In this thread, a poster said, when asked ‘What songs or albums do you own that you are ashamed to admit that you like?’
I’ve never understood why music like that is so appealing to many gay people. It lead me to wonder about the link between sexual orientation and music.
If the artist has the same sexual orientation, does that make their music more appealing? For example, does the fact that Elton John or Boy George are gay make them appeaing to other gays?
Or is it the image of the artist, or is it the actual music?
Do people of other sexual orientations take to a particular type of music or artists?
(I’ve no idea of the gender of the poster or the sexual orientation of Judy Garland, so I’m not making any assumptions here.)
Gays, like any minority group, have their own culture and voice. Things that get trendy in gay circles are regularly mined for cross-over appeal. The same can be said for African American culture and pretty much any minority culture that occasionally crosses over.
It sounds like you are asking if gays may like Elton John, I dunno, *more *because he’s gay. I’m straight and I freakin’ love the guy - I deeply respect his musicianship, songwriting, front-man capabilities, etc. I suppose you can say that the contextual knowledge we have about any artist can color our opinion of the artist - look at previous thread where we discuss whether the fact that an artist was a known asshole should affect one’s opinion of their works…
I’m straight and I love showtunes and respect Judy Garland as a singer (she wasn’t gay, but she was accepting of gays). I actually find it annoying that people think that those who like showtunes are gay – it was massively popular among all aspects of American society from about 1920-1965.
Personally, I don’t care about an artist’s sexual orientation; just his music.
I think social group has a lot to do with it because it reinforces exposure and is a mild peer pressure, and the artists who rise to the top of any genre are good so they’re bound to be catchy. It’s no real coincidence that the Future Farmer’s club at a rural Alabama high school is more apt to be listening to country while the black male students are more likely to be listening to rap and the theater club, male and female and black and white, is more likely to be listening to Wicked or Avenue Q. Also no coincidence that Dean Martin/Frank Sinatra/Sammy Davis, all HUGE in their day and super talented, are almost unknown to the same groups.
I do think gays are naturally drawn to the theatrical than other groups since, at least when I was in school (mid 19th century) we are acting a part every day. I’ve never met a gay guy who while closeted in high school didn’t flip genders and butch-it-up as needed seemlessly, eternally in character. This could explain why they’re drawn to theatre and the theatrical types. That said, when I was a little gay boy (not that little though) in Alabama I didn’t know a single solitary soul who liked showtunes and I loved them- spent all of my allowance on Broadway cast albums- so who knows. HOWEVER, I’ve only met a couple other gay guys who are equally into showtunes- I know far more who are into techno, rock, and even country. (The music in my house was mostly Tennessee Ernie Ford/Sons of the Pioneers era country and 1930s stuff- Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, etc., though both of my parents (along with a zillion other people) owned and listened to the MY FAIR LADY cast recording which I loved.
An interesting counterpoint is heavy metal, whose look comes directly from (gay) S & M clubs but seems to have about as minimal a homosexual fanbase as any genre I can think of.
Of course there’s also the message of some showtunes and divas that makes a connection to them.
Rose’s Turn comes to mind; for non musical theater lovers it’s from Gypsy and is basically to showtunes what Amazing Grace is to hymns. (YouTube: video of Rosalind Russell dubbed with Ethel Merman’s singing.)
Mama Rose is a stage mother who’s pushed her daughters because she thinks they can be stars, though the truth is it’s her who wanted to be a star but “I was born too soon and started too late”. ROSE’S TURN is the show ender when she addresses and expresses her anger and bitterness (and some self realization and remorse) about living a life suppressing her true nature and her dreams due to a combination of fear and responsibilities. You can understand why it was HUGE with gay men in the 50s (and 60s and 70s and 80s etc.).
That’s only one song, but there are many other showtunes- most of which relate directly to a plot or contain a narrative themselves- that “reach” people. Since so much of musical theater was written by gay men it’s not surprising it speaks to gay men. (For example, next time you hear the lyrics to Somewhere from WEST SIDE STORY remember that it was written by a closeted gay man [Stephen Sondheim] who was thinking of the man he was in love with but could not [in the 1950s] openly have a relationship with.)
Yep - again, the perpsective of a minority that is repressed in someway can often lead to works of art that speak to that longing to be more honest and open. I think about that movie that was loosely based on Carol King’s life - starred Ileanna Douglas? It showed how King and her songwriting partner/husband realized that the singer they were writing for was a lesbian (based on Lesley Gore of “It’s My Party” fame) and so they wrote an ambiguously-messaged song called “Secret Love” which she could dig into based on her experience.
I also look at **I Will Survive **by Gloria Gaynor - talk about a lyric / theme that can be related to by a variety of groups who are feeling downtrodden…
Sometimes homophobia, via Sebastian Bach, although he is not very “metal.” Rob Halford is a strong counterpoint; he came out after Judas Priest’s popularity waned, but seemed to have been accepted. Although looking at his 80’s image now, who really didn’t see that coming?
Sebastian Bach is a regular on Broadway nowadays, so he can’t be that homophobic. Judas Priest are arguably as popular today than in 1983, and I’m not sure that Halford’s coming out doesn’t have something to do with it.
He’s certainly one of the most visible figures in metal right now.
Sebastian Bach: a paragon of sensitivity. When called out for wearing a t-shirt reading “AIDS kills fags dead,” he muttered a haf-hearted non-apology in which he stated that he didn’t understand homosexuality, then added that he still thought it was a funny shirt. Protesting too much, perhaps?
As for Rob Halford, it was widely surmised among heavy metal fans that he was gay. His stage dress alone would have been enough of a clue. He dresses like the proprietor of the Blue Oyster bar in the Police Academy movies. I got into a discussion about that in the parking lot before a Judas Priest concert (in 1988, before he came out). While the die hard fans were a bit squeamish about the idea of one of their idols being gay, the consensus was that that it made no difference what (or who) he did in his private life.
From what I’ve seen, if an artist’s sexual orientation becomes a part of the music, then that artist is more likely to become a symbol to members of their own group (gay, lesbian, whatever). The same is true of other artists. If an artist puts out a bunch of music about being drunk, from California, African-American, you name it, then others who percieve themselves the same way will pay attention. It’s a matter of identification.
Beyond that, a song may speak to a particular group for other reasons. Some artists become known for this, which is why some such as Barbara Streisand or Cher (both straight women themselves) are so popular among gay men.
Change the word "gay"to “black” and you have your answer. Obviously being gay does not affect musical taste, and just as obviously, being part of gay culture does. For why Judy appeals to gays, search wiki for “gay icon” or “diva”.
Judy Garland was a gay icon. There is a broad selection of music tastes in the gay community just like the straight community. It’s a stereo type, sometimes stereo types are based off of something, if its in jest whatever, if someone is applying a broad brush call em on it.
My friends have established lesbians love hip hop. I swear its true despite what my lesbian friend tells me. We established this after find the only good DJ’s for dancing at the local gay clubs were lesbians. The gay male DJ’s were always awful. Please no more Cher…
I’m a straight (poorly socialized, somewhat Asperger’s) male who greatly enjoys 1920s and '30s jazz and pop music. At least in the US, this is a niche interest that is heavily gay male.
For some reason that’s probably none of my business, it seems to go along with bodybuilding fairly frequently.
On a somewhat related note: A friend of mine is transgendered (male to female). I asked her if the “procedure” made her more tolerant of Sarah MacLaghlan, or less tolerant of the Three Stooges (standard baselines for female and male sensibilities, respectively) and she said no. It could just mean that her tastes were set before the operation, though.
FWIW, I’m a straight male who really digs Michelle Shocked and k.d. lang.