Accomplished Musician

December 8, 1999

CheckOut.com presents Harry Connick, Jr., who discusses in an online interview his life as a composer, performer, actor, and musician.

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CheckOut.com: CheckOut.com and Talk City, welcome you to today's chat with Harry Connick, Jr. Harry is an accomplished musician, composer, performer and actor. His thirteenth album, "Come By Me," is a seamless collection of standards and originals, and features his reunited 16-piece Big Band. Harry is currently on a national tour promoting the album and is featured as one of the lead male voices in the recently released animated video "Iron Giant." Send in your questions for Harry about his busy career. Please welcome Mr. Harry Connick, Jr.! Harry, welcome to CheckOut.com and Talk City. Thank you for being with us tonight!

Harry Connick Jr.: Great to be here!

CO-Danielle395: Harry, you are a bridge for a younger generation to a whole new world of music. You definitely opened my eyes. Do you appreciate younger fans at your concerts?

Harry Connick Jr.: I love all my fans, but it's especially thrilling to see younger people coming because it makes me feel the music has a future.

Aliceru: Is it hard not living in New Orleans anymore?

Harry Connick Jr.: I love living in New York, but I really do miss New Orleans. I miss my family and the people, the music, the food. But I get home a lot, so it's not too bad.

Rrlangel: Has anyone every compared your singing style to that of Frank Sinatra?

Harry Connick Jr.: I get compared to Frank Sinatra a lot and I always take it as a compliment, even though I think we're going in different directions. I think of him as the greatest singer of American popular music of all time.

Aliceru879: Are there any rituals (superstitions) that you do before you perform?

Harry Connick Jr.: I used to take a nap before I perform, but I've been so busy writing new music lately that I just go from writing to the stage, so there isn't really anything in particular that I do.

Blue Light Red Light: Harry, I LOVE your lyrics. They're so original. Do the images (Like "lukewarm coldwater flat") just come to you, or do you have to work at them?

Harry Connick Jr.: I didn't write those lyrics, but I did write the music. When I do write lyrics, images usually come to me and that's the exciting part of being an artist -- you can spend so much of your time daydreaming and coming up with new ideas.

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