National Public Radio (!) today announced that this is Cyndi (“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”) Lauper’s birthday and she is 52, which makes her slightly more than a year younger than me. In the ’80s, when she first hit her stride with a string of hits, she eventually was eclipsed in fame, fortune and notoriety by her younger competitor, Madonna. But Cyndi has had a long, steady career, and she continues to grow as an artist and performer, with a much wider range of styles than the sexpot-turned-English-gentlewoman.

“Cyndi Lauper – Live… At Last

Her latest project is a live concert DVD, based on her latest album At Last. My favorite is the “French” version of “She Bop” with the accordion.