"Like the Sound of Roaches Scurrying"

The famous Mrs. Miller could belt out a tune, but it wasn't pretty. The songs were catchy--her voice wasn't. Yet, her shrill, off-key covers in the 1960s earned her a two-year following. I saw the play Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing tonight, and I'm fairly certain I wouldn't have been one of the many thousands who bought her records, but her story, on the other hand, is material I could spend time with. What was it like to be Mrs. Elva Miller with values so contrary to the generation that held the spotlight on her? How much control did she have over her public image? If she was savvy enough to be in on the joke, why didn't she realize her accountant was bleeding her dry? Was she a fake or a feminist? It is these and other questions that I will ponder after a good night's sleep. Her songs, however, will not find their place on my Spotify playlist.