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Put on your rhinestone covered headphones, we’ve got a dazzling show for you today! Is it possible to put a million rhinestones into this podcast?

From Las Vegas, we salute one of the great ones, Liberace- the flamboyant musician who’s showbiz style and ornate sensibilities influence Las Vegas and pop music to this very day.

As a young gay kid I was always fascinated by this extravagant piano player I saw on TV, and even once made rings out of aluminum foil to pretend I was Liberace. My piano teacher Carol Ortiz had dozens of piano shaped knick-knacks in her home, and even a clock on the wall shaped like a piano. My dad even helped me make a grand piano shaped chocolate cake to celebrate graduating book 2 in the Suzuki Method.

Join us as we talk to the President of the Liberace Foundation Darin Hollingsworth from inside the Liberace Museum about the man behind all the glitz and glamor.

What a place! In what can be best described as an ALL-Liberace themed strip mall, just minutes away from the main drive in Las Vegas you can see in person all of Liberace’s over the top costumes, cars and pianos and learn more about this complex man who made such an impact on showbusiness today.

Click here for photos taken from the Liberace Museum.

Liberace earned the nickname “Mr. Showman” in part because of his outrageous, shiny and beautiful costumes. They were a show into themselves. He worked with many fabulous designers and furriers to achieve that over-the-top, rococo gilded lily style. Today the museum lovingly cares for many of these expensive and very heavy costumes which they hope to maintain for future generations to enjoy.

Did you know that Liberace influenced Elvis’ sense of showmanship? Well, you didn’t think Elvis came up with the gold suit and rhinestone studded cape all on his own did you? Liberace showed him how it was done and what it took to dazzle an audience.

Liberace was often the butt of jokes but he really was in on the humor. He use to joke that he “laughed all the way to the bank.” And then well into his career he changed it to “you remember that bank I use to laugh all the way too? Well, I bought it.” The man had some serious coin.

He also had quite a taste for food and was known to put out quite a spread. Food was important for him and he says he kept three different sizes of clothing- thin, fat and impossible. The Liberace Foundation has put a cookbook, Joy of Liberace: Retro Recipes from America’s Kitchiest Kitchen, which contains some of his favorite recipes. It’s worth getting just for the kitsch appeal. Do we see a Liberace themed dinner party in your future?

Liberace never disclosed his sexuality but he lived and died in a different era. Darrin, President of the Liberace Foundation, points out that when he died in 1986 from AIDS, Elton John was married to a woman. How’s that for putting it in perspective?

Through all the sparkles of the rhinestones and the jewels, the legacy of Liberace that shines the brightest is the Liberace Scholarship for the creative and performing arts. Liberace felt he owed his success to the scholarships he received as a youth. To express his appreciation and to further the arts, the foundation has provided over $5 million in scholarship grants to more than 2200 students at 110 colleges and universities.

Remember kids, as Liberace once said- “nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself.”

Featured DVD:
The World of Liberace
Directed by Tony Palmer
Get it on: Amazon | Site

Featured Book:
Joy of Liberace: Retro Recipes from America’s Kitchiest Kitchen: Amazon

Featured Music:
Liberace – 16 Biggest Hits: iTunes | Amazon
Liberace – Best of Liberace: iTunes | Amazon

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