Bette Midler On Performing: “I’ve been performing so long, I just do what I feel like doing. I can’t second-guess the crowd, so I do what pleases me; if they find that eccentric or whatever, that’s their problem, not mine. For the most part, I do what amuses me and I think I’ve only been just outside the line of what is considered absolutely ‘acceptable.’ I mean, I’ve never pierced my navel, and my lips are all my own. I feel I’m pretty much mainstream now, in contrast to what else is out there. I think that’s a function of age. People try to push the envelope and see how far they can go, but when you get a little older, that suddenly becomes unimportant.” ((Santa Ana Orange County Register January 12, 1997)
