Cyndi Lauper. Publicity photo________
INTERVIEW BY AMY MATHENY AND PETER MAVRIK
Superstar Cyndi Lauper entered Gay Games closing ceremony at Wrigley Field in a rainbow flag gown as the Statue of Gay Liberty while singing True Colors. Now, she is taking her powerful activism for the LGBT community on the road with the first ever True Colors tour, which will stop in Chicago on June 12.
Lauper recently talked with Windy City Queercast's co-hosts Amy Matheny and Peter Mavrik ( about everything from her Gay Games garb to the tour ) as part of the show's 100th podcast, which originally aired May 2. For the full interview, see www.WindyCityQueercast.com .
Amy Matheny: Hey Cyndi!
Cyndi Lauper: Hey! I [ had anxiety ] over what I was going to wear at that show. My friend Allison [ Cornell ] , who's … a brilliant violinist … said she'd do the Games with me. I asked her if she would dress up like Abraham Lincoln, so Abraham Lincoln was playing the fiddle, and Ms. Liberty was singing the song. I wanted to do something visually that you would scream laughing but the meaning would strike too.
Peter Mavrik: Plus you're in a stadium full of gay boys so, honey, you gotta represent.
CL: And girls. And women.
AM: It was a fantastic moment. In the early MTV days in the '80s, you [ launched ] with the video age. It's ironic that LOGO, which is sponsoring the True Colors tour, has MTV as its parent company—and MTV was a huge part of your beginning.
CL: The fact that LOGO is doing this is really great. [ The concert is ] five hours of music, with Erasure, the Dresden Dolls, Debbie Harry, The Gossip and the Clicks. How it happened … You know, I sang a song for Andy [ Bell of Erasure ] on for his album. We're on a first-name basis. He knew Debbie really well. I knew Debbie, but I lost her number, of course, because I lost my phone.
PM: Debbie Harry, Erasure and you were all sort of born into the MTV era of videos. How did it affect you?
CL: Even when I was in Blue Angel, I did videos. I had a record deal one time before Epic, and I turned it down because it didn't include videos. I said if you don't include videos, you don't have me because I'm doing videos.
Music is different now. You see music. You don't hear music. [ Back then ] it was a younger, more energetic, different kind of place. Everything has gotten so corporate now. The business now is different. A lot has to do with the Internet, as you know. It's a very powerful tool. The good news is that you can still continue to make a record, come hell or high water. If you have ProTools, you're OK. I've always been grateful for the age of computers because they can no longer hold over your head that you can't do your craft.
AM: When you burst on the scene with MTV, it was you and Madonna. Critics were always pitting you female artists against one another.
CL: I felt camaraderie with other women. You can't focus on the negative stuff. You've got to focus on the positive and move on.
AM: The positive is that you all are still creating great music.
CL: Debbie was the first one of that era. She made me stop everything, because she was so visual. I remember her at CBGB's taping herself up in a garage bag and looking fantastic. I remember thinking, She's genius!' I'm so excited to be out on tour with Debbie Harry.
PM: To be a fly on the wall.
CL: Well Logo's gonna film stuff backstage so that'll be great, and proceeds of every ticket goes to HRC [ Human Rights Campaign ] , who does wonderful work. Do you know you can be fired in 33 states if you're gay, lesbian or transgender? Or that the hate-crimes law does not extend to people of different sexual orientations? I don't get it. And over 1,000 benefits that are afforded heterosexual couples are not afforded same sex couples. What's up with that? You can't make a law and say equality for all, and then turn around and say 'Uh, except for you guys over there!'
I watched as a little kid as the African-American community [ fought ] for their civil rights. Everything Martin Luther King said made me dream, too. Every time he said, 'I have a dream,' it inspired me. And I saw the women's movement, [ with ] women struggling for equal rights.
AM: So [ your GLBT activism ] is not just because your sister is gay. This is something that is ingrained in your being.
CL: Yeah, we were brought up to believe we were American, the land of the free—not all these rules. I mean, what's up with that? You can't say 'This is the land of the free … except you and you and you.'
AM: Do you ever worry about backlash for being so vocal?
CL: Who would I offend by saying that everybody should get a fair shake? Who can I offend by saying that? You're not asking for more than the next guy. Nobody's asking for that. You're just asking for people to be fair. If you're gonna be equal, let's all be equal. We're Americans in 2007. Come on.
AM: Tell me about PFLAG [ Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays ] and Matthew Shepard Foundation being on tour with you.
CL: I noticed [ PFLAG ] when I was doing gay pride. I met the parents that started this wonderful organization who love their children, who want to help them and who want to help families. You know, when you come out, it's not just you. It's also your family and what they go through. You can't say that your mother knows the right things to say, or even know the right things to think. It's very hard for parents. But now, there's an organization where there are other parents that to talk to.
When I was pregnant with my son, I got letters. The same kind of letter kept popping up from people who wrote and told me that when they came out, they were cut off from their family and their friends and their jobs. And they were so isolated that they felt suicidal. And then when they heard the song True Colors; it gave them hope. It comforted them and it was a healing song. I felt after I read those letters, if there was something I could do. I called my sister and we talked about it. And when the opportunity came up to do the PFLAG [ ad campaign ] , we knew that we could do something together to make a difference.
AM: What about the Matthew Shepherd Foundation?
CL: Well I went to an HRC dinner and met Judy Shepherd. She was backstage with the B-52s, and she was a lot of fun and we were laughing and talking. Her whole take on everything is very different from probably my first knee-jerk reaction, being an Italian Sicilian American…
PM: With a little bit of spice.
CL: Yeah, there's German in there, too. But she was so generous in what she said and how she spoke, and that she's making bracelets that say 'Erase hate.' All I kept thinking was, 'Lady, not in my neighborhood we wouldn't do that.' And then I thought, 'Yeah, but that's because you're an idiot, Cyn. Take a deep breath and listen to what she's saying.'
AM: So the tour starts in Las Vegas and then 14 more cities. You're coming to Chicago on June 12.
CL: I love Chicago. It's a little cold. Let's face it: The winter is a little tough there but, hey, summer is happenin'.
AM: Margaret Cho is hosting this entire tour, plus other people poppin' in.
CL: [ There are some ] special guests like The Indigo Girls in Vegas, [ and ] Rufus Wainwright in Boston and D.C. ... In New York City and Texas, Rosie O'Donnell [ will appear ] . Rosie is fantastic, and she can play drums, too. She always wanted to be in a band. I love her so much. [ She ] and Kelly have done great things for the community.
The more inclusive we become, the better and stronger we'll be as a whole society. We need everybody, and that's what this tour is about—it's a celebration to celebrate our differences and include people. And Pride is my birthday! We're going to party!
True Colors tour information is at www.truecolorstour.com .
