Bette Midler glad Adele is a new gay icon
Pride Source
‘I’m really happy that she’s made it and that people adore her’
19 DECEMBER 2012 | BY GREG HERNANDEZ
Bette Midler has been a gay icon since the early 1970s when she made a splash as a headliner at the Continental Baths in Manhattan.
She became movie star in 1979 in The Rose, won Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes and earned two Oscar nominations in a career that has also included such films as Beaches, For the Boys, The First Wives Club, Ruthless People, Down and Out In Beverly Hills and classic television production of Gypsy.
Midler, whose latest film Parental Guidance opens on Christmas Day, has remained a gay icon throughout with legions of loyal fans who still fill arenas to watch her live and buy her albums.
‘I think that the gay community has always liked a certain type, and there are plenty of those around,’ Midler tells PrideSource.com. ‘There are new people all the time. Paul Simon said it best when he said, “Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts.” So I’m used to the idea that people come and go, and it’s always fun to watch. It makes life glittery and fun. And that’s what we’re looking for.’
While Midler says she doesn’t really pay attention to who the latest gay icons are, she is happy to hear that multiple-Grammy winner Adele is considered one of them.
‘I do love Adele. I adore Adele,’ she says. ‘I think she’s a really good singer and a terrific songwriter. Her voice is such a beautiful voice. And she’s funny and she’s warm and she’s all the things you want a performer to be. I mean, outside of who her fan base is, I think just as a human being she stands out. I’m really happy that she’s around. I’m really happy that she’s made it and that people adore her. She’s going to have a long, long career.’
Just like Midler herself.
