Moon Trent interviewer, identified by MT: Bette Midler interviewee, identified by BM:
MT: The question I have, I am very curious as to your views on censorship, and what is being done with groups like The 2 Live Crew and stuff like that.
BM: Well, I, uh, oh god, this is a hard question. Um, when I started my career I was pretty raunchy. I turned into a great grand dame, someone who doesn’t, someone who watches…, I am more careful than I used to be, and I always take care of myself because I feel I have a responsibility to my audience. My audience is very wide, it is all ages, and I want, what I want to do, is to raise them up. I want to raise them up. I want to enlighten them, and the way I choose to do it is a much gentler way than other people choose to do it. I cannot really speak for 2 Live Crew, I haven’t heard their record, but I, I think it’s a matter of taste- it’s a question of taste. I don’t think that kind of material is right for everyone. I certainly don’t think its right for children. I think that its unfortunate that so much of their audience is real young, because, because I think it gives their audience a really distorted picture of what life and humanity is really all about. It doesn’t raise them up at all, but I am not going to stop them from doing what it is that they have to do, or what it is that they do. I don’t buy it and I am not going to listen to it because I find it offensive, but, I don’t, I am not going to tell them what they can do, what they can and can’t do.
MT: What do you think about people, what do you think of like Sinead O’Connor boycotting everything left and right? What do …. ?
BM: I have not really kept up with it, but I heard that she was at Mrs. Gooche’s and a butcher sang the National Anthem and she had him fired. Is that true?
MT: I heard something about a clerk being fired for doing that to her, but I don’t know the whole story.
BM: Well, that’s what I heard, I heard it was a butcher, but I don’t know what she was doing in the meat department in the first place?!
MT: I heard she was a vegetarian myself.
Both laugh.
MT: One last question I have, I am curious as to the very last record you bought and what is currently in your tape deck?
BM: That is a great question. Thank you very much for asking me that question. Nobody ever asks me about music.
MT: I just wondered if you keep up on the latest stuff. My favorite band is the Eurythmics, as a matter of fact, and I am just curious as to what new bands, ….
BM: I don’t have the last Eurythmics, but I have a lot of Eurythmics. The record that I keep trying to get to the store to buy is the Grafitti Bridge record, I cannot seem to find the time to get to the store and get that… (muffled)
MT: The new Prince album?
BM: Yeah, yeah.
MT: Yeah, he is fab.
BM: Yeah, he is fab! He is great. He’s great. So, I heard the Paul Simon record was very good, umm, I like, I really like, a lot of the hmmm, ethnic music. I listen to a lot of ethnic music. I listen to The Bulgarians, I listen to the African, all the African JuJu music that I can. Sorta like that. I don’t, mmm, my taste is very wide- I am very interested in all kinds of music.
MT: What is your favorite video on MTV?
BM: Well, to tell you the truth, I have not had the time to turn it on. I have not had one second.
MT: Have you made a video for, are you planning on making a video for, or are you currently making a video … .
BM: - I have made a video.
MT: Do you plan on making more for your album?
BM: Umm, I am, yeah. I had a day to make that video. I don’t know if you have seen it or not.
MT: No, I haven’t seen it yet.
BM: Its very sweet, its very pretty, because From A Distance is such a sweet song, its hard to have.., you know, to throw in a lot of cuts and a lot of action, because its not that kind of a song, and I wanted to make sure that it was in keeping with the message of the song. So, we made it in a day, and I am hoping that the next time I make a video I won’t be so, I will have a little bit more time, and maybe I will even direct one myself, but that’s a tremendous amount of work, so we will see.
MT: That’s great. You have a lot of fans here in the central valley of California. If you are ever in Modesto, stop by KHOP FM 104 and we will have you on and we love you. Thank you.