The world gives us bizarre anomalies from time to time. How on earth did a cheeky, brazenly over-the-top classical pianist maintain a forty year career as one of the highest paid and most beloved “rock stars” of a time when pop music was at its must crucial periods of growth? How on earth did this man have throngs of women falling over the place in love with him?
Yes, of course, we’re talking about Liberace. To this day, he remains a known name and perhaps even the paragon of this particular conceptual anomaly. Nobody understands it, but somehow everybody gets it. He’s a wild figure to consider. This man had Hot 100 positions (below, but) up against the likes of the Beatles all the way up to Kate Bush in the 80s. A remarkable and weird career.
Of course, we lost Liberace to AIDS in 1987. Many of his fans were not surprised to learn of his homosexuality, while another huge subset was absolutely scandalized by it, creating a fraught legacy for a man who, at the end of the day, was just a stunning pianist, albeit one with a real flair for entertainment and a predilection for fancy things.
I’m not one to thrust my opinions about entertainment on others (HAHAHAHA), but if you missed it, Liberace was portrayed to acclaim by Michael Douglas in the excellent HBO film Behind the Candelabra several years back. It’s a fair and complicated depiction, and a wonderful performance from Douglas, among others. If you have the access to watch it, I do recommend.
Today we hear what I consider the apex example of who and what Liberace was, his famous arrangement of the beginner’s piano classic, “Chopsticks.” It’s a nod to the fact that everyone can play this song — but not like this! He even says as much in his introduction. It’s cheekily self-aware and brazenly capitalizing on what the man himself understood to be the social anomaly that he was.
Yes, I used cheeky and brazen in that order in the opening paragraph…I simply can’t come up with better words for the character Liberace played on stage. He was in on the joke when nobody else in the world was, an amazing example of self-possession and confidence, even though the world more or less built a closet around him, whether or not he wanted it. He *literally* winks at the audience, and they think they get it…but do they? Pride embodied, I say, and I thank him for it. Now let’s all go practice our “Chopsticks” and play along!
Breathe in and out a few times. Release the tensions in your neck, your shoulders, your arms, your chest, your trunk, your hips, your legs, your feet. Agree with your body that it feels good to do this intentionally. Tell it to enjoy the next few minutes.
Now press play.
Thank you, Spirit of Music, for being a loving host for the misunderstood and unusual. I live in your generosity today.