I was 14 in 1984 and dreaded hearing that song ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ even one more time. It seemed it was EVERYWHERE and I did not relate to happy, fun girls. But one day on MTV I happened to see Cyndi’s new video ‘Time After Time.’ I was immediately confused. She wasn’t dancing this time. She wasn’t giddy anymore. She sounded stuffed-up: did she have a cold? Oh no, I thought, she’s crying at the end… she’s so sweet! I was heartbroken by this story … and the hushed tones of this lost girl who looked like no one I had ever seen before.
As a misfit in Orange County, New York I immediately connected with the feeling of being alone. She was strong enough to be different than ANYONE, and able to go off on her own after leaving her boyfriend. I immediately believed that I would be okay. Even as a gay teen in the 80’s who had no idea what a future would look like being another freak. Kind of like Cyndi Lauper.
Yet, this bizarre girl was being recognized and respected for being herself. She broke records and became the first artist to have four Top 5 singles off of her first album. When I bought her LP record I was intrigued by this cover art, arms and legs flailing in a very non-traditional but pretty way. People loved her! There was hope.
I listened to each song every day trying to model confidence and self respect. It started to work… slowly. Her new video ‘She Bop’ came out and I was so excited!! I had no idea what it meant, but I was all for it. The TV was going crazy and I would scour the stations and the radio for any glimpse or soundbite I could get of this person. “Who is this girl Cyndi Lauper, and why is she so UN-USUAL?!”
As a sheltered Irish Catholic, I believed that she really spoke like this Betty Boop character (whoever that was) and I never questioned her antics with Wrestlemania or any of her quirky life. It all seemed believable enough to me.
One day I heard that Cyndi was taking her ‘Fun Tour’ on the road and would be playing Middletown, NY (Orange County Community College to be exact). She had hit the big time, I thought to myself.
Now convinced that I was her biggest fan (lol), I knew that seeing Cyndi live would make my life complete ;) So nervous as we were, my older cousin Krissy and my only friend John sprayed colored-hairspray all over our completely uncool hairstyles. We put our Cyndi Lauper pins on our jean jackets and we were ready to go.
I sat in the bleachers with my little brother and our chaperone - my Aunt Deb - who lovingly volunteered to take us because she liked Cyndi, too. It was the best thing ever to me. Not only was I hooked, I was lucky enough to see her a second time on her FUN tour. This time I was determined to get near the stage and thought I died when Cyndi reached down into the crowd and held my hand, among many other people that night. I felt like I knew her… and she knew me.
Fifteen years later I finally met Cyndi ‘in real life’ in 1999 (and quite a few times since). She’s always been very nice to me as you would hope an icon would be. She has been known to say ‘be careful when you meet your celebrity’… because you might be disappointed. For me it’s the opposite: Cyndi is the real deal.
I’m now 54 and still have that collection… but now it’s grown to be quite THE MUSEUM. And it’s even more than that… it’s a tribute to the person who, without even knowing, made it ok to be me.