At a whopping 992 pages, it appears that the Hollywood and Broadway legend . . . isn’t skimping on the details of her rarefied life. -Time.
PAGE 1—Barbra chalks up her cardiovascular wellness to screaming daily at C-SPAN.
PAGE 5—Barbra recounts girls’ weekend with Donna Karan full of laughter, nail care.
PAGE 14—Barbra says that Track II diplomacy is the “Hello, gorgeous” of statecraft.
PAGE 20—Barbra recounts anecdote featuring Shimon Peres, throw pillows.
PAGE 112—Barbra says Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is “an autobiographical masterpiece but the drawer pulls are all wrong.”
PAGE 261—Barbra says that too much guitar noodling on a song can sound like jazzturbation.
PAGE 290—Barbra says that being the only artist to have No. 1 albums in each of the past six decades always makes people ask her if she wants to lie down after lunch.
PAGE 292—Barbra interlards her praise for Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a woman?” speech with a digression on period-appropriate sconcing.
This story is from the October 30, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
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This story is from the October 30, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
ANTIHERO
“The Boys,” on Prime Video.
HOW THE WEST WAS LONG
“Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1.”
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Taffy Brodesser-Akner weighs the cost of generational wealth.
TWICE-TOLD TALES
The seditious writers who unravel their own stories.
CASTING A LINE
The hard-bitten genius of Norman Maclean.
TEARDROPS ON MY GUITAR
Four years ago, when Ivan Cornejo was a junior in high school, he had a meeting with his family to announce that he was dropping out. His parents were alarmed, of course, but his older sister, Pamela, had a more sympathetic reaction, because she also happened to be his manager, and she knew that he wasn’t bluffing when he said that he had to focus on his career.
THE HADAL ZONE
Arwen Rasmont waits hours at Keflavík International for his flight; they call it as he leaves the men’s room. He walks past the mirrored wall and is assaulted, as usual, by his dead father’s handsome image: high-arched nose, yellow hair.
OPENING THEORY
Ivan is standing on his own in the corner while the men from the chess club move the chairs and tables around.
THE LAST RAVE
Remembering a summer of estrangement.
КАНО
I’ve dated all kinds of women in my life,” the man said, “but I have to say I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.”
