antipopper

My name is Deirdre Breuning; I am a member of the band More Crap for the Masses (MCFM) and am a huge Cyndi Lauper fan. This is the greatest adventure story of all time…

I grew up in, the middle of nowhere, between tumbleweeds and no television. When I was six, my next-door neighbour played me her copy of ‘She’s So Unusual’, I stole the tape from her and my Goonies adventure began. Very soon I entirely covered the walls of my room in photocopies and posters that I colored my self. I missed out on the Girls Just Wanna Have fun tour because I was eight and my parents wouldn’t take me. My dad(of Danish descent} would tease me about my devotion to Cyndi calling her Flea Bag (Lauper is the Danish word for flea.) I thought I would never have a chance to see her perform again. She was my voice in the desert, she taught me that no matter what life throws at you, to be yourself and choose to have as much fun as you can possibly have. I formed my band two days before my ticket home to New Mexico from Melbourne. I met our guitarist four years ago at a barbeque, we got drunk and Mel started playing time after time on guitar, I spontaneously began to sing and she said afterward ‘do you wanna start a band’? I said ‘I would be honoured’. I have lived in Melbourne and played in MCFM ever since. Cyndi Lauper was playing some shows in Melbourne so my friends bought me a ticket because they new how important Cyndi was to me. My dream was starting to come true. Cyndi Lauper’s first Melbourne Concert Hall Show was stunning. I wanted to throw myself over the balcony and break my leg just so she would look at me. A highlight of the show was when she shared with us a story about her sister and respecting the individuality of the choices people make before the song. As she sang, she wrapped her self in the rainbow gay pride flag and sang her heart out. We all cried. Her voice could melt chocolate and the lift the winds of change themselves all at once. In the encore of “Girls’ Just Wanna Have Fun” Cyndi sang the line “I wanna be the one to walk in the sun” standing on the piano. It was awesome.

After the show, I waited outside in the cold with The MCFM dancers for what seemed like an eternity. The backstage people said she was already gone, but then I saw her. She was exhausted from a 6 am start, had done a touching and inspiring show and was rightfully ready for bed (and still looked beautiful!!) but she signed our stupid stuff anyway. When Cyndi got to me I told her that she is the reason that our band is together and thanked her by giving her a CD of the music she inspired. We hugged. I thought I must be dead in heaven my hero knew and hugged me. Game over. Dream come true? Not remotely….

So, the next morning we get the phone call, ‘the’ call that anyone in any area of the entertainment industry dreams about. Were we free to play that night? Cyndi wants us to support her in tonight’s performance? Yes, yes and yes again! That night we were on stage doing the MCFM show a once in a lifetime opportunity to play for my ultimate Hero. Then, incredibly she brought us back on stage, asking the MCFM dancers to dance with her in the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” encore. Lisa Bartolomei and I sang backup vocals, MCFM’s Lead Guitarist Mel Schmidt played such a glorious solo that Cyndi asked her to ‘turn it up!’ and the jumping, singing crowd to take part in the all encompassing Congo cacophony of pom poms and dreams coming true! After the show Cyndi said to Lisa ‘ I wish I could take you guys with us’ and Lisa replied ‘I wish we could come too’ and hey sometimes wishes come true.

She called More Crap for the Masses “The New-Punk.” Cyndi Lauper is the definition of Punk in her courage and vigilance in being herself, and singing the truth while dancing her ass off.

The Dream continues to grow as our Fairy Godmother, Carol Jacobsen asked us if we wanted to come and be Cyndi’s support at the Sydney State Theater. We said yes and enthusiastically sent our gear to Sydney before we had even told our drummer, confident that our adventure was set to continue. So in 48 hours with all our pets being looked after, bags packed, Tarago’s booked, C.D’s burnt, T/Shirts made and accommodations in the works, we were off. No sleep till Sydney/Cyndi!!! Standing inside the Sydney State Theatre at sound check was amazing. The theatre is one of the most beautiful theatres in the world. There we stood under an immense chandelier and divinely detailed and luscious interior. It was as if we were inside a giant, fabulous Faberge egg. We were a far cry from the small, dank holes we make our home of, playing in Melbourne. Not that we don’t love them but we were completely humbled by just where we were playing, much less by who we were playing with. Our first night in Sydney we played like our lives depended on it, I fell numerous times to the floor like a puppet with no choice but to move to music’s strings and Mel and Lisa ascended the stair cases on each side of the stage simultaneously and nearly both fell off but luckily managed to find their footing. Our intensely talented drummer Mark (Whom Cyndi lovingly referred to as ‘the boy.’) held it all together with strength and precision. Cyndi sang like an angel of potential secretly sewing the seeds of desire for the personal originality in all of us. With her inspired lyrics, “Every woman’s a Madonna every woman’s a whore” she showed her remarkable courage again in making a statement about the imbalance of power between genders in our current western society. This is something that MCFM knows only too well. I have often pondered this, but she was the one able to put it into words. I love it when works of art enable you to speak succinctly about something you have always known but were previously unable to express. During the encore, Cyndi came on wearing a MCFM t-shirt that we made for her, both guitarists from both bands (Mel Schmit and Kat Dyson) stood side by side in the solo of ‘Girls just wanna have fun,’ while the girls of MCFM we’re taught Cyndi’s own Snake Dance!! We were all on our knees in back bends. What an amazing experience to look across and see your best friends having the time of their lives on the floor, all in row with Cyndi Lauper, while the whole of Sydney cheered, Mel on guitar and Mark playing Deni’s tambourine. Seriously. Girls really do just want to have fun! I knew it was true all along. As if that wasn’t enough to sustain my spirit for an eternity, the most unsuspecting thing happened…

So great was our adventure that we were far beyond where I had dared to dream. Cyndi invited us to hang out in her dressing room with Kat and Deni (Cyndi Lauper’s violinist). Over a glass of wine they gave us a hugely helpful critique about our show and the business in general. I really understand the art of grabbing the crowd where it counts now; and, what that can do for the energy of the entire evening! Cyndi is truly generous. I never thought it would be an option to be friends with my Rock Goddess Hero, my dreams simply hadn’t got that far. Cyndi is in fact more amazing than a Goddess because she is a person who is doing such powerful good. At the end of the show she helped me off the stage and we walked off arm slung around shoulders like kids in summer.

Instructed by Cyndi in the dressing room the night before MCFM “brought it” in our final Sydney show with Cyndi- the love was palpable! Cyndi did the best show yet and it was undeniable how much fun we were all having together. When Cyndi sang ‘What’s going on?’ by Marvel Gaye her genuine nature glowed from her heart showering us in pure notes of honey and hope. Cyndi also shared with us about a very close friend of hers whom she lost to the AIDS virus; when she sang ‘True Colors’ there was not a dry eye in the house. Cyndi Lauper live connects with the audience on a personal almost cellular level unlike any performer I have ever heard; however, I am of course very bias. Before the encore Cyndi actually started telling the story of how MCFM started! I was amazed at how she continued to treat us as peers giving us generous advice and positive critique. She looked at us and she looked at the audience and she said: “ I guess ya never now the seeds ya sow.” Thank You Cyndi! Because of you I am not afraid. That encore was the craziest of them all, There was the MCFM dancers, Lisa and I dancing as well three drag queens that Cyndi had seen perform a few days previous in Sydney and old man and two random girls from the audience and as we walked of stage Cyndi yelled ‘ WE HAD FUN DIDN’T WE!!!’ Yes we did Cyndi we had the time of our lives!

by Deirdre Breuning on 29 July 2004 at 11:01 pm. #