Queers in Music
One of the things that I don't get about mainstream gay (male) culture is its relationship with music. Music seems to surround "the gays" in all aspects of their lives: it's blaring at the gyms, filling the bars and clubs with that tell-tale "thump thump", Doppler-ing out of their car windows as they cruise past on 17th Street. Yet none of the music they listen to is created by gay people. At least not anymore. But that's not to say that queers aren't making music anymore. It's just that most of the gays out there aren't listening to it.
I stumbled upon an interesting article published in the St. Petersburg Times while doing some research on Sleater-Kinney the other day.
In it, the author mentions a handful of queer artists at SXSW music festival that year (2004), including Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), Fred Schneider and Keith Strickland (The B-52's), Junior from Junior Senior, Melissa Ferrick, Thalia Zedek (Come, Live Skull), Michelle Malone, Ani DiFranco and Michelle Shocked. She then goes off for a few paragraphs listing queer artists of note. For your reading pleasure, I quote it here:
Don't get me started about queer folks' contribution to pop music, because I don't even have the room to mention Cole Porter, Elton John, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., K.D. Lang, bisexual David Bowie, Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, Melissa Ethridge, Rufus Wainwright, songwriter to the stars and former 4 Non Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry, Janis Ian, the late, great and bisexual Dusty Springfield, Luscious Jackson drummer Kate Schellenbach, bassist Josephone Wiggs of The Breeders, folk singer Joan Armatrading, Beth Ditto of blues punks The Gossip, both Indigo Girls, bisexual Jill Sobule, Bob Mould and Grant Hart of the punk band Husker Du.
Let's not forget Boy George, Rob Halford of the heavy metal band Judas Priest, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, Freddy Mercury of Queen, George Michael, Morrissey, bisexual Me'Shell N'Degeocello, blues singers Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey (who had tempestuous relationships with men and women and sang about them), Jimmy Sommerville of Bronski Beat and the Communards, jazz composer Billy Strayhorn and Pete Townshend of the Who (who has said he is bisexual).
And as all good journalists do, she left out a few: Tegan and Sara, Steven Merritt (Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes), Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Andy Bell (Erasure), Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear), Joe Jackson, Kele Okereke (Bloc Party), Pete Burns (Dead or Alive), and I'm sure I'm leaving out a bunch.
Why do the gays eschew most of these artists, yet blindly adore questionably talented breeders who flaunt their right to marry (and divorce) and rarely sing live on stage? What is the fascination with manufactured pop sounds and troops of choreographed dancers? Why do gay bars and clubs not play music by gay people?
Please, share your thoughts on this. And let me know if I left out any other significant queer artists.
10 Comments:
It's very different with the lesbians I know. I've always listened to a lot of lesbian musicians, and I learned about many of them from other lesbians' recommendations.
Other gay favorites not mentioned in this post: Catie Curtis, The Cliks, The Blow, Mirah, The Ditty Bops, Chris Pureka, Erin McKeown, and Brandi Carlile.
And who could forget the Dandy Warhols and the Queers.
But, seriously? I'm all for supporting queer artists when I like them, but the sexuality of a musician is pretty irrelevent to how good of an artist they are. Gays shouldn't stop listening to brittney because she's straight, but because her music sucks.
I don't think gays "eschew" gay artists, it's just that mainstream gay culture, like mainstream pop culture, is pretty crappy. Some of the queers you mention have had great popular success (Erasure, Queen, Elton John, REM...) and others great indie success (Rufus, the Breeders, Steven Merritt, Sleater-Kinney...). And they've all done it with the support of gay AND straight audiences. Because they're good musicians.
I just fail to see why sexuality is an important factor in what is essentially an "I hate pop music" argument.
Don't forget Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks, Greg Sage of the Wipers, Darby Crash of the Germs, Pat Smear...etc.
We also owe a large debt to straight supporters in music, particulary the straight males, people like Kurt Cobain and Ian MacKaye did a lot to help eradicate homophobia in rock music and thus in a segment of the population.
well to be fair, who listens to rufus wainwright at the gym.
and that chick from the blow is gay? really?
Adam, check this out:
http://www.thenewgay.net/2007/10/blows-khaela-maricich-new-gay-interview.html
OK, that link didn't fit, but check out our interview with her. Click on the interview label on the right side of our home page, she's down toward the bottom.
missing from the list...
jón þor (jónsi) birgisson of sigur rós
and then there are bands (particularly from canada) that sing about gay life (i.e. broken social scene's "i'm still your fag"). the phenomenon is noticeable enough to have guaranteed a blurb in the village voice at one point (http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0335,phillips,46536,22.html)
Yeah, there are actually a lot of amazing gay musicians not listed here who sing bravely without cloking their sexuality.
One of my all time favorites is Robert German. He's sort of a cross between ani difranco and Louis Armstrong and actually sings very openly about sexuality without beating you over the head.
There are also...Eric Himan, Jay Brannen, Levi Kreis and ivri lider to name a few.
I can't believe you didn't mention The Hidden Cameras.
Daniel Cartier is a gay singer/songwriter. He's very talented.
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