What's in a Name

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky. I expect she had a number of replies when asked why she married so frequently. One that seems honest to the point of bluntness is one I particularly like, "I don't know, honey. It sure beats the hell out of me." At the opposite end of the veracity spectrum is one I remember hearing her say in a television interview, "I'm a very moral woman. Rather than have affairs, I get married. I've only slept with men I've been married to. How many women can make that claim?" Please give us a very large break! I don't have a clear memory of when this interview took place, and the wording may not be precisely correct. Nor do I remember the reaction or follow-up question from the interviewer. What I do remember is wow, she is truly a great actress to keep a straight face while uttering that line! Either that or she is so delusional that she believes what she just said! I'm not passing judgment on Ms. Taylor's personal life, and I don't envy anyone who grows up and lives out her life in the unblinking scrutiny of the public eye. Maybe this is just a clear illustration of our preoccupation with the inner lives of the famous. I think it was a dumb question to ask in the first place, maybe Liz did, too, and offered up this answer just to be difficult. Who is fucking whom, the when, the where, the how and why of it, seems to capture our attention no matter the context. One thing is certain. Only Ms. Taylor knew for sure, and that information died with her last week. Her legend, the fact as well as the fiction of it, will live on.