Something for the weekend?

The American pianist and entertainer Liberace (1919-1987) was famous for … well … er … apart from being Liberace, making a spectacle of himself and being a showy but – many highbrow critics alleged – pretty average to useless piano player and an increasing butt of derision, jokes and parody over his five-decade career.

Mind you – to give him his due – being possessed of “more front than Harrods”, he saw off the persistent (what might have been career-threatening) taunts by becoming increasingly more camp and flamboyant over the years and – as he put it – “crying all the way to the bank”, most particularly after winning a 1956 libel case against the Daily Mirror whose columnist “Cassandra” (William Connor) had knocked out a thinly-disguised slur that he was homosexual at a time when to be so was illegal in the UK.

Meanwhile, through not a few peaks and troughs, his career trajectory eventually saw him making millions and taking residencies in Las Vegas, punctuated by “guest star” TV appearances bordering upon self-parody.

His loyal fan base, mainly composed of middle-aged mums who didn’t mind what his sexuality might be, lapped up his every appearance.

In these days of lockdown, I have taken it upon myself to presume that some Rusters might be in need of an occasional diversion or two.

Here’s one that I came across yesterday – demonstrating that the old “queen” could indeed play a bit [how does he keep that left hand going whilst taking to camera and/or the audience?] – as he shows some talent at one of my favourite piano-playing genres (boogie woogie), courtesy of – YOUTUBE