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Molek FMCyndi Lauper: Still Having Fun
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Cyndi Lauper once told us that ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’, and amazingly enough, the ageless It-girl is still sticking by that motto all these years later. You’d think that the pressures of being a mother and a wife, coupled with the numerous stresses of celebrity (she’s a rock star, Broadway composer, author, and activist), would take its toll, but nope, Cyndi’s simply going about her business with grace and a cheerful disposition. Perhaps it also helps that she has such a strong passion for every endeavour she sets her mind to. Life is always fun when you love what you do, and Cyndi’s multi-faceted life is as interesting as it is inspiring – which is what makes her new reality show so compelling!
How do you want fans and viewers to view you as when watching Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual?
I’d like to be viewed as a regular mom trying her best to deal with balancing her career and family. You get to see me and my family together as well as what it’s like to do my job day-to-day.
Who has been the most influential, be it musically or personally, in your life?
My family has been most influential in my life. When I was a kid, it was the women of my family that really shaped me as a person. My aunts my grandmother and, of course, my mom. It was their records I listened to as a really young kid. They loved show tunes and Italian singers. This was before I discovered music on my own. My mother is a good singer. You’ll see her on the show. My own family – my husband and son – are very strong influences on me personally and on my music now. My son and husband have made me a better person. I have no idea what I would be like without them. My son turns me onto what he is listening to, which is EDM, so he keeps me current and excited about new music. You will see a lot of them in the show.
What keeps you grounded?
My son keeps me grounded. Being a parent is an awesome responsibility and keeps your feet firmly on the ground. My son is 15 years old now, so it’s a really important time of life, and you have to be real and present.
When you aren’t busy, what do you like doing in your free time?
I love watching old movies with my husband. I also love fashion and collect coffee table books of old fashion magazines, which I also use as inspiration when I’m doing photo shoots. I like to take long walks with my husband around the city and love to hang with my kid. No matter what he is doing I am glad to hang out whenever he wants to. He is a teenager, though, so mostly he wants me to just drive him places and drop him off (laughs).
What goal do you realistically wish to achieve through your activism?
Hopefully I’m having an impact and will continue to be able to make a difference. I have never been someone who can stay quiet when I see someone being treated differently simply because of whom they are or about injustice in general. Where I come from, you stick up for your family and friends. You stick up for those who cannot stick up for themselves.
Do you see what is going on with the constant attacks on women and their bodies in the USA and around the world? How about that up to 40% of all homeless youth in the US are gay or transgender, and the main reason is because their parents reject them? And what about these crazy anti-gay laws that were recently passed in Russia?
We have made a lot of progress, but we still have a lot of work to do. We can do better and we have to do better. That is what I hope will be a result from my activism. I want people to stop trying to regulate my body. I want parents to accept their kids for who they are and stop throwing them out on the street. I want people to be able to be who they are.
Is there anything on your ‘bucket list’ you have yet to complete, but have a strong desire to?
I have a long list. I’d like to do more TV and would love to do another film. I’d also love to work on another Broadway show.
What is your vision of the ideal world?
Equaltiy for all. Peace. Clean food, air and water.
Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual airs every Thursday at 11pm on WE tv, Channel 738, Astro Select.