Original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter brings her ‘Red Rock N’ Blues’ show to North Texas
Tammye Nash | Managing Editor
nash@dallasvoice.com
When you think of Lynda Carter, maybe you think of her role as President Olivia Mars on the current Supergirl TV series. Or if you think back a few years, you might think of her as Pauline in The Dukes of Hazzard movie, or even Principal Powers in the movie Sky High.
And of course, for most of us, Lynda Carter is and always will be THE Wonder Woman.
But there are other sides to Carter that you might not ever have seen: rock-and-blues singer, video game voice actor, outspoken advocate for equality.
In an interview this week, before Tuesday’s midterm elections, Carter talked about her activism, saying that she has been involved in politics “for a long time,” and even admitting, “Sometimes, I think I am too involved. I get so upset when I hear some of the things people say.”
This election season, Carter continued, “there’s been so much hate, so many people talking about, speaking against things they really know nothing about. There are people talking about gay and lesbian people, or people of color, or people of different religions, and all they are doing is hating.
“There is this fear of ‘other’ that they are grasping onto. They hate anything and anyone different from them,” she said. “And especially when they say they are doing it in the name of religion, or that they are speaking for God, it is just so very upsetting to me.”
Carter, who has spoken out in recent months about her own experiences with sexual harassment, said women have been targets for hate and harassment “for a very long time,” as has anybody who is “different in any way.”
Targeting someone for hatred and discrimination that way, she said, is “a sign of insecurity, of wanting to elevate yourself above somebody else because you are insecure in yourself. And when those people that are being attacked are someone that you love, well, it is a really shocking thing to see.”
Her voice rising in indignation, Carter said that anyone who tries to interfere with another person’s control over their own bodies and their own lives should be confronted, the same way U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris confronted Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, when she demanded of him: “Can you think of any laws that give government the power to make decisions about the male body?”
Carter said, “I think anyone who is speaking to one of these people [who want to discriminate against LGBT people] should ask them, how would you feel if the government put restrictions on your marriage, on how you can or cannot interact with your spouse, the person you love? Ask them, if you couldn’t have children for some reason, how would you like it for the government to tell you that you can’t adopt children? Would that be constitutional?”
If someone speaks against marriage equality, she said, ask them why they got married. Then make sure they understand that same-sex couples want to be married for the same exact reasons.
“It’s the same reasons!” she declared. “There’s no difference! But whenever I see [same-sex couples] talking about ‘my husband’ or ‘my wife,’ it just sounds so great! It makes me so happy that people have the chance to say that. And it makes me happy to know that for millennials, for people like my children, it’s just such a non-issue.”
Back to the music
But the main reason for this interview was to talk about Carter’s concert on Saturday night, Nov. 10, at the Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts in Richardson. So Carter shook off politics and switched gears.
“This concert,” she declared. “You will love this concert! We will just have so much fun!”
Carter and her All-Star Band present the Red, Rock N’ Blues show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Drive. Tickets start a $40, available online at EisemannCenter.com, but if you get them online, use the secret code “Jenna” at checkout to get a discount.
(And yes, that refers to Rose Room star Jenna Skyy, aka Joe Hoselton, who is a huge Lynda Carter fan.)
While Carter may be best known as an actor, she actually started out as a singer. She said this week that she had performed in North Texas “a few times in the past, on my way around the country with some of the different bands I’ve been in.” And she was looking forward to coming back to Dallas and, hopefully, setting the stage for regular performances here.
“I want you to hustle up all my fans there in the LGBTQ family and get them to come to the show,” she said. “I need your support. I want to build a strong base in Dallas so I can come back there every year, and if I can find a following there, I can return every year.”
And, Carter promised, it will be worth it.
“We’ll be doing a lot of the songs from my new album [also titled Red Rock N’ Blues] and some re-imagined rock-and-roll, with a little splattering of blue-eyed blues and then some country, too,” she said. “It’s going to be very irreverent and casual, and we are just going to have a ball together.”
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Lynda Carter and her All-Star Band present the Red, Rock N’Blues concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Eisemann Center, 2351 Performance Drive in Richardson. Tickets start a $40, available online at EisemannCenter.com If you buy your tickets online, use the secret code “Jenna” at checkout to get a discount.
