Liberace Museum Closes Its Glittery Gates

NPR ^ | 10./15/10 | Ted Robbins

[freekitty]

That’s sad. I loved his museum.

[GeronL]

That is because there are now an overabundance of nutcases

[hinckley buzzard]

Liberace was definitely a time-bound man of the Fifties, a character driven by early television. As the article says, nothing to remember him by. A man whose time has come and now gone.

[Stentor]

I could have sworn he had a gig in Branson last year.

[Alex Murphy]

Goldberg says many people, including his own mother, knew Liberace was gay. "But back then it would have been a catastrophe for his career, so he never admitted it up to the day he died, never came out of the closet," he said.

He didn't have to. He wore the closet.

[Fiji Hill]

That’s sad. I loved his museum.

Indeed. The Roy Rogers museum also closed because Rogers has been forgotten by younger generations.

[devane617]

To bad....I was headed to Vegas later this year and that was on my agenda.

[Viking2002]

Well, I guess you gotta give him his props for turning his brand of tailgunnery into something vaguely family-friendly, unlike these diseased queens popping up all over the place nowadays. The old poofter did have a flair that drew crowds of middle-aged women, and made him a pot load of money for the effort.

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[Revolting cat!]

It now takes two to replace him: Elton John for the flamboyance, and Kenny G. for the musical mediocrity.

[Borges]

He was also politically conservative.

[Borges]

Liberace had genuine virtuoso technique and could have been a first rate concert pianist.

[GeronL]

He definitely knew how to make money

[DemforBush]

When I was a little kid, I used to get Liberace confused with a character actor named William Campbell who appeared on a couple episodes of Star Trek.

[Fiji Hill]

The biggest problem for the Liberace Museum may be its location. It's more than 2 miles off the Vegas Strip, and visitors just don't want to make the trip.

In other words, its location on Tropicana near UNLV is in the "real" Las Vegas, where the locals go about their business. Few tourists are seen in these parts, unless they are looking for a good Italian sandwich at Cugino's on Maryland Parkway.

[warsaw44]

A friend of mine who is well in his 70s is a big fan of piano music and is classically trained. He new any number of musicians and saw most of the big stars when they were popular.

He recalled seeing Liberace in concert many years ago and being one of about 8 people in the audience. There was a massive snow storm on the day of the concert and 8 people managed to show up, many must have thought it was canceled. Liberace insisted on playing the entire set for the 8 people.

Imagine that. A real gentleman.

[freekitty]

I loved that museum too.

[MHGinTN]

Tramaine! ... They do look enough alike to be twins. A few years of age diff though.

[Revolting cat!]

Liberace gay? You don't say!

[LibFreeOrDie]

Video: Tour of the Liberace Museum

http://www.5min.com/Video/The-Liberace-Museum-in-Las-Vegas-255889002