Melissa, when it comes to work, pretend you’re a hooker during Fleet Week: Say “Yes” to Everything. -Joan Rivers
Melissa, better to have a new you coming out of an old car than an old you coming out of a new car.”
Joan Rivers was a national treasure. After her passing Melissa was offered (at her mother’s funeral) the chance to write about her mother in time for a Mother’s Day release! She thought about what her mother would want and said Yes.
I would consider The Book of Joan a memoir-ography since Melissa chronicles parts of her mother’s life with the lens of both a participant and an observer. It is not an all encompassing biography but rather essays strung together with the central theme that Joan Rivers was a hilarious woman on and off stage. Melissa’s essays are funny but some jokes fall flat because she simply isn’t her mother.
When we started our red carpet shows, we didnt; have a clue that the simple question “Who are you wearing?” would make the red carpet more important for designers than Fashion Week of the September issue of Vogue.
Melissa grew up in Beverly Hills, California as well as backstage in Vegas while her mother moved from opening act to headliner; after Melissa graduated from Penn she went on to produce and co-star in joint ventures with her mother. In 1995 they made their biggest impact in the world of “celebrity” by turning the award show red carpet into the Event it is today. I think my favorite essay was about Joan’s antics in Costa Rica- which ended in her receiving an official letter stating she was not welcome back in the country.
It’s hard for me to separate Melissa from Joan because their careers have been so entwined for the majority of my life. Joan was clearly the star of the dynamic duo and Melissa respected her role as the straight man in their act. She misses her mother and The Book of Joan is a lovely tribute.