Queer Music Herritage

[prettyname]

A few months back I found myself listening to an old gay novelty song. I think it was "Uneasy Rider '88" by Charlie Daniels. Somehow I went from that to other gay novelty songs like "C.B. Savage" by Rod Hart and "Queer Things" by Ruth Wallis. I thought it was strange how easily I could laugh at these otherwise highly offensive songs. I started to wonder why that was. Why was it so easy for me to take them likely? I was also interested in finding out just how many of those songs were out there. That led to me looking for other queer songs. The serious ones. The non-novelty kind. I started to find a whole world of queer themed music that I never even knew existed, and that made me really want to share it. I felt like the majority people out there could only think of a handful of gay music, all of it cliche and most of it disco. And THAT really bothered me. I fucking hate disco. I can't relate to it. Why should I? I'm Gay and I'm happy about that, but if I'm supposed to just cherish "It's Raining Men" as the quintessential song of my people . . . well that just really sucks.

Anyway, I started collecting as much queer music as I could find with the intention of one day blogging about it and sharing it with everyone I could. In researching the music, however, I found someone who had already beat me to the punch. J.D. Doyle. This man runs his own monthly radio show. I found his website Queer Music Heritage and I completely devoured it, listening to everything I could. He really knows his stuff.  Through his work, I found a huge collection of music that I never knew about. Queer songs reaching all the way back into the '30s. It's really amazing. To be honest, the website is a bit chaotic and a little hard to follow, but if you have the time, you should really check it out. I think it is extremely important to remember this part of our history--all of our history, and not  just that cheesy disco part that we are supposed to stereotypical like. Anyway, I just thought I would share. 

 

Check it out: http://www.queermusicheritage.us/index2.html

Also, I spelled "Heritage" wrong in my heading. Shit!

Edited January 29, 2013 by prettyname

[prettyname]

Here is a song from The Rolling Stones that you might not have heard: 

And a little Novelty: 

Some Country: 

[prettyname]

A protest song: 

[prettyname]

Something form the 80's:

I could keep going, but I won't. For now.

[rustle]

[methodwriter85]

   This isn't technically gay, but come on.

 

[prettyname]

Um . . .  Methodwriter85, did you read my rant? Lol. I thought I bitched enough about that stereotypical gay song. 

Great video, though. I suppose I can forgive you.

Here is a newer one for you guys. Less of a explicitly "gay song" but definitely gay.

Check it out: 

[methodwriter85]

   Here's a tune from the Disco Era...

 

     "You Make Me Feel" (Mighty Real) by Sylvester,  1978