Tune In, Turn On, Lighten Up!

Friday, October 5. 2007

Queer-on-queer discrimination, skeezy senators, and marriage inequality, oh my!

We need at least one post to lighten up a bit after the past few weeks on BQ. So check this out, Big Mouth has compiled a little alterna-queer playlist, since playlists seem to be all the rage with the kids these days. Which sends me on the following tangent: who out there remembers making mix tapes? Having to carefully pick all the songs beforehand so you only record once so songs retain the highest sound quality and don't accidentally get cut off at the end. Always ending up with three spare minutes where you tack on some song you don't like all that much because it's short. Being stuck with what you got when you listen to it the first time and realize the transition between song two and song three is way too jarring. Ah, those were the days...

All right, enough nostalgia for caveman technology!

As someone raised in the Midwest on rock, folk, and country-inflected folk-rock music, the dance/electronic music scene -- even though I like a lot of it -- has never effected me as much as a guy or gal with a guitar. When I first moved to NYC, I was as likely to end up rocking at Fraggle Rock at Coney Island High (may it R.I.P.) or Squeeze Box at Don Hill's as I was to get my dance on at Twilo and the Tunnel (may they both R.I.P.). So here are a few songs off the usual beaten queer path for you to download, drag, and drop the next time you're in iTunes.

He Whipped My Ass In Tennis and I Fucked His Ass in Bed by Pansy Division. I could make an entire PD playlist, but I promise I won't. This song from their Total Entertainment! album is a perfect example of their joyous, irreverent sound.

Underdog Victorious by Jill Sobule. It's a title track about a chubby, little gay kid who stands in front of his mirror and pretends to be a superhero/rockstar that all the boys want to kiss. What's not to love? I'm also a big fan of Saw a Cop from the UV album, about an encounter with a hot lady cop that helps the singer/narrator get over her ex.

There is a Light That Will Never Go Out by The Smiths. Anyone who thought the gayness in this track from The Queen is Dead was only implied is officially an eejit. First of all, the title of the album; secondly, "Oh, please don't drop me home / Because it's not my home, it's their / Home, and I'm welcome no more..."; and finally, "And in the darkened underpass / I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last..." I mean, bitch please!

I Wanna Be Your Guy by Muckafurgason. Off the short-lived, TMBG-produced, bands second and final album The Gay EP, this is as sweet as gay indie rock can be.

As Girls Go by Suzanne Vega. The queen of pop poetry gives a MTF transsexual her incredibly spare, simple, and literary treatment. A close runner up for this slot is Blood Makes Noise also from Vega's album 99.9 F° , which sounds like it's about HIV but actually is not (although Ms. Vega thinks the HIV/AIDS slant is a wonderful and welcome interpretation).

I Thought You Were My Boyfriend by The Magnetic Fields. Off The MF's album i, this is synth-pop that manages to be moody -- how queer is that?

Gay Messiah by Rufus Wainwright. This song from Want Two might be the gayest song ever. The son of god descending from the heavens of Studio 54? Cum-shower baptisms? Kneeling down and demanding head? Awesome.

Luv Luv Luv by Pansy Division. I know, I know! Just one repeat artist, I promise. It's just that this song from Absurd Pop Song Romance is that good!

Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) by Garbage. The alt-rock band wrote this tribute to transvestite trickster J.T. LeRoy for beautiful garbage before he was revealed as a FTM prank persona.

Coming Clean by Green Day. The always gay-positive (and supposedly bisexual) Billie Jo wrote this Dookie song about a friend struggling with coming out of the closet to his parents.

Posted by Bigmouth in Entertainment at 15:42 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) |

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Where can i get the songs? I like to place the links/songs on my blog http://www.bicupid.com/blog/garyding if permitted and on my site www.bisexualcenter.com

Gary

#1 Gary (Homepage) on 2007-10-09 00:52

Hey Gary,

Thanks for the links. None of the songs is in the public domain, so you will have to purchase on CD or as MP3s from the appropriate sources.

Since this post, several other queer artists or queer-themed songs outside of the dance/electronic realm have been pointed out to me, that I can't believe I neglected. For example, I should have included something by Antony and the Johnsons or Super 8 Cum Shot. I'd love to hear queer song suggestions from our readers. Just post your playlists in the comments here.

#1.1 Big Mouth (Homepage) on 2007-10-11 21:05

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