Happy Halloween!Cherbooms down the phone.
Stars may come and go, but theres only ever been one Cher.
Well, quite.)
Photo: Mert and Marcus
Truthfully, I started work on it at least two times, maybe even three, Cher explains.
But I always thought, You know what?
If youre going to write this book, youve got to tell more.
Cher’s first modeling photo, at age 15.
Chers first modeling photo, at age 15.
Chers firstVoguecover in 1972.
Cher in a red silk evening gown by Bill Blass and earrings by Michael Moraux for Dubaux.
Cher’s firstVoguecover in 1972.
Cher wearing a Monique Worth for Mary McFadden dress and Bulgari earrings.
But the constant through it all?
(Especially when theres a decent chance youll run into someone dressed asyou.)
Cher in a red silk evening gown by Bill Blass and earrings by Michael Moraux for Dubaux.
Vogue:Good morning, Cher!
Where am I finding you at this hour?
So you have multiple options?
Cher wearing a Monique Worth for Mary McFadden dress and Bulgari earrings.
I have a few, yes.
My goddaughter is throwing one.
Its going to be great.
Cher and her mother, Georgia Holt, in 1946.
When did you first start working on your memoir, and what prompted you to begin writing it?
I quickly realized there were a few things that I didnt want in there.
If youre going to write this book, youve got to tell more.
Cher spending Christmas in New York with her mother Georgia Holt, sister Gee, and stepfather Gilbert LaPiere.
And in the beginning, I just didnt want to.
Then eventually, I realized, Oh, well, who cares?
What was it that you were reluctant to share?
Cher in an outtake from a 1974Vogueshoot wearing a feather and sequinned gown designed by Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan.
Or that you were struggling to get down on the page?
I truly cant remember the individual things, because once I started writing, I just started writing.
Theres a remarkable level of detail in the chapters about your childhood.
So I think my mom was ready for it.
Ill feel it later.
Was it difficult to revisit that period of your life?
I mean, not like you think it would be.
It was what it was.
It started to irritate my psyche.
Did you feel any kind of weight off your shoulders after getting it down on the page?
Was it therapeutic in any sense?
To be honest, I just dont know.
Why did that feel like such a formative moment for you?
Well, musically, I just thought everybody sang all the time.
My mom and my grandfather, and my uncle, we sang all the time.
I want to be him.
Cher and her mother, Georgia Holt, in 1946.
Cher spending Christmas in New York with her mother Georgia Holt, sister Gee, and stepfather Gilbert LaPiere.
Your voice is very present in the book in a way I was surprised by and enjoyed.
I know what you just said, but what do youactuallymean?
I guess that its not written like a… stuffy, old-fashioned biography.
Well, I do say it was very Dickensian at some point.
And it is Dickensian, in many ways.
It was what it was.
It was what it was, and you just live it.
When youre busy living it, and something happens, you go, Oh God.
But then when you think back on it, maybe it wasnt so hard.
Has humor always helped you confront those more difficult moments?
Well, usually with the What the fuck?
Really, its like, What were these people thinking?
Because really,What were these people thinking?Werent they ashamed of themselves?
I do think though, my God, Im so lucky.
I had such a cool life.
Even if it was difficult, it was really interesting.
And maybe people will love it or hate it.
I dont think l could describe it as either loving or hating it…
But I was also very moved.
I didnt really think about… actually no, I think about that all the time.
You know things happen in your life, and you make some peace with them.
Im a little bit strange when it comes to those things.
You have good times and you have bad times, and you cant control either one.
How are you feeling in this moment?
What do you think Im feeling?
I know thats very American, but thats how it feels.
Its the scariest thing thats happened in my lifetime.
And were going to go backwards in every way weve made progress.
Were going to go back so much farther than we made the progress from.
Do you know what I mean?
I dont even know how to explain my feelings about it.
I was also really struck by your observational writing throughout the book.
And it wasnt Andy Hardy and it wasnt Father Knows Best it was something that didnt exist.
Kind of like Sonny and I!
That fashion didnt exist until we started it.
You might not have liked it, but it was fashion.
I loved reading about how people responded to you arriving in London.
They were all obsessed because theyd never seen anyone dressed like that before.
In America, it was terrible.
And the moment we got to London, it was amazing.
They were afraid and appalled at the way we looked.
England was the beginning.
Without coming there, without Great Britain, Im not sure we wouldve existed.
You also write in the book about your first shoots forVogueand how exciting that was.
Do those memories still resonate with you today?
That was all due to Mrs. Vreeland.
Well, I dont know whats going to actually happen.
People that I talk to seem to like it and seem to be surprised.
Stories have to come from the person.
I hope you have a great Halloween, also.
Have you decided what youre going to dress up as?
I was just thinking about that, actually.
I was thinking about makeup and doing something like a beautiful vampire or skulla beautiful skull.
But I have no idea.
I just thought of those things because I want to be interesting.
I dont want to venture to be like myself.
I dont want to be Cher.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
