You know, I just drove 700 miles from Petrolia to LA. I listened to the radio as much as I could bear it.
In between the many, many Christian broadcasts that you can hear very easily and NPR which you can’t, I listened to love songs.
Not one of them from one man to another, one woman to another.
Whilst we may be addressing our visibility in tv and film we are woefully represented on the radio… especially the love songs where I never hear my love mentioned.
Why is this so? Is the music industry a harder nut to crack than the military or sports?
I remember when I fell in love with a woman the songs on the radio seemed to make more sense. They had meaning and relevance.
When will I hear that love song? When will I see a real queer love affair on TV that isn’t the butt of some joke?
Why do I have to re-imagine every love song to include me?
The love between two men is implicit in George Michael‘s work but not explicit. It is obvious in Joan Armatrading‘s work but her songs have not been played for a very long time. Elton John is gay but mostly wrote the music for Bernie Taupin’s heterosexual lyrics.
When I hear queer love songs, lyrics that speak to my condition, on the radio… I will know for sure that things have really changed for people like me.