Sunday Drive: Debussy, Clair de Lune

As performed live by Liberace, 1983.  Somewhere along this same time, I took my mom to see him when he brought his show to our town.  I knew she would enjoy it, but didn't think I would get much out of it - Liberace was very old hat by that time . . . and besides, he was more a than a little, um, flamboyant.  You know what I mean, fellas?  I wasn't comfortable with that.  Just keep it to yourself, I thought.

But we went, and both of us had a grand time.  He truly was Mr. Showmanship - a consummate entertainer, and from the moment he stepped onto the stage in a glittering sequined suit and fur-lined cape, he enthralled everyone in that huge arena, individually and collectively, and held them spellbound until he played his last note.  Virtuosity.  Spectacle.  Magic.  

I've never seen anything like it, before or since.  Not a dull moment in the whole show, musically or visually, and the outfits kept getting more and more flamboyant - oh Mary, don't ask!  But never a hint of vulgarity, and the audience just begged for more, blue-haired ladies and manly men alike.

So this is for you, my darling red-haired Mama. I miss you so.

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My Trip Down the Pink Carpet

Book and DVD available thru TLA, click the pic

Hey guys, this might be old news to some of you, but if you haven't yet seen Leslie Jordan's one-man show, you sit right down and watch it tonight.  You will love it, I guaran-damn-tee you will - it's that funny, and honest, and sooo true to life about growing up gay in the South.

What's not funny is, when I first came across the film, my first thought was, what a sweet old man.  Then come to find out - he was born the same year I was.

Shit.  Oh well, don't miss it guys, it's a hoot and a holler.  Here's a brief trailer that gives you only a slight taste of Leslie's over-the-top comic talents:




While I'm on the subject of one-man shows, I can also recommend the late Charles Nelson Reilly's Life of Reilly, which also has a lot of laughs, but deals with some darker true-life material too.



Your Head Trucker hates to admit it, but way back in the mid-seventies, when he was doing all those game shows, I had no idea that Reilly was gay - Paul Lynde, yes, Reilly no. I mean, he smoked a pipe, for God's sake!