Stephen Presents: Cyndi Lauper

Summary

Summary of "Stephen Presents: Cyndi Lauper"
The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert
Release Date: July 1, 2025

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Introduction and Guest Reveal (01:35 – 03:36)

The episode kicks off with a lively interaction between Stephen Colbert and his producer, Becca. They engage in a playful quiz where Becca provides one-word clues to help Stephen guess the upcoming guest. The game leads to humorous exchanges, showcasing Stephen's quick wit and rapport with Becca. The culmination of the quiz reveals the guest as the iconic singer and activist, Cyndi Lauper.

Notable Quote:

• Stephen Colbert [03:36]: “Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning singer and songwriter with hits like 'Time After Time,' 'True Colors,' and 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.' Please welcome to the Late Show, Cyndi Lauper.”

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Cyndi Lauper's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction (03:36 – 04:34)

Stephen warmly welcomes Cyndi Lauper, congratulating her on her impending induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cyndi humbly expresses her belief in the transformative power of rock and roll, highlighting past philanthropic efforts like Live Aid and "We Are the World." She reflects on her early career, mentioning her first experience as a lead singer with a cover band during the COVID era.

Notable Quotes:

• Cyndi Lauper [04:07]: “I still believe that rock and roll can save the world.”
• Stephen Colbert [04:34]: “Bad Company.”
• Cyndi Lauper [04:36]: “No, no, it wasn't.”

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Journey to Becoming a Lead Singer (04:34 – 05:43)

The conversation delves into Cyndi's unexpected path to becoming a lead singer. She recounts her time as a background singer who also danced, often leading to mishaps like falling due to platform shoes in the '70s. A pivotal moment occurred when a manager, impressed by her performance despite her frequent falls, offered to make her the lead singer, setting the stage for her illustrious career.

Notable Quotes:

• Cyndi Lauper [05:17]: “And then there was a manager who said, 'the only way I'll manage the band is if you see that girl on her back that falls all the time. She sings good, just make her the lead singer.' So that's how I became a lead singer.”
• Stephen Colbert [05:38]: “You owe your career to them.”

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Launching the Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund (05:59 – 07:22)

Cyndi introduces her latest initiative, the "Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund." Inspired by witnessing young women advocating for their rights during the Women's March, she collaborated with friends to create a fund that supports women's health and rights. She emphasizes the importance of giving back and ensuring future generations have fundamental rights.

Notable Quotes:

• Cyndi Lauper [06:11]: “When I was watching the Women's March on TV, I saw young women with these signs that said, 'girls just want to have fundamental rights.'”
• Cyndi Lauper [07:19]: “We’re on tour. And this is the last leg of my tour.”

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Details of the Farewell Tour and Artistic Vision (07:26 – 10:22)

The discussion shifts to Cyndi's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun Farewell Tour." She elaborates on how this tour differs from her previous ones by integrating art with music, inspired by living art movements from early 20th-century Paris. Collaborating with renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, Cyndi aims to create a more immersive and artistic concert experience. She highlights the inclusive nature of the tour, where attendees are encouraged to express themselves, even dressing up and purchasing themed merchandise like wigs to support the fund.

Notable Quotes:

• Cyndi Lauper [07:33]: “I collaborated with Yayoi Kusama, and it's very much inspired by the living art.”
• Cyndi Lauper [09:39]: “All the proceeds of the T-shirt go to the Fundamental Rights Fund.”
• Stephen Colbert [09:52]: “Those are the bangs in the front.”

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Closing Remarks and Support for Women's Health (10:22 – 11:03)

Towards the end of the interview, Cyndi emphasizes the critical support the fund provides for women's health needs, ranging from safe and legal abortions to prenatal and postnatal care. She also touches on supporting victims of domestic violence and ensuring access to essential sanitary products. Stephen and Cyndi reiterate the importance of the initiative, thanking her for her dedication and contributions.

Notable Quotes:

• Cyndi Lauper [10:36]: “All the proceeds of the T-shirt go to the Fundamental Rights Fund. We help women's health from everything from safe and legal abortions to prenatal care, postnatal care, domestic violence, even right down to sanitary napkins.”
• Cyndi Lauper [11:03]: “Cindy, thank you so much for being here.”

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Conclusion and Final Thoughts (11:03 – 11:44)

The episode concludes with a brief exchange highlighting upcoming content and promotions. Cyndi Lauper's impactful conversation leaves listeners inspired by her dedication to both her art and activism.

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Overall Highlights:

• Cyndi Lauper's Career Evolution: From a background singer who often danced her way into mishaps to becoming a celebrated lead singer and an influential artist.

• Philanthropic Endeavors: Launching the "Girls Just Want to Have Fundamental Rights Fund" to support women's health and rights, demonstrating her commitment to activism alongside her musical contributions.

• Innovative Farewell Tour: Integrating art and music to create a unique concert experience, reflecting her passion for both disciplines and enhancing the celebratory nature of her final tour.

Notable Quotes Recap:

• Stephen Colbert [03:36]: “Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning singer and songwriter with hits like 'Time After Time,' 'True Colors,' and 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.' Please welcome to the Late Show, Cyndi Lauper.”

• Cyndi Lauper [07:33]: “I collaborated with Yayoi Kusama, and it's very much inspired by the living art.”

• Cyndi Lauper [10:36]: “All the proceeds of the T-shirt go to the Fundamental Rights Fund. We help women's health from everything from safe and legal abortions to prenatal care, postnatal care, domestic violence, even right down to sanitary napkins.”

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This episode of The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert offers an insightful look into Cyndi Lauper's enduring legacy in music and her unwavering commitment to advocating for women's rights. Through engaging dialogue and candid reflections, listeners gain a deeper appreciation for both her artistic journey and philanthropic efforts.

Transcript

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[Becca]

Hey, everybody. You are listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert, who's right here with me in the booth.

[Stephen Colbert]

Hey, everybody, it's Stephen Colbert. I'm here with my producer, Becca. What's shaking today? Are we doing another quiz? The host as to who the podcast might be with.

[Becca]

We're gonna be doing a quiz. This time. We're doing a new thing where I'm just gonna say one word and I'm hoping you get it.

[Stephen Colbert]

One word and I'm supposed to know who the guest is?

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay.

[Becca]

What is this? Taboo. Right? That's taboo.

[Stephen Colbert]

I don't run into that lifestyle.

[Becca]

All right, Wig.

[Stephen Colbert]

Is it Cole Escola?

[Becca]

No, not a wig on coal. The wig was on you. It's a guest. It's a guest.

[Stephen Colbert]

Right, right, right. And she has a wig company.

[Becca]

She had a wig. This is. This is. Okay, two words.

[Stephen Colbert]

Did I put on a wig for a guest recently?

[Becca]

Wig. There was A wig and a purse. It came out of the purse in mid interview. It went on your head. This was.

[Stephen Colbert]

Oh, Cyndi Lauper.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, sure.

[Stephen Colbert]

Do we keep that part in?

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cause some part, like sometimes, like late into the interview. No offense, I don't. I mean, I do our show. I don't watch our show.

[Becca]

Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

And so late into the interview, she offered me a pink wig.

[Becca]

Yes.

[Stephen Colbert]

I thought I looked pretty good in it.

[Becca]

Yeah, you looked great.

[Stephen Colbert]

I thought I looked like Natalie Portman from Closer.

[Becca]

It's like a really short pink. Like hot pink bob.

[Stephen Colbert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bangs and a bob.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah. Real n. Yeah. She was selling. She's selling that on her Girls Just want to have fun farewell tour to support the charity that she works for. The girls just want to have fundamental rights, which is so fun.

[Stephen Colbert]

Fantastic.

[Becca]

So this is Cindy. You can't see it, but Steven looks amazing in a pink wig.

[Stephen Colbert]

Go online, listen to it and then go find photos online. Fantastic. And then pull up the picture of Natalie Portman from Closer and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[Becca]

There we go.

[Stephen Colbert]

I'm not gonna say who wore it better. That's for US magazine to figure out.

[Becca]

Yeah, yeah. All right. This is Cyndi Lauper on the Late Show POD Show.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is a Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winning singer and songwriter with hits like Time After Time, True Colors and Girls Just wanna have fun. Please welcome to the Late Show Cyndi la. Hi.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Hi.

[Stephen Colbert]

Good to see you. You're about to be in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Congratulations. That feels good. Does that. I don't know. They still haven't. They still haven't put me in. What is that? What's the feeling there for you? Excited?

[Cyndi Lauper]

I. Well, I still believe that rock and roll can save the world. You know, we've done. Done a lot of great things. Yeah. Right from Fire Abe, but you know, Live Aid, we the World. Do you know It's Christmas? You know, my first song as a lead singer was a Bad Company song and they're being inducted at the same time.

[Stephen Colbert]

Bad Company.

[Becca]

Bad Company.

[Cyndi Lauper]

No, no, it wasn't.

[Stephen Colbert]

I know, but like, what song is it?

[Cyndi Lauper]

It was can't get enough of your love.

[Stephen Colbert]

No way.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Yeah way. And I was really a background singer and I was very excited. Cause, you know, I. I heard Give me Shelter as a young woman and I thought, that's for me. I want to be like Mary Clayton. So, you know, I want to be a background singer. And you know, unfortunately, you Also have to, like, if you're in the background, you get to sing all kinds of things, but you got to dance. And in the 70s, there was platforms, so I used to fall a lot. My ankle would turn.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then there was a manager who wants going to manage the band, but he said, listen, the only way I'll manage the band is if you see that girl on her back that falls all the time. She sings good, just make her the lead singer. So that's how I became a lead singer.

[Stephen Colbert]

So you end up being a lead singer in bad company and.

[Cyndi Lauper]

No, it was the COVID band. Right, it was a cover band.

[Stephen Colbert]

You know, the COVID band.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Ok. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

I mean, kind of. You owe your career to them.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Oh, yes, Stephen, I do. No, you know, just throw it in the speech somewhere. No, you know, it's just weird how life comes full circle, that's all.

[Stephen Colbert]

You started something recently called the Girls Just Want to have Fundamental Rights Fund.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Yes, I did.

[Stephen Colbert]

How did. Tell me about how that started.

[Cyndi Lauper]

You know, in the 80s, when I was talking about women's rights. And I did, even through comedy, even through the wrestling thing. That was all underlining women's rights. And everyone was like, why don't you just shut up and sing? You know? And I didn't. But I didn't know how much the youth had really heard me. And when I was watching the Women's March on tv, I saw young women with these signs that said, girls just want to have fundamental rights. Not on tv. But my friends dragged me out to go with the pink hat. Some lady said, I don't like that pink hat. Here, I knitted a few more. Wear this. So I did, you know, So I saw the sign and I thought, okay, they heard me, but now I should hear them. So I called the same friends that I started the True Colors Fund with, and I said, hey, we should do this. And we did. And we're on tour. And this is the last leg of my tour.

[Stephen Colbert]

The tour is the.

[Cyndi Lauper]

The farewell tour.

[Stephen Colbert]

Girls Just Want a have Fun Farewell Tour.

[Cyndi Lauper]

That's right.

[Stephen Colbert]

Happening across North America this summer.

[Cyndi Lauper]

That's right.

[Stephen Colbert]

Does touring feel different than it used to?

[Cyndi Lauper]

Well, this tour.

[Stephen Colbert]

This tour feels different.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Well, it is, because I finally got a wonderful artistic director, Brian Burke, who helped me combine art and music, which I always loved to do. But sometimes when I tried to do it, it looked a little like Spinal Tap. But now, now it doesn't. And actually I get to collaborate. I collaborated with Yayoi Kusama, and it's very Much inspired by the living art. I know this is all probably not interested, but I love art, so I was inspired. Yeah, you're New York. So I went to the Morgan Library, and I saw this exhibition with, you know, Sonia Delaney, Robert Delany, Picasso, and Matisse. And this Polish poet who lived in France, I think he was Polish, and he talked these people into making art, and he put his poetry next to it, which to me looked like, those are our album covers. Right. So then I started to get excited, and there was a living art movement between 1910 and 1930 in Paris. And that is what inspired mixing art and music. And I got to do it, and that's why I'm so excited. This is what I always wanted to do. And when they said, why don't you do a farewell tour? I said, yeah, well, if I do a farewell tour, I'm going to do what I always wanted. And that was mix art and music in an arena and not hold the flashlight with a disco ball and say, okay, wait, if you hit this ball during the solo, I'm going to turn it, and it'll all work out. It's different. And that's what makes it different, because it's not ad hoc. And I'm excited. And it's a celebration, Stephen. Everybody comes. Everyone's welcome. Some people dress up, some people don't. It's a lot of fun. We sell wigs.

[Stephen Colbert]

Sell wigs.

[Cyndi Lauper]

We do.

[Stephen Colbert]

At the tour.

[Cyndi Lauper]

In the tour.

[Stephen Colbert]

At the tour. You sell wigs?

[Cyndi Lauper]

Yeah. The proceeds go to Girls Just Want to. No, no. It goes to women's charity. I personally feel that pink is your color and my color.

[Stephen Colbert]

Okay. Bangs are. Those are the bangs in the front. There we go.

[Becca]

There we go.

[Cyndi Lauper]

See, Pink is always good for every complexion. There you go. I mean, it's yellow, but I think pink is cool. And. And we sell. We sell teeth. These go to Girls Just Want to have.

[Stephen Colbert]

Girls Just Want to have. Girls Just Want to have Fundamental Rights. There you go.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Cindy.

[Stephen Colbert]

This is actually a very good color for.

[Cyndi Lauper]

I think.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Yes. This is yours.

[Stephen Colbert]

Thank you very much.

[Cyndi Lauper]

All the proceeds of the T shirt go the Fundamental Rights Fund. We help women's health from everything from safe and legal abortions to prenatal care, postnatal care, domestic violence, even right down to. I don't know if you're allowed to say this, but sanitary napkins, which you wouldn't even think that's legally.

[Stephen Colbert]

Legally you can say that.

[Cyndi Lauper]

What?

[Stephen Colbert]

Of course you can say that.

[Cyndi Lauper]

Oh, okay. Yeah.

[Stephen Colbert]

Cindy. Cindy, thank you so much for being here. Cyndi Lauper, everybody. We'll be right back. Thank you for listening to the Late Show Pod show with Stephen Colbert. Just one more thing. If you want to see more of me, come to the late show YouTube channel for more clips and exclusives.

[Cyndi Lauper]

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[Becca]

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[Cyndi Lauper]

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[Stephen Colbert]

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[Stephen Colbert]

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[Cyndi Lauper]

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