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NEWS : STORIES
Cherilyn Sarkisian La Pierre has had enough. After 20 years of belting out the hits, she’s embarking on what is definitely, positively, absolutely her farewell tour. But before you reach for the hankies, she’s making sure this is the most
VH1: What does it mean to you to be a diva? Cher: Someone asked me on the red carpet at VH1 Divas Live 1999, “What does the word ‘diva’ mean?” I said, “Well, I think of it like an opera star. You think of those people as divas.” He said, “What do you think about modern-day women who call themselves divas?” I said, “Well, they are like singing bitches that you can’t get along with. I don’t want to be one.” He said, “Well, why are you doing this show?” Because that’s the name of the show! It’s just a bunch of girls getting together and singing. The idea that you’re a diva just doesn’t fit. VH1: What do you think of your fellow divas? What’s it like to be in the company of Celine, Shakira, Mary J. Blige and the Dixie Chicks? Cher: Celine is the best singer in the world. Nobody can out-sing her. She was on Divas once with Aretha Franklin and a whole bunch of other girls. She blew them all away. I was amazed. One time we were both at NBC and she did “Believe” for me. She did all the electronic effects with her voice! I would never sing on the same stage with her at the same time. The other girls have got great style, but as far as pipes go … Mariah Carey is up there. Celine, Mariah Carey and then Cyndi Lauper. They’ve got those great pipes, but you don’t want to be on the same stage as them! VH1: Do you like performing in Vegas? Cher: A long time ago when I used to work there I didn’t like it, because I played casinos and that was really difficult. When I played the Mirage it was a little better because younger people started coming to the shows who were aware of your music. Before you had to go out there and kill yourself and nobody really knew what you were singing. They were old people just sitting there looking at you. Later it got to be cooler, but still, it was hard work. VH1: Why do you think drag queens love to impersonate divas like Tina Turner, Aretha, and yourself? Cher: Drag queens are always at the forefront. They’re always avant-garde. They’ve got the flare to just go out and do it. So they pick the woman who represents the most outrageous and the biggest. We’re all over the top, and they like the beads and the hair. VH1: How do you feel about drag queens looking, acting and dressing like you? Cher: I love it. I think it’s great. It’s expressing yourself and it’s fun. It’s hard enough to have a good time and if people are having a good time, god bless them. VH1: On the new album Living Proof there’s dance beats, Latin music and some electronica. Do you enjoy this type of music? Cher: When you’re singing sometimes the beat is important. Sometimes it’s not really important at all. “Song for the Lonely” is a very emotional song. It makes you come alive and has more of a Rocky thing. “A Different Kind of Love Song” is my other favorite song. It’s very techno and much more like “Believe.” If I love the song and the music, then I’m happy with wherever it goes. I did one dance track in the 70’s - “Take Me Home” - but I came to dance music later in my career. To me it’s all just music. VH1: After Divas Las Vegas you’re embarking on a farewell tour. Why are you saying goodbye? Cher: I love the actual two hours on stage every night, but the road is a grind. It’s really hard to do, so I want to do it now before I decide, “Oh, I can’t do it anymore.” Running around on stage for 2 hours isn’t the hard part. It’s not knowing where you are and getting up and driving or flying and being in a different city every day. It’s rough. The only person I know that’s still touring besides guy bands is Tina Turner. We’re the last two warhorses. Touring is enough to kill a 20-year-old! VH1: Since you’re saying, “This is it,” does this make the tour more meaningful to you? Cher: I have to remember not to think about it till the last show. Thinking about it while you’re doing it is not a good idea. The last night is the night you do it. Either after the show or at the end of the show. VH1: What are fans going to see in this tour? Cher: If you liked any of the other shows, you’ll be overwhelmed by this show. I did every single thing I ever wanted to do. I went completely nuts. On the last tour kids came down on bungee ropes and there was silver glitter everywhere - stuff like that was always happening. But now we’ve got stuff that makes that look like kindergarten. We went insane with the production and costumes and everything! VH1: I hear you’re working with the designer Bob Mackie again. Cher: He’s just great. He blew me away with these costumes. We did themed things for the show. I get ideas and then I said to him, “Okay, this is what I want. Now you make it.” So at the beginning of the show there’s a Mongolian theme. Then we go to Tibet and Bali. Then we go Maori so our heads and whole bodies are tattooed. We go all out. We have huge Mohawks, black with big crimson feathers coming out. It’s like Cirque du Soleil meets rock ‘n’ roll! VH1: Are you going to play some of the older stuff in the set, too? Cher: I’m going to try to cram every hit song into the show. If you’ve been doing a song since the year dot, it’s hard to be as enthused as you were when you did it 25 or 30 years ago. But if I go to see somebody’s concert and they don’t do their hits, I am so pissed. What we’ve tried to do is go all the way back. My first song is “All I Really Want to Do.” I’ve never sung that before. We’ve got one really huge surprise which I think people are going to fall down over. I’ll sing some stuff off the new album. I’m just trying to get all of it in! VH1: Are you excited about touring? Cher: [Laughs.] I’m a third excited, a third nervous and a third thinking, “Oh, my god. This is so hard!” As we get into rehearsals the nervous feeling diminishes into, “Oh this is great!” One gets much better and the other one gets much less, but the third feeling that always goes, “Oh my god! This is going to be so difficult!” always lingers in the air until you’re actually doing it. VH1: To what do you attribute your staying power? It’s just incredible! Cher: I have no idea. Everyone asks me and I have no answer. I can’t come up with one reason. I know people that are much more talented and much better dancing or singing or acting. But I think that I can do a little bit of all three. That’s kind of made me go in and out. I’d focus on one thing and come back and do something else and then try to combine all three. VH1: Overall what is it like being Cher right now? Cher: Hectic and always interesting. Tonight I did the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The first time I did my song, my shirt broke and fell down. I had a jacket on, thank God! The audience was looking at me and I didn’t move at all. Then I had to say to them, “Guys, you know my shirt broke!” It was falling down so they let me do it again. So being Cher is exciting and interesting … and tumultuous!
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