joan rivers in seattle
DESCRIPTION
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�
Washington State’s 529 Prepaid College Tuition Program
Get started today • Visit get.wa.gov or call 1.800.955.2318
Enroll November 1 – May 31Year-round enrollment for newborns
Your children are growing fast. College tuition is growing faster.Fortunately there’s GET, Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition college savings program.
Washington’s 529 Prepaid College Tuition Plan
State guarantee
Choice of colleges nationwide
Tax-free savings and withdrawals
Flexible plans
GET is guaranteed to keep up with the rising cost of tuition, and it can be used anywhere in the country. Learn the facts and enroll today at get.wa.gov. Because the sooner you enroll, the more you’ll save.
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.��