“I’m a cookie-decorating mom. I don’t bake them. I decorate them.“ – Cher in 1999, as told to Benjamin Svetkey.
On a spring afternoon, Svetkey drove to Cher’s house in Malibu for an interview. Her assistant led him up to her bedroom where she was dressed in leopard print and resting on a leopard print bedspread.
Cher was open, honest, and forthcoming about the ups and downs of fame, being a mom, her gay following, the camp element of her persona, and how Sonny Bono changed her life. It’s vintage Cher.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve been “Cher” for a long time. Yeah, all my papers, my passport, my driver’s license. I never really felt my maiden name. I never really felt any last name ever in my life. I was always just “Cher,” so I just went and petitioned the court. What you have to prove is that you are absolutely recognizable to everyone by that one name.”
