the china ceiling

"She's the one who taught me women could be clowns" - Sian Harries

It was Gilda for me. Being allowed to stay up late & watch SNL. Three tremendously talented women in that original cast but oh Gilda....with all her little nutty ladies on the news and Lisa Loopner and Patti Smith.  Such tremendous talent. I'd memorized "Gilda Live" backwards and forwards.  My pal Monique & I rewrote a track as "Let's Talk Dirty To the Faculty" in honor of our high school teachers.
Mostly it was bittersweet hyper Judy Miller that stole my heart forever. Comedy grounded in the reality of every day life.
It's for sure informed my love of the likes of Amy Poehler, Megan Amram, Aisling Bea & so many others. Prior to SNL,  exposure was restricted by limited tv channels & my mother's dislike of redheaded women comics. What with Carol Burnett & Lucy being the main offerings, we didn't see much. Thank the heavens for the ladies of "Laugh In".

Victoria was different. She'd always been a bit on the periphery, unlike UK friends like Sian who grew up with her.  "Acorn Antiques" & "Dinnerladies" didn't cross over here onto PBS or ComedyCentral like AbFab, Keeping Up Appearances, and French & Saunders.  Her co-stars like Celia Imrie and Julie Walters were more renowned with their film work than quiet Victoria, scribbling away at her genius writing.
For years I knew the name better than the material and then learned more via Comic Relief, panel shows like "QI",  and tracking down bits on youtube.

My twitter feed shows another story for talented British folk - not just the 'lady comedians' she so profoundly inspired but actors, broadcasters, radio presenters. She's been around forever for them. She's woven in the tapestry of what makes them chose a creative life. "Razor sharp without cruelty" seems to be a popular phrase. "Cutting edge", "smartly observed", "relatable",  and an ability to find humour in the mundane also ring true.
When you talk about women breaking the glass ceiling? Victoria took the china tea set, brewed a great cup & then snuck in a cheeky shot of whiskey to kick things up a notch. She didn't need to break any ceilings - she just invited you into the room she planned to inhabit. She made you welcome to the comedy in her world.

I can't pretend to talk about her career with any kind of authority. I can only observe the influence she had on so many talents I love and continue to learn from the legacy she left behind. She informed the life and world of so many and made it a funnier place to be. With Gilda, we had a bit of a warning but this is blindsiding of the worst order. 62 years is not nearly enough.

These fine women: Sian Harries. Roisin Conaty. Margaret Cabourn-Smith. Jennifer Saunders. Dawn French. Sarah Millican. Imelda Staunton. Tiffany Stevenson. Edith Bowman. Alice Lowe. Alison Moyet. Keeley Hawes. JK Rowling.....
.....and so many more male comedians, actors, etc all in tears because the fucking cancer has taken yet another soul who put so much good in the world.

I can't pretend to know what Sian feels today, except into relation to what I felt when Gilda went.  We all do comedy because it feeds us. And we hope, whether we say it or not, that some day, somewhere, someone will feel a connection to what we're saying.

Thanks for everything, Victoria.  The songs. The stories. The laughs. The tears.  You were truly one of kind.