I could have just received royalty checks every month by lending my name to a collection, but I didn't want to do that. My name is a reflection of me.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Now my only income is a few royalty cheques from my books.
I'm entitled to collect my fair share of community property without being called names.
I paid for my name a lot when I was growing up because other kids teased me.
If you had told me in 1968 that 20 years later I'd still be receiving wonderful royalty checks for those three years, I wouldn't have believed you.
When the bank asks me about my assets, I include my friendship with Regis Philbin.
Every time Paul and Gene use my makeup, they have to pay me a royalty check. I think they changed the makeup so they didn't have to pay me.
I know a lot of celebrities who are perfectly happy to put their name to something and then leave it at that because the money is good, but I need to have complete control over how something is going to look if my name is going to be attached to it.
I don't sign every check anymore, but I have my checks, my balances. I like the people I work with very much, but I check on them.
So why sign your name in blood for more? It seemed like a sensible arrangement for me. I didn't sell large numbers of records and the record company paid advances they rarely recouped.
All they had to do was put my name on a marquee and watch the money roll in.