It’s her birthday today.
Years ago, my friend Alex, her friend Shannon and I drove through the desert from Los Angeles, blasting Liza Minnelli the whole way. We were headed to see Liza Minnelli live in Las Vegas. Alex was the genesis of the trip: “Liza’s playing. Sheila, fly out, and let’s drive to Vegas.” I’m going to say no to that? Alex drove us the whole way, playing a Liza mix-tape. She walked us through her career, playing different tracks to illustrate this or that point. I remember Shannon – who is so awesome – being a little bit like, “… Can we please listen to something else?” “No!” said Alex. There will be a coda to this anecdote. I forgot Alex had written about our girls’ trip on her Live Journal – God, those were the days, the Live Journal days. She walks you through the hilarity of the entire weekend. I had forgotten her description of the three of us going out to dinner before the show. Alex wore a sweatshirt with Liza’s huuuuge face covering the front. We were roasting her but she was like, “Fuck you guys I’ve had this for years and I am wearing it.” Here is how she described us as a trio:
Shannon, all tall and lanky with her fabulous shoulder length hair, and draped in her glamorous lime green, cap sleeved top and jeans, and Sheila, creamy skinned, curvy and voluptuous, bouncng and behaving in her low cut black boob top. I was dressed as their nonsensical, lower middle class Liza Phile step sister from the local trailer park.
And here’s Part 2!
We rode the roller coaster. Screaming and exhilarated. Alex and I laughed so hard at one point we were basically quiet for 15 minutes, nearly dying from lack of oxygen. We all slept in the same hotel room. I remember for some reason at this point, I was putting Ben Gay on my shoulders – I had knots in my back? Alex and I slept in the same bed, and I crawled in next to her and she was like, “Jesus Christ, Sheila, what’s with the Ben Gay.” I reeked. I think Shannon snuck off to the blackjack table after the show.
There were moments on the drive, during the Liza mix-tape, when Shannon said something like, “I get Liza is great, but it’s just not my thing.”
Cut to: later that night: Liza was doing her 3rd encore. The crowd was on their feet. Shannon, next to me, was sobbing openly, clapping ferociously, and screaming at the top of her lungs: “BRAVA. BRAVA.”
I am laughing out loud as I type this. Such a turnaround! That’s Liza. She WILL win you over. Alex and I were losing it.
But I too didn’t FULLY understand the Liza THING until I saw her live. I’ve never seen anything like it. The nakedness of her love for her audience, but also the WELLS of energy she draws on. And this with not one but two hip replacements!
I reviewed the 2025 documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story, which is – yes, carefully curated by her friends – and I guess if you’re not into Liza you might find this obnoxious. But … this is meant to celebrate her and her career. Because people need to KNOW.
