--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I got arrested once on stage in Memphis…" description: "\"I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too much like Liza Minnelli.\" — David Johansen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg" --- # I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too… ![“I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too much like Liza Minnelli.” quote by David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg) > “I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too much like Liza Minnelli.” [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being arrested for a performance highlights the thin line between art and societal norms. **In simple terms:** Art can clash with expectations. Key Takeaway Know your audience and stay authentic. Themes art rebellion identity society Mood provocative reflective Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - concerts - theater - public protests - creative expression Key Concepts performance art cultural boundaries Questions to Reflect On - When does performance become a public disturbance? - How do you balance authenticity with respect? A Different Perspective Legal consequences can limit artistic freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/) [Arrested Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested-stage-3705955/) [Got Arrested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-arrested-403375/) [Like Liza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-liza-3705957/) [Liza Minnelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liza-minnelli-347037/) [Memphis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memphis/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Memphis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-memphis-3705956/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) ## Related quotes > [It wasn't Liza Minnelli. It was the woman I loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gest/it-wasn-t-liza-minnelli-it-was-the-woman-i-loved/) [David Gest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gest/) > [There is no conceivable amount of money worth telling the world that you were beaten up by Liza Minnelli.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/there-is-no-conceivable-amount-of-money-worth-telling-the-world-that/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Arguably, the relationship between Liza Minnelli and Judy Garland is one of the great mother-daughter sagas of all time. Certainly, for certain people, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/arguably-the-relationship-between-liza-minnelli-and-judy-garland-is/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [I remember, when I saw the movie of 'Cabaret,' I was amazed by Liza Minnelli: like, 'Wow, that kind of looks like someone I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barrett-wilbert-weed/i-remember-when-i-saw-the-movie-of-cabaret-i-was-amazed-by-liza/) [Barrett Wilbert Weed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barrett-wilbert-weed/) > [I worked with a lot of leading ladies: Bebe Neuwirth, Anne Rankin, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli. They're all phenomenal talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-grey/i-worked-with-a-lot-of-leading-ladies-bebe-neuwirth-anne-rankin/) [Joel Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-grey/) > [On daughter Liza Minnelli: I think she decided to go into show business when she was an embryo, she kicked so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-garland/on-daughter-liza-minnelli-i-think-she-decided-to-go-into-show/) [Judy Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-garland/) > [“Libby, not all the gays have an encyclopedic knowledge of the American musical theater. It's not like they hand you a DVD box set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kate-strohm/libby-not-all-the-gays-have-an-encyclopedic-knowledge-of-the-american/) [Stephanie Kate Strohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kate-strohm/) > [There is a reason that both have had the longevity in their careers that they have had. They have each done very different things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brightman/there-is-a-reason-that-both-have-had-the-longevity-in-their-careers/) [Sarah Brightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brightman/) > [“I’ve basically turned into Liza Minnelli: I’m dancing in tights and sequins, begging you to love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/i-ve-basically-turned-into-liza-minnelli-i-m-dancing-in-tights-and/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I was in college and got arrested. It was a real scare for me/wake-up call/'Man, you better do something with your life 'cause you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-yachty/i-was-in-college-and-got-arrested-it-was-a-real-scare-for-me-wake-up/) [Lil Yachty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-yachty/) > [“Ellis shook her head sadly. “I ate fifteen boxes of cookies the last time I robbed a Girl Scout. And then I gained three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-jamison/ellis-shook-her-head-sadly-i-ate-fifteen-boxes-of-cookies-the-last/) [Sugar Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-jamison/) > [The Energizer Bunny got arrested. He was charged with battery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-energizer-bunny-got-arrested-he-was-charged-with-battery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe it...I was just starting to smile again but now my dad just got arrested. My mom is all broken up bout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berta/i-can-t-believe-it-i-was-just-starting-to-smile-again-but-now-my-dad/) [Berta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berta/) > [“I was standing by the car when two police officers showed up in the alley, very interested in me and the BMW in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/i-was-standing-by-the-car-when-two-police-officers-showed-up-in-the/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) ## More by David Johansen > [I've been tired since I was 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-ve-been-tired-since-i-was-15/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [The first Latin music that blew my mind was bumba, which was a Puerto Rican beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/the-first-latin-music-that-blew-my-mind-was-bumba-which-was-a-puerto/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [You know when you read that someone has to leave a show or a tour because they had 'nervous exhaustion'? Well, I had one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-know-when-you-read-that-someone-has-to-leave-a-show-or-a-tour/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I'm not impersonating anybody. I'm perfectly satisfied with what I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-m-not-impersonating-anybody-i-m-perfectly-satisfied-with-what-i-am/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [You try things on in life. You wear them for a while, and you see what's next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-try-things-on-in-life-you-wear-them-for-a-while-and-you-see-what/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I think we as a band, as individuals, understand that all popular music stems from blues and jazz and even pop, but rock 'n'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-think-we-as-a-band-as-individuals-understand-that-all-popular-music/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [When I'm sleeping I do a lot of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/when-i-m-sleeping-i-do-a-lot-of-living/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [We thought that's the way you were supposed to be if you were in a rock 'n' roll band. Flamboyant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/we-thought-that-s-the-way-you-were-supposed-to-be-if-you-were-in-a/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Everything I've done I've just fallen into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/everything-i-ve-done-i-ve-just-fallen-into/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [There's so much negative bullshit being forced down people's throats in the marketplace, we really wanted to create a thing of beauty that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/there-s-so-much-negative-bullshit-being-forced-down-people-s-throats/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [I don't really like to sit around the house listening to my own records. They're not that good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-don-t-really-like-to-sit-around-the-house-listening-to-my-own/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [The world today is the same as it always was but people know more about what's going on in the world than they used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/the-world-today-is-the-same-as-it-always-was-but-people-know-more/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Playing music is the best thing in the world. It makes show business almost bearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/playing-music-is-the-best-thing-in-the-world-it-makes-show-business/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Most bands are commercial enterprises. But I'm not in one of those bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/most-bands-are-commercial-enterprises-but-i-m-not-in-one-of-those/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [Sometimes when I hear my voice on tape, I'm like, 'Who is that horrible man?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/sometimes-when-i-hear-my-voice-on-tape-i-m-like-who-is-that-horrible/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) [Explore all 40 David Johansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) ## More Arrested quotes > [Impulse arrested spills over, and the flood is feeling, the flood is passion, the flood is even madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/impulse-arrested-spills-over-and-the-flood-is-feeling-the-flood-is/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [On stage you're free. You can say and do things that if you said and did any place else, you'd be arrested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/on-stage-you-re-free-you-can-say-and-do-things-that-if-you-said-and/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/) [Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/) > [Fame is like a big eraser. It's strange, now that I'm famous. In my parents' opinion, all the shitty things - all the wreckage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobcat-goldthwait/fame-is-like-a-big-eraser-it-s-strange-now-that-i-m-famous-in-my/) [Bobcat Goldthwait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobcat-goldthwait/) > [When men are arrested without any legal basis and for political reasons, it's merely a routine, everyday occurrence in Russia, and hardly anyone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/when-men-are-arrested-without-any-legal-basis-and-for-political/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [Helen Crawfurd and the Women's Peace Crusade, made a march on the City Chambers, distributing an illegal leaflet in front of police and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-gallacher/helen-crawfurd-and-the-women-s-peace-crusade-made-a-march-on-the-city/) [Willie Gallacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-gallacher/) > [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/) [Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/) > [My father was pretty independent. He was - he was arrested once in Nashville when he was on one of his sales trips because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-pretty-independent-he-was-he-was-arrested-once-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I was arrested on graduation night for breaking and entering into the high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-anderson/i-was-arrested-on-graduation-night-for-breaking-and-entering-into-the/) [Gillian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-anderson/) > [On my recent trip to the Mexico border, Border Patrol agents in California told me they have arrested the same coyotes 20 times, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-keller/on-my-recent-trip-to-the-mexico-border-border-patrol-agents-in/) [Ric Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-keller/) > [You tell people that all the time, 'Jail's the worst place ever and you don't want to go there,' which is true but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-glover/you-tell-people-that-all-the-time-jail-s-the-worst-place-ever-and-you/) [Stephen Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-glover/) > [“But Daddy, I never knew that's what you expected of me. I mean on the plus side, I've never been arrested or anything..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-smith/but-daddy-i-never-knew-that-s-what-you-expected-of-me-i-mean-on-the/) [Andrea Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-smith/) > [There is the possibility to be suddenly arrested for hacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elbakyan/there-is-the-possibility-to-be-suddenly-arrested-for-hacking/) [Alexandra Elbakyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elbakyan/) > [“I don’t do drugs, I’ve never been arrested, and from what I hear, I’m not too shabby in bed. Not that any of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-peterfreund/i-don-t-do-drugs-i-ve-never-been-arrested-and-from-what-i-hear-i-m/) [Diana Peterfreund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-peterfreund/) > [ I'd been arrested many times by then. I'd been an organizer, so many things had changed over those three years \[from 1965 till 1968\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-d-been-arrested-many-times-by-then-i-d-been-an-organizer-so-many/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) [Browse all 480 Arrested quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrested/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too much like Liza Minnelli.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Johansen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis-for-looking-too-much-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrested" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis-for-looking-too-much-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb8/david-johansen-16212_arrested_i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis_2027568.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I got arrested once on stage in Memphis for looking too much like Liza Minnelli.” — David Johansen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Johansen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I got arrested once on stage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis-for-looking-too-much-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/i-got-arrested-once-on-stage-in-memphis-for-looking-too-much-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```