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Melissa Rivers chats confi dentially about her mom

and the new book that pays homage to her.

331

M

elissa Rivers called her
mother, Joan, a “maxi-
malist,” which she
once described as “rich people
hoarding.” So when it came time
to write a book that would be
the ultimate Joan Rivers-fan
keepsake, a maximalist title was
in order: Joan Rivers Confidential:
The Unseen Scrapbooks, Joke
Cards, Personal Files, and Photos
of a Very Funny Woman Who Kept
Everything. Released this week,
the book will be available at the
upcoming 66th Annual Jewish
Book Fair Nov. 2-12.
Joan Rivers Confidential ($40;
Abrams), by Melissa Rivers with
Scott Currie, is 170 pages of
memories and mementos of the
witty, sharp-talking blond dyna-
mo, die-hard New Yorker, world
traveler, philanthropist, devoted
mother and grandmother.
The JN spoke with Melissa
Rivers by phone in L.A. and here’s
what she had to say:
JN: The last time your mom
was in Michigan, she spoke to
a sell-out Planned Parenthood

Joan and Melissa
pioneering the red
carpet interview at
the Oscars

42

October 26 • 2017

jn

crowd in 2011. Did she have
any Detroit ties?
MR: My mother was great
friends with the wonderful
[Detroit Free Press entertainment
columnist] Shirley Eder and they
would talk on the phone.
JN: The first book you wrote
about your mom — The Book
of Joan: Tales of Mirth, Mischief
and Manipulation — came
out just eight months after
she passed away in 2014. That
must have been so hard to do.
MR: It was a crazy, crazy
schedule and deadline, but it was
also very cathartic for me and
my mom’s writing partner, Larry
Amoros. We laughed and told
stories. I’d walk around without
a smile for months and months.
But just telling stories about her
and writing was so important
and it really saved me. I would
send pages to friends and they’d
start laughing, too. It gave every-
one permission to laugh.
JN: You co-wrote Joan Rivers
Confidential with Scott Currie.
What a fabulous trip down mem-

ory lane for Joan Rivers’ fans.
How did you manage this inten-
sive and jam-packed project?
MR: The idea to do a scrap-
book came up pretty early on,
but it was too overwhelming to
me. It became a reality about a
year ago after my good friend
Scott Currie talked me into it.
Scott is a phenomenal producer
and publicist, and he was a dear,
dear friend of my mom’s and a
producer on her first show. Scott
is the gay son my mom always
wanted.
JN: Would you say it’s an
oversized book or a coffee
table book?
MR: It’s somewhere in the
middle. I wanted it to feel beau-
tiful and special and different
from a traditional book. It was
also very important to me that
the price point was very acces-
sible to all of her fans and that
we were connecting with every
woman, just like when she sold
her jewelry on QVC.
JN: There are hundreds of
pictures in the book of her

PHOTO BY CHARLES BUSH

JULIE YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER