & Oates imbroglio.
Mark Bego with “Leatherman” Glenn Hughes of the original Village People, circa the 1970s. (Photo: Mark Bego)
Celebrity-biographer Mark Bego was the first person to actually interview the group in 1978 and is in the midst of working on a book about them.
Bego has done books on the likes of Michael Jackson, Debbie Gibson, Madonna, Billy Joel, The Supremes, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler and many more.
He recently sat for an in-person interview with the New York Independent to recall his experiences.
NYI: Tell us how you met the group?
Bego: In 1978, I was the Nightlife Editor for CUE magazine, which was a popular weekly guide to what was going on in Manhattan. Since my “beat” was jazz clubs, nightclubs, and discos, it seemed like the perfect place for articles about disco entertainers. In an interesting chain of events, I became the very first journalist to interview the original Village People.
NYI: Was Victor Willis the original lead vocalist on “Y.M.C.A.?”
Bego: Yes, Victor was the lead singer of the group from the beginning, up until they recorded their album “Live and Sleezy,” and they filmed their 1980 big-screen movie “Can’t Stop The Music.” I almost instantly became friends with all of the members of the group. In fact I was at Victor’s wedding reception when he married actress Phylicia Rashad in 1978.
Victor was not only the lead singer of The Village People’s, he was the co-writer of their biggest songs: “Y,M,C.A,” “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” and “Go West.” When he developed a well-publicized drug habit, he was replaced in the group.
NYI: What were your first impressions of them?
Bego: I instantly loved them. The band had just recorded their “Macho Man” album, and they were all enthusiastic and excited about the wild ride of success that they were amidst. I had briefly met “Cowboy” Randy Jones when he was a dancer in Grace Jones’s act in 1976. And, I had seen “construction worker” David Hodo in his Broadway debut as a featured dancer in the Broadway musical Doctor Jazz (starring Bobby Van) in 1975.
The group also included (Indian) Felipe Rose, (G.I.) Alex Briley, and (Leatherman) Glenn Hughes. Randy was immediately engaging and outgoing. Alex was more laidback and methodical, but sincere and friendly. David was filled with enthusiasm and charm. Glenn had an infectiously deep voice and a fun sense of humor. And, Felipe was instantly warm, witty and bright.
NYI: Trump championing the song “Y.M.C.A.” for his 2024 Presidential campaign, that must have come as a surprise to you?
Bego: It was something of a surprise to me, but it was delightful that the music of The Village People was suddenly new again. The real disappointment for me was the fact that the original members of the group, with the exception of Victor Willis, were completely excluded from the 2024 line-up.
Micky Dolenz’s book ‘Im a Believer,’ co-written by Mark Bego. is still a best seller. (Photo: Mark Bego)
That is where a lot of the confusion has come about the band. Victor had been thrown out of the band in 1979, and he had been replaced with the ultra-talented Ray Simpson. Victor had a downward spiral with drugs, and run-ins with the law, while the band—led by Ray—continued to soar.
Flash forward, Victor cut a deal with the original producers of The Village People, and fired Hodo, Rose, Briley and Simpson, and re-cast them with unrelated new members. This illustrates just how complicated history of The Village People is in reality.
NYI: You knew original members Randy Jones and Glenn Hughes very well. What has been your relationship to them?
Bego: Randy and I became very close friends, and once he left the group in 1981, he and I launched several projects together. He had a solo recording career around that time, and I helped him to promote it. When I started working with my friend Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Randy and I threw her an amazing and star studded “Welcome to New York” party. In 2008, Randy and I wrote and published a book called “Macho Man: The Disco Era and Gay America’s Coming Out.”
Glenn and I were also very good friends. He was very supportive of my career, and we did a lot of things together. Very few people know that he was a brilliant singer, and could even sing operatic arias with ease. He was a very caring and loving friend. When I moved west to Arizona, I would often come back to New York City, and at one point I lived with Glenn in the late 1990s. I was very saddened by his tragic death in 2001.
NYI: Will the group endure? Willis’ wife I would imagine is in the driver’s seat.
Bego: Unless Karen Willis reaches out to Randy, Alex, Felipe, David, and Ray, and gets them involved, I cannot see a future for The Village People as anything else but being assembled as a “tribute band.” I was not, and am not happy with the way Victor Willis treated those other five group members, and my loyalty is to them.
NYI: You were the first writer to chronicle Madonna’s success. What do you think of her new album, “Confessions 2,” and her re-emergence?
Bego: I was one of the first rock journalists to interview Madonna, in 1984. At the time I was the Editor-In-Chief of Modern Screen magazine. I then went on to write the million-selling book “Madonna!” and the subsequent
“Madonna: Blonde Ambition.”
Not only was I an instant fan of her music, but I was born in her hometown of Pontiac, Michigan. I have loved so much of her music throughout the years. However, in the last 15 years, I have hated most of her recent and dreadful musical choices. I have always thought that her only hope was to return to the kind of dance music that made her a star. Thankfully, she has done just that.
Madonna was discovered at the Manhattan rock club called Danceteria. I am especially happy to find that one of Madonna’s new songs is called “Danceteria,” as a tribute to that great club. It’s about time she took my advice, and returned to disco flavored music.
NYI: You’ve also updated your Micky Dolenz bio? Tell us what will be new in that book, which is coming out in September.
Bego: Micky Dolenz is one of my absolute favorite rock icons. I grew up loving “The Monkees.” I remember in September of 1966 being glued to my family’s TV set and watching the premiere of “The Monkees” weekly program. It is hard to believe that was 60 years ago. In 1993, when I met Micky, and we together wrote his autobiographical book, “I’m a Believer,” I was thrilled to work with him, and to make that book a success.
We updated that book in 2003, and it has been actively in-print ever since. I am so happy that Lyons Publishing is releasing a new version of “I’m a Believer,” just in time for the 60th anniversary of the debut of “The Monkees.” I have updated the quartet’s vast discography, and paid tribute to the deceased members of the band: Davy Jones, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith. I had the opportunity to meet all of them, and I am happy to have Micky as a lifelong friend.
On another happy note, the book “I’m a Believer” has been my only book to have been “in print” for over 30 years, and it still consistently sells. That is due to the longevity of The Monkees.
NYI: What else is in your future?
One of my favorite books to write was my 2017 rock & roll cookbook, “Eat Like a Rock Star.” I wrote it with help from Mary, and several of her recipes. Naturally, I have recipes from several of my rock & roll pals, like Micky, Marilyn McCoo of The Fifth Dimension, Joey Fatone of N’Sync, Randy Jones, Freda Payne, Tommy James, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night, Tanya Tucker, Martha Reeves, and so many more. I have already started collecting recipes for my next rock & roll cookbook. I am always cooking up something new!
Another subject I am working on is a return to the Michael Jackson saga. In 1984, I wrote the biggest selling book him called “Michael!,” with eight million copies sold. Then the publisher sent me out on three months of The Jacksons’ Victory tour, and I wrote the million-seller, “On The Road With Michael!” I could never have foreseen the resurgence of his popularity, but look at the success of the new movie about his life. It was so cleverly done, and wisely ended at the top of his career. Suddenly everything old is new again!