Linda Ronstadt: A voice from the past
Channel: AlSaYYaF HD
Date: 2019-02-04

Linda Ronstadt quit performing years ago – her Parkinson's disease makes singing impossible. But last fall, she spoke to a sellout crowd at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, who came to see her in person, and listen to her talk about what has been a magical life.

"The great thing about having a hit is that means people like you," Ronstadt told the audience. 
"But the bad thing about it is, it means you have to sing that song over and over and over again, night after and night after night, 'til it starts sounding like your washing machine."

The crowd basked in Ronstadt's tales of her life and career, such as when she toured for four months as the opening act of The Doors: "It was pretty tough to play with The Doors. It was kinda like a double bill of 'Bambi' and 'Deep Throat'!"

Correspondent Tracy Smith asked Ronstadt, "What's it like to get that kind of warmth when you're just talking?"

"I was just astounded. I mean, it made me feel good, but I was glad they didn't boo, or start yelling for 'Heat Wave'!"

And you know she's heard that before.

For much of her career, she practically lived on the road. But these days, her world is a bit smaller:

She mostly keeps to a San Francisco neighborhood close to the famous bridge, and a house on a quiet street where it seems she has now become the world's most famous couch potato.

These days she spends much of her time reading. "I can't do a lot of things that are active," she said. "I can't spend very much time on my feet, or even very much time sitting up. I have to kind of lounge around. But I'm lazy, so it's a good thing that I lounge!

"So, I'm glad to have the leisure time. I have a huge stack of books that I need to read."

Smith asked, "When you think about those songs, in your mind, can you still sing?"

"Oh, I can sing in my brain; I sing in my brain all the time. But it's not quite the same as doing it physically. You know, there's a physical feeling in singing that's just like skiing down a hill, except better, 'cause I'm not a very good skier!"