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At 84 years old, the ex-teenage idol of the fifties is one of the legends of American pop music. With worldwide hits like “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and “Diana,” he remains a sought-after crooner to this day. The fact that Paul Anka has experienced a lot in his long Las Vegas career comes as no surprise to anyone. But the fact that the entertainer is now making headlines with, of all things, a sauna anecdote about Frank Sinatra is, even by Hollywood standards, a late “gift” to the showbiz myth.
The sauna story with Sinatra
As the US gossip portal “TMZ” reports, Anka, with his dry humor, confirmed the old rumors about Sinatra’s “impressive physical presence” – namely those that are not normally found in the discography. But in his pants. “Yes, his penis was huge,” said Anka, before adding with a laugh: “I don’t know what that meant for him, though.” Anka remembered how he regularly traveled with Sinatra and the “Rat Pack” to the gamers’ paradise in the desert in the 1960s. The men’s troupe not only shared the stage, but also the sauna – a place where Anka said she had “difficulty making eye contact.” Sinatra himself was rather narrow in build. There is also the much-quoted quote from Sinatra’s ex-wife Ava Gardner that ten percent of his body weight was placed between his legs. Whether true or not, stories like these never die.
Milton Berle tops them all
And because Paul Anka, once warmed up, is unstoppable, he casually mentioned that US comedian legend Milton Berle was even more impressive in this discipline. “Crazy, of all people,” he commented dryly. In the meantime, there is probably no longer any shyness about telling those raunchy purrs about “back then”.
New HBO documentary as an occasion
The late showing out is no coincidence. A new HBO documentary about his life entitled “Paul Anka: His Way” has been released and traces his path from teenage idol to composer of Sinatra’s global hit “My Way” to tirelessly touring elder statesman. Despite his age, Anka remains agile.
He continues to be on stage, working on new music and seems more like someone who still has a few stories up his sleeve – whether from the studio, from Vegas, from the Sunset Strip or even from the sauna. So Paul Anka remains what he always was: a man who strolls through show business with charm and a touch of self-irony – and who, after more than six decades, can surprise with precision.