"When I was a teenager, all my friends came out [gay]. And then I figured, 'Okay, me, too!' And then, afterwards, it was like, 'Oh, It's not really my thing.' And then I had to tell them I was straight.... They were gonna ditch me, and then they did ditch me. And then, when my sister came out, 'I was like, you're not ditching me! I don't care....'

"[The song,] 'True Colors' is just one of them healing songs, and I never realized what it meant to the community. When I first heard it and started singing it, I actually lost one of my dear friends, Gregory. And he died of AIDS in 1985. So, when I went in to sing 'True Colors,' I was thinking of him....

"I was having a discussion with my friend about inclusion.... Think about the gay community, and think about how excluded they are.... I'm friends and family of, so what are you supposed to do? Watch your friends and family be discriminated against and have their civil rights chipped away, little by little by little -- and not say anything?.... I try to write stuff that people say every day in conversation. And I've heard that, and I'm sure you've said it yourself. And I took expressions from everyday life and put them into these rhythms.... I wrote ['Same Ol' Fucking Story" with Rich Morel]. It's just about people getting back up again."

Singer Cyndi Lauper talking at length about her 'True Colors' tour and her life-long experience of supporting gay people. During the half-hour interview she revealed an intimate experience with a girl friend; discussed rumors of Britney joining the tour, her son Declyn, and the makings of her new dance album; and she sang a unique, live version of ''All Through the Night.'' (HowardStern.com)