But let’s take one thing at a time. First, the wedding. No small feat for THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS’ Cricket and Danny, who seemed like they would just be friends forever. For Michael Damian, who first started playing Danny almost ten years ago, this development is major. “Danny and Cricket have waited six-and-a-half years, and this is the right time for them.”

Marriage was not the only development for singer Danny Romalotti. Prior to the wedding, Danny was involved in a big-deal drug storyline. But the show chose not to make Danny a victim of drug abuse, which would have been a perfect way to show that it could happen to just about anyone. Michael Damian doesn’t mind.

“It wouldn’t have been believable,” Damian quickly dismisses. “They have established the character to be a good guy, and they have to be true to the character.”

Bark. Bark. Bark. Bark.

“Excuse me for a second,” Michael interrupts. “I have to get my dog in the house. Millie, come here!” he yells as the dog gives Michael a mysterious look. “Every time someone comes to the house, the dogs go crazy. They are very, very protective Australian shepherds. They protect my house. I have to pay them by the hour.”

Back to the drug issue - being a rock star himself, has Damian seen a lot of drugs in the record industry? "I think it has changed a lot in the last couple of years. I am not naive, but I don't hang around with people like that. You can kind of feel that in people," Michael points out. "People have never offered me drugs, which is great. They know that I'm against it, so nobody even says anything to me. Maybe I wish they would so I could try to talk them out of it. I have known some people who are addicted, and it's a real sad thing."

Fortunately it has never been a part of Michael's own life.

"But there have been a lot of problems and obstacles that I faced growing up, but if I were to cite one…I wouldn't say one thing sent my life into a different direction. There were struggles with my family. It was tough growing up; there was a lot of work."

And so there was. Michael’s family (nine children all together) grew up performing, which added to the ordinary

Excuse the ‘60s phrase, but does Michael Damian’s family need to give him more space? “It’s frightening,” Michael tells. “Because you say you want space, and then you call them and say ‘Come over.’ My nieces come over and play and I love hanging out with them, and then I will say it’s too hectic around here. Then if I don’t see them for a few days, I will ask, ‘How come they don’t come by?’”

Excuse me Estelle Harrison, Michael’s sister, but does Michael’s family need to give him some space? “We fight, but we are all human. He’s real special,” Estelle adds with a fondness to make you believe that they never could argue. The love this family shares is obvious. “What can I say about Michael? I used to change his diapers!” she laughs. “He always knew how to charm women, even when he was young. He even had this way of charming our mother. He would say, ‘Mom, you really look beautiful today. Now can you buy me a Tonka truck?’ I will never forget that – he knew how to get what he wanted.”

Ironically, these days Michael is buying his mother the vehicles. “He heard that my mother was having some major transmission problems with her car,” Estelle tells, “so he called up and said he

Let’s ask Michael if he could ever quit the business. “Maybe in about 30 or 40 years” (which sounds like a definite no). “We’ll see how I am doing then,” Michael laughs. “I think I will get out of the business if I’m singing, ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon ‘Round The Old Oak Tree.’ We’ll see how my Vegas show looks first.”

But Michael can’t help it – he’s addicted to this business. “I was driven by this burning whatever inside of me…probably chili,” he jokes. “I wanted to be a baseball player when I was younger, but when the music started happening, I just decided to believe in myself and make it work.”

Besides music, what else matters to Michael Damian? A

Suddenly the dogs, Dee Dee and Millie, bark…almost on cue. “Okay, that’s it,” Michael yells at the dogs. “I’m shaving you bald! Now sit down and take a valium!” Michael continues to talk about the dogs, but while he does, you learn more about Michael.

“I got them when they were four-months-old and they were already named. They are really sensitive and the people who had them before didn’t know how to deal with them. They need a lot of attention,” Michael stresses. “Dee Dee understands English. She’ll do anything you tell her.”

Millie barks. “Millie is the one who barks a lot,” Michael clarifies.

“I have learned how to appreciate and love even the smallest things. I plant a lot now. That is new in my life – my house is like a greenery, flowers everywhere.

“I think that I am settling into myself better. I really feel that I know a little more about who I am,” Michael goes on to reveal. “I think I know what I want and know what I want to accomplish. I want to get my new album finished. (Meanwhile his duet with

Lori Russo, “Never Look Back,” climbs the charts.) I need to take a vacation,” he continues to list. “I have to go to Italy and spend some time in my homeland. I have so many relatives there.”

The discussion reaches a quiet point. Maybe it’s time for Michael to continue the interview. What kind of question would he ask Michael Damian? “What kind of shampoo does he use?” Michael laughs. “I don’t know,” Michael muses. “People can approach me and they don’t have to have an attitude. Some performers feel they have to act in a certain way. People can talk to me like a normal person. I have met some other stars who have been downright rude, and I think, ‘Forget this.’ There is no room in this life for that kind of treatment. I just don’t put up with it.”

So what is the question?

“The question is,” Michael answers, “Am I real? And I would say that I am.”

Photography by Jadran Lazic/SIPA Press

We would like to thank Allison for her time in typing up this article and scanning the photos.