“Wonder Woman” Fran Capo!
Why do we call Fran Capo Wonder Woman? When EPN heard about Fran from our Dear Friend, Singer Dalal, we knew we had to interview her! She is quite a talent!
Fran Capo is a comedienne, motivational speaker, 18 time author, spokesperson, TV host, comedy producer and 6 time world record holder most known as the Guinness Book of World Records fastest talking female clocked at 603.32wpm. (Just ask her EX-husband). She is also an adventurer who has bungee jumped, scuba dived with sharks, eaten fire, crawled in a polar bear den, driven race cars and done a book signing both on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and then one down by the wreck site of the Titanic. She’s also an ordained minister (Ye,s, she prays that she comes out of all her adventures alive!). Fran has been featured on over 4500 radio shows, and 350 television shows including Entertainment tonight, Fox & Friends, Martha Stewart Show, CNN, The Late Show & Good Morning America. She has performed on every continent (even Antarctica – the penguins were dressed very nicely.) She was recently cast in a reality show called, “Ladies of the Pulpit”, and her three latest books are “Myths and Mysteries of New York”, ”Hopeville: the City of Light” and “Almost a Wise Guy.” Also , known as Travel Adventure Mom she blogs for traveling mom and also does Movie reviews for New Media Stew with Fitness Celebrity John Basedow. Recently voted one of 2012 “Most Memorable Characters” by the Journal News, you can catch her motivational humorous vlogs, called Cuppa Capo on her Youtube.com/cuppacapo channel or go to www.francapo.com to see what this one fast mother is always up to.
Our Exclusive Interview!
EPN:Growing up when did you first realize you had such an array of skills and abilities?
Fran:I was lucky in the fact that my mom, Rose taught me that nothing is impossible and my dad, Frank taught me to always find the humor in life. So with these philosophies as my two guiding principles, I’d look at anything I wanted to do and say, “Wow, I can do that!” and then would figure out a way to achieve it. That went with anything from breaking my 6 world records to eating fire to diving down to the wreck site of the Titanic to writing 18 books to fighting cases Pro se in court.
Most of the big breaks in my career came through someone mentioning something that sparked something else and me just jumping in. For example, I was working at WBLS Radio as a comedy writer and one day was kidding around and said that I could do a really cool Mae West Impression, but that I called the character June East. The DJ flung the weather copy at me and the red tally light in the studio went on, and I did the weather as June East. A New York Daily News Reporter heard the spontaneous report, called the station and said she was doing a story on weather and traffic people. She asked how long I had been doing it. I wasn’t going to say thirty seconds, so I said, “A while.” Then she asked what I planned on doing next, I blurted out, “Break a world record.” She printed that in the paper and I had to come up with something quick, so I went for fast talking. I wound up breaking the record on the Larry King Live show and then rebroke the record at the Guinness Museum in Vegas. That lead to me touring with LL Cool Jay doing a Rap Record, Rappin Mae..which lead to commercials, which then lead to me doing movies. My whole life has been a series of “Can you do that?” And me saying, “Yes” and then figuring it out later.
EPN:Who was/is your greatest inspiration?
Fran:I was always taught to be my own best cheer leader. So my self-esteem came from my middle class divorced parents (both who have passed). Ironically my mom was a homemaker and later became an assistant teacher, and my dad was a builder, who had some mob ties (as revealed in my book, “Almost a Wise Guy”.) Construction and mob, imagine that! My mom taught me to visualize what I wanted, and to pray to Mother Mary. To this day, when I need an answer I light a candle and pray to my mom and mother Mary and through a variety of ways I get a very specific answer within three hours. I have a book that is going to be released soon in e-book format called, Hopeville: The City of Light that was revealed to me via a voice at 2 a.m. I wasn’t having regular interaction with Mother Mary back in 2004 when this happened, but now in hind sight, I believe that was her voice. (Okay, now that I sound like a total whack job), the bottom line is…you have to learn to trust your gut. Look around for inspiration in anyone or anything that is successful and that you align your morals with, but ultimately know you create your own destiny, never have a victim mentality and you have to learn to trust yourself.
On a side note I’d like to add, that if every child was taught self-esteem at a young age, I don’t think we’d have so much bullying going on in society because people would stand up for themselves. I think it’s great that kids learn how to color in school, but teach kids how to respect themselves and others is more important. And if you are not “the norm” who gives a crap…you want to be EXTRA-ordinary not some sheep following the herd. Look up to people because they reflect how you want to be, NOT because they have money or are popular. Don’t get me wrong, MONEY is not EVIL, I admire those who figure out how to be millionaires, I just don’t admire anyone who does it by being low class, or stepping on someone else’s back to get there or being popular for the wrong things.
EPN:How did you acquire your sense of humor?
Fran:From my parents. They were practical jokers, the type that would put fake snakes in the beds of guests staying over to my dad that when he was dying of cancer and having his chemo treatments asked me to go out and buy a Chia Pet so he could see who’s hair would grow back faster. He would cut the Chia pets hair so he could win.
However if you are asking me professionally whose sense of humor I like George Carlin was my favorite comic, although I find tons of comics funny.
EPN:Tell us about your experiences a woman sometimes performing acts that some think should be performed by men? Have you had to deal with any obstacles or adversities?
Fran:Comedy wise, it’s still a man’s world. Men headliners still get paid more than women. And there have still been audience members who come up to me and say, “Wow for a woman you’re really funny.” For me, I just get onstage and do my thing. I love playing with the audience and talking straight from my heart, and I think people sense that I’m the same person onstage as I am off and my attitude is “If you like me great, if you don’t …go see someone else, no one is handcuffing you to stay here. ” That is also why I produce my own comedy shows at Piazza Roma (Westchester, NY) and Rocco’s (Brookfield, CT). It’s always good to be in control of your own future.
EPN: I see that you are an adventurer, do you ever hesitate with the fear of “what if?” before a performance?
Fran:Once I get an idea in my head I want to do something, all fear goes to the background…the fear is in deciding…”Do I want to eat the fire? Do I want to jump out of a plane strapped to a guy, from 10,000 feet in the air? Do I want to swim with sharks?” I take what I called calculated risks. Usually in my head the thought that, “Mmmm this company is advertising this adventure, if it was too dangerous they’d be out of business, so I’m sure they are doing it in a safe manner.” I never think, “Wow I might die.” If I thought that way I wouldn’t do half the stuff I do. I always like to challenge myself. And it’s not that I don’t have fear doing it, because I do, I just say, “Fear nothing, but if you do, do it anyway.” All people have fear, it’s just deciding that the rewards are more powerful than the fear that allows you to do it. I look at life like Gods buffet table….You were put on this earth to explore as much and taste as many different things as possible (within your morals & moving you to a better you). How boring would it be if you always tried the same things. When I see God I want to say, “Wow you gave me a full life and I used it all up!” I then like to write about it in my articles and books like, “Adrenaline Adventures” so that I can hopefully inspire people through first hand stories and humor to go out there and try the things they are scared of.
EPN: What advice do you have for anyone who would love to follow your footsteps?
Fran:Be yourself, learn to be your own best cheerleader, learn to be grateful for what you have, say I love you to life and to those you love for they are there with you through thick and thin, try to live in the “Here” and “Now”, not in the past or the future. Do everything that you do in life with the thought, “If what I am doing now appeared in the headlines of a newspaper would I be happy with that?” If your answer is yes, you are on the right track, if your answer is no, you know you should not be doing it. Have a sense of humor about everything, especially yourself!!! Know that good and bad happen in your life and you might not know the reason it happens, but try to find the lesson in it, and know that no matter how bad things may seem, they come to pass, they don’t come to stay. And when someone says to you, “There is light at the end of the tunnel”, say to hell with that, “I’m brining my own flashlight!” Create your own light. Leave the world a better place. And no matter what, never, never, never give up!
EPN: This may sound cliche but what should we expect next from Fran?
Fran:-My book, Hopeville: The City of Light due out in kindle, itunes and ebook format within the next few weeks. Launch date is April 22 (my mom’s birthday!) I ask if everyone can buy 1 copy on that date. This can help my small book with a big message go viral, I’d really appreciate that.
-A new world record attempt coming out in May.
-A one Woman Show, tentatively titled, ‘Give me a Sign” or “One Fast Mother”.
-More articles about my adventures.
-Booking more comedy clubs.
-Tons more adventures as they strike me like my upcoming volunteer work in Pompeii.
-More humorous comedy vlogs on my youtube channel www.youtube.com/cuppacapo
-Bascially to always live life to the fullest!!!!
– Always new things on my website www.francapo.com
And I invite your readers to join my newsletter through my website it is filled with humor and motivation!
Until then, create a great life!
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