I will be the first to admit that Barbra Streisand is very, very talented. In this day and age of “stars” like Lindsay Lohan, Barbra is a throwback to a time when the truly talented could both act and sing. But one thing I have never liked is her liberal political point of view. I appreciate her zeal, but I wish celebrities would realize that when they mix their personal convictions with their professional life, they might suffer consequences.
She has had two run-ins with fans in the last month due to her political views. In early October, she appeared at Madison Square Garden as a part of her first tour in 12 years. During her set, she had a George Bush impersonator come out on stage. Our president was portrayed as a bumbling doofus, but the crowd politely applauded until one fan yelled out “Come on, be polite!” Barbra told the fan to “Shut the (expletive) up! Shut up is you can’t take a joke.” Now, I know Barbra is Barbra, but she would not be who she is without her fans. She later apologized for her outburst, but apparently didn’t learn to keep her views from her stage show.
This past Monday at a concert in Florida, she again had the George Bush impersonator come out on stage. When he asked if they could sing a song together, she replied “How about “Enough is Enough?” – a Donna Summer song. This time, fans didn’t just heckle – one threw a cup of liquid at the superstar. The show continued after the fan was removed. But when fans asked her to sing a song for the Republicans, she asked if “Send in the Clowns” was okay, which prompted another fan to boo her loudly. Barbra took it all in stride, saying, “If you want to hear my songs, buy my albums and stay at home.”
Um, okay. In fact, how about if we just stay at home (avoiding paying a ticket price that begins at $100 for the cheap seats and tops off at $1,000) and don’t buy your albums. I don’t care what your politics are, but making fun of our president night after night just ain’t classy, Babs.