It doesn’t; most of the time you’d hardly know the guys were there. But hey, go ahead and schlep further and pay more money if that’s what floats your boat. We’d probably still be members if we lived nearby anymore.
There is a YMCA on the corner of my block, and it seems like there is a small group of men who stay there. They all seem to be half of a step from homelessness. Don’t know how much it costs or how one could get a room there. I checked their webpage, and there is no info about rooms available. I suppose that I could go in and ask.
I remember staying at the Y a few times in my university days. I actually got approached one time in the shower. Yep, communal showers like a locker room; very basic no-private-washroom hotel facility; like some older college dorms.
By the time of the Village People hits, “disco sucks” and its gay overtones, like disco line dancing, were very well known. The Village People camped this up. According to MTV pop-up videos, someone had to explain to one of the US Navy top admirals why “In The Navy” was not a good recruitment song.
I was wondering how a christian outreach organization got associated with gay cruising, I mean are the staff deaf dumb and stupid or they just didn’t give a fuck about what is going on in the showers?
The Y is my preferred place to stay in New York. Last one my wife and I stayed at was the Green Point Y. I’ve stayed at a few others in New York, including one right near the UN. The rooms were actually larger than one or two of the much more expensive commercial rooms I’ve stayed at, and considerably cleaner. The only problem for some people is the shared bathroom. Not really a problem for me as I prefer to shower at night before going to bed and rarely run into anyone else. Just pack some flip-flops and a robe.
I stayed at the Sloane House when I first went to New York back in 1978. Great place! It was the International Student Center, had a cafeteria that was some of the best and cheapest food available in one of the most expensive cities on Earth, and large numbers of attractive girls from all over the world staying there.
Adam Corolla did a funny bit when he asked what the profession of the Leather Man was in the Village People. All the others had jobs so to speak.
Attitudes to heterosexual sex were considerably less conservative/restrictive in the '70s than they are now.
As for political attitudes in general, although it is certainly true that the rhetoric of the US Republican Party has a become far more right wing (indeed, reactionary rather than conservative) than it used to be, there have not been equivalent developments in most other first-world countries, and even in the USA I doubt whether the political centre has shifted very far.
And yes, plenty of straight people in the 1970s got what The Village People were singing about. Heck, back in 1970 itself, when I was a straight and not-particularly-hip high-schooler, I got what The Kinks’ “Lola” was about (and thought it was cool) without anyone having to explain it to me (and it went right to number one in the UK pop chart). A couple of years later, lots of straight people were also enjoying and understanding songs like David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” and “John, I’m Only Dancing”, and lots of actually straight male musicians were putting on eyeliner and dressing up in flamboyant shiny costumes to sell themselves as glam-rockers. The Village People were in no way pioneers of introducing overtly gay themes and gay aesthetics into '70s popular music (or even into disco).
Personally, however, I did not know that Elton John was gay until I read it somewhere. His hit songs don’t really reflect it, and his costumes just seemed part of the general glam-rock fashion. Most glam-rockers were not gay.
It’s a great song for recruitment now.
The YMCA where I work does have rooms to rent. They’re used mainly by lower-income folks getting on their feet and a smattering of…unusual people. Not glamorous, but it’s a roof over your head and free gym membership.
Most people who actually saw the group I’m sure were well aware that the Village People were intended as gay camp. The fact that the song has become a staple at baseball games and weddings I think is due largely to the audience participation aspect of the song, spelling out the letters with arm gestures.
I recall the first time I saw it at a ball game was when the NY Yankees ground crew started doing it when they would come on to groom the field after the fifth inning during (I believe) the 1996 championship season. I don’t know if this was the start of its popularity at stadiums or if there were earlier instances.
When I was young and broke right after college,this place was home for a couple of months.
I was a kid in the 70’s, but… Who knew Freddie Mercury AND Rob Halford were both gay!? :rolleyes: I just though that they liked leather chaps!
Since the OP has been answered now the question is “Is it still fun to stay at the YMCA?”. :eek: