|
And Want It, Too
|
|
|
|
We haven't seen plasticine replications so utterly unrealistic since Madame Tussaud's generous depiction of Madonna. Despite the utter unbelievability of the blow up replicas - as if Jake lives with one-eye open! - they are eerily cute. And exceedingly menacing. |
|
|
|
|
|
Debating whether or not the band's so-called queerness informs their music, Shears insists, I think it’s shaped our aesthetic. There are no gay lyrics, it’s all totally coded. If you’re looking for a gay message, you totally have to dig. He goes on, I’m not interested in singing about gay people… I wanted the music to be accessible. I don’t want to appeal to just a tenth of the population. The interviewer presses the issue, explaining that straight people identify with "straight" music, so it follows that gay people should be able to identify with 'gay" music. To this the openly gay Shears claims that being gay is but a mere part of his identity and admits that he finds queer-centric tunes to be a bit of a bore… |
|
Hmmm, it seems to us that John's got two exceedingly valid points. One, religion has too often been used to fuel homo-hatred. Two, that religious leaders aren't doing enough to fight discrimination. Sure, he's being a bit harsh, but nobody's ever changed the world with conciliatory comments. Right? An Irish Reverend by the name of Giles Fraser, however, has spoken out against John's statements:
That statement, too, rings with validity. Many homos do find the Church to be aggressive and the influential musician's words do add fuel to the fire. Of course, those are just our brief thoughts on the matter. So, readers, we ask you: do you think John deserves to be censured for his comments or do you think he's right on the money? |
|
As you know, we absolutely adore tips from our readers. It's nice to have a few extra pairs of eyes out in the homonet, because otherwise so many juicy bits'll go unnoticed. For example, we never would have known that The Observer ran an all-gay music issue yesterday had a charming reader not sent us this link. While the issue's headlined by an interview between Elton John and Jakes Shears (in which John laments all the teenage sex he could have had had he come out earlier and has some choice words on religion, which we'll get to in the next posting), the really juicy bits comes in the form of more obscure topics. For example, Jon Savage's piece delves into the history of a gay record producer named Joe Meek, who produced the first gay-pop single only to shoot himself six months later. Meanwhile, Stuart Brumfitt takes a tour through the seemingly-contradictory world of gay ragga clubs, Ed Vulliamy tracks the trials and tribulations of the The Village People and a bevy of gay movers and shakers offer their favorite queer pop culture memories. Don't think you'll see any Lance Bass action here, readers. Boy George remembers his first sighting of David Bowie, Peter Tatchell pens a little ditty on the first pride anthem and Morrissey lauds Bruce Wayne Campbell's glam rock alter ego, Jobriath. Now that's something to sing about. (If that's not a gay comment, nothing is…) |