Behind the Candelabra

by Scott Thorson and Alex Thorleifson

Book Overview

In this unusually frank book Scott Thorson, Liberace's longtime lover, tells all: the good, the bad, and the ugly truths about the legendary entertainer who went to outrageous extremes to prevent... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525246533
• ISBN13: 9780525246534
• Release Date: June 1988
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The good, the bad, and the downright scandalous

I bought this book (used) via this website, following a brief research of the man and his music. It was one of those books that was hard to put down once I started reading it. It gives you everything you'd want to know - and then some. It is better than the best of the juicy, scandalous of stories filled with illicit drugs, sex, and prostitution; the "National Enquirer" at its' scandalous best. One of the things I found the most ludicrous about the book and its author is the fact that Thorson, who spared no detail in providing us with the most detailed account of his sexual escapades with Liberace - the only detail spared were the actual measurements of Liberace's 'manhood'. Yet, in stark contrast, just a mere 13 years following the release of this book, Thorson appeared on Larry King Live and told how he, not surprisingly, has "found God" - as though God were a child lost in the woods in need of rescue. One cannot help but to feel somewhat sorry for the book's author. After all, at the young and impressionable age of 18, he was lured into the lair through an expanse expression of fame, wealth, and power. One cannot help but to come away from reading this book and feel (aside from the great overwhelming sense that you need to take a shower after reading something so downright dirty) that Liberace was nothing short of a pedophile in disguise. His insatiable desire for sex with men who were scores of decades younger than he is proof enough for me that he'd have gotten it on with a very young boy if it were legal to do so. Definitely not the book you'd want to choose for your 'family reading library', nor is it a book that you should read if you're offended by graphic details of sordid homosexual sex and accompanying affairs. Conclusion: It sheds the truest light possible on one of the most prominent figures in entertainment history - but is one that I wished that I'd let slip by. Thank you for reading my take on the book. Pardon me now whilst I go take a shower and delouse from the experience of which I just described.

Most Interesting Book

I don't know how much of the information in this book is true or just seen from Scott Thorson's point of view, but it was a very interesting read. I was always a Liberace fan and true or not, it was interesting reading about Liberace's lifestyle, etc.

Candid View of Liberace from a Former Lover's Standpoint

This book is a great read--full of dish and gossip. Yet it provides readers with a view of Liberace's personal life as seen through the eyes of former lover Scott Thorson, only 18 years old when he met the famous entertainer. Liberace went to outrageous lengths to protect his public image as that of a confirmed heterosexual bachelor entertainer, yet ironically Thorson and the gay community watching one of Lee's Vegas shows knew the truth right off the bat. I believe Thorson's book is the first one that spoke of Lee's lifestyle, dispelling all the carefully constructed myths by Lee's PR people and by the entertainer himself. Thorson writes about how Liberace's circle of friends and employees always jostled for position with the entertainer; how these cronies resented Scott's position with the famous star. You can see that Thorson developed a great affection and love for Liberace; however, Liberace, ever the Svengali, goes to extremes to remake Scott in his own image with fancy clothes, jewelry, and plastic surgery, which proves to be Thorson's undoing. A life of excitement, mega-shopping sprees, expensive gifts and largesse, turns into one of isolation, betrayal and drug addiction. Thorson was responsible for exposing Lee's true lifestyle to the public and was entangled in a 4-year lawsuit which he settled, upon learning that Lee had HIV. It would be easy to look upon this book as a celebrity trashing by a bitter lover, but fortunately Thorson never stoops that low. He still maintains great affection for Lee, even when he details the bitterness and battles of their relationship.