Get ready to sing along to the Village People's hits —YMCA,— —In the Navy— and —Macho Man— when they appear live in concert at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Ill. Ray Simpson, the policeman/lead singer, put on his uniform and talked with Windy City Times.
Windy City Times: Hey fellow Capricorn! Your birthday is the day before mine on the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
RS: Wow, that's great.
WCT: The Village People has been together 31 years. How did it get started?
RS: Felipe Rose, our resident Indian, was dancing at a club and a French guy by the name of Jacques Morali came over to him and said he wanted to put a group together. Felipe found out later that Jacques was a producer. He went on to meet his partner Henri Belolo, and that's pretty much how things got started. They put a group together of stereotypes that Jacques and Henri had seen in [ New York City's Greenwich ] Village.
WCT: The 1980 movie Can't Stop the Music is still a big cult hit today. How was that experience?
RS: It was a lot of fun with the cast. We got work with Bruce Jenner, Valerie Perrine and Steve Guttenberg.
WCT: Madonna was an opening act for the Village People before she hit it big. What other singers have you performed with?
RS: We have worked with everybody at one time or another; that's the music business for you. There's no telling what you will be doing and with whom. Someone is unknown one day and as big as you can possibly be tomorrow.
We opened for Cher for a while recently. You name them and we have either worked with them or ran into them in the airport!
WCT: Have you ever been mistaken for an actual police officer?
RS: Oh, yeah—especially when we have to do things in the street or in transit wearing the costume. It's funny how people treat you. When I am dressed in the uniform, they automatically tighten up.
WCT: Your sister and brother-in-law are the singing group Ashford and Simpson. You used to sing with them before joining the Village People, correct?
RS: I used to do a lot of background singing with them. It's a different perspective watching from the back. You learn a lot about staging. They have such wonderful songs.
WCT: Village People shows are known for their energy. What's your favorite song to perform?
RS: Either —San Francisco,— —In Hollywood— or —Macho Man.— People's favorites would probably be —YMCA.— It's fun to be in front of 100,000 people and directing them.
WCT: What was filming the American Express commercial with Ellen DeGeneres like?
RS: One amazing thing about Ellen is that every time she changed the line of dialogue. She's just brilliant when it comes to spontaneity. She likes to keep pushing herself to be fresh.
WCT: I just went to Disney World's Epcot. I heard you guys broke a record there.
RS: We had the most people there at one time. Lots of people and lot of energy—they make you work!
WCT: The group finally received a star on the Hollywood Walk Fame in 2008.
RS: It was great to see Village People on the ground as a star. You start to think about how long that you have worked and how many places that you have been to.
WCT: The Arcada Theatre is the beginning of a big tour for the group. You are heading to Canada and France after that, correct?
RS: We head straight to Canada for a bit. We have three weeks in France in May. That's longer than we usually do. When it starts to go longer it's tough. One month on tour is our limit.
The Village People will be at the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main, St. Charles, on April 25 at 8 p.m. Visit www.thearcada.com or call 630-587-8400.