80's Flashback

Sylvester, Someone Like You, 1986. Not my favorite Sylvester track and definitely not one of his better live vocal performances, but this clip is worthwhile for the post-song chat he has with Joan Rivers, who was subbing for Johnny Carson on New Year's Eve. Rivers fawns over Sylvester's jewelry and he drops the bomb (on national TV! In 1986!) that he is married to a man named Rick. (Rick died several months later.) He also uses his famous expression: "I'm not a drag queen! I'm Sylvester!" The back-up singers for this performance, Charlene Moore (silver dress) and Jeanie Tracy (who was Sylvester's end-of-life caretaker), have both commented several times on this YouTube clip, mentioning that he was already not feeling well in late 1986 and had a sore throat, hence the sketchy vocal. Nevertheless, his Sylvester-ness shines through.