Clearly, the appeal of the 50-year-old Queens native with the kewpie-doll voice stretches beyond '80s nostalgists. Sure, the orange-haired pixie was a staple of early MTV, romping with gal pals in "Girls Just Want to Have Fun " or getting ditched by that idiot trailer-park boyfriend in "Time After Time." And then there was that "She Bop" video, in which she cryptically advised women everywhere, to um, give themselves the finger, as it were. And while some decried her diluted new wave music and affected outfits, she actually proved herself a quirky and expressive belter. The better to showcase her chops, Lauper recently put out the standards-laden At Last.
At that Cher show, my friend got to touch his idol when she wafted into the crowd during "True Colors." "It was," he told me, with appropriate gravitas, "the realization of an adolescent fantasy." He then made a sound like Homer Simpson ogling a warm virgin dozen of Krispy Kreme's finest. I think it would've scared Cyndi.
