fisher@smiley.DEC (Gerry --- Terminally Inane) (07/24/85)
RE: Books to read. >I'm just starting "The Family of Max Desir." ... I believe the author is Robert Ferro. RE: Ken Arndt >*** Well, AIDS is INFECTING more than just Gays now, >but don't for a minute think that in the public mind it's no longer seen >as a product of Gay 'lifestyle' or that Gays are largely the vector of the >disease. Besides, AIDS is only the tip of the disease iceberg - remember >way back my article about bowel pathagens? - in the Gay community! It's >all coming out into the light of day with AIDS. You guys are INFECTED! True: Some straights will incorrectly continue to think that "dirty gay sex" created AIDS. In that Life article, there is not a single portrait of a gay patient; after all, the article talks about AIDS affecting the "normal" people. The article also says that it used to be that the gays were the only "threat" of spreading AIDS (gay=threat). False: Gays are not the only "vector" of AIDS. On other continents it is spread via straight sex. By the way, there is no sexually transmitted disease that only gay people get. We are no more "dirty," "infected," or "diseased" than other groups of people simply by virtue of our sexuality; exposure to disease depends on sexual practice not gay sexuality. For wise gay people, the days of fast-food sex are gone; to replace it we have ... no, not celibacy! ... imaginative sex play such as telephone games. Safe and fun! >... PEOPLE OPERATE FROM A 'RELIGIOUS' BASE, OUR LAW HAS A >RELIGIOUS BASE - remember 'In God We Trust', 'Creator', etc in the founding >documents.? - and there are now more religious people in this country than >at any time in recent history. So where oh where, I ask, does that leave you I don't agree. I haven't made my "list" yet, but I can think of at least two things more fundamental than a "religious base" by which people operate: fear and greed. I think that the greatest motivation for the "not-so-new-right"s attack on gays is fear. As stated in the quoted posting, people think of Sister BoomBoom and AIDS when they think of gay people. This is why more gay people need to come out, and why more money needs to be spent on educating people about the spread of AIDS; all the politicking in the world won't shatter these myths. We need a grassroots approach. When people find out that Joe and Jane are gay, but that they aren't so "queer," gay liberation will take a step forward. Also, there are no more religious people in the USA today. The religious groups are just better organized and more political. Church attendance is still falling; sex out of wedlock is still high; ... By the way, I know it's a great mystery, but I heard somewhere along the way that gay people can be religious too! :-) RE: Gay Songs >Responses to the query "What songs/groups out there deal with Gay Men" I listen to mainstream pop/rock/new-music, so as you can imagine, the pickings are slim. However, I have chosen some artists who have written songs about masculinity, sexuality, femininity, and sexual confusion (my big interest is men being compassionate with one another; I don't care if they are gay or straight!). These songs may be of interest to you. The first two on the list are my favorite "male to male" pop songs; I'm sure you'll be surprised, but give them a chance: 1) Paul McCartney "Here Today" Album: Tug of War Paul's eulogy to John Lennon is the most beautiful love song written by a man for a man that I have heard. "... And if I say / I really loved you / and was glad you came along / then you were here today / for you were in my song." Simple without being simplistic: a rare gem from his post-Beatle's work. 2) Lou Reed "Turn to Me" "My Friend George" Album: New Sensations These songs are great "buddy to buddy" songs. "... if a friend dies of something / that you can't pronounce / turn to me..." Pneumosistic fibrosis (sp?). Karposi Sarcoma (sp?). 3) Culture Club "Karma Chameleon" "Mister Man" Album: (second album) "Mister man is a fake /... can't you see / I'm just a man like you?..." Good observations on the expression of masculinity. 4) Elvis Costello Albums: "My Aim is True" "Imperial Bedroom" Strictly straightsville, but it's great to see straight men trying to "think about" or "define" their sexuality. 5) Pete Townsend "And I Moved" Album: Empty Glass "And I moved / ... but I moved towards him" A delicate expression of his first gay experience. 6) Prince "Uptown" "When You Were Mine" "Head" Album: Dirty Mind Mostly straight, slightly warped, very confused, simply dynamite! 7) The Clash "Stay Free" Album: Give 'em Enough Rope A "tough but tender" talk with a friend who was arrested. "Go easy / step lightly / stay free!" 8) Joe Jackson "Real Men" Album: Night and Day A bit condescending but a nice try. His view on the search for masculinity. 9) Elton John "Daniel" Vague but touching good-bye to his lover. 10) The Kinks "Lola" Along with Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side," one of the most blatantly gay top 40 hits. "I'm into her and she in me /.../ I know what I am / that I'm a man / and so is Lola." 11) Tom Tom Club (Talking Heads people) "Pleasure of Love" ALBUM: Close to the Bone "He was hanging around the park / I was scared cause it was after dark" Seems pretty familiar to me! 12) R.E.M "Seven Chinese Brothers" Album: Reckoning America's greatest band doing a number on sexual confusion. This album also contains the "buddy to buddy" song "Don't Go Back to Rockville." ************************************ Maybe not "women's music" but close ... ************************************ 13) Rickie Lee Jones "Lucky Guy" Album: Pirates "It must be Love" Album: The Magazine What's "he's a lucky guy" at the beginning, turns into "I'm a lucky guy" at the end; nice masculinity/femininity swapping. It must be love / that whispers in my ear / it must be love that we keep trying to hear / ... / I have seen you walking in the rain / I wanna know why you were cryin' / baby let me fix what's wrong." Folks, if you love torch songs, this woman is the ultimate. Great crying/laughing music. All about the trials and tribulations of love; men AND women are equally victimized. 14) Pretenders "Message of Love" "Show Me" Chrissie Hynde Kerr, one of the best rock song writers around, deals with traditional romance, love, and child bearing in very untraditional ways. "We are all of us in the gutter / (whispers) but some of us are looking at the stars ..." Show Me is a beautiful plea to her child to help her to love. The Pretender's first album is a steamy exploration of sexuality. Don't miss out on the Pretenders! 15) Joan Jett "The French Song" "Fake Friends" Album: Album The androgynous Jett sings "I am what I am" in The French Song. The Boston Pheonix said that this song would be very uplifting to gay and lesbian teens. Jett: Be yourself and stand strong! Sorry I took so long. I promise not to post for a while, to give someone else a chance! Gerry Fisher ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-smiley!fisher ******************************************************************* Nashua, NH: where the men are men and the sheep are nervous!