I…AMANDA LEPORE: (MAKE OVER SESSIONS)
lepore got her start in New York as a regular member of Michael Alig’s clubland circus at Limelight’s weekly Disco 2000, and remains an animated, audacious and effervescent figure of New York City nightlife.
Recently appearing at Bianca Del Rio’s birthday roast, Night of a thousand Gowns and the Life Ball, lepore has collected fans from all over the world. While recording yet another album, to be released next year, and in the process of writing her memoirs, I stole a couple of moments to have a conversation with Ms. Lepore.
Amanda, I think your new release is a blast. I know every queen is going to be lip syncing those songs for sure. What inspired you to do this album?
We wanted to give something to the fans, so we picked out the best remixes so we’d have something to give to the fans.
Do you have a favorite track that you enjoy singing?
I like “I Want to Be Loved by You,” just cause it’s new. But I like all of them.
Do you write the lyrics?
They’re like real-life experiences. They are me, but someone else wrote it.
You do have a very fun life: You are a model and entertainer, socialite, and now I understand an ordained minister. What else would you like to accomplish in your life?
Maybe a movie. My shows, I would like to make them more theatrical, more dancers, more like a Vegas show with backdrops and things like that.
I think that would be fun. What was your funniest or most embarrassing moment live on stage?
One time I rhinestoned the a dress so much that it was super heavy. I was dripping out of it. It was so heavy that it knocked over the microphone. The microphone went flying. That was so embarrassing. They had to retrieve the microphone.
I bet that was really funny on stage. I saw pictures of you at Life Ball. What was it like for you to be there?
It was amazing. I got to model for Jean Paul Gaultier. I admired him for so many years. It was just such a dream.
Did you also perform there?
I performed there as well. I had a lot of stuff going on there.
Do you have a best friend?
Yes. I’m with one of my best friends right now, Kyle.
If you could pick two celebrities to be your parents, who would you pick?
Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
Nice choices! Do you consider yourself to have been a club kid?
Yeah. I mean, I was in that era.
If we could look deep inside your heart what would we find?
A lot of love and happiness.
What is your favorite quality about yourself?
I think that I am very warm, and then I listen to people. I think that I am down to earth and that I don’t take things too seriously.
You are also currently writing your memoirs. When is that scheduled to come out, because I want to read it right away.
In the spring.
That’s a lot of hard work.
It’s almost done. I’m in the final part of it. It is a lot of work.
What is your least favorite thing about humanity?
Ignorance, bullying.
If you could have dinner with anyone in history who would you choose?
Marilyn Monroe.
I feel like Marilyn Monroe is your greatest inspiration. What about her inspires you so much?
I feel like she was really self creative. She was really good with makeup. I feel like she was really ahead of her time. She invented lip gloss, and I feel that she was good with the trans relationship I relate to. She totally transformed herself, and she was a pioneer in plastic surgery. She did it in the ‘40s and that’s really fascinating. And I find her super feminine, the curved body, the soft skin. I feel like she’s hyper feminine. She was very girly.
How was your life different than you imagined it when you were growing up? Did you think you would become so famous or become an entertainer?
No. I didn’t really have any ambition. It kind of just like happened for me, and I went with it. I enjoy it. It wasn’t something I was looking for. I just wanted to be a pretty girl and maybe do makeup and hair.
What is one thing about you that you would want fans to know that they might not already know?
That I am very easy to talk to. I’m a nice person. I’m spiritual and humble.
Have you married anyone yet?
I got married actually when I first had my sex change. But now I marry people. I’m an ordained minister. I’m marrying people, but I’m not marrying anyone. I’m enjoying being single.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully in the entertainment business. Maybe designing clothes.
If you were a superhero, what would you like your powers to be?
To do hair and makeup really quick. That would be like a great power.
Is there anything else that you would like to promote for yourself in the magazine, or talk about?
Just let me marry you, buy my record and look forward to my memoir.
