Shownotes Transcript
BBC Sounds. Music, radio, podcasts. Hello, I'm Lauren Laverne and this is the Desert Island Discs podcast. Every week I ask my guests to choose the eight tracks, book and luxury they'd want to take with them if they were cast away to a desert island. And for rights reasons, the music is shorter than the original broadcast. I hope you enjoy listening. MUSIC PLAYS
My castaway this week is the singer, songwriter and activist Cyndi Lauper. She burst onto the scene in 1983 with her album She's So Unusual. And she really was an explosion of colour and joy with a look and sound that were equal parts spirit and skill.
Her dressing-up box aesthetic inspired a million lookalikes. Her own inspirations were more esoteric. She draped herself in thrift store petticoats, pasted Van Gogh's Starry Night to the soles of her high-heeled shoes, recruited Annie Leibovitz to shoot the album cover and insisted that the instrumentation on the record's centrepiece, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, should evoke the Coney Island fairground she'd grown up visiting.
The exuberant catchiness of that track and the soaring success of those that followed belied the years she'd spent struggling to become an overnight success. She's sold over 50 million records, won two Grammys and her debut album was the first by a female artist to spawn four consecutive US Top 5 singles. She also won an Emmy as an actress and then took on Broadway, composing the music and lyrics for the internationally successful and Tony Award winning musical Kinky Boots.
Her activism, inspired by her own experiences of homelessness and misogyny, has seen her testify before Congress and been honoured by the UN. She was unusual. She still is. She says, the truth is, you always have to listen to what's inside. Not the narrative, not the naysayers, not the gatekeepers. There's always a way around the gate. Always. Cindy Lauper, welcome to Desert Island Discs. Hey, how are you doing? I'm
I need an umbrella. It's too hot. You're already too hot on the island with the sun. Don't worry, there's an umbrella available. There you go. So, Cindy, you've recently been back on the road for a farewell world tour. It began in 2024, almost 40 years since your first big arena shows. I wonder how it's been for you saying goodbye to fans. Has it been emotional? I finally got to do...
this wonderful show with this wonderful artistic director, Brian Burke. It's not Spinal Tap because it started to turn into Spinal Tap sometimes. There's a sweet spot, isn't there, that you've got to hit before you get there? Well, when I first started, I wanted to fly across the audience, but I wanted a cherry picker. You know, I wanted to be like the Rolling Stones, right? Or Tina Turner. She had a cherry picker. Why can't I...
Like they said, you know, you can't afford the cherry picker. But, you know, we can do a garbage pail. But you're also ahead of your time, Cindy. As you're describing, there's always been this incredibly strong visual element and these esoteric inspirations to the work that you do. And you're still carrying that on in your live shows today. But tell me from your perspective, you know, you create this spectacle for the audience. What's it like looking out? Who's coming to your farewell shows? My husband came to five of them.
And he started to take pictures of people coming in. Everybody, all different kinds of people, all ages. And it's a safe place to come and be together and dance and laugh and cry and feel hopeful and happy when you leave. And that is what I'm trying to do.
We're going to be listening to your tracks today, Cindy, that you've chosen to take to the island. It must have been difficult narrowing them down to eight. What's your first choice? What have you gone for? Why are you taking it with you? Well, the first music that I remember was the music my mother played us. And she loved classical music.
She would play this music, and I remember this very clearly. She had bought a new stereo, and in those days, you know, a stereo was like a Victrola. It was like this, and it was a portable, so it opened up, and when it opened up, those were the speakers. And this is a record, Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and I remember...
hearing it and the melody was stunning and I even said to her, I said, mom sometimes when you hear this stuff is it so beautiful that it just makes you cry and she said yes that's what music can do and then she always shared with us like that and this was one of the first things that I remembered.
Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, performed by the Orchestra Nationale de Lyon. Cyndi Lauper, you were born the second of three children to Fred and Katrine in 1953 and initially grew up in Brooklyn. What are your memories of that neighbourhood? To me it was... well, yeah, I was a strange kid. It was very magical.
It was a little like Shakespeare. Because, you know, she kept taking us to the Shakespeare festivals because they were free. And museums. She loved all of that, didn't she? Yeah. I mean, sometimes, like when I was five, you know, you'd be walking on the hard floor and be like, oh, I want to go home. No, you should look at these pictures, you know. So you were seeing Romeo and Juliet on the fire escapes of your Brooklyn neighbourhoods. It wasn't like Romeo and Juliet. They were very blue-collar. They were women pulling wash-in clothes.
The sheets looked like sails. I was blown away by the women's version of glamour. They would also copy the stars. So what were they wearing? Are we talking like the heels and the bouffants and the eyeliner and everything? Red lipstick, dyed hair and a cigarette dangling sometimes, you know, and they'd be cha-cha and over there. And, you know, and then there was the big church...
You know, everybody had to go to the church, you know, St. Mary, gates of heaven. But sometimes it felt like the gates of hell. But, you know, what can you do? And they used to have flags.
like by the grocery store. So it was always, to me, like a little celebration. You had the women that were all dressed up coming out of the beauty parlor and you had the flags, all different colours. And it was a colourful place. Cindy, I want to ask about your mum because I feel like I've already been introduced to her via your videos. I've seen her and your aunts on screen in several of them. But I know she was a huge influence on you. So tell me more about her. It sounds like she was creative and interested in the arts and music.
She was very patient too, because I was a really, really odd kid. In what way? In every way. My idea of play was listening to her records. She had musicals. And because there were so many different voices, it's what I did all day.
I would listen and imitate them, and then I would listen again and imitate them. And I had it down, you know, but this was how I spent my time. My father also loved books, and he would always have instruments all over the place. What kind of instruments? Like he wanted to play a xylophone, so there'd be a xylophone in the porch, you know.
And he would play harmonica. Unfortunately for my dad, you know, they lived through a strange time. They lived through depression and wars. Did you have a sense of that as a little girl, that, you know, you were seeing parents who maybe hadn't fulfilled their ambitions, their dreams? Starkly clear. For the women especially, but also for my dad. He was always curious about
He loved tinkering and playing this and playing that. And his idea was when he retired, he wanted a... He had an organ and he was going to play in a bar. What did he do for a living? What was he doing instead? He was a shipping clerk at Boulevard Watch, which is where he met my mom. I want to make room for your second choice today. Tell us about this next track. My mother loved to sit and talk and be with us. And...
She would play different music. So there was this wonderful album, Satch Does Fats. And it was Louis Armstrong, of course. And we were girls. We had to do chores. So we'd separate all the clothes. But we were all together. And then she'd play this music, and we'd dance wildly. I remember how wildly we would dance and how much fun this was. And this kind of...
banter, but like when I did the Frank Sinatra thing with Santa Claus coming to town. Yes, you collaborated. Well, I was in the studio. You worked together. So in the studio, if it's already sung and it was sung, you do more than you need. So I did a lot of the banter stuff that I learned listening from Satchmo when I was little.
So that's why when he says, he sees you when you're... Really? You know, because... And how did that go down with Sinatra? I mean, that takes Moxie. Not well. He thought I was so disrespectful. But what I didn't think to say, what it really was, now I know, should have been a little letter to him saying...
Dear Mr. Snodra, in no way was I being disrespectful. When you go in the studio, you do more than what you need. I didn't know what you were going to choose, so I did more. So you could choose the best things that you like to put on the record. And that kind of banter was just an influence that I learned as a young kid listening to Louis Armstrong. But of course, I didn't say that.
I just got, oh my God, he hates you now, you know, but I don't care. They knew what they signed up for. Well, I don't know. I guess so. Anyway, this song is fun and he had such spirit and this was before I knew anything about anything.
Hey, Pops, what's wrong, Daddy? You look like something's bothering you. Nothing bother me, honey, that a piece of roast beef can't fix up. Well, I'll tell you one thing, Pops. A man works hard, then comes on home.
Expects to find stew with that fine ham bone. He opens the door, then starts to looking. Say, woman, what's this stuff you cooking? Now all that meat and no potatoes. I just ain't right to like a green tomato. Here I'm waiting, pal, for Tate. With all that meat.
No potatoes. Louis Armstrong and his all-stars. All that meat and no potatoes. Cindy Lauper, your mum had a beautiful singing voice. She actually was offered a scholarship to go to school and... In Manhattan, yeah. And study music and sing. Yeah, well...
That didn't go along with my grandfather's plans. I mean, he literally told her only whores go to school in Manhattan. I actually found her eighth grade picture, her graduation, and all the kids have a look on their face, but hers, those eyes, they were heartbroken. And growing up, I always heard these stories about...
Her friends went to California. They found a job for her and sent a letter back. My grandfather found the letter, tore it up. Every turn, the women were disenfranchised and cut off from any kind of life, but being around the family and, you know, free domestic help, taking care of your parents when they get old,
Which is a nice thing, but not if they have talent. Maybe they should have an opportunity to actually enjoy life. Cindy, let me ask you more about your mom's story. You mentioned the dynamics with your grandfather. Sadly, they played out in her marriages as well because your parents' marriage wasn't happy and they divorced when you were just five. They fought a lot. And I used to watch, and I think what happened was...
You know, remember in the late 40s and early 50s, it was very, you'd go to movies and you see these women throwing dishes and breaking dishes and that was like, oh, look at that. She used to throw dishes against the wall and I was watching and I think a shard went in my head when they were fighting and they rushed me to the hospital and I had a little scar and
but they felt it was not good for them to be together. It wasn't safe. And if they couldn't control their tempers, they shouldn't do this. So they split. She remarried. And that wasn't a happy marriage either. She was in love and we wanted her to be happy. But unfortunately...
You know, he had a great sense of humor, but he was also very disturbed. It was kind of like living with Don Nichols and Freddy Krueger, kind of all together. Frightening for you? Well, then you would go to school with the nuns, and they were pretty scary too. So your mom sent you away to school, you and your sister Ellen. Convent. And she was scared for you. She was trying to keep you away from your stepfather. Yeah. Why? Well, he threatened. Threatened a lot of bad things.
So he threatens to beat up her parents, rape her children. I was like, oh, yeah, he's a keeper. No matter what, if the police came, they would come domestic violence leave.
They don't care. This must have meant for you, though, because you started, I think, writing songs when you were about 12 or so, getting so even younger. So music must have felt even more of an escape if home is difficult and school is really challenging. That must have been so vivid, such a bright spot. It was. Well, my dad, he got Ellen a guitar. And then when she graduated eighth grade, she
He got her an electric guitar, like a baby Strat and a twin amp, which then we had a group. And I sang through the amp. So there's the two of you? Was your little brother in it? No, me, my sister and her friend Diane Andromeda was one of the girls from Howard Beach.
Well, on that note, Cindy Lauper, I think we should have some more music. Your third choice today, what's it going to be? Okay, well, Italians, they love Puccini. And my mother kept playing this stuff, you know, and it was always like...
Mom, you know, it doesn't work out for her in the end, right? She dies or it's not good for her. It's always bad for the woman. She loved this aria from Madame Butterfly, One Fine Day. The greatest voice of the century, female to me, one of them, is Maria Callas.
And I think she's extraordinary because of the way she would be loud and then soft and then full and then almost like talking and the control and the beauty. And her story, which was so tragic because her life was like an opera, but her voice was incredible. ♪
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One fine day we shall see from Pacini's Madame Butterfly, sung by Maria Callas with the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, conducted by Herbert von Karajan. Cindy Lauper, you left home at 17, moving in with your sister Ellen. She wasn't much older than you and you didn't have any money, but it does sound like she created a really nurturing environment between her and her friends who I think lived... Her friends, yeah, they were very kind to us.
I just kept failing and failing and failing and failing. And then Ellen, when Ellen graduated and left, I just was like lost. That must have been hard because, you know, she left home and you were left behind in the house. At one point, she said, get your stuff and come here right now because it wasn't safe anymore. I just remember that school was, it was hard. I was lost.
talented in art, but it didn't work out. There was a lot of stoners and whatever, and they were just in this class, and I just felt like, great, I woke up in hell. You know, finally, I did leave school, but they said...
I was most likely to die or become an artist. They had no idea what was going to become of me. There was something in the yearbook where they'd said you were the most likely to fail, that they would even vote on that. No, no, no, no, no, no. That was a joke. That was a joke. That I was most likely to die. But still. But the head of the art department said, she's either going to be an artist or she's,
She's going to die. One or the other, she's got to pull it together. I mean, obviously glad that it worked out and you became an artist. But at the time, what did it feel like hearing that? I didn't care. I kind of liked the fact that people thought I was a little cray-cray. What was the dream for you back then? Did you want to be an artist yourself? Did you think that was a possibility? Yeah, but I gave up. And I tried really hard to fit into the world and get a job.
And, you know, I just got fired a lot, you know. What were you doing? What kind of thing? Well, you know, the whole office thing. I was a gal Friday the 13th, and I was awful, even though I tried. But I sucked. You weren't cut out for it.
Your career was almost over before it began because you also lost your voice for a year after you just started out as a singer. What happened exactly and how did you get it back? You sing in these bands, you have to learn how to perform and stuff. So I would be singing and they'd have the 200 watt Marshall amps right by me and the cymbal where the guy would be hitting it right by your head.
So you were singing louder to compensate. And I'm singing in this little fart box that was supposed to be the monitor. So basically, I was hearing this, and they're like... And I remember at one point I asked one of the guitar players in the second band to please turn down. And he just ignored me because I had to sing over him. So I was playing cowbell, you know, with a broken drumstick. So I jabbed him.
And then he got really upset. He stopped playing. And I said, thank you. I'd love to hear some more music. Your fourth choice today. Okay, well, this is the song that my grandmother heard so many times. And, you know, you always think it's the movie star that's doing it. But it isn't. Monty Nixon. And she was the stand-in. And Deborah Carr got to lip-sync to her. These songs...
were how I learned to sing. I played this album so much, this Getting to Know You and the album of The King and I, right? So much that my grandmother who lived upstairs, she just came downstairs,
She took, she lifted the needle off my little red record player, picked up the record, didn't say a word, and just walked back upstairs. And that was the end of that record. I never saw that record again because she just couldn't take it. And my mom, God bless her, everything was like okay, you know, with her. Getting to know, getting to know all about you.
Getting to know you from the film soundtrack to The King and I, sung by Marnie Nixon.
Cindy, you eventually left the band Blue Angel and started working as a solo artist. Your first album, She's So Unusual, was a huge hit. You'd spent your 20s grafting to get musical success. Once you got it, how was it? How did you find fame? Well, I still think there needs to be that book, How to Be Famous for Dummies, because...
You really, it's a shocker. Your look back then, I mean, obviously your aesthetic is still central to your art today, but that was one of the first things that made such a big impression on everyone. This colourful hair, shaved at the side, you know, corsets and petticoats, copied a million times. These days, any star, any artist will be working with it, you know, stylists, makeup artists. Was it like that back then or was it more DIY?
You know, I worked at a vintage clothing store. And I worked there because I shopped there. And I figured, why not work where you love the clothes? And, of course, I put a lot of stuff on layaway. And after a while, it was too much. I wasn't allowed to lay away the clothes anymore. But I used to love to dress people when they came in. And the owner of the store, when I got married,
You know, because a lot of other stylists would come in and they'd ask for something and she'd put something together for them and bag it. And then they'd go and use it and they would be the stylist. And I said to her one time, I said, you know, don't worry. When I do my album cover, you'll be my stylist. And was she? Yeah, of course she was. For years we worked together.
So you were adapting clothing to make it your own. You were, you know, changing styles. And you did that with your music too. You know, the instrumentation. It was a hugely successful album. You know, single after single hit big. And of course, Girls Just Want to Have Fun was the centrepiece. But originally, this was a track that you weren't keen to do. You had to adapt it and make it your own, make it fit you. How did you do it? When I was in Blue Angel, I learned a lot from John Tory, who helped me adapt.
understand that different keys would make your voice sound completely different.
And then you would take on a different personality, different spirit, whatever. I started doing that, and I also realized my grandmother and my mother, they were tailors. So they could take clothing that were hand-me-downs, pull them apart, put them back together on you, and it looked perfect, like it was made for you. So I started to feel like that...
kind of mentality is the same for songs, isn't it? And so you take it apart and put it back together so that it sounds like it's you.
But you also, Cindy, changed the lyric. Yeah, absolutely, and edited some things that didn't make sense. They wanted me to make a female anthem. They just didn't realize that they talked to somebody who burnt a training bra at the first demonstration at the Alice in Wonderland statue in the 60s.
So originally, the original track, I think, you know, it's a son singing to his father. Yeah, oh, daddy, dear, nudge, nudge, we are the fortunate ones because girls, they want to have fun with us. Why not? You know, and why not? That makes sense. But it didn't make sense as a woman to sing that. Like, what am I singing about? It needed a new spirit and a new arrangement. We did it and it worked.
Cindy, your mum was also in the video for Girls Just Want to Have Fun. In fact, she was in several of your pop videos. There was something so...
fantastic about her on film, something so vulnerable that I didn't realize, you know. And they put her on film and she's photogenic and she's doing this thing and she's never done anything. And she's actually great in the video. Well, she just did it because she wanted to spend more time with me. What was it like for her to be able to share in your success like that? Well, she actually was really shy and I realized I was pushing her to do things she didn't want to do. She just wanted to spend time with me and play.
And to her, being in the videos was just playing. I want to hear some more music. Cindy, it's time for your fifth choice today. What have we got? Well, when the Beatles came over, it was mayhem. My cousin Linda, she gave us for Christmas, meet the Beatles. So when they came to America one of the times, I was 11 by that time, so I was old enough, I guess, for her. And me and my sister and her friend Diane...
She drove us, because she worked the airport too as a waitress, so she drove us to a spot where she knew the cars driving from Kennedy Airport would pass. So she dropped us on this island. She said, do not move from here. I'm going to be there, and I'm going to come back in a little while.
Here comes the car. I start screaming. I had my eyes closed. Then all of a sudden, I opened my eyes, and I saw the back of their heads, and I said, what a jerk. What did I do? I missed them. And the only time I really got to see them really close up was one time I was at my dentist, like recently, and I
And I turn around and there's Paul McCartney right behind me. What did you say to him? Well, I was at the dentist. I didn't know what to say. So I said, nice teeth. I didn't know what to say. You know, I'm thinking, your teeth look great. I don't know. And then he said, oh, let's hug it out. So I figured he was used to people being... Getting Paul McCartney'd around him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. But very gracious, kind.
The funny thing about the Beatles, because also my sister and I, you know, like every kid, we were acting out the Beatles. But what I learned as a musician, I learned harmony, and I harmonized with my sister. Who were you? Were you Paul or Joan? Ellen always had to be Paul. I had to be Joan. She was Paul. And that was fine. But I learned the harmonies.
And it just trained my ear differently. The Beatles and I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Cindy, your second album was another success. The standout single, True Colours, resonated with many people, but found a particular connection with the LGBTQ community. Why did that song resonate so deeply with people? There are certain songs that are healing songs. And I, in my life, had the privilege of being part of two songs that
that have helped communities over the years. And the one thing was at the time in America, they were not talking about AIDS. And AIDS was very prevalent and people were dying. You lost friends, I know, during that crisis. And I had a friend who, if people were more educated and they understood about the disease more, they would not have treated these people this way.
And I was always worried about my friend. I was worried if I came to see my friend, am I going to kill him with my germs? Is he going to kill me? Am I going somewhere else? What am I doing? Nobody's telling us about this thing. And then he wanted me to write a song for him the same way that Dionne Warwick and Elton John, they sing That's What Friends Are For. So I wrote Boy Blue, but I also sang True Colors. I sang True Colors for us who survived him.
for him because he was really a good kid and a young adult. And he never felt good about himself because you're made to feel horrible about yourself. And that's what makes these youth more vulnerable. How old was he when he died? 24.
I was so saddened by it, but at one point I was singing True Colors and some guy came up to me from the crowd with a flag, like the new rainbow flag. Did you know what it was then? That would have been... Yeah, I knew it was a flag. Yeah. And he said, you know, I designed this because I was inspired by your song. So that was the pride flag. And I put it on and after that moment I knew that Gregory got his wish.
There was the song that I sang for him. And then we started doing things like...
creating a fund, helping and trying to create change. And what does it mean to you, Cindy, to see other activists take up your song, your lyrics, your music and to kind of literally put them on a banner, you know, to see those banners at the Women's March saying girls just want to have fundamental rights? When I saw that, I cried a little because I used to get in a lot of trouble for talking about women's rights.
When I saw that, I called up my friends that I started the True Colors Fund with, and I said, let's start the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund. Come on. Which helps women's health, safe and legal abortion, prenatal care, postnatal care, cancer screenings, and everything having to do with women's health and safety.
promotion of women. So we do that in, we raise money and fund organisations all over the world. Cindy, alongside your singing career, you've also worked as an actor. You won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress when you appeared in the TV sitcom Mad About You. And you actually met your husband, David, who's an actor on the set of a movie.
The two of you were married by the architect of rock and roll himself, Little Richard. He officiated your wedding. Wasn't it great? Please tell me everything. And we were planning the wedding and I was trying to do the album and I got two licenses that year. I was so excited. I learned how to drive and I got a wedding license. I had two licenses. And...
I was thinking, David is very thoughtful, was walking around and he said, "How about we get married in the Friends Meeting House? Because we're going to bring our friends together, right?" I said, "That's a great idea." I said, "How about we have the greatest singer ever?" Because I come from the school of voice, right? The church of voice.
And of course, David's father didn't believe we were really married, that it was legal, but it was. And we just had a wonderful time. We got married there. We rented a double-decker bus to take everybody to the restaurant. Of course, it's a Sicilian restaurant. And we ate Sicilian food, and I actually ate at my wedding.
My mother was shocked, but I had the black ink source. How did bringing all those friends together go? You know, David said you were bringing your friends together. I'm imagining your mum, your aunts, little Richard, Patty LaBelle. What was the reception like? Well, you know, little Richard's shy and with a lot of Italian people. So I don't know. So they were louder than him. But Patty was there. I love Patty and her keyboard player.
And my family and the people that were close to me. Cindy, let's have some more music. Your sixth choice today. What are you taking to the island next and why? This is an important thing. Now, when I decided to take this class in the Lenny Tristana School of Jazz, I studied Billie Holiday, but also an assignment was not just Billie, but Billie singing with Lester Young.
And if you listen to them singing together, it is so extraordinary. This woman, Billie Holiday, to me, wrote modern phrasing. She was extraordinary. Now, I know that I don't have Joni Mitchell on here, but that'll be another time. But obviously, she was a big influence. But Billie...
was the foundation of me never to be afraid of the snare drum again and to breathe and to hear interior rhythm. And that is very prominent on this. Just have a listen to how wonderful these two are answering each other. ¶¶ ¶¶
A sailboat in the moonlight, Billie Holiday and her orchestra.
Cindy Lauper, you put your songwriting skills to the test in 2012 when you undertook the job of composing music and lyrics for a new show, Kinky Boots. So this was new territory for you. What was it about the project that made you want to get involved? Harvey Feuerstein. He wrote the book and Jerry Mitchell...
did the choreography for me. How confident did you feel starting work on the project though? Kinky Boots doing something completely new? Well, I was kind of pissy about the tour I was on and I said, "Sure." He said, "Sin, how about you watch the movie first?" So I said, "Okay, okay." So I watched the movie
And it was shoes again. Shoes. They've been a running theme for you since art school when you used to paint shoes instead of canvases. Yeah, I used to get in trouble for that all the time. But he said, yeah. I said, I'm in. And I just figured they wanted me to write catchy songs. That's what I thought.
I thought, oh, you want catchy songs. I could do that. And your creative efforts were richly rewarded. The show is a huge hit, won six Tonys, including one for Best Original Score. Well, we won in Olivier. And in Olivier, too. But you were the first woman to win in the Best Original Score category at the Tonys on your own, by yourself, which is incredible. That was important to everyone. Yeah. How did it feel when your name was called out?
Like I always feel if I win and everybody else doesn't. I felt like Harvey should have won something because he was the one that was under his tutelage. I was able to do that and I learned so much. And to me, honestly, comedy, the reason I love comedy is because it's like music.
There's a rhythm to it. Everything has rhythm. Everything. Cindy, it's time for your next piece of music, if you wouldn't mind. Disc number seven. I think this is a band and an artist that you said you were rooting for. Yeah, we were all rooting for Blondie. We loved, I loved, I love her still. And I love them. And I think that this is one of my favorite songs, one way or another.
I even play it now before I go on. Oh, I can imagine this is just right for getting you in the zone because there's such determination in this track. I love this song. I think it's so great. There's a sound. There's an idea. There's a brain. It all works. It's fantastic.
Deborah Harry, I love her. And I love Blondie. And we were rooting for them. And when this came out, we all went bonkers. Is that like a New York thing? Yeah. Yeah, they were ours. They were from New York. I'm gonna win ya, I'm gonna get ya.
Blondie and one way or another. Cindy, you've been in the music industry for many years now. How much do you think things have changed for women in that sector? They change and they don't. The fact that Taylor Swift had to justify herself. I was like, are you kidding? I'm freaking so proud of that young woman. What a good example. I'm happy watching all these young women. And I know that there'll always be struggles.
But you just always got to take a step back, and there's always going to be gatekeepers, and just figure out how to get around them. Find like-minded people doing similar things that you aspire to do, and know that there are still artist collectives.
that you could join and achieve what it is you want. When you look out at the music scene now and look at the younger artists making music, where do you see your influence, your DNA? My DNA is just like everyone that I learned from. We stand on the shoulders of the people that came before us.
And the people that come after us will be standing on ours. Thinking about, you know, the generations and what comes after, and obviously you're on this farewell tour at the moment, have you given much thought to what you'd like your legacy to be? Is that something that you're interested in? I think about trying to do the right thing, and I think about the music that I make, that I don't just... Like, I was told one time by a very prominent, very important...
male figure of the industry that said that we were making disposable music and I took issue with that because I did not make disposable music and I don't do that because you just do the best you can and don't make disposable music or make music that makes people happy. Find some songs that help people and you can leave that behind and do some great work.
Cindy, it's almost time to cast you away to the desert island. How will you cope, do you think, with total isolation? I have no idea. Are you good on your own? Are you often on your own? I like to think, yeah. You're on an island. There's water. There are creatures. You're not alone. What sort of island are you imagining? What do you picture when you think of your desert island? What's the first thing you'll do when you get there? Hmm.
See if they're making any of those, like, piña coladas, probably. With an umbrella, I like umbrellas. Well, you'll have to knock it up yourself, but you never know what materials might be around when you get there. Oh, there you go. Cindy, we'd love one more track before we cast you away to the desert island. The piña coladas are on hold for now. To me, this is rock and roll, the epitome of it. Rock and roll is blues music.
Rock and roll has drums. The thing about this is it's a combination of not just blues, but also the Native American drum beat, which to me is what rock and roll is. Listeners may not know that this is the original version of this track. Yes, it is. This is the original version of Hound Dog. And, um...
I think Big Mama Thornton isn't just a blues singer. I think she's a rocker. And to me, she was the foundation of a lot of stuff that came after. When Snoopy Ramado You ain't not matter how long When Snoopy Ramado You can wag your tail No more You told me you
But I can see through life
And I'll take the David Sedaris Me Talk Pretty one day. It's yours. You can also have a luxury item to make life a little bit more bearable on the desert island. I need a luxury hotel. Just one. Oh, okay. You know it'll be completely unstaffed because you are by yourself. But it'll have a lot of stuff that I need.
It's an interesting choice. People have taken buildings in the past. They've taken their favorite museums, concert halls. On that basis, as long as it's unstaffed, I can give it to you. See, and I think I could go with that because it'll have everything I need. A piano. I could do my vocals. I could do whatever. I could write melodies. I could cook.
I'd have to, you know, go fish. You'd have to catch a fish first. I tell you, I can't do it without a luxury hotel, though. I've got to have a luxury hotel. I think it's a clever choice, and it's all yours. And finally, which one track of the eight that you've shared with us today would you rush to save from the waves? Oh, my gosh. I think that Maria Callas track, because I don't think you could ever get tired of listening to all the colors in her voice. Although...
They're all great singers and I love them all for different reasons. But yeah. Such a beautiful way of putting it. Cindy Lauper, thank you very much for letting us hear your Desert Island Discs. Thank you. Hello. It was lovely to chat to Cindy and hope she's very happy on the island alone in her luxury hotel. What a brilliant idea.
We've cast away many musicians over the years and there are more than 2,000 programmes in our archive that you can listen to, including Cher, Adele, Debbie Harry and Sir Paul McCartney. You can hear those programmes if you search through BBC Sounds or on our own Desert Island Discs website.
The studio manager for today's programme was Jackie Marjoram. The executive production coordinator was Susie Royalence. The assistant producer was Christine Pawlowski and the producer was Sarah Taylor. Join me next time when my guest will be the conservation biologist Professor Carl Jones. A new podcast series from BBC Radio 4.
In the first stage of a poltergeist haunting, the entity will confine itself to making noise, as if it's testing its victims. The Battersea Poltergeist. My name is Shirley Hitchens. I'm 15 years old. I live with my mum, dad, brother, gran and Donald. Subscribe to The Battersea Poltergeist on BBC Sounds.