Kenny Loggins, Las Vegas Sun, Nov. 24, 2000

Loggins takes road less traveled in life, music Lisa Ferguson Friday, Nov. 24, 2000 | 8:21 a.m. Kenny Loggins knows a thing or two about danger zones. The title of his 1986 single, featured on the "Top Gun" soundtrack, hit a little too close to home a few years ago when he lost his way in the jungle of Hawaii's Waipio Valley. As the singer -- who christens the Sam's Town Live! venue with a pair of concerts today and Saturday -- tells it, "I was on a retreat and the second day, I stayed too long at the beach, and the flashlight batteries died and then I floundered for about four hours before I finally gave up." By giving up Loggins means he stopped hiking the rugged terrain and settled in for a night in the jungle. His real-life survivor story is chronicled in great detail on kennyloggins.com. "I wasn't scared to death because, bottom line, I knew I was in Hawaii and I wasn't gonna freeze to death," Loggins said in a recent phone interview from Honolulu, prior to a performance there. "I had half a bottle of water with me and an avocado, and I was surrounded by mangos, which were falling everywhere, so I knew I wasn't gonna starve. And I knew by morning I'd find my way out. It was a valley -- there was only one way in and one way out. "The only thing that made me nervous is that there are two things you watch out for in the jungle: One is centipedes, which will bite you and make you very sick, and wild pigs, which can hurt you. "I heard animals rummaging around above me ... and at first I was afraid they were pigs," he said. "I stood up and saw what looked like a horse, and then I was just nervous that they were going to jump into the gully that I was laying in and I'd get trampled. Well, I was too tired to worry about that ... At a certain point things are out of your control and you have to realize that." As it turned out, Loggins was hardly lost at all: He had spent the night not far from the road that led to his lodging. As out of his control the adventure seemed, Loggins says his powers are also proving limited these days when it comes to the music business. The man who churned out hits in the '70s and '80s -- "Celebrate Me Home," "Whenever I Call You Friend," and "This Is It" -- as well as several others from movie soundtracks including "I'm Alright" from "Caddyshack," the title track from "Footloose" and "Meet Me Halfway," from "Over the Top," has made peace with the fact that he may never again enjoy another mainstream radio hit. "The state of the music industry, the state of the business with all of the Napster stuff that's going and the change in how music is being created and sold, the state of radio today -- I've had to come to grips with what many of my contemporaries have already come to grips with," he said. "That's that (if) you make a record these days, there's slim chance of getting it played on the radio, so you make it for other purposes. "You have to reach your audience in different ways. You have to make a record that's even more true to itself and really forget about radio because it ain't gonna happen." Instead Loggins has attempted to reach a completely different audience -- children. Due to the success of the '90s single and album "Return to Pooh Corner," 52-year-old Loggins recorded a follow-up titled "More Songs From Pooh Corner," a collection that includes some of the soothing bedtime tunes he's sung over the years to his five children, who range in age from 2-19. Still, he's leery about labeling it "children's music." "I thought, 'I've got enough material here for a record that's pretty enough for an adult to get into, but recognizable for kids to enjoy,' " he said. "And so the moniker 'children's music' is a difficult one ... If you listen to it, it's actually a very romantic record and plays not only for children, but for a quiet night at home." Among the disc's offerings are more soundtrack hits, including covers of the Phil Collins hit "You'll Be in My Heart," from "Tarzan," Randy Newman's "That'll Do," from "Babe, Pig in the City," the title song from "Beauty and the Beast," and "Your Heart Will Lead You Home," which Loggins penned for "The Tigger Movie." "One of the reasons I can't write all of the tunes on a record like this is because then the children lose the recognizability, and then you lose the kids," he said. "I want to keep the kids interested where they know that's from 'Beauty and the Beast.' They see all of the visuals in their head, it keeps them entertained and at the same time it's a beautiful song." Nevertheless, such artistic choices do a good job of solidifying Loggins' image as that of proud papa, not pop star. "If I had a problem with it, I shouldn't have made two children's albums," he said. "I feel comfortable with it. I don't consider myself perfect by any means in that role (of father), but I know there are a lot of worse ones out there, and I do the best I can." But don't bother brining a blankie to this weekend's concerts. Loggins assures he still plays songs for grownups. "I love to do that. We are not just one thing. We are made up of lots of things at the same time. I can do 'Danger Zone' and 'Footloose' and feel like I'm at a party and that's fun."