Is This Her Farewell Tour?

Story: Eirik Knutzen  
Photography: Michael Lavine and Frank Micelotta

Ever get tired of people like Steven Tyler talking about your chronological age and fairly new additions to your anatomy? Of course not, I adore him. Steven presented me with the Billboard Lifetime Achievement Award recently as a favor because he was on tour too. He flew into Las Vegas, then flew back out. I thought his insults were funny. I like it.

By the way, do you still have the tattoos that Tyler referred to on the show, including the butterflies on your butt?
I had a couple removed because I was getting bored. And it’s just nice to have the space back. When I got my tattoos, nobody was getting them and now everyone has them…

What is your own all-time favorite album and movie? And how close to your idea of perfection were they?
The movie has to be a tie between “Mask” and “Moonstruck.” I can’t pick a favorite of these two. In terms of albums, I think it might be between the first Sonny and Cher album, Look At Us and my Believe album. I’ve had lots of favorite songs also. It’s like my movies, I don’t ever like a complete anything. There’s a moment in a movie that I think is great or a song on an album that I think is great, but I’ve never made an album that I was satisfied with.

Did you have role models while growing up?
Oh yes, especially the Hepburn girls—Katharine and Audrey. Of the boys—Elvis Presley and James Dean. Those were people that I related to. I met Audrey just a couple of times, but stayed in touch with Katharine through the years. I’ve seen her, talked to her and I’ve written her notes and she’s written me back. Katharine is a great artist and was a strong woman when women were not supposed to be strong at all. For me, she was a great role model.

What do you think Ms. Hepburn is drawing from you?
I don’t know. Maybe that someone from a younger generation holds her in such high regard has an influence. Katharine thinks that stuff is foolish, but I don’t think it’s foolish because I’m a huge fan.

Where is your home at this very moment?
Los Angeles. My main residence is in Malibu, actually. I like it there because it’s a small town and I love to look at the water. The ocean represents limitless possibilities to me because there’s nothing there to catch your eye, to stop it, and that’s what I like about it.

Can you imagine life without the children?
No, I couldn’t imagine never being a mother. I think that my life would have been empty without them.

Was there ever a time you could just take a year off and say, “Okay, I’m gonna be a full-time mom”?
Not a whole year, no. That never happened, but there were long times off in that time period. For the most part I worked a lot, but my children came with me. I tried to schedule a lot of it and sometimes I just had to drag ’em along, but the truth is they loved it. Chastity was telling me the other night that the happiest time of her life was when she was little and we used to be on the road.

Do they ever join you on the road now?
Yeah. Elijah and Chastity come and go. They like the road life for a little while at a time. It’s fun for them. You know they went through it their whole lives and they enjoy it.

Are you ever shocked by what you read about yourself in the magazines and newspapers?
Not really. It’s usually stuff like I don’t dress like a serious anything, you know, or I don’t behave in my private life. But of course people don’t know what my private life is, so that’s just a bunch of crap. The truth is I don’t conform to dress codes; I didn’t start out that way and don’t think it’s very important.

How would you describe your own taste in clothes?
Eclectic. Personal and professional tastes are so intertwined, but when I’m not working I’m kind of a bum. No make-up and my hair is usually in braids or in a ponytail, or whatever. I still love older-the-better sweat pants, jeans and T-shirts.

What is the most unfair criticism that’s ever been leveled at you professionally as far as you’re concerned?
That I did too many things. Like you’re supposed to stick to one thing and that was it? And I was one of the first people who started out as a singer, then did TV and then did acting. It took people (in the entertainment industry) a long time to be comfortable with it—like somehow my career was fake because I didn’t stick to one thing. I guess it doesn’t occur to people if you can do something, anything, you might as well do it. Deep down, I don’t care what they think.

You’ve been single a long time—do you want to stay that way?
Oh, God, I’ve been married twice. I’m not going to be married again. It’s too hard. Well, maybe not…