On Bette Midler : an opinionated guide
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Bette Midler today is a beloved legacy star, best known for her comic witch in Disney's Hocus Pocus and its 2022 sequel and for sentimental, anthemic ballads like "Wind Beneath My Wings." She's initiated green space projects in New York City and tussled with Donald Trump on Twitter. Her profile is that of an articulate, civic-minded matron enjoying thoroughly mainstream stardom. But more than fifty years earlier she emerged from the steam of the subterranean Continental Baths as the Divine Miss M, her bawdy, campy, fearless alter ego created in front of an audience of towel-clad gay men who came to the baths seeking not just sex, but a sense of community and safety from an often harrowing outside world. The Divine Miss M coalesced gay, as well as Jewish, feminist, and show business sensibilities into an outrageously funny and emotionally compelling persona that travelled with surprising ease from the cultural margins to the entertainment mainstream. Her embrace by mom-and-pop audiences, rock fans and critics, and the guardians of middle-of-the-road show business demonstrates just how deeply the tastes and sensibilities of her original audience has been absorbed into popular culture. Fittingly for a book about a multi-platform artist, On Bette Midler: An Opinionated Guide examines Midler's impact across media, with chapters on the soaring highs (and occasional cringe-worthy lows) of her stage work, movies, recordings, and television appearances, and considers her influence as an environmental activist and social media presence"-- Provided by publisher.