Old schooled Hollywood edition

Photograph: Chrissy Lush

“I feel goooood [da, da, da, da, da, da, da] / I knew that I would!” belts 78-year-old Stanley Goldman, hunched over a microphone in front of hundreds of people.

He’s not alone. Stephen Walker’s new documentary, Young@Heart, follows an elderly choir that tours the world, singing songs by the Clash, the Ramones, Sonic Youth and Prince in schools, prisons, theaters and even the New Yorker Festival with David Byrne. TONY tapped the charismatic Goldman, a Brooklyn native, NYU alum (class of 1960) and Young@Heart choir member, to drop some oldie-but-goodie wisdom on our befuddled readers.—Alexis Tirado

Dear Old Schooler: I hate speaking in public and get nervous when I meet boys in bars, have to talk in meetings or approach strangers. How can I overcome my crippling fear?—Kelsey H., 21, Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Quit being so damn inhibited! You learned how to speak when you were growing up—use those skills! When I sing James Brown, I inject Stanley into the song and give it a twist. Maybe I can be the next Godfather of Soul, one never knows. Speak. Talk. Approach. Don’t be shy! To me, that’s like withdrawing from life, and a good deal of life is about communication. Make use of the personality that’s been given to you.

Dear Old Schooler: What’s the best advice you can give a young New Yorker? Is there something you know now that you wish you knew when you were my age?—Caitlin D., 19, Lower East Side

Absorb all the marvels that New York has to offer: sports, creativity, excitement, musuems…There is culture aplenty here! Take advantage of it, get a good, solid education and forge ahead. Circumvent your anxieties by becoming involved politically, in your neighborhood, anywhere. Do something productive. Also, it’s imperative to help other people out. I’m a consistent donor to the American Red Cross. I give my blood. So far I’ve given 22 gallons—176 pints! I feel very gratified that I’ve helped to sustain so many lives. And singing helps me stay young. The other night, there was a Latin band playing at a lounge, and I got up and danced with a couple of women. I was moving like crazy to the Latin rhythms! The leader of the band was startled because he saw me do all sorts of movements that he’d never seen a man do with a cane! You gotta keep moving.

Young@Heart is now playing.

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