Interview: Kenny Loggins on final tour, being 'incredibly lucky' with 'Top Gun: Maverick'

From having a hand in multiple '70s hits, to helping soundtrack some of the biggest movies of the '80s, to appearing on movie and television screens into the 2020s, Kenny Loggins' music has spanned generations.

And while his songs continue to endure — just look at this year's Super Bowl, or one of last year's biggest blockbuster films, for proof — the 75-year-old Loggins is ready to bring a close to his decades-long tenure of touring. This week marks the start of Loggins' "This is It" final tour, taking its title from his Grammy-winning 1979 hit single of the same name, kicking off Friday, March 10, at Sarasota's Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.

After performing as the pop-rock duo Loggins & Messina with Jim Messina in the early '70s, Loggins embarked on a successful solo career, earning the moniker "King of the Movie Soundtrack" thanks to songs of his including the Oscar-nominated title track from "Footloose," "I'm Alright" from "Caddyshack," and "Danger Zone" from "Top Gun," with the song also appearing in last year's hit sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." Loggins' tour starts the same weekend as this year's Oscars, where "Top Gun: Maverick" is nominated in six categories including Best Picture.

In a phone interview, Loggins discussed his final tour, "Top Gun: Maverick," Loggins & Messina's brief reunion last year, and working with Michael McDonald, with whom he co-penned "This is It" as well as the Song of the Year Grammy-winning "What a Fool Believes." Here are excerpts.

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The Sarasota show kicks off your “This Is It” final tour. What made you decide this was the right time to do a final tour?

I’ve been on the road since 1971 — not all the time, of course — and I just found the last couple of years to be, let’s just say, more difficult than I wanted them to be. The travel was just too exhausting. I figure there’ll be benefits; there’ll be special shows here and there. I’ll knock off things for causes that matter to me, like Earth Day and stuff like that. But right now, I just want to keep my voice in shape. I just had my 75th birthday, and I feel like it’s time.

The tour starts with two Florida shows. Do you have any favorite memories from visiting the state over the years?

Well, I’ve had some really fun shows in Florida. I can remember as far back as the first Loggins & Messina tour and spending time in Coconut Grove. I remember having way too much fun, and Florida, it’s got a lot of things in common with California — obviously, the weather, and beautiful girls. So as a young man college-aged, I was touring as a 21-year-old and playing to colleges that are all basically the same age. So it was like a big party for a few years there. That said, the great audiences for me are all over the place in Florida.

The tour also starts the same weekend as the Oscars, where “Top Gun: Maverick" is up for six awards including Best Picture. Unlike a lot of sequels where they'd have a new soundtrack, or maybe get another singer to cover the original song, they used your version of “Danger Zone” in the opening scene. How did that feel?

Tom Cruise, that was his brainchild, based on when he and I spoke for that. We’d never met before. I heard he was making the new “Maverick” and I said, “So tell me the truth: Is ‘Danger Zone’ in or out?” He said, “Are you kidding? It wouldn’t be ‘Top Gun’ without ‘Danger Zone.’” So that was his position, and he was true to his word right from that day on.

Originally, they were thinking that “Danger Zone” would show up as a piece in the middle of the movie, when Tom comes to the rescue. But instead, they decided to open with it to conjure up the original feelings: the people who are seeing this as their second “Top Gun” movie, to conjure up that excitement of the first one. I just consider myself incredibly fortunate, because what are the odds? We were thinking it might get re-recorded, and I’d actually tossed the idea out to the Foo Fighters, and he was kicking it around when I got the message that Tom’s going with the original. And how did it feel? Well, like I said, I just felt incredibly lucky.

At the Oscar nominees luncheon, no less than Steven Spielberg told Tom Cruise that “Top Gun: Maverick” might've saved the entire theatrical industry. As somebody who’s known for their work in movies, how does it feel to hear that and be a part of that film?

Yeah, it's just great to be part of it. I thought Tom did an incredible job making a great sequel, really putting everybody through their paces. He knows what he’s doing.

Another one of your most famous film songs, “I’m Alright” from “Caddyshack,” got a new spotlight recently when it appeared in the Super Bowl advertising for Michelob Ultra. Did you get a kick out of seeing that?

Absolutely — and a nice paycheck, too.

You’ve worked on many movies — “Caddyshack,” “Footloose” and “Top Gun” probably being the best-known ones — but also films like “One Fine Day,” where you performed the Oscar-nominated title track. Of all them, is there a particular song or movie that sticks out as your favorite experience?

I would probably say “Footloose,” because the screenplay was written by a friend of mine (Dean Pitchford), and we wrote the songs not even knowing how well the movie would come out. We didn’t see anything from the movie, we wrote from the screenplay. I think that’s what makes it so special for me, because we wrote imagining the scenes that we were writing for.

Last year, to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Loggins & Messina playing the Hollywood Bowl supporting your debut album “Sittin’ In,” you played that same venue once again with Jim Messina. What was the experience like, and reaching that particular milestone?

It was really a little bit stressful because I was in both acts — I was in Loggins & Messina and they, we, opened for me, I closed the show with over an hour of my own stuff. So it was stressful getting back in shape for that much work, and not just in physical shape, but learning the songs again and playing again and all that. I think it was a fitting way to bring Loggins & Messina to a close.

Another person you’ve collaborated with multiple times is Michael McDonald, whether it's co-writing “What a Fool Believes” and “This Is It” or appearing together decades later on the track “Show You the Way” by Thundercat. What is the experience like working with him, and then appearing on that Thundercat song?

Michael and I hit it off right from the start, and I love working with him because when we do a double-bill, in the middle of the show we can do the songs we wrote together, including “What a Fool Believes.” It really makes for a fun show. It’s just great to have that friendship maintain, because that doesn’t always happen, believe me.

Then Thundercat, when he won his Grammy, they asked him what next and he said “I’d want to write with Kenny Loggins and Mike McDonald.” Well, I didn’t see it because I wasn’t watching, but my kids were, and my kids called me. My oldest and youngest, both called me and said, “Dad, you have to contact Thundercat, he wants to write with you.” So I went through management and caught up with him. He’s a cool guy, and a great musician.

Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Kenny Loggins on Top Gun: Maverick, final tour before Sarasota show