Who's the Diva with the Diva-est attitude?

[Broomfield1965]

Reading about Grace Jone's latest 'antics' got me thinking about other ladys who play the 'star' bit on occasions. I 'met' a few singing ladies around the club circuit in the 80s (like Miquel Brown, Hazell Dean etc.) and they seemed 'OK' people. But, I bet other people have little non-libellous tales to tell of when they met some ladies with distinctly Diva-ish 'tudes? If so, DO share!

As I have recounted on anther site, I once 'met' Irene Cara. She did a show in my home town and I tried to get to meet her afterwards (why? you may ask!). Anyway, she was NOT in the mood to give any autographs to fans and headed off pronto (boy, can she move!). Only when I chased after her and pushed a 12" copy of "Breakdance" under her nose (Dutch copy which has an alternate sleeve to the US edition) did she stop and say "I've never seen that one before"... As I explained why it was different, I pushed my trusty Sharpie into her hand and she signed it before jumping into her BIG car and was gone... You could tell she was a 'star' coz she was wearing sunglasses at night (and a BIG fur coat in March) lol!

[pepper1dancer]

I've never met a Diva before , but the one person who I met that was NOT a diva was the beautiful Ms. Bonnie Pointer. I talked to her for a few minutes and she was awesome. Also the girls from Company B were also nice. Kinda hard to believe that Irene Cara was so Diva to you. Maybe she was hungry and hot with that fur coat. :icon_razz:

[Dayna]

The most Diva-ish ..Basically B*tch you mean?
Aretha Franklin:icon_eek:sorry Retha I love ya but~!!
Anita Baker:icon_eek:
Evelyn Champagne King
and alot of time you will find that some D-Listers will try and pull a Diva act as well..
I just look at them and say> :icon_rolleyes:

[Bernie]

Evelyn King? No way, she was a complete sweetheart to my girlfriend and I at the 2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame in NYC. See all the photos here:
Dance Music Hall of Fame 2004 Exclusive Photos From the Event in New York DiscoMusic.com

She was absolutely friendly and having fun with everyone and her live performance of "Shame" was superb. I'm going to go out on a limb and say she probably had a bad day when you met her.

The most Diva-ish ..Basically B*tch you mean?
Aretha Franklin:icon_eek:sorry Retha I love ya but~!!
Anita Baker:icon_eek:
Evelyn Champagne King
and alot of time you will find that some D-Listers will try and pull a Diva act as well..
I just look at them and say> :icon_rolleyes:

[Dayna]

Evelyn King? No way, she was a complete sweetheart to my girlfriend and I at the 2004 Dance Music Hall of Fame in NYC. See all the photos here:
Dance Music Hall of Fame 2004 Exclusive Photos From the Event in New York DiscoMusic.com

She was absolutely friendly and having fun with everyone and her live performance of "Shame" was superb. I'm going to go out on a limb and say she probably had a bad day when you met her.

Love the pics Bernie..Thanks for sharing ..
Well It's a known fact that women react differently towards other women than they do to men.. BUT I have heard other stories as well:icon_eek:...
But u aint heard that from me cause I aint one to GOSSIP~!! LOL:icon_lol::icon_lol:

[Zef]

I'm guessing that sometimes these people are just having a bad day (I'm being diplomatic here) and thus one day may appear Diva Bitch and another day not. It would be sad to paint someone with that brush because of one event, although I do acknowledge that in this post people are recounting their real experiences. However the repeat offenders are fair game for sure so dish away...

[Dayna]

I'm guessing that sometimes these people are just having a bad day (I'm being diplomatic here) and thus one day may appear Diva Bitch and another day not. It would be sad to paint someone with that brush because of one event, although I do acknowledge that in this post people are recounting their real experiences. However the repeat offenders are fair game for sure so dish away...

When you have worked with or around celebrities you either see first hand or you hear.. And it's usually from the producers,Musical arrangers and other people such as assistants,Hair and Make up people..etc.
But you are very correct some artists just have a bad day now and then..but some have bad day's 365 days' a year:icon_eek:

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Okay... I'll blow ya all out of the water.

At The Seagull Hotel, on Miami Beach (mid-80's) we had Eartha Kitt perform for our Anniversary Weekend. HOLY CRAP! She had management jumping through hoops-of-fire. (Her Rider Contract was rediculous!)

She arrived on Saturday morning, and the whole staff was ready to throw her into the pool by Sunday night.

She was signing autographs for the staff on Sunday, by the pool, and I handed her a vintage 1950's 10" LP of "C'est Si Bon". And when I did, I said, "I've had this record and been a fan of yours since I was a little kid."

If looks could kill, I'd have been layin' on the floor!:icon_surprised:
But her expression was priceless.

[Boogie Child]

Jackie Moore lived in Atlanta and performed at a local Disco on a regular basis (late 70's). Everytime the club had her scheduled, they would have to find a different limo driver to pick her up. After one driver escorted her to and from the bar, he would refuse to do it ever again. I heard that she constantly complained and was extremely difficult.

[Dayna]

Okay... I'll blow ya all out of the water.

At The Seagull Hotel, on Miami Beach (mid-80's) we had Eartha Kitt perform for our Anniversary Weekend. HOLY CRAP! She had management jumping through hoops-of-fire. (Her Rider Contract was rediculous!)

She arrived on Saturday morning, and the whole staff was ready to throw her into the pool by Sunday night.

She was signing autographs for the staff on Sunday, by the pool, and I handed her a vintage 1950's 10" LP of "C'est Si Bon". And when I did, I said, "I've had this record and been a fan of yours since I was a little kid."

If looks could kill, I'd have been layin' on the floor!:icon_surprised:
But her expression was priceless.

The SeaGull."oh my" I did a brief stint at the Windward Resort on Collins ave.
I never got Diva-Esque grandure from Eartha although I know she can dish it out..
But then again when I was dealing with her I was doing her a favor..But I'm sure the ole " I Have been a fan since I was a kid" made her say>

[Mixmachine]

never mind, off topic and it doesn't belong in this thread..

[SandraDee]

After reading Eartha Kitt's autobiography I can definitely understand her having an attitude - what a dreadful upbringing she had & some really bad experiences as an adult too. Such a unique entertainer IMO. Didn't Orson Wells once describe her as the most exciting woman in the world? I once saw her in a divey gay club here in manchester - I had to pinch myself that she was singing a few feet in front of me - this living legend wearing a turban & hardly any makeup - apparently she came straight from performing in 'Follies' & did a couple of Sondheim songs as well as the disco stuff. I saw Sharon Redd (complete with bleached blonde crew cut & 2" long gold fingernails!:icon_eek:) at the same club - man I really miss that club!:icon_sad:

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Maybe we crossed paths?, I was there spinning at this club doing the OFF nights at the end of '88 early '89.

An extremely sleazy joint, I used to keep that booth door shut close and didn’t let anyone in. But it was great been able to spin all this 'off the wall' House music that was available then and didn't fly in any other club, even if the club was mostly empty the nights I did.

I remember the "Salsa Nights" Hahaha , Jikes!!!

What club were you playing at?
I started at The Seagull about 3 months after it opened. And stayed until a couple months before it closed. I wish I could remember the exact years, but I don't. It's all a big blurr.

I was hired away from The Seagull, by Tacky's in Fort Lauderdale, in the late 80's.

[Mixmachine]

never mind-off topic

[A2Mark57]

How has this thread gone so long without mention of La Ross? I never met her, but saw her in concert a few times. Her "performances" consisted primarily of preening and costume changes. (Actual singing? Not so much.) She imparted a real "Worship me, worship me, you know I deserve it" vibe. My favorite bit was when she'd do a big sappy "we're all just people" spiel, make a huge show of deigning to go out into the crowd of commoners while "singing" "Reach Out and Touch" -- and then would physically hurt anyone who actually tried to reach out and touch her.

And, yeah, Aretha...

Here in MoTownLand, where Aunt ReRe lives, there are numerous accounts of her not exactly riding on a Freeway of Love. NU-MER-OUS.

[Broomfield1965]

After reading Eartha Kitt's autobiography I can definitely understand her having an attitude - what a dreadful upbringing she had & some really bad experiences as an adult too. Such a unique entertainer IMO. Didn't Orson Wells once describe her as the most exciting woman in the world? I once saw her in a divey gay club here in manchester - I had to pinch myself that she was singing a few feet in front of me - this living legend wearing a turban & hardly any makeup - apparently she came straight from performing in 'Follies' & did a couple of Sondheim songs as well as the disco stuff. I saw Sharon Redd (complete with bleached blonde crew cut & 2" long gold fingernails!:icon_eek:) at the same club - man I really miss that club!:icon_sad:

I would hazard a guess and say that club was "Heros"? It was the first club I ever went to! I didn't see Eartha there, but my then partner did the photography for her that night and she looked fab in the pix! I did see Sharon Redd there though. She was very 'un'-Diva! She came on, recognised people in the crowd, said really sincere and enthusiastic "hellos" to them and really connected with the audience - a sad loss...

[Broomfield1965]

How has this thread gone so long without mention of La Ross? I never met her, but saw her in concert a few times. Her "performances" consisted primarily of preening and costume changes. (Actual singing? Not so much.) She imparted a real "Worship me, worship me, you know I deserve it" vibe. My favorite bit was when she'd do a big sappy "we're all just people" spiel, make a huge show of deigning to go out into the crowd of commoners while "singing" "Reach Out and Touch" -- and then would physically hurt anyone who actually tried to reach out and touch her.

And, yeah, Aretha...

Here in MoTownLand, where Aunt ReRe lives, there are numerous accounts of her not exactly riding on a Freeway of Love. NU-MER-OUS.

Oooh I am loving this dirt! lol. I saw La Ross 11 years ago. She was exactly as you said. One bit that sticks in my mind was when she did the "Reach out and touch..." thing. Someone came forward to try and "touch" and she kinda snapped "NO, I come to you!" and in a way that left you in no doubt that she wasn't meaning 'oh, dont put yourself out to come over to me darling, I will come over to you' if you catch my drift... Still, I DO love her though!

[Dayna]

How has this thread gone so long without mention of La Ross? I never met her, but saw her in concert a few times. Her "performances" consisted primarily of preening and costume changes. (Actual singing? Not so much.) She imparted a real "Worship me, worship me, you know I deserve it" vibe. My favorite bit was when she'd do a big sappy "we're all just people" spiel, make a huge show of deigning to go out into the crowd of commoners while "singing" "Reach Out and Touch" -- and then would physically hurt anyone who actually tried to reach out and touch her.

And, yeah, Aretha...

Here in MoTownLand, where Aunt ReRe lives, there are numerous accounts of her not exactly riding on a Freeway of Love. NU-MER-OUS.

My DIANA~!!..lol
The fans will try and grab Sequins or Rinestones off a gown even pull some hair for a memento..I have seen it first hand.. An artist will come backstage and have pieces of her gown missing and Lord and heaven forbid they get a good grip on the WEAVE:icon_eek: :icon_lol:
That's why Lady D bobs and weaves"no pun intended" through the crowd while doing that..
The only people Diana really throws Diva-Rouciousness at is anyone that isn't doing a quality job such as if the lighting, sound and other technical drama isn't correct..But I have never seen or heard first hand of anyone"that's credible" that has had her flat out throw grandness at them.
Just dont try and frisk her at the airport

[markydefad]

Miss Ross's performance mantra:

"I Love You. You're Beautiful. Don't Touch Me."

[A2Mark57]

My DIANA~!!..lol
The only people Diana really throws Diva-Rouciousness at is anyone that isn't doing a quality job such as if the lighting, sound and other technical drama isn't correct..But I have never seen or heard first hand of anyone"that's credible" that has had her flat out throw grandness at them.

Dayna, I know you've got your "friends" and your reputation and mystique to protect.

But why deny someone's first-hand account? The fact that you didn't experience it personally doesn't mean it didn't happen.

In concert, Diana did a big "I love you all and we're all just people and we should just accept that and all get along and yada, yada, yada" schick. And then she made an obvious show of the fact that she was going to -- OMG! -- MAKE CONTACT with the audience. (It was as if she were going to be walking across a mine field or something.) [All in stark contrast to, say, Cyndi Lauper, who just non-chalantly meanders into the audience while she's singing.] And when La Ross actually descended into the first few rows (for which people had paid a fortune to sit) and some fan made the mistake of thinking that Ross had been sincere in her scripted intro to the song, and held out his hand in hopes that she would take it (and make the world a better place)... she WHACKED it with her microphone.

The woman's ego is out of control. She is a true "diva" in every negative sense of the word, and has been since The Supremes had their first hit record.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Miss Ross' performance mantra:

"I Love You. You're Beautiful. Don't Touch Me."

Oh, Lord! I loved that! Wasn't it from Mad TV?

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

Dayna, I know you've got your "friends" and your reputation and mystique to protect.

But why deny someone's first-hand account? The fact that you didn't experience it personally doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Dayna didn't "deny" your account. And you edited her words to fit your point.

Not cool, man.

[A2Mark57]

Dayna didn't "deny" your account. And you edited her words to fit your point.

Not cool, man.

Actually, Dayna DID suggest that my first-hand account wasn't credible.

Here's her post in its entirety:

My DIANA~!!..lol
The fans will try and grab Sequins or Rinestones off a gown even pull some hair for a memento..I have seen it first hand.. An artist will come backstage and have pieces of her gown missing and Lord and heaven forbid they get a good grip on the WEAVE:icon_eek: :icon_lol:
That's why Lady D bobs and weaves"no pun intended" through the crowd while doing that..
The only people Diana really throws Diva-Rouciousness at is anyone that isn't doing a quality job such as if the lighting, sound and other technical drama isn't correct..But I have never seen or heard first hand of anyone"that's credible" that has had her flat out throw grandness at them.
Just dont try and frisk her at the airport

I edited it in my reply for the sake of conciseness.

I'll let other readers decide for themselves whether I was unfair or not.

[Dayna]

Dayna, I know you've got your "friends" and your reputation and mystique to protect.

But why deny someone's first-hand account? The fact that you didn't experience it personally doesn't mean it didn't happen.

.

First off I never mentioned you..
I wasn't at the concert that you say you attended ..so I coundn't POSSIBLY have commented on your adventures seeing as I have no clue who you are and wasn't with you.
I was recounting what I know first hand..
as for my Friends, Reputation and Mystique?
That's pretty funny:icon_lol:.
Actually it's Hilarious coming from someone who knows absoloutly NOTHING about me except what you might hear from the jumbled grapevine..
and to say I have a Mystique is something that you have created in your mind.
This is your issue not mine.. and it's quite petty and humorous..and Thank you Stephen.. for coming to a ladies defense.

[A2Mark57]

First off I never mentioned you..

Dayna, that's pretty disingenious.

You began your post by quoting mine. You were clearly responding to me.

I wasn't at the concert that you say you attended ..so I coundn't POSSIBLY have commented on your adventures seeing as I have no clue who you are and wasn't with you.

But you DID comment on my experience, didn't you? By saying that Diana only mistreats back-stage staff, not fans. And by saying that you wished you had information from more "credible" sources.

And in your more recent post, you discredit me by implying that I might not even have witnessed what I've described: "the concert that you SAY you attended"

I was recounting what I know first hand..

Thereby suggesting that if YOU didn't see it, it can't be believed.

This is your issue not mine.. and it's quite petty and humorous..

My issue is not whether Diana Ross has the Diva-est attitude. I don't care enough about her to argue that. My issue is that I made a factual post and my credibility is being challenged as a result.