My Top 12 LGBTQ Albums

If I had to pick a dozen albums that are the most important to me as a member of the LGBTQ community, what would they be? Glad you asked.

A few notes...

• My definition of LGBTQ music is very subjective. All of these albums spoke to me at some point in my own journey as a gay/queer man--so to me, they belong on the list.
• While most of these artists are known to be part of the LGBTQ community, some are not. (See above.)
• A lot of my favorite LGBTQ songs are missing from this post because I never bonded with the albums they came from. That's another list for another time--and frankly a much bigger and more difficult process.
• These are in chronological order based not on their release date but when they came into my life.

And now, here are my top twelve LGBTQ albums....

London 0 Hull 4, The Housemartins
When it comes to late 80s Brit pop with a political twist, you can have The Smiths and their dark, brooding music. I'll take The Housemartins any day. Who knew songs that call for revolution could be so boppy? Honestly, if I had to name one album that best represents me, this would be it.

 


Communards, The Communards
This was my first consciously gay purchase as an out man.




Whatever's For Us, Joan Armatrading
I think I should get extra credit for going to see Joan Armatrading in concert in Vermont. Let's just say there were a lot of Birkenstocks there.



Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
Between Tracy Chapman and The Indigo Girls, eponymous albums by lesbian singer-songwriters pretty much dominated the stereos of all my friends the last couple of years of college.



The Flirtations, The Flirtations
As if this wasn't gay enough, I saw The Flirtations perform at the 1993 March On Washington.



Shadows On A Dime, Ferron
Some most excellent womyn's music.



Dusty In Memphis, Dusty Springfield
Can a perfect album be made better? This one was for me when I learned that Dusty Springfield was a lesbian--knowing that adds so much more meaning to all the songs. It's just achingly beautiful.



Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright
*sigh*



Plano, The Aluminum Grop
Gay brothers from the Midwest create music that is somehow both lush and sly. So good.



In An Aeroplane Over The Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel
A gorgeous indie album with complex lyrics that are very open to queer interpretation. See also: If You're Feeling Sinister, Belle & Sebastian; Illinois, Sufjan Stevens; and Puzzle, Tahiti 80.



Hedwig & The Angry Inch, original cast recording
Sorry, NPH, I want the O.G.



69 Love Songs, The Magnetic Fields
Dick's Bar is long gone, so if I want to relive my big gay life in the East Village, this is where I go.



Honorable Mentions: Pearl, Janis Joplin; Pelican West, Haircut 100; Strangeways, Here We Come, The Smiths (I know what I said earlier in this post, but I did listen to this a fair amount in college); The Immaculate Collection, Madonna (a must for gay boys of my generation); Discography, Pet Shop Boys (ditto); Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters; Divine Madness, Bette Midler; and channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean.

Dave Younge Playlist

Clara and I got to pay tribute to a great music lover last night. Here's the appropriately eclectic Dave Younge Playlist. Dave always celebrated diversity and it shows in his musical tastes. We tried to honor that spirit and connect with all sorts of people with these songs. Enjoy. 

PS: Thanks to Trivia Mafia  and the 331 Club for the DJ gig.

Grateful Dead – Scarlet Begonias
Steely Dan – Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Fela Kuti – Viva Nigeria
John Coltrane Quartet – It's Easy To Remember
Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
XTC – Hold Me My Daddy
Los Angeles Burning – Sinatra
Malkit Singh – Jind Mahi
The Neville Brothers – Fire On The Bayou
The Clash – Rock the Casbah
Celia Cruz – La Negra Tiene Tumbao
Tukka Yoot – Tukka Yoot's Riddim
Grateful Dead – Ripple
Heart – Magic Man
Bonnie Raitt – Love Sneakin' Up On You
Crash Test Dummies – The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead
Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2
Erin McKeown – Slung Lo
Miles Davis – Milestones
Sting – Fields Of Gold
Timbuk 3 – Facts About Cats
Laurie Berkner – The Cat Came Back
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime
Stevie Wonder – Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
The English Beat – Save It For Later
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Pump It Up
Sun Ra – Distant Stars
Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun
Blondie – One Way Or Another
Vince Guaraldi Trio – Thanksgiving Theme
Dar Williams – Christians and Pagans
Herbie Hancock – Mega Mix (Rockit, Autodrive, Future Shock, TFS, Rough, & Chameleon)
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Satisfy My Soul - Beats Antique Remix

Liberty & Independence

Delaware is set to become the 11th Marriage Equality state after its senate approved same-sex marriage today. I'm really happy for them, but I'm kind of surprised it took this long given they have had a gay Colonial wedding on their flag for 100 years.

I think the guy in the fabulous green and pink jacket (which I would totally wear) is pissed that his farmer husband-to-be dressed so casually for their big day.

That's about all I have to say about Delaware except it inspired this great song by Loudon Wainwright III (father of notable homosexual Rufus Wainwright):

Come on Minnesota, let's make it a dozen.

Happy May Day

Happy 80th Birthday, Willie Nelson!

If Willie Nelson's career had ended 40 years ago, he still would have been one of the most important songwriters in country music ever.

The first concert I ever went to was Willie Nelson in the UNI Dome. I'm not sure of the exact year, but it was sometime during the "On The Road Again" period. My parents became big Willie fans around that time--and that song remains one of their favorites. While I love his original songs, I have to admit that Stardust, his album of songs from the "great American songbook," is what made me a life-long fan. The whole thing is beautiful--sometimes achingly so.



Lastly, and most importantly, a big shout out to Willie for his advocacy on issues that are dear to both our hearts. From the founding of Farm Aid to support family farmers to his outspoken views on drug policy reform (best line: Marijuana "won't kill you unless you let a bale of it fall on you"), he has gone far beyond the typical light-weight celebrity dabbling in politics to become a real leader in social change.

One sign: two great causes

Recently, Willie has spoken out in favor of Marriage Equality:

I never thought of  marriage as something only for men and women. But I'd never marry a guy I didn't like. ...It's about human rights. As humanity, we've come through so many problems from the beginning to here.  I guess it finally had to come around to this. This is just another situation, another problem. We'll work it out and move on.

Something good must have been going on in 1933--the year produced two of my favorite progressive men, Willie Nelson and Paul Hogan, my Dad. This year, 80 is the new fabulous.

Replicas

One of the few celebrities I've ever been told I look like is Gary Numan. I don't really see it now... or then.

Although to be fair, for large stretches of his career, it's hard to know exactly what Gary Numan looked like.

I must say that I have I have always admired his commitment to whatever look he wears.

Plus, it may be breaking the 10th Commandment, but I covet this jacket:

Oh, by the way, I just thought of Gary Numan for the the first time is years tonight because I just saw his amazing collaboration with Nine Inch Nails in the remake of his biggest hit "Cars". Okay, it happened four years ago, but it's hard to keep up with the music the young kids are listening to these days.

PS to 2009 Trent Reznor: Call me, maybe?

Seriously?

If I have to blog about how sometimes it snows in April one more time, heads will roll. Heads. Will. Roll. I just couldn't post the Prince song again. Fortunately, these cute buskers provided their original song of the same name for me to share.

Unfortunately, the "Gaiety Theatre" in this video is not the sadly lost Times Square male burlesque venue (made famous in Madonna's book Sex). Sigh...

And So We Keep On While We Live

Years ago, I openly wept at a listening station in the Boston HMV  as Holly Near sang Pete Seeger's "Quite Early Morning"--just because I'm sort of a hippie at heart and it's really beautiful. I listened to it today, and cried again for Boston, the city I called home for several years.



I hope your darkest days have now passed, and we can have singing tomorrows.

Patriots Day

I don't have much useful to say on a day like to today. As I told a dear friend in Boston: "Don't let the random hate of a few strangers outweigh the love of many friends. You are in our hearts." 

A message from the Occupy Wall Street Light Brigade

Not surprisingly, I'm also thinking about this:

Peace.

Sometimes It Snows In April

A reminder that His Royal Badness is from Minneapolis where (sadly) sometimes it really does snow in April.



It's no coincidence that the Vikings' color is purple.

Dance, Billy, Dance Like The Wind!

 Last night, as I went down the the Internet rabbit hole chasing music that Margaret Thatcher (to put it kindly) "inspired", I eventually rediscovered this amazing scene. While this number doesn't directly reference the Iron Lady, there's no doubt that "Town Called Malice" and Billy Elliot are both products of Thatcherite England. By the way, Billy Elliot had me at being pro-labor and gay-positive--the great 80's music was just icing on the cake. Since I can't embed the video, so go watch the whole thing at YouTube. Or, you can listen to the song here and look at pictures of the "Billy Elliot" a.k.a. Jamie Bell all grown up and looking mighty fine.

PS: If the fact that "Town Called Malice" was released 31 years ago doesn't make you feel really old, how about the news that Billy Elliot is going to be a father? Yikes.

Sing It High, Sing It Low

 

In a more just and loving world, Klaus Nomi would be alive to sing this today.

Ding! Dong!

dear:it's(kiss me now)spring!

I'm getting a little sick of having snow on the ground, so I'm posting a poem and an song to remind nature that it's April and spring should be here.

when faces called flowers float out of the ground

by e.e. cummings

when faces called flowers float out of the ground
and breathing is wishing and wishing is having-
but keeping is downward and doubting and never
-it's april(yes,april;my darling)it's spring!
yes the pretty birds frolic as spry as can fly
yes the little fish gambol as glad as can be
(yes the mountains are dancing together)

when every leaf opens without any sound
and wishing is having and having is giving-
but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense
-alive;we're alive,dear:it's(kiss me now)spring!
now the pretty birds hover so she and so he
now the little fish quiver so you and so i
(now the mountains are dancing, the mountains)

when more than was lost has been found has been found
and having is giving and giving is living-
but keeping is darkness and winter and cringing
-it's spring(all our night becomes day)o,it's spring!
all the pretty birds dive to the heart of the sky
all the little fish climb through the mind of the sea
(all the mountains are dancing;are dancing)

April Come She Will
by Simon & Garfunkel

"He was on his way home from Candletop..."

 
Forty years ago today, "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" by Vicki Lawrence was the #1 single in the U.S.A.



I do love a country song with an insane story. A few other points...

1. In the 70's, Vicki Lawrence was a big star.

2. The big mystery of the song is what Andy's last name is. In the video above it's "Wollo" but looking at various lyrics websites it could be Woloe (close), Wo-Lo (a hyphenate seems highly unlikely in Georgia in early 70's--and one of two Asian names seems almost impossible), or "Warlord" (which would be a bit much).

3. Since the song is in colloquial dialogue it's perfectly acceptable that the lyric is: "That's the night that they hung an innocent man," instead of "That's the night that they hanged an innocent man," which would be more grammatically correct. Here's my rule of thumb to remember which to use: All inanimate objects are hung; when talking about people, unlucky men are hanged but lucky men are hung.

"The condescension is bad, but the argument is even worse."

Matt Taibbi's blog post today, "Same-Sex Marriage Makes David Brooks Crazy" is really great:

This morning's David Brooks column on same-sex marriage was one of the weirdest, most mean-spirited things I've ever seen in The New York Times.

Entitled "Freedom Loses One," the article is a sarcastic broadside against . . . well, against something, though it's not clear exactly which of the many post-Sixties permissive-society hobgoblins Brooks hates is the real target here.

...Brooks is trying to make a "point" here – he takes something like 800 words to make it, but it boils down to a single snarky observation: "Isn't it ironic that these same people who've been fighting for the right to personal indulgence for all these decades since the Sixties are now fighting for the right to be legally restrained?"

Really, go read the whole thing.

Here's my point: I know I just barely missed being a "Baby Boomer" by a couple of years, but I really can't wait for that generation to retire so we can finally move past the cultural battles of the 60's. I'm especially sick of conservatives using "hippies" as a punching bag on which they work out their anxieties about the crazy ideas of freedom, equality and peace. As David Wilcox wrote:

Now I was just a young thing
When the sixties were in swing
They were singing of Aquarius
And all that it would bring
A lot of dreams got frozen
When the time turned bitter cold
They blossomed like a flower
But what a way to go. 

Frozen in the snow
Singing Spring is coming
Frozen in the snow

Easter

Holy Women at Christ's Tomb by Annibale Carracci c. 1590

Remember it was women who found the Christ's tomb empty.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. –Matthew 28: 1-8

Why were they there? Because as women they had sacred work to do.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. Don’t be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. –Mark 16: 1-11 [The earliest manuscripts do not have verses 9-11 which are in italics.]

Of course the boys club of the apostles didn't believe the women because... well, because they were women.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. –Luke 24: 1-12

Also, who the heck is Joanna? Why is she suddenly so important?

John, as usual, had a whole different story to tell:

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!"So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher").
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. –John 20: 1-18

Two big points:

1. How are we supposed to take the Gospels literally when they literally don't agree on basic details? While the four versions all have the same big picture of women discovering Christ's tomb empty, the stories are really different.

2. Despite the differences, all the Gospel writers agree that Mary Magdalene who was a prostitute and/or an epileptic was the key figure in the revelation of the resurrection.

Speaking of amazing, radical women and Easter... THIS:

Kiki Loves You Baby Jesus

Celebrate Easter weekend with Kiki & Herb as they honor show business martyrs the Singing Nun, Marelene Dietrich, and, of course, the J.C. Superstar.

Disclaimer: I made this video a couple of years ago but I hold no copyright to any of the material. I'm pretty sure it's completely illegal. Oops.

Welcome Home, Boys

40 years ago, on March 29th, 1973, the last American combat troops left Vietnam.

The American flag is furled at a ceremony marking official deactivation of the
Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) in Saigon,
after more than 11 years in South Vietnam.

Watching the troops come home is the first news I remember watching on TV. In my memory--which is admittedly a bit hazy here--it's just my mother and I watching (was it during the day so Dad was at work and the other kids were at school?) and Mom is crying tears that are a mix of joy, regret, relief, sorrow and vindication. Of course, at age five, I didn't understand the complexities of the Vietnam War, but I knew it was bad and that we were happy to see the troops come home.

It's no coincidence that "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree" by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando (not Tony Orlando & Dawn as is commonly thought) was the best selling single of 1973.

You'll Reach Your Destiny

This is probably the second most adorable press conference I've ever seen:

Rob Tisinai at Box Turtle Bulletin expresses beautifully why I cried watching Edie Windsor speak today:

What moved me most was her description of how she’d been closeted for so many years, and how she was so grateful today for the kindness in how the Justices treated her.

She was grateful for their kindness.

Take a moment to realize that for most of her life, this kindness — this civility and dignity and respect — was something she and Thea had no reason to expect. It breaks my heart with regret at what these women had to live through, and it breaks my heart with joy that this heroine has never let it overcome her. Edie Windsor has overcome, no matter what the Court decides.

Edie Windsor & Thea Spyer

I made a (probably completely illegal, copyright-breaking) video two years ago celebrating the arrival of Marriage Equality in New York. I'm posting it again today in honor of Edie Windsor and all the other LGBT people who have found a path from tears and sorrow to love and dignity.

THANK YOU!

Holy Days

    פסח טוב

 It's time for one of my favorite things on the Internet, "peeps for passover".

צפרדעים

Do yourself a favor and CLICK HERE to check out all ten plagues re-enacted by Peeps.

Blessed Holy Week

This is also the week to enjoy the greatest rock opera of all time, Jesus Christ Superstar.

  

You can watch the whole fabulous 1973 movie online (probably completely illegally). I also highly recommend checking out some of the clips of the lesser known 2000 version of Jesus Christ Superstar. It is, as you can see, way over the top.

And don't even get me started on Godspell....