The Oscar-winning actress opens up about her mother, her connection to gay men, and how she "could not believe there were eight lesbians! In the world!"
Cover Story:
October 11, 2010 ( LOS ANGELES ) — Fresh from his high-profile expose of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, journalist Michael Joseph Gross switched gears and sat down with legendary performer Liza Minnelli. If anything has been constant throughout Minnelli's life, it's been her connection to gay fans — or so it seemed until she sat for The Advocate with Gross to talk about her latest album, Confessions.
Gross almost immediately noted a glaring similarity between Minnelli and her mother: they, in Gross' words, "both married men who were primarily gay." When Gross initially tried to press Minnelli on the question, she applied the emergency brake saying, "I have to go to the john." Later, however, they conversation comes back to the question and she says, "I never really thought about it." And after Gross notes the unusualness of the situation, she replies, "Oh, is it?"
Gross explained to her that he's heard countless stories of young men ( long before they understood they had same-sex attractions ) who've made the connection to her and her music. And because both she and her mother shared an affinity for gay men, he imagined she herself might have some thoughts about the connection. In the end, Minnelli sees Gross' point. "That makes sense. I understand. And I'm glad you said it," she replies. "And, honey, I wish I had more to say about it, but I don't."
As their conversation wrapped, Minnelli turned to Gross and said, "I'm sorry I wasn't dreary enough for you." To which Gross replies, "Do you really think I wanted you to be dreary?" And she answers, "Yes. I think you wanted to talk about pain an darkness and suffering and difficulty, and I think I disappointed you, because I see the glass as half full, and I want to talk about what's happy and positive, because that's what life is about."
Despite the gay community's commitment to Minnelli and her mother, she herself remains intrigued herself by the devotion. "I don't know what gay people see in my music," she concludes dryly. "I really haven't thought about it. I think they see what everyone else sees in my music."
