Bette Midler to pop stars: 'Don’t make a whore out of yourself to get ahead'

**Honey** · November 25th, 2014, 08:32 PM

Actresses must be immaculate: “Women now, they [have to] pose. They don’t want those ugly pictures of them on the internet, and I don’t blame them. It’s like a war! It’s poisonous, totally toxic. If you get on that red carpet, you better be prepared for the results, truly.”

Girl bands of the past: “The Ronettes, The Chiffons, The Marvelettes, The Crystals … So evocative. They were completely and utterly wholesome and whimsical. And optimistic. The music was very optimistic and upbeat. The ballads were sometimes sad but you knew things were going to turn out in the end. The music wasn’t bleak. This was before Bob Dylan, you know.”

She covers TLC’s “Waterfalls”: “I couldn’t think of a girl group that was modern who had a song as meaningful as [the one by] TLC. I couldn’t find one. I mean, who are you talking about? The Spice Girls?” She looks aghast. “I like Destiny’s Child. I think that was the last great girl band there was.”

The pr0nification of pop: “It’s terrible! It’s always surprising to see someone like Ariana Grande with that silly high voice, a very wholesome voice, slithering around on a couch looking so ridiculous. I mean, it’s silly beyond belief and I don’t know who’s telling her to do it. I wish they’d stop. But it’s not my business, I’m not her mother. Or her manager. Maybe they tell them that’s what you’ve got to do. Sex sells. Sex has always sold.”

Does it sell more now? “Well whatever strictures there were have fallen apart. And now it’s whatever you feel like doing you can do. I mean, apparently people really like to pretend they’re having sex. They really like to slap each other’s butts. I mean, don’t ask me. It’s beyond me. I’m too old. I don’t know what the end game is going to be. I don’t know where you go from all that sex in your twenties. I don’t know how you sustain it. Trust your talent. You don’t have to make a whore out of yourself to get ahead. You really don’t.”

She doesn’t use plastic in her house: “The whole world has become disposable. People use things once, then they throw it away. I grew up really frugal. It was the end of the war and people didn’t have anything. They had to take care of what they had. They had to polish their shoes. I mean, you say polish your shoes to someone nowadays and they don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Her career summary: “It was a wonderful life. I did good with it. I didn’t shame anybody. I didn’t mortify anybody. I didn’t take my clothes off. I wasn’t caught in flagrante. The fact that they never caught me is really kind of the thrill.”

[From Telegraph]

Cele|bitchy | Bette Midler to pop stars: â€˜Donâ€™t make a wh-re out of yourself to get aheadâ€™

**lindsaywhit** · November 25th, 2014, 08:52 PM

Errrrm..... I love you Bette, but you appear to suffer from the same delightfully selective memory my 90-year-old, wonderful Mum employs at will. You were as raunchy as they come back in the day, and unless my long-term memory is becoming as defective as my short-term, you enjoyed every minute.

**CornFlakegrl** · November 25th, 2014, 09:24 PM

Was she raunchy? I don't know much about her early career I guess. She seems more cabaret than porn to me though.

**BITTER** · November 25th, 2014, 09:25 PM

“I like Destiny’s Child. I think that was the last great girl band there was.”

Wrong, Miss Midler. That would be EN VOGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**witchcurlgirl** · November 25th, 2014, 09:53 PM

She had a raunchy act wordwise, but she didn't do the 'fuck me' thing that is so common now. I've seen her live a few times. My mom and aunts have been seeing her live since the bathhouse days.

True story- at one of her shows many years back my mom and aunts were all there in their seats except one aunt who was habitually late. The show starts and about 10 minutes into it my always late aunt comes in. Bette stops the show and jokingly tells the band and audience that they have to start all over because she doesn't want this latecomer to have missed a thing

**BITTER** · November 25th, 2014, 10:03 PM

She was so hysterical at the 1980 Golden Globes though.

**A*O** · November 25th, 2014, 10:22 PM

And don't have too much PS or wear terrible wigs.

**Witchywoman** · November 26th, 2014, 12:07 AM

This is tame compared to her early years.

**A*O** · November 26th, 2014, 01:02 AM

Ha ha, those tits are hanging on for dear life. She can't sing BTW.

**witchcurlgirl** · November 26th, 2014, 06:33 AM

She was famously Johnny Carson's last guest

**HeartShapedBox** · November 26th, 2014, 08:17 AM

Maybe I'm weird, but I enjoyed the Beast Of Burden video. Thanks for sharing Witchy! Although the audience looked bored to death.

**MohandasKGanja** · November 26th, 2014, 09:09 AM

She can sing better than Grande. Bonus - You can even understand the words she's singing!

**gas_chick** · November 26th, 2014, 09:14 AM

I love Bette. Love her voice and have always loved her attitude plus she always made me feel gals with big noses could be awesome too!!!

**JazzyGirl** · November 26th, 2014, 02:01 PM

I always thought of her as bawdy, funny-raunchy, not sexy porn-y. And she CAN sing! Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy is one of my favs.

**lindsaywhit** · November 26th, 2014, 02:34 PM

^^^ Perfect description. Still, she got some flack at the time, but didn't seem to take it to heart. I'm not a fan of the Grande diva, but it surprised me that Bette would single her out. Still, she'd have to say a lot worse to dim my love for her and that voice.

Full disclosure.... It's possible I would need a cooling off period if I was forced to listen to "From a Distance" five or six times in a row.