Clive Davis

The legendary music exec on FDR, bisexuality, Whitney, and Aretha

Who are your heroes?

FDR. He overcame personal handicaps and adversity to become one of the great leaders of all time. I would also say Jackie Robinson. I was a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan growing up — I used to live six blocks from Ebbets Field. Not only was [Robinson] a great ballplayer, but he emerged as a role model to become the first black [major league] ballplayer.

Of all the artists you worked with who are no longer with us, who do you miss the most?

Whitney. We had a very close relationship professionally from the time I found her in 1983. I would say the story of Whitney Houston has clearly not been told yet. She’s had two documentaries, and I think each of them failed to show the other side of Whitney, the side of her talent, her heart, why she was loved by so many. Her battle with drugs must be told, and how it prematurely caused her death. By no means whitewash it. But do not ignore the music and her natural talent, how she became the greatest singer of her generation.

Among the artists you’ve signed, whose records do you listen to the most?

The artist I probably play the most is Springsteen. And that includes the brand-new album — “There Goes My Miracle,” “Tucson Train.” I had nothing to do with it creatively. But I do love all of Springsteen. From being there at his signing to seeing him on Broadway, I’ve seen him over a lifetime.

When did you last speak with Aretha?

She and I became great friends. We would get together for dinner and talk about life. She never admitted she was terminally ill. We talked until a few weeks before she passed. She wanted every little detail of when I went to Saint-Tropez or St. Barts. She was always ready to overcome her fear of flying.

Which artist do you most regret not signing?

I was at dinner in 2004 with Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and Don Henley. I looked at Mellencamp and said, “It’s so ironic that you’re sitting next to Bruce, because I always picked you as the artist I most regretted not having signed. You were too close to Bruce at the time.” And he said, “You were right. My biggest influence at the time was Bruce, and there’s no question I was not ready to emerge as John Cougar to become the creative person I was. So I’m grateful to you.”

What was your most self-indulgent purchase?

I rented a yacht for a number of years. The first time was probably about 20 years ago, for two weeks to parts of Capri and the French Riviera. It was a wonderful thrill, but it cost between $150,000 and $200,000 a week. My hands were shaking as I was signing the contract because it was clearly an indulgence.

What’s the best advice you ever received?

Because I loved to read, my mother always told me never to live in an ivory tower and that it’s vital to get out there and mix with people. She always would say, “You’re not gonna get common sense from books, you’re gonna get common sense from life and peo

ple.” And she’s right.

You came out as bisexual in your memoir six years ago. How do you look back at that moment?

I don’t look upon it as the signal event in my life, but there was no way I was going to do an autobiography and not include the fact that only in middle age, after two failed marriages, would I look beyond gender for a relationship. I embraced bisexuality, which is the most misunderstood term in sexual identity.

I never felt it was understood by much of the straight or gay community. You had to be either gay or straight — there was no in between. I just opened myself up to the person rather than to the gender.

I’ve read how, as some in the younger generation try to find their sexual identity, it doesn’t make any difference which gender it is until they locate the person. I relate to that.

DAVID BROWNE