Hey Hey APJ,

One of my heroes is Dame Edna Everidge. She paved a form of drag that made it a good deal more acceptable to make my own career choices. With her fun, caustic, witty and well researched brand of humour she reached millions of people who would never have even thought about seeing a drag show in its Gay Land form but who would cough up big bickies to see this mad maven mock and reduce everything they were and loved. Did it in such a way that both victim and audience were laughing. That is an amazing talent.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

I have only met Barry Humphries on a couple of occasions and he was extremely charming. When I thanked him for making my career choices easier, made it so much easier to say to Mum that I was going to be like Dame Edna, in fact made what I do verge on acceptable he was so humble and modest. It had never occurred to him that his being Dame Edna changed anyone’s life for the better other than the moments he spent making them laugh and think in theatres and on TV around the globe.

60 years in a profession notorious for its brevity. Amazing.

Here you see a chat on The Talk in America. Even though Dame Edna is her usual caustic self you can tell there has been long, hard thought about life and the place in it that Barry and Edna hold by both the cast and Edna. A lovely 3.20 minutes.

Enjoy,
Portia xx

The Talk – Dame Edna on 60-Year Career & Joan Rivers