That is actually so sad. Why ... oh why do people do it?
Exactly, identifying themselves as a "gay band" would have certainly pigeonholed them and limited their reach. Interesting, if they had seen this through would Morrissey have been open about being a gay man?
. Interesting, if they had seen this through would Morrissey have been open about being a gay man?
Why the negative attitude here?
We have someone who has a genuine insight into a pivotal period in the story. I, for one, am very interested in what Dale has to say.
Genuine insight? He was the bass player for about 6 months. He could tell us about that in an article. Or he could have titled his autobiography differently, without the word "smiths" in it since this life period was rather small compared to his whole life.
The Smiths were a gay band.
Anyone who disagrees is either straight or stupid.
gay (geɪ)
adj. , -er, -est,
n., adv. adj.
- having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits.
The Smiths weren't a gay band.
The Smiths were a gay band.
Anyone who disagrees is either straight or stupid.
gay (geɪ)
adj. , -er, -est,
n., adv. adj.
- having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits.
The Smiths weren't a gay band.
Other than Dorrissey, they were straight. At the time of FGTH and Bronski Beat, it seemed as if overtly OUT acts were about to storm the barricades of heteronormativity. However, shrew Careerists like George ODowd and Dorrissey made a commercial decision to hide behind claims of preferring a nice cuppa tea. The fact that they had dinner with Marilyn in a Paris hotel tells you all you need to know. BB was in The City Of Lights that night.....Etc.
best
-The Anarchic Archivist
sitting on a designer stool by a bar, drinking soya Cappucino, nursing a hangover in downtown Reykjavik.
The lyrics and sleeve art told a different story, of course. But Bummie was only watching the cheese.
gay (geɪ)
adj. , -er, -est,
n., adv. adj.
- having or showing a merry, lively mood: gay spirits.
The Smiths weren't a gay band.
Ah, understood. The baseball detail does seem odd to say the least.
That was Andy Rourke. From Goddard's Songs That Saved Your Life:
"I remember showing a copy to my Dad', Rourke reminisces, saying 'This is my first record.' He was mortified. He said to me, 'that's a bloke's bum,' and I said 'yeah,' but when he asked me why I just didn't have an answer for him.'"
What's a 'gay band' anyway? The Smiths weren't a band of gays.
Homoeroticism is just one element of what the Smiths were.
What's a 'gay band' anyway?
Well, I've brought this notion up in regard to the word elsewhere and I agree. Let's expand on it.
Oxford says gay also means: light hearted, carefree, showy (these are considered "dated"), and the word has been expanded to mean stupid or foolish.
It signifies in every day life such things as extroversion, parades, rainbows, loudness, indiscretion, promiscuity.
People don't realize that the "dated" definitions of the word including carefree, showy, and light hearted were INTENDED to describe the people who CHOSE to use a word with such meanings to describe themselves. They, activist homosexuals from San Francisco, wanted to be seen that way.
The word "gay" does not mean homosexual. In fact, the vast majority of homosexuals are not gay, while some heterosexuals can in fact be described as gay.
Morrissey? Whether he is homosexual or not, strictly speaking, he is certainly not gay, nor were the Smiths in any way really, any more than any other band that has elements of showiness and such that are a pre-requisite of playing music and singing for a crowd.
The Rolling Stones are a gay band.