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Rufus Wainwright claims he’s Liza’s ‘recurring nightmare’

By Nick Levine

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Rufus Wainwright has described himself as Liza Minnelli’s “recurring nightmare”.

The singer-songwriter paid tribute to the Cabaret star with a song called Me and Liza on his recent ‘Best Of’ album, but has now revealed that Minnelli was not a fan of his 2006-7 live shows in which he recreated her mother’s iconic concert album.

“I’m trying to be as chivalrous as possible here. I’m a big Liza fan and a big Judy fan and I can’t say that Ms Minnelli has been too thrilled by my ovations,” Wainwright told the Radio Times​.

“When I performed the Judy Garland show, she really didn’t really get it. I could not tell you what’s wrong, I suppose anything to do with her mother makes it very difficult for her.”

He then added: “My dad grew up with Liza for a couple of years in Beverly Hills, so they were friends as kids. I think I’ve become her recurring nightmare.”

Me and Liza appears on Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright, which was released last month (March).

Meanwhile, Liza Minnelli is to play for one night only in London this July – full ticket details here.

> 68 reasons why we love Liza Minnelli