It's still Her Party:

By Denise Penn

An Interview with
Sixties Legend
Lesley uore

More than four decades have passed

since sixteen-year-old Lesley Gore
wowed legendary producer Quincy
Jones and recorded the song, "It's
My Party" which became the
number one hit in the nation within
two months, catapulting her to overnight stardom.
Those were the days when all teenage girls thought
about was boys, boys, boys. Gore became their voice
and sang their anthems.
The same year, 1963, she followed up with
"Judy's Turn To Cry" which was written for her and
it too became a hit, followed by "She's A Fool." In
1964 she recorded "You Don't Own Me," which may
have foreshadowed her blossoming feminism and
independent spirit. Gore recorded a total of eleven
Top 40 hits before her 21st birthday. She appeared
on the legendary T.A.M.I. Show, the Ed Sullivan
Show, Hullabaloo, the Donna Reed Show and the
Late Night Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also
played "Pussycat," an accomplice to Batwoman in
the Batman Television series.
Last year she hosted two episodes of "In the
Life," an LGBT newsmagazine produced for PBS,
which is carried hy public broadcasting stations
throughout the country. Though most people who
knew her were aware of her sexual orientation, it was
a public acknowledgement of her commitment to
helping others in the community. She is committed
to helping women take charge of their own lives and
hopes that her matter-of-fact self-acceptance and selfconfidence will make a difference to others.
At sixty, she is vibrant, sharp and enthusiastic
about her latest recording, her upcoming tour, and
her family. Lesbian News Contributor Denise Penn
caught up with her between rehearsals to chat about
her history, her career, her plans and her dreams for
the future.
Denise: Tell me about the process of coming to
understand your sexual orientation and what that was
like for you.
Lesley; It has been a very long, a very tedious and a
very soul searching experience. It's not something
that I decided one day. It's been a process that's taken
many years. I turned sixty years old recently and
there's a lot that goes into just putting in alt that time.
1 felt that after 25 years in a relationship which has
clearly not been a hidden relationship - 1 am secure
about who I am. I never really tried to hide it. I just
lived my life naturally and did what I wanted to do
but I didn't put it in anybody's face.
Denise: I understand that your involvement with the
PBS program, "In the Life" really was a positive
vehicle for coming out to many. Can you elaborate?
Lesley: I began working with the "In the Life" people
and hosted for them. And I am in touch with a lot of

young people in the Midwest when I am traveling

in that area and so many young gay people come
up to me and tell me that "In the Life" is virtually
their only connection to another gay human being.
I saw the importance of the show and after being a
host on the show a couple of times, I began to feel
comfortable about just coming out and revealing
myself - not in a huge way with trumpets and
everything else - just in a matter of fact way: Here
I am; this is where I am and this is what I have been
doing and - oh, by the way....
Denise: Tell me what the significance of the PBS
series, "In the Life" is and what you see as the
importance of public television.
Lesley: It is such a wonderful program; what I see
is that being gay now for young people is not as
difficult as it was for me back in high school and in
college years. I think programs like "In the Life" help
greatly and I am sure that The Lesbian News does the
same. Funding has been cancelled everywhere and
it is really up to us to keep all of the public TV and
radio going and it's a travesty that they need help but
they do.
Denise: So you have been in a relationship for 25
years. To what do you attribute the longevity of your
relationship?
Lesley: Deep down, there is a tremendous amount of
love. But I feel as though I look at life as a challenge
everyday. I live in New York, so physically; I wake
up ready to conquer the world every moming because
that's sort of the way you need to face New York.
And 1 feel as though I have a partner in that; it is like
Lois and myself against the world. I feel as though I
have a connection with another human being whom
I can call on a daily basis as often as twelve times
during the day and say" You are not going to believe
this last phone call." And she will call me and tell
me when something outrageous has happened and
that's just nice to go through life with that kind of
companionship.
Denise: How did you and Lois meet?
Lesley: She's a jewelry designer and I came back
from Australia many many many years ago - back
in the late sixties. I came back with a huge opal and
a friend of mine brought me to her so that she could
design a ring for me. We had a brief affair then and
then I moved out to Los Angeles. In the summer of
1979 I came back to New York to work on "Fame"
(the film) with my brother. That's when Lois and I
got together again, for good.
Denise: So Lois is a jewelry designer - do you have
rings?

Lesley: You bet I do. (laughs) I've got rings, and

I've got watches... I've got everything. She is very
esthetic. It's kind of an interesting combination
because I'm very auditory: I do most of my things
with my ears. And she is very visual, so it's a nice
combination.
Denise: Have you had a commitment ceremony of
anything like that?
Lesley: No, we haven't. Right now President Bush is
actually spending time going against gay marriage. I
think it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard
but so typical of his strategy and his thinking. But
personally, for me, it isn't important to be able to get
married. But I do understand that it is for others and I
would fight for that right for anybody.
Denise: That was a question I had - about marriage.
You were brought up in an era where young people
scrutinized and challenged the institution of marriage
in this country, in general. Did that influence you?
Lesley: Well, they were beginning to challenge it.
You have to remember what was on television: it
was "Ozzie and Harriet" and "The Donna Reed
Show" and Lucy and Desi were sleeping in separate
beds even though they were married. That's what
communities were supposed to look like then. I grew
up in a little town called Tenafiy, New Jersey and that
is exactly what it was - "Ozzie and Harriet."
Denise: In 25 years, you and Lois must have had
problems just as any other couple does. How do you
make it work?
Lesley: Because I sometimes live in a dream world,
one of the things that Lois has made me do is actually
face the problems. That's half the battle right there;
if you face a problem, or acknowledge it, then you
must do something about it. So she is a little bit
more pragmatic than I am. We are both Taums's so
sometimes we have face-offs but she does keep me
grounded. It can get rowdy but it certainly isn't dull.
Denise: So are you saying that communication is the
key? You don't just go into the comer and clam up
about an issue?
Lesley: Well, to tell you the truth, I have a tendency
to do that. So Lois is good for me because she likes
to talk everything through from the color of the toilet
paper to the kind of soap we use. It's good for me to
have that balance in my life because I can easily go
off and not be communicative.

Lesbian News July 2006

Denise: But even though marriage may not be in your

future, you expect to be together forever?

true of the record industry.

Denise: So the record industry is plagued with sexism

Lesley: That's right.

and homophobia?

Denise: How does religion affect your decisions

about your life? Do you consider yourself religious?

Lesley: You bet: the double whammy.

Lesley: I would say I am spiritual. I was brought

up in the Jewish religion and I do observe certain
holidays when I can. There are times when I am
working and I don't let my work interfere with a
religious occasion. But I think of myself more as a
spiritual person. I believe that I have a higher power
and that the higher power is in myself I believe that
if you do good in this world, that comes back to you.
Denise: Tell me about your family - are they
supportive?
Lesley: Yes. My brother and I are very close. He is a
producer and has a terrific career in films, television
and recording. We speak to each other once a day and
still do a fair amount of writing together. My mom
is still alive, God bless her; she is in her eighties and
she lives down in Florida but comes up to the New
York area for the summer so I get a chance to spend
some time with her. I lost my dad eight years ago and
I miss him but my mom has another boyfriend, so
she's rocking, God bless her.
Denise: You were so young - a teenager - when you
started your career. Did you know that you were gay
when you were a teenager?

Lesley: Oh boy, is it ever. I've told a number of

people now that I am going to sit down and write my
memoirs. That would be one of the big messages in
my book: to take care of yourself first. I got a lot of
mixed messages when I was a kid and I didn't always
feel that great about myself.

Denise: Are you going on the road with the new

music?

Lesley: I've lost so many wonderful dear friends

and I had dinner with a couple friends last night
and we talked about all the people we missed. It's
been a devastating pandemic. It's great that Bill
Clinton is getting behind the issue. When Lois and
I decide where we need to spend our time and our
energy and give our contributions, it's really all
about children and women. So we are very involved
in those organizations. We are working now with
Fay Waddleton on a benefit for her Center for
Gender which is all about information on women
and disseminating it properly so that they get the
right care and the right information to take care of
themselves.

Lesley: We have been out doing some short tours in

COmCCT LYRICS BY PERMISSION OF COPYRICHT OWNERS

Lesley: Well, for some I suppose but not for me. If

Rogers and Cowan were doing a film opening out
in Palm Springs, they would get a hundred of their
clients to come out and be a part of the opening. So
they flew everybody out and they put you up for a
weekend and it became the way that everybody got
publicity. But for me, it didn't have anything to do
with image making.
Denise: Do you think the entertairunent and music
industry has become more tolerant than it was
before? Can you comment about that?
Lesley: I think it is probably more accepting than
it used to be. However, I still believe the record
industry is the most homophobic, as well as the
industry where they have the least number of women
in positions of power. I say this just after reading a
huge article in the New York Times about how many
women are now in high positions in Hollywood and
the film industry and I cannot say that the same is

Lesbian News July 2006

Denise; Aside from your work with "In the Life," I

know you are committed to helping others in some
other arenas. Can you elaborate?

Denise: Because you are an open lesbian, do you

think you are a role model for young women who are
listening to your music and do you think you are in a
position to encourage tolerance?

Denise: Were you encouraged by managers and

publicists to date men for appearances in the same
manner that film stars were when you were a young
recording artist?

Denise: But was it designed to set up a certain image?

Denise: Is that one of the messages you thitik that

young women need to hear?

Denise: Tell me about your new alhum

Lesley: I like to say this: Remember the songs we
used to listen and dance to in the sixties? Well this
is an album you can listen to and dance to in your
sixties. It's very organic. It is me with a rhythm
section and background singers. The songs are
very personal and very intimate. It is as calm and
withdrawn and inside as "It's My Party" and "Judy's
Turn to Cry." We are pop and out and fun. The songs
are a natural outgrowth of who I am as a performer.

Lesley: Not really. I didn't really know I was gay

until I was in my twenties. I just experimented with
boys and girls and had reason to adore them both. I
think my first really serious relationship was a gay
one so that began to tell me things about myself

Lesley: Well, I would go out to L.A. and I was

very friendly with some of my PR people and they
would, in fact, fix me up with a date for an opening.
That was very, very common. I don't think that it
was necessarily to cover up anything. There were
cases where that happened with others, but that was
not true in my case. But there were many occasions
where I was fixed up with an actor or a director to
go off to some occasion and some of them were
delightful encounters and some weren't -just like
real life.

really taken care of myself financially and that's one

of the things that I regret most. That's one of the
things I am trying to deal with now.

bursts. We were out on the west coast in April and we

hit Seattle, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sacramento
and Los Angeles. We will be in the New England
area for part of this summer and then down into the
North Carolina and Delaware area in September. So
we have these mini-tours set up as opposed to going
out for months at a time. I go out for a week or two;
come home and revamp and then go out for another
week or so.
Denise: Does Lois go with you?
Lesley: No. She's got her own work and what I do
is not much fun; certainly not fun for her. When I'm
working I have to have dinner at 4 o'clock and my
whole day is about being onstage because my first
priority is getting the show on. I can't run around
and go shopping, going antiquing and having fun
and that's what she deserves to do if we go away:
not following me around from one dark nightclub to
another.
Denise: Do you talk everyday when you are on the
road?
Lesley: Absolutely, every day dozens of times. It's
the glue that keeps us together.
Denise: Do you have any plans for retirement?
Lesley: I don't have the money to retire yet. I haven't

Lesley: If someone loved my music as a teenager and

now finds out that I'm gay and it helps him or her
in some way, then that's great. It is a double-edged
sword, though. God only knows what the old fans
think. I'm not really sure. Most of the new music
I am putting out now is only available online, so it
involves a younger audience. They are very accepting
and very open and they do seem to be supporting the
new album. Some of the older fans aren't computersawy. It's not even something they want to get into,
so I'm not really sure what the balance is there.
Years ago there was an advertising campaign on
television that used the phrase "Black is Beautiful."
They showed accomplished black people doing what
they do in their life, helping people and helping each
other and making other human being's lives better
and it was a campaign that lasted over considerable
time. That worked back then and it is what we need
now. I guess what I am saying is once you get to
know one of us, it's really hard to dislike us. We need
to get that word out.
Recently we found Lesley singing "It's My Party"
at the Rainbow Vision Santa Fe ribbon cutting
ceremony. This event was held to celebrate
the opening of the first LGBT Rainbow Vision
Retirement Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
IN
Lesley Gore's Hit Records:
1963-h's My Party1963-Judy's Turn To Cry
1963-She's A Fool1964 - You Don't Own Me 1964 - That's The Way Boys Are 1964-1 Don't Want To Be A Loser 1964 - Maybe I Know 1965-Look Of Love1965 - Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows
1965 - My Town, My Guy and Me
1967-California Nights

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