(^186) | marieclaire.com.au
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YOKO ONO
I don’t want to be braggy, but I’m
friends with Yoko Ono. I’ve had
dinner at her house and hung out
with her in her living room with the
white piano John [Lennon] gave her
for her birthday that he wrote “Imagine”
on. [It’s like] she’s lived her life 50 per
cent completely in the present and 50
per cent still with John. I really admire
her strength, especially after what she’s
gone through as a woman. She stood
there while her husband was shot to
death in front of her. She’s so brave.
She is in her mid 80s, and has
dedicated her life to working for peace.
There is nobody like Yoko Ono. She’s a
true artist. When I was a kid, my parents
subscribed to Time magazine and they
did a piece on her conceptual art. I was
captivated by it. She is the first female
conceptual artist of note. Period.
I’ve seen her perform live and she
expresses herself emotionally in the
most vulnerable way. Before I go on
stage [to perform in the band Nancy
And Beth], I’m usually worried about
how my bangs look and readjusting my
false eyelashes, but we always meditate
before every show. So, in that regard,
we are channelling our inner Yoko Ono.NINA SIMONE
Nina is another real original. She was
a natural and raw talent, and explored
so many different music eras and
genres. Nina started out in the classical
world and was disciplined in the arts,
which is something I can relate to
because I was in a ballet company
for years and have spent tons and
tons of time working on my singing
voice. I once covered a song of hers
called “In The Dark”, which is a real
bluesy, sexy song. I also really like the
songs where she deals with civil rights
and politics. Nina was fearless; she
stood for something and had the
courage of her convictions.ELAINE STRITCH
My first television show was called
The Ellen Burstyn Show; Ellen Burstyn
played my mother and Elaine StritchCLOCKWISE FROM LEFT
Singer and artist Yoko Ono;
singer Nina Simone; and
actress Elaine Stritch.MEGAN
MULLALLY
THE WOMEN WHO MADE ME
“THERE IS NOBODY
LIKE YOKO ONO. SHE’S
A TRUE ARTIST ... AND
SHE EXPRESSES HERSELF
EMOTIONALLY IN THE
MOST VULNERABLE WAY”Ahead of her Australian
vaudeville tour, the Will & Grace
star reveals her creative musesplayed my grandmother. Elaine was
eccentric, but at the same time very
chic. She would come to rehearsals
wearing a man’s button-down shirt,
a white cap like Gilligan in Gilligan’s
Island, black tights, white sneakers
and no pants. She was 60 at the time.
I’d be like, “Where are your pants?” She
didn’t wear ’em. Elaine’s humour was
unparalleled; she was a real broad.
She had a long career and a smash-hit
Broadway show called Elaine Stritch at
Liberty [when she was 76]. She passed
away in 2014 and she’s someone I
really miss because of her level of
intelligence and talent. She didn’t have
any pretensions about who she was and
she taught me to be myself. All of the
women I’ve spoken about are total
originals. They weren’t pretending to
be stars in Hollywood – which is a
made-up construct – they were real.Megan Mullally is touring Australia in
June with her band Nancy And Beth;
showtune.com.au.