The Liberace Museum

Our awesome 2010 Vegas Vacation has been over for a month but I promised myself and the wonderful people at three of our destinations that I would write individual, detailed posts to spread the word. I think having a month off to recollect my thoughts was a good gap. Plus I received some inspiration from Jose mentioning how excited he is about moving to Dallas because a direct flight to Sin City is cheaper via Southwest. Once he and Nancy are settled, I predict we may be making some long, dude weekends in Vegas.

A list of famous guests, oddly most aren't from my grandparents' generation. I do remember Duran Duran showing this place in their 1984 tour movie.

So the first main attraction we visited was The Liberace Museum located on Tropicana, somewhat east from the Strip. Contrary to my generation’s alleged love for kitsch, we didn’t go there for such reasons. Maybe when I first spotted the place in 1997 but as I’ve grown older, I learned more about him and discovered that he earned his rightful place in the history and development of popular music. For starters, Liberace was the inspiration (directly or indirectly) for many others in Pop Music who followed, namely Elton John yet I would argue his influence extends to Bette Midler, David Bowie, Kate Bush and Cher on the showmanship factor. When it comes to piano players being at the forefront my list is much longer: Billy Joel, Tori Amos, Ben Folds, Crooked Fingers, Rufus Wainwright, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Sarah McLachlan, Dr. John and Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls).

Liberace owned the world's largest rhinestone ever made. That thing is 115,000 carats and was created just for him. It was a gift because he financially rescued the Austrian company which made the good ones.

Liberace, like Elvis, Tom Jones, Celine Dion and Wayne Newton, is synonymous with Las Vegas too. His performances at the various venues there from the Fifties on helped mold the city’s image as an entertainment destination. Sadly, they have no named a street after him yet. I think this will come in time. Right now, the world and Vegas have more pressing concerns.

Anyway, what’s there to see? A really good amount of interesting things. By the Seventies, Liberace realized he had accumulated numerous cars, pianos, costumes, honors and knickknacks. Thus, he opened the museum in 1979 to share these belongings with the public. It also became the public face to his foundation which helps other young musicians attend universities or whatever can further their musical education (I recall he sponsored a scholarship at Marquette in the theater department because my alma mater doesn’t have a music program). His family didn’t have much money when he was growing up in Milwaukee during the Twenties and early Thirties so Liberace never forgot how fortunate he was to receive a scholarship with the local conservatory. He wanted to return the favor in kind to the world.

One of the oldest pianos in existence. This instrument was hand made around 1788. I tried counting the keys but can't make out an exact number (64?) yet I'm sure it doesn't have 88 like a modern one.

It was certainly an educational and entertaining tour. I didn’t believe I knew everything about the man, just more than average in light of being a resident of Milwaukee (his hometown) for five years. Seems I wasn’t even close from these facts the museum pointed out below:

• I figured he came from a family of musicians but his father was a member of John Philip Sousa’s band.
• He is in the Guinness Book of World Records for his earnings and for playing the 2000 notes (accurately) in two minutes, I think. I didn’t have much luck finding this nor did Somara have a photo of the bronze plate claiming this.
• He loved dogs and took in dozens of the abandoned creatures to care for them.
• He was only 5′ 8″, 185 pounds and despite being a three-pack-a-day smoker, he worked out. It was required because his capes weighed as much as 150 pounds and it explains why his later entrances were in cars.
• My favorite discovery was a certificate declaring Liberace Day of something in Louisville, KY in the late Seventies. The big-wig official representing the city then is none other than homophobe, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

We certainly got our forty bucks worth. As you may have seen earlier, I had the opportunity to try on one of his lighter capes (20 pounds). There’s also this one guy decked out completely in piano regalia and he was a walking treasure trove of Libby trivia. He could answer about everything, including the more specific details regarding the lawsuit Liberace won agains the music critic who called him a derogatory gay term. The same victory my grandmother swore to us that it meant he wasn’t a homosexual, despite my grandfather’s taunting. Lastly, we made it in time for the afternoon performance of Ali Spuck at the Cabaret within the second building. I thought she was wonderful too. Her performance was something you enjoyable, light and funny. Not a “museum piece” in which you’re checking your watch every few minutes, wondering when is it over. Ali originates from the Dallas area to boot! Definitely want to see her again.

Those who ridicule my unusual Chucks need to see these shoes.

Would I go back? Sure. If I’ve been through Graceland three times, why wouldn’t I pay my respects to the guy who allegedly advised the future King to stop dressing like a Memphis pimp? The staff also changes out the costumes every few months because they said there’s warehouses of clothes the guy owned. I think the bigger selling point is the place being a charity, not really a money-making enterprise.

Should I actually know you and for some reason you check this out on my recommendation. Tell the nice staff I sent you. If you decide it was total crap, I’ll refund your money because I sincerely endorse this Vegas site. My only wish is that Grandma were alive and willing enough to see it. She was a fan of his. Enough to influence me into watching his famous 1979 Valentine’s Day special; I even saw the harness he used to fly over the crowd at the end.

It was 1976 so everybody looked dorky then. I'm sure if he had lived longer, he would've laughed at this too.

Meanwhile, I am now really looking forward to the possible movie Soderbergh was going to do about Liberace with Michael Douglas as the renowned pianist and Matt Damon as the companion who sued him for palimony in 1983.