Joan Rivers

She’s busy constantly crafting her topical comedy, designing her jewelry and beauty lines, starring on stage and on camera (television, movies, you name it), writing, hosting a radio show, and spending time with her family. In fact, a new documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, recently debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and is tentatively scheduled to be released this June. What’s on River’s mind? She recently chatted with What’s Up?, and told all.

WU: Joan, what kind of show are we going to be able to expect from you? How do you develop your show?

JR: I love coming to Maryland. Maryland in the spring is beautiful. That’s how I pick my gigs [laughing]. My show is always what it’s been about; it’s my concert that I do in England, then in San Francisco, and Chicago, everywhere. It’s about what’s going on in the world and what’s going on in my life.

WU: Do you ever tailor your performance to a specific audience?.

JR: Never. There’s no such thing as a specific audience anymore. We’re all on the Internet, twitting and twatting, and tooting. We’re all Facebooking and we all watch the same thing. Even in Europe, people watch the same shows.

WU: Are there any contemporaries you admire today?.

JR: I don’t admire anybody [laughing]. Everyone is the same. But I do love Lady Gaga. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s very talented. I worked with her a little bit in Greenwich Village when she was starting, about four years ago, and she was a smart girl then, and she’s a smart girl now. I love her. WU: And what do you think of her fashion? JR: Fabulous! That’s how we all know her. She’s the Bjork of this generation. And Bjork was the Elton John of her generation. Everyone forgets that Elton used to come out in top hats, crazy gloves, and big glasses. And that’s why we all watched Elton. Who do we remember? We remember the ones that are different. Cher, for example. And then there’s talent to back it up..

WU: And you recently got back into critiquing the red carpet..

JR: I do the Fashion Police, which is the next day. So when the Oscars are on Sunday, I’m on Monday. And I talk about everybody, which is so much more fun than interviewing people who will not tell you anything..

WU: What fashion trends, good or bad, have you seen?.

JR: The bad; well they all have their stylists and so they all look very much alike and that is very boring. But some of the trends were ruffles; they were also trying to do prints. But a long dress and print really doesn’t work, and you must be very rich to wear one [laughing]..

WU: Do you incorporate the trends you see into your own product lines?.

JR: We’re always involved in trends. Right now, this is the year of the phenomenal necklace and big earrings. They’re bigger to the point of just insanity now..

WU: We hear you recently attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for the premiere of your new documentary.

JR: I did. I was there for the documentary they did on me. It was received phenomenally well. We thought they’d like it, but they adored us..

WU: How did the idea of a documentary come together?.

JR: Well, I never turn anything down and somebody came to me and said, ‘we want to do a documentary on a year in your life.’ And so they just followed me around for a year. I got very close to them, really liked them, and was very sad when it was all over..

WU: Was there anything you wouldn’t allow them to film or wished the crew hadn’t captured?.

JR: Nothing. Once you say they have the right to come in, they can exercise that right. Actually, there were moments I wished they had captured. But I didn’t have anything to do with the editing or the selection..

WU: The next season of Celebrity Apprentice is about to start. Will we being seeing you along the way?.

JR: I probably will be doing a few drop ins. But it’s not my show this year, which makes me very sad because I loved doing it. I really loved that show..

WU: For better or worse, what was it like to get to know the real people behind their celebrity images when you were on the show?.

JR: It depends on the person. Herschel Walker I adored. Chloe Kardashian is a sweet dear girl. Some of them you like, some you find to be trash; garbage is garbage in every society. But Dennis Rodman was really wonderful. Sweet, darling man. Melissa [Joan’s daughter] would say, ‘get on the Dennis train and have a good time.’

WU: Well, we’re on the Joan train now. We look forward to your visit..

JR: I look forward to coming there, and the nice thing is that I can drive home that night. It’s worth it. When doing a show, it’s wonderful, it’s beautiful, it’s great. And then you can get in the car and be in your own bed that night. Win, win, win.

WU: On a fun, final note, when, if ever, are we going to see you reprise your role as Dot Matrix in a new Spaceballs movie?

JR: Well, they started to do a whole series for television, and we did voice-overs for it last year. And Mel [Brooks] was involved; something is happening with it.

WU: Joan, it has been a pleasure speaking with you.

JR: I cannot wait, and I’m not making a joke, cannot wait to be in Maryland. Maryland is a beautiful state; I can’t wait to get down there. And please make sure every gay man in Maryland shows up. Gay men make a show! If you get six gay men in the first row, everyone will have a fabulous time!