Isn't Oprah supposed to solve problems, not create them?
The way Wynonna Judd tells it, the reality-TV cameras from the Oprah Winfrey Network nearly drove her crazy on her recent Judds reunion tour with her mother, Naomi. As it is, the always-bickering daughter and mom -- country music's most celebrated duo of the 1980s and early '90s -- have already been through decades of therapy.
"The tour almost killed me. It was the hardest thing I've ever done," said Judd, who returns Saturday to Mystic Lake Casino, where she performed with her mother last year on the Last Encore Tour. "I don't think I could ever do it again like that, especially trying to film for a TV show.
"I've known Oprah for 25 years and I trust her. But that was pretty ridiculous to try and pull off. Thirty songs every night, are you kidding me? Three hours. Physically, it about flattened me. One week, we did five nights in a row. And we had two meet-and-greets [with fans] every night -- one before and one after the show. I don't recommend it. It was like cramming for exams. That adrenaline you use every day, it's just not human."
In retrospect, Judd wishes she and Naomi had taken more walks together during the 30-concert tour instead of getting up at 8 a.m., fixing their hair and makeup, putting on microphones and being followed by TV cameras.
"It was almost like trying to do a wedding, a reception and a family reunion all in one day," Judd said. "I don't want to be on TV like that unless I can help people. I don't want to be another drama series of catastrophic events. They didn't show a lot of the joy and celebration and laughter. I told them they blew it."
Two more bad scares
If reality TV weren't painful enough, Judd had two near-death experiences in the past year or so: a head-on SUV collision and a pulmonary embolism.
"The doctor said 90-some percent of patients don't make it through," Judd said of the embolism. "The only reason I survived was that the blood clot spattered and my lungs held onto the clot, which means my lungs are very strong. It didn't go to the heart. Thank you, 28 years of singing. That's what saved my life."
She thinks the sturdiness of her rental SUV, with her road manager driving and her daughter Gracie on board, enabled her to escape serious injury in the two-vehicle accident in Utah.
"It was about a 100-mile-an-hour impact," Judd said. "They didn't want to release me [from the hospital] so I had to sign a form that I'm out of here, and I went and did three shows that I probably shouldn't have done."
Rockin' with Big Noise
Right now, Judd, 47, is between recording projects so she is touring with her new stripped-down quartet, the Big Noise. That means she'll be rocking.
"I've always been a bit of a maverick when it comes to music," she said. "I find myself singing everything from Chrissie Hynde to Chaka Khan. I love traditional country, and I've made records to pay homage to my heroes and sheroes. And there's part of me that just wants to rock -- until the record comes out."
In January, she'll return to the studio to finish an album due in 2012.
"I want to supply radio with what they need, sure, and there might be a song on there about my daughter or a song I sing with my mom," Judd said. "This is going to be my most vulnerable and honest and autobiographical record 'cause I've gone through a real personal transformation."
And she hasn't even mentioned the challenges of being a single mom to two teenagers.
"I go onstage to take a break," she said, letting out a sigh.
Fans hope her return to Mystic won't be a repeat of her last appearance there, when she had a terrible cold and not much of a singing voice. But, with Mom at her side, she carried on for 2 1/2 hours, turning into an obsessively self-analytical chatterbox, plying her quick wit, sharp tongue and repository of one-liners.
Why didn't the Judds just cancel the show?
"That wouldn't be me," Wynonna said. "I think I've canceled twice in 28 years. Once was 'cause I couldn't get out of bed because of my back. I just couldn't. I think the other one I was in the hospital. I come from the school of 'Go out there and do your best and if anyone complains, give them their money back.' Unless you're having surgery or giving birth, you show up. I don't cancel."
And Oprah doesn't create problems.
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