Don't dump on music others like! (What makes "gay" music "gay"? thread)

[UdoKier]

What makes "gay" music "gay"?

...and why are straight men not supposed to like it?

Okay, really campy stuff (Cher, weathergirls) aside, what is it?

Good beat? Well-produced? Danceable? Catchy hooks? Female diva vocalist?


For example, I love Erasure and a lot of other stuff people tell me is "gay".

And I like some stuff that is supposedly not "gay" like Van Halen.

It seems that now more and ever, music genres are used to divide us up socially.

gays- dance music

blacks - hip-hop

college guys - alt-rock

college chicks - alt-pop

Do you listen to what you are "supposed to" according to your socio-economic and ethnic group?

Do you scoff at music that another group tends to like?

[Wat_Tyler]

1. What's 'alt-pop' and how does it differ from 'alt-rock'?

[petepillow]

7. alt pop is has some edge but is danceable, alt rock has an edge

but you can only do the grunge head nod, at best. or at least that's how i define em.

[UdoKier]

9. Both are NOT really "alternative" anymore

since they are played constantly on all the radio stations.

but by Alt-rock, I mean stuff ranging from Hootie to Nirvana

by Alt-pop, I mean Stuff like the Cranberries.


I'm no music expert. Don't be a stickler on the labels, please.

[Wat_Tyler]

10. I wasn't picking on you, I was just curious.

[UdoKier]

15. I know. Wasn't taking it personally.

It's just that if you wanted me to tell you the difference between "drum and bass" and "techno" I wouldn't be able to tell you. I have a vague idea, but I'm not enough of a connoisseur

[Plaid Adder]

2. 3 things:

1) Artist is gay
2) Content is gay
3) Gay people like it

or some combination.

Gay people don't care whether straight people are listening to 'their' music; I don't see why straight people should mind either, unless they're scared that someone might think they're One Of Us.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[President Jesus]

3. it's gay (nt)

[dean_dem]

4. ...Because it had/ has heavy rotation at gay clubs....

Things like the Pet Shop Boys, or Erasure just had a large gay fanbase. I don't know about the whole Diva thing or Madonna being associated with "gay" music.

[Wat_Tyler]

5. Odd though that the PSB are 'gay', but New Order not.

[Plaid Adder]

8. Well, the Pet Shop Boys actually are gay

I don't know WTH "New Order" is, but at least one of the Pet Shop boys is out.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Wat_Tyler]

12. Of course, but from a musical standpoint, they are in the same pool.

You really don't know who New Order are?

[Plaid Adder]

16. Nope. Are they one of those perky-voiced boy bands?

They all sound the same to me.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[Wat_Tyler]

21. No, they, if anything were the main inspiration for the PSB

One of the biggest indie acts of the 80's, electronic pioneers, big hit was 'Blue Monday', formerly Joy Division. The early PSB stuff is pretty derivative of the New Order blueprint (although the PSB's did go on to do good work).

[Placebo]

23. perky-voiced boy bands--AHHHHH!!!!!

You have so much to learn.

http://www.neworderonline.com/

[Placebo]

19. You don't know who 'New Order' is?

I hope you know about Depeche Mode at least. :scared:

[Plaid Adder]

35. Yes, I know who Depeche Mode is.

They did "Moon River," right?

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[dean_dem]

24. New Order was never as closely linked to the Club scene as the PSB were

At least that was my understanding of it. Maybe it helped that none of them were gay either.
For the record, I think its a pointless association anyway. I never understood how people could assume my sexual orientation from the music I listened to.

[Wat_Tyler]

26. That is true. They were the first non-gay band to play Heaven in London.

But yeah, they are all straight.

[UdoKier]

13. One member of Erasure, Andy Bell is gay and out.

I don't understand the fascination with Madonna.

I guess it traces back to her "Vogue" dance.

[donheld]

37. Many gay people hate Madonna

Not me but many

[UdoKier]

38. As a performer, she's okay

As a celebrity, she's getting increasingly boring, with all the Kaballah and domesticity and newly prudish attitudes..

And musically, I though Michael Jackson in his prime was better than Madonna.

She never did much for me. I did like "Rain".

[donheld]

49. As a celebrity, she's getting increasingly boring

Her personal life is none of my business

[UdoKier]

50. Hmm...And yet she chooses to make it our business.

Publicly announcing that she's changing her name to "Esther", that she now feels sexual performances are inappropriate for kids - the makes a video MILDLY, VAGUELY critical of Bush, then chickens out of showing it.

Whatever. I don't hate her, she just seems immature for a lady pushing 50.

[donheld]

51. A name change has to be made public

as far as now feeling "sexual performances inapporpriate" sounds like a typical parent.

[Phillycat]

18. Well, also the tiny fact that ERASURE WAS THE GAYEST BAND EVER

I mean, that was probably part of it too. :)

Erasure:



Sample lyric:

And if I should falter
Would you open your arms out to me
We can make love not war
And live at peace in our hearts
I’m so in love with you
I’ll be forever blue
What religion or reason
Could drive a man to forsake his lover

Don’t you tell me no
Don’t you tell me no
Don’t you tell me no
Don’t you tell me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

I’m so in love with you
I’ll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
You know you’re making me work so hard

[dean_dem]

27. Interesting Erasure trivia....

One of the founding members, Vince Clarke, was the original singer for Depeche Mode.

[Phillycat]

29. I know!

Hopeless 80's gaypop geek, here. :)

[Wat_Tyler]

32. And Stephen 'TinTin' Duffy was the original frontman for Duran Duran.

[Susang]

39. I beg to differ.....remember Bronski Beat?

Doesn't get "gayer" than that, at least not to me. Remember the video for this song? Groundbreaking.

Smalltown Boy

You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face

Mother will never understand
WHy you had to leave
For the love that you need
Will never be found at home
And the answer you seek
Will never be found at home

Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they'd talk about around town
As they put you down
And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul
No you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul

[UdoKier]

41. Also, the Communards

another great Jimmy Somerville vehicle.

[Susang]

42. Loved the Communards

But significantly less "gay" than Broski Beat. BB was one of the first bands that managed to sing explictly about gay issues and get played on the radio. It's amazing and to this day, I don't know how they managed it in that climate. :shrug:

Why

Contempt in your eyes
As I turn to kiss his lips
Broken I lie
All my feelings denied
Blood on your fist
Can you tell me why?
You in your false securities
Tear up my life
Condemning me
Name me an illness
Call me a sin
Never feel guilty
Never give in
Tell me why?
You and me together
Fighting for our love
Can you tell me why?

[UdoKier]

43. Actually, there were more overtly gay bands in the 80s than now, it seems.

Of course there are a lot of performers getting played on radio and in clubs that are gay, but since MTV and VH1 no longer exist as music-video channels, they never become big media celebrities as did Culture Club, Erasure, Dead or Alive, etc.

[Susang]

47. That's true

I was talking more about the lyric content of Bronski Beat's songs, rather than their persona. Jimmy Sommerville as a performer is actually more of an "old-school" 40's crooner, if I had to put him into a category. Fantastic control over his voice.

[Phillycat]

45. You're absolutely right--HIT THAT PERFECT BEAT BOY!!

I had that 12-inch and it fucking rocked.

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. From the Gay 90's?

Gay 1890's that is!

[On the Road]

11. I've Been Repeatedly Told That

"They Might be Giants" is gay music. Doesn't make sense to me -- seems more like "nerd rock" or "geek music." But maybe there's something there, known only to hardcore fans.

[Wat_Tyler]

14. Funny how Husker Du aren't considered 'gay' music,

when at least two of them were gay.

[Phillycat]

22. Iron Maiden, either.

[Wat_Tyler]

28. Don't you mean Judas Priest?

Or is Bruce Dickinson gay?

[Phillycat]

30. Of course I do.

I can't be expected to know what band I'm talking about this late in the day. That's what you're there for.

[arwalden]

17. Gay Nightclub D-Jays?

[Cuban_Liberal]

20. It's this simple:

How would a hot guy in jeans and a wifebeater look dancing to it? If he'd look good, it's 'gay music'.

:P

[donheld]

25. gays- dance music - It's only a stereotype

not all gay's like the same music, and to assume otherwise is silly. While i like some dance music i certainly don't like a lot of it. I especially don't like a lot of the techno crap.

[sui generis]

31. What gay bars have y'all been to lately?

There are "twink" discos that play High Energy Gay Disco - diva vocals, euro-trash, etc., gay country bars that play the whole range of country music, "circuit" and "rave" style music that is somewhere between industrial, house and trance, strip clubs that play bump and grind, and drag bars that play ballad vocals.

There is quite a bit of diversity in the music we listen to - including music produced after the eighties.

(de-snarked for public consumption)

[Wat_Tyler]

33. If anything, we're challenging the stereotype

by pointing out the contradictions. Not sure that deserves the snarky editorial. :P

[sui generis]

44. snarky? you used the word snarky in a sentence?

snarky. I'll go with that.

[Phillycat]

48. .

www.televisionwithoutpity.com

[UdoKier]

34. They are not MY stereotypes.

It's the crap I hear from others. And it's not just "gay" music.

It's the way people seem to divide themselves by musical genres and dump on genres that people out of their group listen to.

The other day I saw a thread where people were dumping on "Color Me Badd". Personally, I could take them or leave them, but a lot of the Mexican girls I grew up around LOVED them.


I guess I should have made the thread about not dumping on music you're not accustomed to....

[sui generis]

46. sorry - I read some of the other posts and replied to yours

is there a posters term for that? :spank:

[Susang]

40. Scot's on Montrose (Chicago)

I was there last week. :P

Oh, and "The Gentry" on Halsted too.

[ZoCrowes]

36. What I consider "gay"

A few friends of mine are really into dance music so I pretty much think anything that come out of places like Paradise Garage and was used by DJs like Larry Levan. Paradise Garage was mainly frequented by gay people and there was some great music that came out of there.