Thursday, April 28, 2005
`Mo Better Blues
By Balthazar Monsoon
Just because I'm a gay man doesn't mean that I want to hear the latest remix by Britney Spears whenever I go clubbing. In fact, I can't stand her. Along those lines, I don't want to hear any gay flavor of the month. I'm pretty happy that I am a gay man, but there are times when I'm bloody tired of hearing "Dive in the Pool" by Barry Harris featuring Pepper Mashay (from Queer As Folk) or "All Things" by Wildlife featuring Simone (from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) whenever I go to a gay club/bar.
I'll admit that I like some pop music, but I tend to gravitate towards singers with really good voices or artists willing to cover the not-so-common, i.e. Mandy Moore singing The Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon." What ever happened to the gay pop bands of the '80s, like Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and Bronski Beat? Why aren't they played in clubs anymore? Is it because the thinly veiled homoeroticism just doesn't cut it with todays's queer youth, sporting Hollister instead of United Colours of Benetton?
I know that being vapid and vacuous is closely associated with being gay, but being an informed individual is necessary. I'm sure every queer out there knows about Vermont and most Canadian provinces allowing gay marriage, but do they know why Hawaii never passed it? Because Hawaii found out that gay marriage violated the state constitution. It's fine and dandy to wear an AIDS ribbon as more and more of us are losing people to AIDS, but are you willing to participate in an AIDS Walk or an AIDS project geared to you geographic area? My good friend is doing AIDS Life Cycle later this year, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. A few years ago, I walked in AIDS Walk San Francisco, and was almost interviewed for the news.
Is it wrong that I wish more gays, especially men, had more substance? Am I wrong that I'd like to have a conversation about politics or literature rather than Britney's latest controversy? Some gay men, especially those in chat rooms, think I'm bitter and/or jaded because I hold views that are much different than their own, like Madonna should have never played Evita or that I won't respect Britney Spears until I hear her sing live and dance at the same time. Has good music and taste influenced me this much? Or am I just a non-conformist who is too damned vocal? Whatever the case may be, I don't mind, just don't get me started on another rant.
Just because I'm a gay man doesn't mean that I want to hear the latest remix by Britney Spears whenever I go clubbing. In fact, I can't stand her. Along those lines, I don't want to hear any gay flavor of the month. I'm pretty happy that I am a gay man, but there are times when I'm bloody tired of hearing "Dive in the Pool" by Barry Harris featuring Pepper Mashay (from Queer As Folk) or "All Things" by Wildlife featuring Simone (from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) whenever I go to a gay club/bar.
I'll admit that I like some pop music, but I tend to gravitate towards singers with really good voices or artists willing to cover the not-so-common, i.e. Mandy Moore singing The Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon." What ever happened to the gay pop bands of the '80s, like Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and Bronski Beat? Why aren't they played in clubs anymore? Is it because the thinly veiled homoeroticism just doesn't cut it with todays's queer youth, sporting Hollister instead of United Colours of Benetton?
I know that being vapid and vacuous is closely associated with being gay, but being an informed individual is necessary. I'm sure every queer out there knows about Vermont and most Canadian provinces allowing gay marriage, but do they know why Hawaii never passed it? Because Hawaii found out that gay marriage violated the state constitution. It's fine and dandy to wear an AIDS ribbon as more and more of us are losing people to AIDS, but are you willing to participate in an AIDS Walk or an AIDS project geared to you geographic area? My good friend is doing AIDS Life Cycle later this year, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. A few years ago, I walked in AIDS Walk San Francisco, and was almost interviewed for the news.
Is it wrong that I wish more gays, especially men, had more substance? Am I wrong that I'd like to have a conversation about politics or literature rather than Britney's latest controversy? Some gay men, especially those in chat rooms, think I'm bitter and/or jaded because I hold views that are much different than their own, like Madonna should have never played Evita or that I won't respect Britney Spears until I hear her sing live and dance at the same time. Has good music and taste influenced me this much? Or am I just a non-conformist who is too damned vocal? Whatever the case may be, I don't mind, just don't get me started on another rant.
Comments:
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Good one. A common stereotype of gays are that they are vapid, and care more about celebrity gossip than real issues. This is not true, as demonstrated by you and many others that I have known. Trust me, socially-conscious gays are out there, you're just not looking in the right places. A gay bar, or any bar for that matter, is not normally a venue for politics. Same goes for chat rooms (for the most part). Try a GLBTSA or something, I'm sure you'll find somebody whose more on the same wavelength. I hate to say it, but politics come first; personal interests such as music, movies, nightlife come second.
The funny thing is that there is a history of mixing queer politics with music and nightlife (i.e. Stonewall). Artists like Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Bronski Beat were both incredibly dancefloor friendly, completely pop and highly political. Clubs are the perfect place to espouse political views and push forward new ideas in art, music, etc., because they exist specifically as a refuge from a relatively conservative society. We live in L.A. though, so the likelihood of that happening is equal to the likelihood of going to a club and *not* hearing the Killers (at least for the next three months that they are cool).
Liz, I agree that that clubs are the ideal place for people to get together and share ideas. And I'm sure that the PDP and starting a club called Discourse means you would like to see some more (pardon me) discourse in the club scene.
Perhaps a night out is what you make of it, and as we try our damndest to raise the level of awareness on smoking patios throughout the greater L.A. area, I get the feeling that we might just be fewer in number than we'd like to think. There might be more, but they've long since given up on going out.
We go out to have fun and to escape the stresses of our daily lives, and I think therein lies the main problem. When does escapism go too far? When does it become taboo to talk about anything relevant in a "fun" setting? What is so wrong with our society that nobody wants to have to think or be challenged in regards to their beliefs and tastes? What makes it unfun?
I don't consider myself to be a big intellectual, but if I go out and have a conversation, and somebody brings a new idea to the table that makes me reexamine one of my existing beliefs, I'd consider it time well spent, possibly even fun.
Perhaps a night out is what you make of it, and as we try our damndest to raise the level of awareness on smoking patios throughout the greater L.A. area, I get the feeling that we might just be fewer in number than we'd like to think. There might be more, but they've long since given up on going out.
We go out to have fun and to escape the stresses of our daily lives, and I think therein lies the main problem. When does escapism go too far? When does it become taboo to talk about anything relevant in a "fun" setting? What is so wrong with our society that nobody wants to have to think or be challenged in regards to their beliefs and tastes? What makes it unfun?
I don't consider myself to be a big intellectual, but if I go out and have a conversation, and somebody brings a new idea to the table that makes me reexamine one of my existing beliefs, I'd consider it time well spent, possibly even fun.
I've had the most fun when I go out with my friend who is finishing his master's in philosophy and has just been accepted to a Ph.D. program for asian philosophy in where we talk about some hard core shit. I'd rather think than be vapid.
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