Cyndi Lauper on Her Country Album, Donald Trump, Hanging With Lady Gaga

Did you ever worry your style and persona were overshadowing your music?
The suits would say to me, “Your image is so big, I can’t hear you sing.” But those are corporate people who don’t understand performance art. There was a time, around the early Nineties, when they kept telling me, “Your true colors should just shine from the inside,” and I got plainer and plainer and plainer. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, “Who the fuck are you?” I think I was floundering. When I met Lady Gaga [in 2009], I think I woke up. “I’ll have freaking colored hair when I want!”

Your Queens accent is one of your trademarks, but you’ve also taken flak for it. Ever try to lose it?
Even on Celebrity Apprentice, people would say how funny I talked – then they’d start talking like me. I figured that’s probably what was upsetting to them – they were afraid I was contagious! I worked on it in college, and they taught me you have to relax your face, slow down, and your accent would be less and less. But I’m in a hurry!

As an Apprentice veteran, what do you think of a potential Trump presidency?
Of course, you’re going to ask me a fucking political question. At the time I said he seemed nice because he had nice children, and that I wish I was so smart that I could get people to work that stinking hard and just show up and wave and say, “OK, you’re fired!” But you don’t go on TV as a presidential candidate and talk about the size of your hand. You don’t do it. It’s so fucking juvenile and stupid. You think I want that person next to that red button? I don’t freaking think so.

In your memoir, you talk about sexism you faced in the industry and the world. Do you think it’s gotten any better?
Oh, come on! Look at what’s happening in the world! Give me this day my daily break! Look at politics. When Hillary was first running, I saw in an airport store a fucking nutcracker with Hillary and her legs as the nutcracker. And now this woman’s being held to all kinds of standards: “Oh, she doesn’t smile that much! Oh, I don’t like the clothing she wears! Oh, she did this.” And every other motherfucker was doing the same thing. I am sick and tired of seeing the boys’ club.

So it’s Hillary over Bernie for you?
Well, yeah! Because I know the rich people aren’t going to pay any more taxes. I’ll just pay a little more of what I’m already paying, and have a little less.