Time for Music and Romance

Last weekend I chose Steve Grand as Song for Sunday - mostly because he is the current big thing in gay music. But also because I like his slant on Americana with a pop influence. It's a style that's easily accessible.

But it got me thinking.

Great though Steve is, he is one in a line of out gay musicians, and for many of us it sometimes feels like things haven't moved on substantially in music for, well, decades.
Then I realised that that's clearly rubbish - every artist i've included in Song for Sunday in the last few  months is an out gay male singer (and apologies now, I will get to more of the LBT and Q in time, but i wanted to focus on the G to begin with) and it would be inconceivable thirty years ago to have access to so much quality gay music. And it is progress, those musicians are working across a spread of styles - jazz, electronica, pop, folk, blues and country - that out musicians wouldn't have featured in previously. It maybe taking time, but we are getting there. There being a place where out musicians are making music about many different aspects of our lives. Particularly making music about the love part of life (yeah, I know, most songs are essentially love songs).

But there is a history, quite a long history really. Remember this?

Well its thirty-ish years old. Just take that in for a moment. Thirty years ago there was a song in the Top 40 that opened with the lyric 'Turn us on ... turn us on ... boys'. Think about that. In thirty years we haven't moved on much from 'oh, that singer is gay'. We've haven't looked deeply into the work of artists and how it reflects what's going on in our lives. Well to be truthful some of us have done that, but many haven't.
(The same thing happened with Looking the TV programme - many LGBT people took a quick look at it, decided it wasn't representing them on a very surface level, so didn't continue watching. So it got cancelled. There was no exploration of what the programme was trying to achieve, what it was setting up, where it might go, what it was looking to explore in terms of inter-generational gay friendships, modern relationships, or the positive-negative divide. Or indeed anything beyond the surface. Which, some might say is what pop music is all about).

But then Jimmy Summerville has never been a typical pop act. Witness this:

or this

or this

or indeed this

This was the best selling song in the UK that year - and it was by an out, proud, political musician. And it was thirty years ago.

Each of these songs mix pop music with politics. A catchy tune to get airplay, mixed with a message about life as it is - from comments on the destitution in the UK at the time, through to what the gay community has gone through and was going through, through to a very memorable love song.

This is kinda the reason that I have-a-soft-spot-for M/M romance. The unapologetic, upfront, in your face and fuck-you approach to love. It's here, it's queer and (for me) it's my life in all its complexity: the sadness, joy and absolute wonderfulness of it all. I want to see that life, that complexity in books. I want to see that diversity not just shown but celebrated. I yearn for stories of love amongst the 5 to 15% of the population that is rarely shown to be about love. I want to celebrate with others the love that is found. And in amongst the passing of laws to obviously, absolutely, actively discriminate against that community that love is important.  And the great thing about M/M romance is that it does explore all those things, and more, so much more.

Remember that what you are writing and reading is political. Intensely political and personal for some. That's a small point about this genre that often gets forgotten in the rush to celebrate the latest story about two wonderfully written men falling in love. But let me be clear: I'm not about acceptance. I'm not about tolerance. I'm about equality without exception. Because without that the things that we read become meaningless. M/M romance becomes as much high fantasy as science-fiction. I don't want my life treated that way in fiction or in reality. And you shouldn't settle for that either.

Let's hope things are significantly different in another thirty years. Let's hope that Steve Grand is still singing songs about what love is all about for him as a middle aged man, but that we don't notice that the video is about love between two men, because that's not the important part. The important part is the love that's being expressed.

But in the meantime let's have Steve Grand's latest video

Song For Sunday - 22nd Mar - All American

In celebration of the release of Steve Grand's album tomorrow I'm revisiting his breakthrough song. Yup, it's All American Boy. When it first broke this song was a celebration of queer young things doing their thing. And rightly so. Some of it impact is forgotten now, but it was both revelatory and celebratory at the same time - a good thing.

The album itself is a slice of Americana, with some twists to it. It's a welcome addition to the queer music spread of styles.

Come tomorrow though go buy the album. Go celebrate and support queer artists.
(Also, he's quite hot, and that helps)

  

Song for Sunday -- 15 Mar - Kiss On The Cheek

You know those Sundays where you just need to take a moment for yourself and recharge? Well this will do it for you. A few minutes of this and you'll feel the full five bars, all super charged and ready for the rest of the day.

www.chrisriffle.com

Song For Sunday - 8th Mar - No More

The best kind of Song for Sunday is one you can listen to on a quiet Sunday morning and it gives you a sense of peace, stirs an emotion, or gives you the happy's. It's also a song that you just know you want to hear again and again.

No More Nights Alone is exactly one of those songs.

We Are All Bonnie

I realised the other day that a large chunk of M/M romance is basically just Bonnie Tyler in Holding Out For A Hero.

Witness this:

So, the men we are reading about are, in one way or another, just standing atop a big cliff in a floaty dress belting out a desire for a man: "he's gotta be strong, he's gotta be fast, and he's gotta be fresh from the fight". Ring any bells?
But it's more than that isn't it. He's also "gotta be sure. And it's gotta be soon. And it's gotta be larger than life." Yes, that man I'm reading about has gotta be all the things. I've never seen a better description of M/M than that (or a fair chunk of it anyway).

But there's a little tickle of the subconscious yearning in there too. It's not all blatant 'come get me down from this dangerous precipice', oh no. There's all that sublimated desire rising to the surface too: "In my wildest fantasy. Somewhere just beyond my reach. There's someone reaching back for me". It's the whole 'he wants me as much as I want him, but its a struggle' thing. And it's lovely. And it's done to a thumping erotic beat, which is in no way suggestive of humping. Oh no.

Still, it could be worse.
It could be that M/M is all about the other song. Remember that one?

Witness this batshit insanity:

Other than the whole thing being about over-brimming passion, lost love, needing for romance and fresh starts there's only a few tenuous links to M/M:
"Living in a keg and giving off sparks" - yes, we've all been there. Smoky isn't it.
"Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I'm only falling apart." - welcome to my life.
"Together we can take it to the end of the line" - surely the ultimate M/M story. No? Also, surely the deepest, most longing desire behind every one night stand ever.
(We'll just ignore the dodgy stuff about shagging schoolboys who grow up to be fit, speedo wearing, swimmers and/or american football players who quaff wine while wearing tuxedos)

Bonnie you are very wise.
Also, 'bonnie' in Scots means beautiful. So yeah, we're all Bonnie.

Song For Sunday - 22nd Feb - Red Hot

This week's Song for Sunday is chosen just because it's a great song - Red Hot Tears by Eric Himan.
Eric has a new EP out soon called Playing Cards. It's already available to those who paid upfront through PledgeMusic, so you might know that it's also great - so go buy it when it's available on iTunes and the like.

Song for Sunday - 1st Feb - Shelter

Stick with me on this one as there are a few vid's to look at. But they are all needed and worth watching.

The Backlot (formerly After Elton) have updated their Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies list, something that they do every few years. This years list is quite a shake up as more and more decent gay themed films are getting made and getting an audience. This is particularly great as it means there are loads of films on the new list that I now want to get around to watching.

Go have a look at the full Top 100 list here. Comment below on the films that  you've seen, want to see, hated or loved.
Also, if you like LGBT film you should probably go have a look at CGiii - the most comprehensive LGBT film site.

In the Top 10 are some really great films, including my personal favourite Shelter. I love Shelter because its about real-life, working class folk and the things that they have to deal with and have to consider when making choices about life. It also has a really good soundtrack.

The trailer for Shelter gives you an idea about the film:

From the soundtrack comes not 1 but 2 Songs for Sunday (mostly because I couldn't choose between them, so decided to include both). They are very different in style but lovely versions of their genre, so worth listening to.

First up is Lie To Me by Shane Mack:

Next is Teenage Romanticide by Dance Yourself To Death:

Song For Sunday - 25th Jan - It's The End Of The World

This week is a song that is one of my all time favourites. It's certainly in my 'Top 10 Songs Ever, Ever.'  There are two ways to listen to this song. I'd urge you to follow the these steps:

1. Click the link
2. Turn the volume up loud.
3. Close your eyes and tilt your head back.
4. Savour the lushness that is this song.

Now have a little break to recover.

5. Hit refresh and watch the video to experience it differently.
6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 above until you are forced to either eat or sleep.

There you go. Just one way to have a wonderful evening.

The song is End Of The World by Matt Alber. Matt is quite the amazing musician and it's certainly worth exploring his other videos.

Song For Sunday - 18th Jan - Maybe I'm Stained?

We're only at week 3 and already I'm breaking my new years resolutions. I wasn't going to include an artist more than once a month. But then when I chose the track for last week I didn't know that this video was going to be uploaded this week.

So you get two weeks worth of Ryan Amador. That's not a bad thing. Have you seen him? Heard him?

Anyway. This week is the track Stained from Ryan's EP 4S. You can absolutely feel the hurt all the way through this:
"i feel a vacancy ... in every part of me" or
"you can finally leave your eyes open when you're making love" and
"why did you leave me with your cuts while I'm in pain"
well they all just make my heart ache and want to reach out and give him a long, slow hug. Not just because of those beautiful eyes; or that hair that makes you want to drag your fingers through it; or even that long jawline that makes you want to dot little comforting kisses along it.
No? Maybe that's just me then.

Anyway enjoy Ryan's misery. It'll be someone different next week for sure.

Song for Sunday - 11th Jan

This weeks song is a cover, giving two delicious things in one go - a great song covered by a different voice.
I really like Ryan Amador's approach to this Robyn song and the video is a gentle and sweet treatment.

Song For Sunday - 4th Jan

Every Sunday I'll post a song that I've enjoyed during the week. Just because it's good to share things that we like.

Today's choice is a song I've been a little bit obsessed with for a month or so since I first heard it. It's a thing of beauty in all its versions (this one is a remix of the original) and I thought it'd be a good thing to start the year with some beauty. Enjoy.

Sweet Child O Mine, like you've never heard it

I stumbled across this and it just astounded me (with how wonderful it is). So I thought it was a must share.

Things I Like - Moves

Every now and then (quite often really) I like to share things that I've seen elsewhere that I want to share with others. So in truly unimaginative fashion I'll be calling those posts 'Things I Like". I'm going to start with some music. This is a track from one of my favourite artists, Bright Light, Bright Light, and is called Moves. I've been listening to this a lot recently and still love it every time I hear it. It's totally unconnected to the fact that last week I moved house and next week I move job. But my own moves have interrupted blogging, so now that things are starting to settle down I should be able to blog with a little more frequency. Here it is, hope you enjoy it: