Ahhh…Kate Clinton! Political-clever-unapologetic-irreverent-crazy-Kate. I met Kate Clinton at the Dinah and asked her to ponder what the term “Battle Axe” meant to her. I wanted to prep her for the interview with Epochalips the following week.

http://youtu.be/mT_Aiu9qWOk

Well, the truth is, she wasn’t super thrilled with it, and she tried to explain why. She has NEVER THOUGHT OF HERSELF AS A BATTLE AXE! I was shocked. I always thought of Kate as a poster child for Battle-Axe-dom. In my mind she is living the Battle Axe dream as an outspoken older gal who calls it as she sees it and refuses to take shit from ANYONE.

I think she might have been picturing Madge—you know, “your soaking in it” Madge—not a glamour puss, but a true Battle Axe. And perhaps Kate was just feeling too attractive and glamorous to identify with being a Battle Axe.  Or maybe she thought it was a war reference, and she’s a pacifist, I don’t know. But eventually we moved past all that and got down to business.

E: Are You a Battle Axe?

KC: Never thought of myself that way, but I think we should reclaim insults in language and consider “warnings as welcomes”. Did you just call me a castrating ball-busting bitch? Thank You!

E: Tell me more

KC: Well, say for instance someone tells me NOT to do something…then that thing is exactly what I’ll want to do.  Or how about if someone tells you “Don’t tell your Dad you are gay it will kill him” and you are thinking…that would be fantastic! There is a perverted patriarchal system in place, and we need to embrace it and use it to our benefit.

Kate’s top five Battle Axe rules to live by:

1 Flirt with older women and take them to lunch. If they offer to pay, make a plan to go again and pay next time.

2 Make an effort to have young people in your life. They keep us young and teach us new stuff.

3 Stay active! We still have incredible physical abilities

4 Give it away, volunteer, do good things. It will make you happy.

5 Have a potluck, go to a comedy show! Laugh a lot with friends.

Come meet the Epochalips gals at Kate’s Glee Party in Marin on May 22, a benefit for Spectrum LGBT Center.

Visit Kate at KateClinton.com