FULL DISCLOSURE: I came of age in the 90’s and always thought of Bette

Midler as that middle-of-the-road star of Beaches who sang the movie’s

treacly theme song, “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Sure, she had her brassy

broad routi, but this pseudo-outrageous, semi-tough-talkin’ persona

seemed tailor-made for Middle America. So imagine my surprise when, a

couple of years ago while writing a master’s thesis on Glitter Rock, I

found nestled in the discussions of Lou Reed and Alice Cooper a

reference to Bette Midler.