Amanda Lear is, in a word, amazing. Don’t believe me? Jump on YouTube and watch the wonderfully kitsch video clips for her seventies disco singles 'Queen of Chinatown', 'Fashion Pack (Studio 54)' and 'Alphabet'. The French icon’s life is the stuff of legends: she has dated everyone from Bryan Ferry to The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones, once posed nude for Playboy, played muse to Salvador Dali, is rumored to be genetically male, and — to bring my point home — was the inspiration for Ab Fab’s Patsy Stone.
Interview by Zac Bayly.
Zac Bayly: So, I hear you’re doing theatre now. What’s the play about?
Amanda Lear: Well, the character that I’m playing in Lady Oscar is a lot like Anna Wintour, if you know Anna Wintour from The Devil Wears Prada. She works at a large magazine like W or Vogue, and she is a difficult woman; she’s not easy. But then her daughter gets pregnant from the driver, her husband runs out on her, her job… well, her whole world comes tumbling down. So, it’s like two hours of this woman having a breakdown while she tries to fix everything. It could be a sad play, but I bring a sense of humour to the role, and it’s been a huge success.
Do you think a sense of humour is important in your work?
Totally, darling! I can’t take myself too seriously. I mean, look at me! It’s impossible. I’ve met so many celebrities who take themselves too seriously. You would be shocked by how many people will say things like, “Do you know who I am? I am such and such. I am the greatest actor!” And you know, I think it’s ridiculous, because we’re all trying our best to do our jobs. I am totally up for making fun of myself.
You’ve dated quite a few famous people in your life.
When I was young, yes.
Did the people that you’ve dated, like Bryan Ferry and David Bowie, have a good sense of humour?
Bryan Ferry is a wonderful boy, I must say. Uh… I’m not sure about Bowie. I don’t think he had a sense of humour about himself. I think Paul McCartney did — a lot of people do have it. Lady Gaga makes me laugh, but for another reason entirely [laughs].
My next question is: so many people have called you their muse, but who’s inspired you?
Who inspired me? Hmmm… I don’t know. In terms of voice, I like that sort of jazzy voice, you know? I like it to be little bit bluesy — the kind of voice where she is not perfect. She sounds a little bit sleepy and very sexy.
Like your voice?
Oh, thank you, darling. I’ve been working so much on my voice. When David Bowie sent me to my voice teacher, he was training me to have a much higher voice. Then, when I arrived in the recording studio, they made me smoke I-don’t-know-how-many cigarettes and drink whiskey, so that my voice was low and husky like Marlene Dietrich’s — like I was a woman who’d had a very hard life, you know?
Do you still drink, smoke, and have as much fun as you used to?
Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. I am on stage every night, and when you’re in the theatre you have to be totally focused. I have to be exactly perfect every night.
One of the things I want to ask you about is how Dali taught you to manipulate the media; to be an entertainer.
Yes, yes. It’s true. He was a great teacher.
What are some of the tricks that he taught you?
Darling — journalists often ask me questions about things that I’m not interested in talking about, so he explained to me how I should behave during interviews. It’s very simple: if you’re absolutely sure of what you want to say, there’s no problem. Dali had a knack for being in the media. Many painters live a very secluded life and never appear on TV, but he was exactly the opposite. He was always on TV, always making a show of himself. He was my teacher in becoming famous. He and Andy Warhol had a knack for it.
Is fame still important to you?
No, no. Not at all. What’s important is to pay the rent. I was never really seeking fame. There are so many girls that are absolutely desperate to find fame, but I’m probably the opposite. I’m hiding away. I live my own life, but somehow, whatever I do, it gets in the papers. If I were seeking fame I would make myself be seen much more often, by going on all those red carpets and showing myself off in a ridiculous dress like they all do.
Like your voice?
Oh, thank you, darling. I’ve been working so much on my voice. When David Bowie sent me to my voice teacher, he was training me to have a much higher voice. Then, when I arrived in the recording studio, they made me smoke I-don’t-know-how-many cigarettes and drink whiskey, so that my voice was low and husky like Marlene Dietrich’s — like I was a woman who’d had a very hard life, you know?
Do you still drink, smoke, and have as much fun as you used to?
Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. I am on stage every night, and when you’re in the theatre you have to be totally focused. I have to be exactly perfect every night.
One of the things I want to ask you about is how Dali taught you to manipulate the media; to be an entertainer.
Yes, yes. It’s true. He was a great teacher.
What are some of the tricks that he taught you?
Darling — journalists often ask me questions about things that I’m not inter- ested in talking about, so he explained to me how I should behave during interviews. It’s very simple: if you’re absolutely sure of what you want to say, there’s no problem. Dali had a knack for being in the media. Many painters live a very secluded life and never appear on TV, but he was exactly the opposite. He was always on TV, always making a show of himself. He was my teacher in becoming famous. He and Andy Warhol had a knack for it.
Is fame still important to you?
No, no. Not at all. What’s important is to pay the rent. I was never really seeking fame. There are so many girls that are absolutely desperate to find fame, but I’m probably the opposite. I’m hiding away. I live my own life, but somehow, whatever I do, it gets in the papers. If I were seeking fame I would make myself be seen much more often, by going on all those red carpets and showing myself off in a ridiculous dress like they all do
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