joan rivers in seattle

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Interview with Joan Rivers in Seattle.

TRANSCRIPT

2 The Journal� Better�After�50� •� February�7,�2012

Joan Rivers comes to SeattleBy Katherine Luck

Over� the� phone,� the� unmis-takable�New�York�bray�is�undi-minished,�even�at�age�78.�“The�people�in�Paris�...�they’re�

so�rude,�so�nasty.�All� the� jokes�you�hear�—� ‘They� should� take�Paris� and� fill� it� with� English�people’� —� they’re� absolutely�right!”This�is�Joan�Rivers:�comedian,�

actress,� plastic� surgery� con-sumer� bar� none� and� cultural�icon.� After� nearly� half� a� cen-tury� in� the� spotlight,�her�pull-no-punches� brand� of� snark� is�unblunted.Growing�up�in�Brooklyn,�be-

ing� funny� was� a� family� affair�for� Rivers.� “My� father� was� a�doctor,� but� so� funny.�The� joke�in�the�family�was,�‘His�patients�die�laughing,’”�she�said.�Her� parents,� Jewish� immi-

grants� from� Russia,� discour-aged� Rivers� from� becoming�an� entertainer,� however.� They�felt�her�older�sister�was�on�the�right� career� track� when� she�wound�up�the�youngest�female�at� the� time� to� graduate� from�Columbia�Law�School.“When� I� said,� ‘I� want� to� go� into� show�

business,’� my� father� and� mother� both�fainted� and� they� didn’t� wake� up� for� five�years,”�Rivers�said.�After�appearing�on�stage� in�school�pro-

ductions�at�Barnard�College�in�the�1950s,�she� took� a� retail� job,� married� the� boss’�son,� and� got� divorced� six� months� later.�Then�came�seven�years�spent�struggling�to�make� it� in�New�York�City�as�a�comedian�and�actress.�Following�a�stint�on�“Candid�Camera,”� her� big� break� came� when� she�appeared� on� “The� Tonight� Show”� with�Johnny�Carson� in� 1965.�Before� long,� she�was�appearing�in�a�range�of�light�TV�fare,�including� “The� Carol� Burnett� Show,”�“Hollywood�Squares”� and�“The�Ed�Sulli-van�Show.”Today� Rivers� counts� herself� fortunate�

that� both� of� her� parents� lived� to� see� her�succeed.�“They�got�to�come�to�the�Carson�show�and�saw�that�it�was�OK.�I�was�OK,”�she�said.Unlike� her� parents,� she� encouraged� her�

daughter,�Melissa,�to�pursue�her�show�biz�dreams,� frequently� telling�her,� “Run� your�own� race.�Don’t�worry�about�what�others�are�doing.”�Mother�and�daughter�are�running�an�en-

tertaining�relay�race�nowadays,�starring�in�a� reality�TV� show�on�WE,�“Joan�&�Me-

Photo courtesy of Northwest AssociAted Arts

lissa:� Joan�Knows�Best?”�Now� in� its� sec-ond�season,�the�show�is�filmed�in�Melissa’s�Los�Angeles�home,�where�Rivers�takes�up�“temporary”�residence.“It’s� seven�months� of� work� for� 10� epi-

sodes,”�Rivers� said,� adding� that� there� are�plenty�of�shockers�this�season,�which�pre-miered�on�Jan.�24.�“I�smoke�medical�mari-juana,� Melissa� breaks� up� with� her� boy-friend�on�camera�—�my�God,�we�caught�it�on�camera!�A�friend�of�ours�who�is�uber-blond� and� looks� like� a�member�of�Hitler�Youth�finds�out�he’s�Jewish.�He�has�a�bar�mitzvah� and� a� circumcision.� Who� knew�these�things�happen?�And�everybody�gets�plastic�surgery�in�the�house!”On� the� reality� TV� show,� Rivers’� guest�

status�at�her�daughter’s�house�is�ostensibly�to�accommodate�the�shooting�schedule�for�“Fashion� Police”� on� E!,� an� outgrowth� of�Rivers’� famous� red� carpet� confrontations�of�celebrities�over�their�awards�show�fash-ion�faux�pas.“Melissa� and� I� started� the� red� carpet�

[commentary].� It’s� just�grown�and�grown�and�grown.� ...� It’s� gotten� so� you� can’t� say�anything.�It�became�big�business,”�she�said.�Rivers’� stinging�celebrity�critiques�start-

ed� in� 1994�with� the�Golden�Globes� and�expanded� the� next� year� to� include� the�Academy�Awards.�Though�her�often�bru-tal� jibes� kept�her� in� the� limelight,�Rivers�

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decided�to�stop�doing�in-your-face�celeb-rity�mockery�when�the�agents�of�big�stars�began� blacklisting� her� from� speaking� to�anyone� on� their� client� list.� She� became�acutely�aware� that�she�was�becoming�un-popular�in�the�entertainment�industry.�“The�nice�thing�is,�I’ve�never�been�invited�

to�the�good�parties.�So�it’s�not�like�I’m�off�the�list,”�Rivers�said.�It�was�also�very�hard�for�her�to�be�harsh�

when� she� was� confronting� one� of� her�friends�on�the�red�carpet.�“The�minute�you�become�a�reviewer,�then�

your� allegiance� has� to� be� to� the� people�who� are� reading� you,”� she� said.� “They’re�not�tuning�in�to�hear�pap.”���When� not� filming� “Joan� &� Melissa”� or�

“Fashion� Police,”� Rivers’� life� is� all� about�New� York� City,� where� she� maintains� an�apartment�on�Manhattan’s�East�Side.�Her�days� there� are� consumed� by� QVC� and,�“If� I’m� free,� I’ll� go� to� the� theater.� I’ll� see�anything.�Broadway,�off-Broadway,�off-off-Broadway,� under� Broadway�—� anything,”�she�said.Even� after� decades� as� a� TV� star,� Riv-

ers� still� regularly� returns� to� her� stand-up�comedy�roots�with�her�live�show,�An Eve-ning With Joan Rivers.“My� act� changes� so� much� because� it’s�

about� what’s� annoying� me,”� Rivers� said.�Nothing� is�off� limits,�her� ire�being�raised�on� the� rainy� day� of� this� telephone� inter-view�by�“anything�that�happens�at�an�air-port�now,�people�who�think�their�children�are�beautiful.”�And�most�of�all,�“that�stupid�California� culture.�They’re� all� bone� thin.�And�they�have�no�humor.�No�humor!”She�will�bring�her�stand-up�show�to�Se-

attle� just� three�days�after� the�84th�Acad-emy�Awards.�Naturally,�“It’ll�be�filled�with�Oscar�stuff.�Let’s�hope�somebody�gets�very�drunk� at� the�Oscars,”� she� said.� “Then�we�can�talk�about�it.”Rivers� also� has� a� new� book� that� is� due�

to� be� on� shelves� this� summer�—� though�she� cautions� that� her� publisher� may� be�in� for� a� surprise,� because� she’s� still� writ-ing� it.� It� will� be� an� extension� of� her� act,�filled�with�zingers�about�all�the�things�she�doesn’t� like,� including�entire�cities.�Given�her�opinion�of�Paris,�which�has�netted�five�pages� and� counting,� one� is� almost� scared�to�ask�what�she�thinks�of�Seattle.“Beautiful�city!�That�Northwest�corridor�

is�gorgeous.�So�stop�bitching!”An Evening With Joan Rivers takes�place�

at�8�p.m.�on�Feb.�29�at�Benaroya�Hall�in�Seattle.��

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