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By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY
At Frankie Valli's latest gig, they frown upon "singing." The famed vocalist and longtime lead of '60s hitmakers the Four Seasons joins The Sopranos Sunday (HBO, 9 p.m. ET/PT) as Mob captain Rusty Millio, one of a group of just-released prison felons known as "the Class of 2004."
The HBO drama captures a slice of Jersey life with which Valli has a more-than-passing familiarity. He grew up on the streets of Newark and played in clubs frequented by people connected to organized crime. "All of it rings true," he says, quickly adding that he's talking about the mobsters' public personas, not their criminal acts. "I didn't witness any killings." Valli, in his mid-60s, says he even sang at a club owned by a guy nicknamed Pussy — the same name as a Sopranos character who was killed for "singing" to the feds. Valli says his acquaintance "could be a very dangerous guy, yet he could be an incredibly loving guy." Valli, whose name has been mentioned on the show by characters impressed with the real-life singer's celebrity, says he declined an earlier opportunity to play himself. A few years ago, he read for a role that wasn't the right fit, but Sopranos creator David Chase said he would find him a character. Millio "is a little smoother" than some of his colleagues in crime, says Valli, who shot four episodes. "Not that he couldn't be violent; not that he couldn't kill anybody." Although Valli enjoys acting — he appeared in the 1998 TV movie Witness to the Mob— music remains his focus. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is known for a piercing falsetto and such hits as Sherry and Walk Like a Man with the Seasons, and Can't Take My Eyes Off of You and the Grease soundtrack theme solo. He still does concerts, and is working on an album of jazz standards. Valli, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three sons, recently finished negotiations for a musical about the Four Seasons. He has a behind-the-scenes role in the musical, which will feature the group's music. It's scheduled to premiere in August in La Jolla, Calif., with hopes of heading to Broadway. Although Valli no longer performs with the original Seasons singers, he continues a longtime business partnership with one, Bob Gaudio {ndash} "45 years on a handshake." The musical "is about how we got together. It's a very interesting story," Valli says. "There will probably be some Mob characters in the play." |
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