I must say that I found Neil's final line - "Would you suggest that James
>Brown be less Black, or Oasis less British?" - rather offensive. Of course
>not; James Brown IS black, Oasis IS British. And while Rufus is indeed
>gay, and that sensibility informs his music, I still think he and his music
>would have gained wider acceptance if he hadn't flaunted it so loudly, so
>interminably, and so insistently. Once he's made "star" he can do what he
>wants; till then, a bit of discretion may help. And if that's "the sort of
>crap that gives the record industry a bad name" I'm sorry...
>
>Cheers,
>
>Richard
Wasn't Wainwright's musical agenda intent upon including his gay perspective
from the start? His lyrics do not cover up or belie his lifestyle ("Danny
Boy", "April Fools" etc;) and it seems to me that he wants to acquire an
audience based upon a more personal knowledge of his lifestyle and
acceptance of same. We all wear a badge of some sort which we either
proudly or unconsciously display to the world. Maybe this is the one
Wainwright chooses to wear. Seems to me being honest from the start is more
acceptable than playing the media games which the likes of Elton John tried
to support with his "marriage" or the frequent dodging seen by k.d. lang in
the past or the awful "I'm Bi" press from David Bowie and all that truth or
lies rumor-mill talk about Bowie and Jagger those years ago. Michael Stipe
hasn't seen his bands popularity wane due to his "tagging" and lack of
defensive posture regarding it. But, therein lies a a part of the
argument -
Stipe and band as well as John, lang and others haven't highlighted their
gayness as a raison d'etre for their musical pasts, while Wainwright pushes
the stereotypical boundary of acceptable pop/rock teenage/young adult
idolism with it. I have no doubt in my mind that you are correct in saying
that highlighting his lifestyle will cause him a loss of potential fans and
yet, somewhere deep within me I find myself saying that real art, that which
comes from the soul and the complete experience and emotion of a human
being; that which is honest and unpretentious and devoid of sublimation in
personal truism is the echelon of wisdom we were put here to aspire to, to
attain and to share. If Wainwright suffers a loss of public acceptance it
is only through his honesty, a decided attempt to break down barriers and
with knowledge that in doing so he will be subject to
controversy and negative criticism. It was his choice afterall.
Tera
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