I’d like to begin by saying that I’m not arguing that any musical groups that I discuss here are good. I don’t know any 'n Sync songs other than “Bye Bye Bye”, and don’t know any other Backstreet Boys songs than “I Want it that Way”. I don’t listen to boy bands like this at all.
But there’s something that I’ve been noticing, and that is that men who dislike certain musical groups, especially certain boy bands, don’t seem to show a hostility that is proportional to…well…anything that could possibly make sense. Don’t like their music? Makes sense. Don’t like their commercial veneer? Sure!
But serious “music lovers” or people who style themselves as music connoisseurs don’t show the same disdain for boy bands as they do for musicians that show even less musical talent. I’ve never heard anybody flame Strapping Young Lad, even though I consider it virtually beyond debate that Strapping Young Lad is considerably less listenable than any boy band that has ever hit the charts.
Now, here’s the suggestion, and one which is certainly open to debate… Are people not biased by their perception of popular musical groups, especially boy bands, as being “gay”? I’m not talking about homophobes here - I’m talking about upstanding members of society who, for some reason, really can’t stand the thought that anyone, anywhere would put on a Hansen album.
Whenever I hear someone truly flame one of the aforementioned bands (or a similar one), I can’t help but think that it may, just may, be related to the fact that the band members seem to be so flaming.
No,it’s because by all personal measures, they suck. It is not because they are gay, it is because they have no talent or interesting characteristics. They are outside of consideration and although my niece may love them during some period during junior high school, it does not really change this fact.
There are lots of talented gay/bi musicians who turn out fantastic music and are worth listening to. It’s not prejudice against untalented turds, it’s merely financial declaration of artistic suckitude.
It’s not that they’re gay, or that their music sucks. It’s that they are a construct, a fake band put together by music studios to appeal to an audience. Bands selling out are always hated or derided to a point - boy and girl bands sold out before they even laid down a track. The Sex Pistols had *something *to say at least, even though they were fake too. As **Grumman **said, this is compounded by the fact that in this case, the audience being catered to is a thirteen year old girl. The Spice Girls are in the same boat, even though they were not only female, but highly attractive straight females.
There’s also the “equal and opposite reaction” factor to them being overexposed, in spite of the fact that the music blows chunks. Lots of people today can’t stand Britney Spears, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Soulja Boy or Nickelback - because they’re seemingly unescapable. The jokers are everywhere, in a coordinated assault against good taste. Me ? I don’t really know about those, I seem to have escaped unharmed from that particular battle.
But first one o’ ya puts on an Ace of Base CD, and we’re gonna have us a problem.
I expect it has more to do with the commercialized prepackaged nature of these groups –gimmick bands. It’s unfortunate because I think some members of these commercial concept bands are actually talented musicians but the formulaic music sucks. Any talent tends to be overlooked.
Gone are the days of organic bands. If a musician wants to make a living performing she has to sell herself to Disney and Coke. Corporate control and commercialization take the soul out of music and the creativity out of the artist.
I’m going to assume that you reserve even greater hatred for the vast majority of rock bands, especially heavy metal and punk bands. After all, they have “no talent or interesting characteristics”.
I’m out of date on the gay music trade magazines, so I’m not sure who’s gay anymore. I like Queen and Elton John, though. Do the Village People count?
Could you provide a list of these gay groups and individuals so I can reassess their music in light of their sexual preferences? Links with pictures would be nice – that would give me even more info to help me decide whether or not I still like their music.
I’m not quite sure about the OP’s premise. Who are these hostile men and how are they expressing it? I think some people are just strongly incredulous when bad music becomes popular, but I don’t hear a lot of people wanting to string up Justin Timberlake.
The only man in popular music I can think of who is overtly gay is Rufus Wainwright. Boy bands have always seemed much more “metrosexual”, straight guys guided and styled according to a gay sensibility.
Not to speak for Darryl Lict but he did make it clear this was by his “personal measures”. You own opinions on the vast majority of rock bands not withstanding.
Anyway, echoing everyone else: Committee designed tween fangirl fluff with little musical value to me. Which is fine in its own sense but not when I have to hear it on a regular basis through various channels.
I never thought any of them were gay – isn’t part of their appeal to inflame the budding emotions of 11 year old girls, clutching their special editions of Teen People to their chests?
I think the main issues with boy bands, besides their artificiality, is their level of success in the late nineties was waaay out of proportion to their level of musicianship. I mean, seriously, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the Backstreet Boys or N’Sync or one of their derivatives around the turn of the millennium. Hence the backlash.
I’m pretty sure one of them is. I imagine when they put the band together the manager says to one particularly pretty guy, “sorry dude but you have to be the overtly gay one.”
He is balanced out by the, possibly overweight, untalented one who will be the first one to leave due to "musical differences.
Queen is, like, the gayest band ever and most straight guys don’t seem to have a problem with them.
In general, guys tend to be at best apathetic and more typically hostile toward male musicians who are marketed toward women. Not just boybands, but guys like Michael Bolton, Clay Aiken (though he is actually gay), and Kenny G.
Grumman got it in the first response. shy guy too. It’s not that the bands are “gay”; it’s that they sing to, appeal to, and are marketed to girls; so that if you, a man, admit to liking them, it calls your masculinity (and possibly also your maturity) into question.
SYL is great, but I wouldn’t compare them to a mainstream pop group (and vice versa). I can recognize that Justin Timberlake is a talented performer without necessarily digging what he does. Not everyone is willing to be open minded about music (especially with music), and there are plenty of meatheads who listen to aggressive music that will dismiss anything soft, just as there are poncy little nancy boys who will dismiss any music with balls as unlistenable (;)).
Right off the bat, if certain music is associated with danceclub music, it’s probably going to face an uphill battle for acceptance from most men, IMO.
Can’t bitch about a group you’ve never heard of. “Man, I really hate that group that I don’t know exists!! They really suck!”
Who the snot is Strapping Young Lad? By the way, if I wanted to bitch about someone being gay, that name sure is a good reason. Forget the Backdoor Boys, Strapping Young Lad screams gay.
So I think your premise is shot right there. If it were gayness, SYL has the boy bands beat hands down.
If the OP had any validity, I’d have to like these groups ***because ***they gay (if in fact they are). Actually, I’ve never even heard of most of them, and I couldn’t care less.
Most grown-up men I know like Michael Stipe (gay) way better than Justin Timberlake (not gay). However I think it’s safe to say that there are two overlapping meanings of gay at play here. There’s “homosexual,” and there’s another meaning of gay which is just “lame, weak, inadequate.” Obviously the second meaning is tied to the first etymologically, and not something enlightened people say, but that’s the kind of gay that’s more relevant here.
I like to think I’m a fairly liberal and very open-minded guy. I’m in the camp of not liking particular bands because I don’t care for their music and/or how they are marketed - as in some producer assembling a “band” composed of attractive young folks who don’t play any instruments, don’t seem to sing very well, don’t write their own music and spend all of their time learning how to dance. Whether they’re gay, straight, bi or whatever doesn’t make much of a difference to me.
Two of my favorite bands are Queen and Judas Priest. While I’m sure that there are more overtly non-straight frontmen than Freddie Mercury and Rob Halford they must put a lot of effort into it.