Carl:
> Ultimately, I think opera is much more alienating to a pop audience
> than homosexuality is to college students. But if Rufus keeps
This is very true.... At this point in time, with all the "out"
performers there are, etc., I really wonder whether being out is a career
detriment for artists. I kind of doubt it.
Opera-association is the quickest way to deep-six a career though, for
sure (can you say Michael Bolton? <g>).
Seems to me that being out is not very alienating to most pop audiences
(C&W is another matter...), and a number of performers successfully use
gay audience appeal to launch major hits (like Cher's "Believe"). I
mean, how are you supposed to have a dance hit these days without the gay
audience supporting you?
So Carl, I'll go with your point that Rufus is representing a further
stage of mainstreaming, following on the more "veiled" New Wave practices,
etc... That's a good thing <g>.
--junior
npihm: visions of zillions of straight Americans at sporting events every
day chanting lines from Gary Glitter and Queen songs <g>. Work it, baby!!
