Liz Smith Incites Gay War Over Judy, Rufus
On the holiest day of the Gay Year—the announcement of Tony nominations—a conflict has broken out that threatens to rend the community into deeply opposed warring factions: supporters of Rufus Wainwright and supporters of the poor maligned ghost of Judy Garland! At least, that's how Liz Smith, who is a gay man, sees it.
When pop singer Rufus Wainwright did his Carnegie Hall "tribute" to Judy Garland last year, I thought it was an intriguing idea. Mostly, it made one want to listen to "Judy at Carnegie Hall" again! Since then, Wainright has said his big notes were "better thought out" than Garland's. (Odd, Rufus has no big notes!)
Now comes the refreshed Radar magazine, in which Rufus calls Garland "a camp fossil" revived by his attention. Oh, puh-leeze! There have been many re-appreciations of the great Garland. The apex was the DVD re-release of her 1963-64 TV series, plus several PBS documentaries. Liza Minnelli was right after all in not supporting Rufus Wainright's use of her mother.
