On June 9—the day before the dedication ceremony for the new Judy Garland postage stamp in New York City at Carnegie Hall—The Advocate talked with Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft. A staunch supporter of same-sex marriage and a knockout performer in her own right, Luft has a biographical show, Songs My Mother Taught Me, an evening of music, memories, and the roller-coaster ride of being Garland’s kid. She wrote the best-selling book Me and My Shadows: Living With the Legacy of Judy Garland, which ABC turned into an award-winning four-hour television miniseries. Luft served as co–executive producer, alongside out producers Craig Zadan and Neal Meron. Spanning Garland’s life from the 1930s until her death, Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows was a ratings smash.
We’re sure the Judy Garland stamp will be a similar success.
The Advocate: I’ve never been to a postage
stamp dedication.
Lorna Luft: Oh, but I have! I went to the dedication
for the Hattie McDaniel stamp. [The ceremonies] are
all different. I went to the Hank Mancini one. It all
depends on what the family wants. I worked on this
stamp. I worked with the artist on the image, on making sure
that the color of her hair didn’t match the
background. That the signature was the right
signature—so that the whole thing looked really
first-class.
Were there other images considered? Like Dorothy?
Well, you see, there was a Dorothy stamp a
couple of years ago. And it’s just my opinion,
but it seems pretty amazing that somebody gets two
stamps.
I know, it’s like, what’s next? Money?
Exactly! It’s such an honor because
it’s the 12th in a line of legendary stamps.
The cool thing is that the ceremony is going to be on her
birthday.
What will happen at the ceremony?
First they’ll show eight or nine minutes
of film clips from her movie career, then Robert
Osborne will come out and introduce [out playwright]
Terrence McNally. Jane Powell will be there and Dick Cavett.
They will talk about her and how they knew her and
worked with her and what she was like as an artist.
Then we will unveil the stamp, which is a really big
deal. There’ll be my brother [Joey Luft], myself, and
my children on stage, and we pull the cord the [drape]
falls down and there it is! The performers will be
myself, Michael Feinstein, Diane Schuur, and Rufus
Wainwright.
Wow. Speaking of Rufus, what do you think about Rufus
doing the Judy Garland tribute concert at Carnegie Hall?
I think he’s coming from all the right
places. He’s coming out of love, and
he’s coming out of doing it as a tribute. He’s
coming out of respect, and he’s wanting to do
this the right way. I have no problem with anybody who
comes out and does something with love and respect.
It’s the people who mock and come out of
disrepect I have a problem with. She was
everybody’s legend, but she was my mother.
Do you get a bundle of stamps? Are there any perks here?
[Laughs] Are there any swag bags, you mean? I
think we get the first-day edition, which is cool. The
people who come to the event get the first edition
that night, but it won’t go into the post office
until that Monday. For the collectors that’s a
really big deal.
OK, now some questions about you. Is it true you sang
backup for Blondie?
I did! Deborah Harry and I are friends, and
she’s a really talented girl. She was being
produced by someone who was going to produce my album. It
was something I had a great time doing.
When is Where the Boys Are ’84 going to
come out on DVD?
[Laughs] I don’t know. Grease
2 is out there, and it’s a cult hit.
It’s a silly little movie that we had a great time
making.
At what point, as you were growing up, did you become
aware of your mother’s gay following?
I was pretty much in my teens and then as an
adult. You know when I was in my 20s and I was doing
Guys and Dolls I did an interview with
The Advocate, and they started to ask me about
Stonewall, and I promise you I had no clue about what
they were talking about. They said, “What do
you think of Stonewall?” And I said,
“Jackson?” They explained it to me [that
the 1969 Stonewall riots began after a Judy Garland
memorial service] and I told them that I went to my
mom’s funeral. I had to bury a parent. It was
one of the saddest nights of my life, and I
didn’t know anything else was happening.
It must have been like a blackout.
Now that I have gone back and looked at the
history and talked to people more, I think, How
appropriate. That people got angry and that people
stood up for their rights. People rioted in the street
because they had had enough. My mother was a huge,
huge advocate of human rights, so I think that was
sort of appropriate.
Your Web site is great and helpful. It’s great to
see you’re performing at the Human Rights
Campaign 2006 Chicago Gala Dinner on June 17.
I’m so excited to be doing this with HRC!
What will you be performing?
Songs My Mother Taught Me.
Are either one of your kids [Jesse 22, and Vanessa, 15]
into showbiz?
OK, how fast can I say this? No. My son
graduated from college in business, and my daughter is
majoring in cell phone. I have normal kids.
That’s my best achievement in my whole entire life.
It’s my children. My daughter and my son, when
they were really little, we were driving through West
Hollywood. My son said, “Mom, can I ask you
something? What’s that flag?” And I told
him that was the flag for the gay community. And he
said “It’s a rainbow.” And I said
“Yeah?” And he asked “Does
that mean it has something to do with your mom? And I said
“Duh!” They loved that!
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