Penny Arcade, one of New York’s preeminent nightlife queens, and a Warhol alumni, stops by Miami on her 40-city international tour to perform her New York-centric one-woman show, Longing Lasts Longer
Where did you grow up? In New Britain, Connecticut, in the 1950s, when it was known as the hardware capitol of the world. When’s the last time you went back there? On September 29th, 2018, for the 50th high school reunion, for high school years that I didn’t attend! Do you miss anything about the town? I miss what New Britain was before Paul Manafort Sr. destroyed the town with so-called “urban renewal.” Of all the venues that are gone in NYC, which one do you miss the most? The Bottom Line. Who’s your favorite Warhol superstar? It’s a tie between Taylor Mead and Ondine. Since you’ve toured extensively in Europe, what’s your favorite place there? The island of Formentera, Baleraric Islands, Spain.
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What will you do with your down time when you’re in South Florida? I intend to show my collaborator’s wife, Marina, all the sights. It’s her first visit here. Other than your own plays, what’s your favorite play? Anything by Tennessee Williams. Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now? Being a social worker in back-woods Maine. How did you come up with your name? I named myself Penny Arcade coming down from LSD at age 17. It stuck. If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered? For my kindness and action in compassion. What do you want to live long enough to see? For my 11 and 13-year-old friends, Gandan and Diesel, to grow up to be 21!
Will you ever retire? Actresses like me never retire. What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you? “What are you really like?” What celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? Liza Minnelli. I was completely tongue-tied. What’s the last thing that you looked at online? An “enlarged heart portal.” It came up on my chest x-ray. What’s the best place that you’ve visited? The best…? Every place has something ‘best’ about it. There is no best place. What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older? That the only approval that really matters is my own approval of myself. What did you learn from your parents? How to work hard. What’s your current state-of-mind? Enlightened.
What were you doing before we spoke? Thinking of getting out of bed. What’s your idea of perfect happiness? Swimming in the clean, clear, beautiful ocean. What’s your greatest fear? Pain, sickness and immobility. Living or dead, who’s the greatest political figure in America? Vito Marcantonio, the first-born Italian-American representative from New York’s 18thdistrict, who put the word ‘service’ into public service. Who’s your favorite performer? Tammy Faye Starlight and Bina Sharif. What’s your best characteristic? Enthusiasm. How do you enjoy spending your time? Walking around. I’m a flaneuse. What celebrity do you have a crush on? Hmm…? I don’t have crushes on people that I do not personally know.
Who do you admire? Noam Chomski. If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be? James Baldwin. Where would you go in a time machine? To 1910. I’d go to New York City and around the world. What would your last meal be? Sushi and an ice cream sundae with hot fudge. What do you worry about? Money, for old age, and for arthritis. What are you afraid of? Serial blood-lust murderers. If you were a musical instrument, what would you be? A viola. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf? A wolf. Who depends on you? People who no one else will help. Who are you closest with? Steve Zehentner, my best friend and collaborator of 26 years. What would your autobiography be called? The Broken Genius Girl Must Be Sacrificed.
What music do you listen to when you’re upset? Old R&B, like Solomon Burke, old blues, and doo-wop. What’s on your bucket list? Singing a concert of my original songs and my favorite covers. What’s your greatest regret in life? That I didn’t honor my heart’s desires in my teens and 20s and 30s. I thought that I needed ‘proof’ to follow them. What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know? Pretty much everything! I only share what makes me the same as others, not what makes me different. But, ok. One thing is, I’m very timid. Where can we see you? My website has my schedule, and my Facebook page is totally open—I run it like a magazine or a diary. You can also see me at the Live Arts Lab at Miami Dade College this Thursday to Saturday!