Who is the only artist in Billboard history to have #1 hits in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s? It isn't Elvis, the Beatles, or Aretha. No, it is an artist who trancends genres and continually beats the odds. It is the one and only Cher, and yesterday she turned 60.
I believe that Cher may be the greatest female pop star of the 20th century. Many have more musical talent...Aretha has those incredible pipes, and I'm of the opinion that she, Annie Lennox, and Dusty Springfield are the greatest female vocalists ever. But Cher, she is a pop star, and a pop star is more than great vocals (although when you hear a Cher song, even if for the first time, you know it is a Cher song, and that is a mark of a great vocalist). A pop star inspires love from children, teens, and adults alike. Larger than life and yet someone who has an element about them that makes you relate, a true pop star is universal. Styles have changed a million times since her first hit, but she is even more of a star now than she was then.
People have pondered why it is that gay men have such love for Cher...well, journalists have, because we know why we love her so much. Cher is utterly unafraid to be anything less than what she is, no matter how over-the-top that might be (or if she is afraid, she overcomes it). For this, she is often repaid with ridicule. When "Silkwood" was screened to preview audiences, people actually laughed when her name came on screen. In the end, she always comes out on top...no one was laughing when she received her first Oscar nomination for "Silkwood." She overcomes the derision and the ridicule to succeed, and that is why we love her.
I also have a special connection with Cher. She is well known for her work on behalf of kids with disfiguring diseases. I've had such issues with my own appearance that I've never been able to sit through her movie "Mask." I have nothing like the kid protrayed in that film, but it is just a bit too sensitive for me. Just knowing she did that movie and still raises money for those kids means a lot to me. So, the first time I visited my doctor in NYC, I'm waiting at the reception desk for some paperwork to be processed when I noticed a photo on the wall of one of my doctor's patients...with Cher. This is going to sound absolutely insane, but when I saw my favorite lady in the lobby of Dr. Waner's office, I knew everything was going to be okay. It was like a sign. When Cher shows up unexpectedly in a place where a big gay boy is in need of some hope, believe me, it can't be anything but good.
2 comments:
The gayest things I have ever done: Attended a Cher concert -- with my mother.
And, btw, Anderson Cooper is mine, bitch.
I took my mom to a drag show that I ended up hosting. She had a ball, though I did have to keep censoring myself on the microphone. She even got hit on by the minister of the MCC church.
Oh, and just so you know, I will cut a bitch.
Post a Comment