♪♪
[NANCY GUPPY] A few weeks ago, the great Dame Edna was in Seattle
for a four night run at the Moore Theater.
Well, she graciously agreed to do an interview.
So we sat down in the Moore lobby
for a cup of tea and a little chat.
Dame Edna, it's wonderful to see you.
[DAME EDNA] And there. It's lovely to see you in your beautifully, humanely
culled
(giggling)
acrylic...
acrylic leopard.
[NANCY GUPPY] Yeah, it's not the real thing.
But I tried. I'm trying to look good.
You, of course, look gorgeous.
Now you're here in town for the final leg
of your tour, of the “Glorious Goodbye Tour,”
but you're starting it in Seattle.
Well, why? [DAME EDNA] Nancy?
-Yes. -The word “final”
I've never liked particularly. (giggling)
This is the first show in America
of my farewell tour right now.
I decided
a year or so
ago that I've been touring too much and I needed really
to devote a lot of time to my charities.
So I thought, I'll do a farewell tour
and I might do another.
But this is it. (giggling)
And I said goodbye to Australia.
-Yes. -I've toured England.
I did a special royal performance in London
where the royal family came to say goodbye.
I don't think of myself as a comedian.
I don't. -Hmm, ya don’t, why not?
-I've often wondered what is comedy, Nancy?
Failed tragedy.
(laughter) -Yes, absolutely.
I tend to laugh when things go a bit wrong.
-That's always interesting.
-And every night when I'm on stage
I'm hoping there'll be an accident of some kind.
Not to me, but to someone in the audience.
Some bit of masonry might fall on them. (loud chuckle)
That would make my night.
[NANCY GUPPY] Now, you, you had a great quote.
I don't know when you said this,
but you wrote you said about your shows
and your shows are quote, “An intimate conversation
between two friends,
one of whom is a lot more interesting than the other.”
-That's me. -Yeah.
Have you ever met anyone
who is even slightly close to be interesting
or as interesting as you? Close?
[DAME EDNA] Frankly, no.
I have to be honest with you, Nancy.
-I want you to be.
-You are quite an interesting young woman.
But I am more interesting.
-Yes, I would agree with you.
-It's different, you see.
Otherwise, I'd be interviewing you.
[NANCY GUPPY] Good point.
Yes. I'd be having a world tour and I am not.
Now, when you're when you're going to be retired,
will you spend more time with the Queen...Elizabeth?
[DAME EDNA] Well, I am a very good friend of the queen.
And one of the conditions of our friendship is that
I don't discuss intimate things about her. -Mmhmm.
-She does... She confides in you, though?
-But she does confide in me.
And sometimes she's broken down and teared up.
Teared up.
That's an American expression, isn't it?
She tears up.
And she's had a lot of family problems,
but she's had a lot of joy as well.
And she is the hardest working woman
that I know, the Queen of England.
I brought so many people together.
I introduced Kate Middleton to
Prince William.
-Mm hmm.
You did?
-And I introduce George Clooney...
-To that... -Beautiful thing.
-Lovely person. -My goodness.
-Can you imagine this award
he's had ? A lifetime's achievement?
What has he done?
A lifetime achievement.
He's practically nothing.
He's just been an actor.
(laughter) -Right. And good looking.
Well, very, very good looking.
-Speaking of... -But how
much money does a person need?
-Well, how much do you have? Do you have a lot?
-I'm a wealthy woman, but I give I give, I give.
In fact, my gynecologist told me I gave too much.
I said to, “What are you referring?”
[NANCY GUPPY] Do you miss Norm?
You're your husband of many years?
[DAME EDNA] No, I don’t really miss him.
I missed him for the first 20 minutes.
He was an invalid.
And, you know, we had a very happy marriage.
-Yes. -Because he was bedridden most of the time.
And I would recommend that.
-To a happy marriage.
That's a secret to.
-Marry an invalid.
I'm bringing out a book of photographs
from my photographs called “A Compassionate Camera.”
-Mm hmm.
-And I photograph orphans mostly
or people in distress.. -Okay.
-Close up.
And that's going to be published in a lovely coffee
table book and some of the profits will go to them.
-Oh, but not all.
-Not all. -And what's the name of the book?
-”The Compassionate Camera.”
-Look out for it.
-All right, I'll be looking for that.
-There'll be a picture of me
on the cover with a camera very close to an orphan.
-Oh, so a photo of you taking the photo.
-Of the little orphan.
(giggles) [NANCY GUPPY] Well, do
you have a favorite US president?
[DAME EDNA] I think I liked.
Who was that man...
after LBJ?
Ford.
-Ford.
-I love Mr. Ford. -Because?
-Because you can hardly remember him.
And that's why I like him.
Because all the others have memories attached to them.
And they're not very nice memories.
-And his is just kind of bland. -He’s bland.
(laughter) -And he fell-a lot.
-He did, yes. -We love the fallen.
-Who was the president who was vomited on by a Japanese.
-Oh, Bush senior.
-He went to a Japanese restaurant
and he vomited all over his host. -(laughter) That’s memorable!
-That's one of the great moments, I thought.
- Well, you are a delight.
Thank you so much for giving us your time.
And we are thrilled that you are here in Seattle.
-Is any of this going to be on television? -Oh, yes.
♪♪
Dame Edna's “Glorious Goodbye:
The Farewell Tour” continues
to wow audiences across the US.
More information is at DameEdnaFarewell.com.
Also a longer version of my Dame Edna
interview is on our website at SeattleChannel.org/ArtZone.
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