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Script for January 2000, QMH: Welcome to Lesbian & Gay Voices and this segment is called Queer Music Heritage. I'm JD Doyle and once a month I'll be bringing you a half hour celebrating and exploring our culture's music. I plan to cover a lot of territory both in terms of years and musical genres. Mostly, I just don't think gay and lesbian music of the past should be forgotten, and I'll try to give a little information about the music and artists as I go. If I have to pick a theme for this first show, it's gay anthems, and the first one is one of my favorites. It's by Charlie Murphy and is called "gay spirit". He recorded it twice. The first time was for the landmark folk album "Walls To Roses" in 1979. Murphy's "gay spirit" on that album was more acoustic. He recorded the more pop version you'll hear next in 1981 for his album, "Catch The Fire." Charlie Murphy
- gay spirit You just heard Tom Robinson singing "glad to be gay' from 1978. That song is on the short list of what many people may name as our most famous gay anthems. He recorded it several times with slight lyric changes, and this one was the original from the "Power In The Darkness" album, billed then as by the Tom Robinson Band. Next up are two of the best anthem songs by women. First is "gay and proud" by the Berkeley Women's Music Collective. This appeared on their self-titled album in 1976, but is probably more famous for appearing on the various artists album "Lesbian Concentrate," released in 1977. That album, put out by the Olivia label was the first various artists album released with openly gay content. The Olivia label itself was probably the most important force in the women's music movement, with such artists as Meg Christian, Chris Williamson, Theresa Trull, Robin Tyler and many others. Again, here is "gay and proud" by the Berkeley Women's Music Collective. Berkeley Women's
Music Collective - gay and proud I followed 'gay and proud' by one of my more recent favorites, Jamie Anderson singing "no closet." That was from her "Center Of Balance" album from 1992. Jamie is one of my favorite lesbian artists of the 90s. She writes her own material and can sing both serious and funny songs equally well. She has released 5 albums since 1989, and you can't go wrong with any of them. The ones that aren't available locally can probably be found on the internet at the Ladyslipper Music site. Now, I know I'm calling this show "Queer Music Heritage" but I'm going to play a song that is brand new. It's not even released yet, I'm delighted that the artist sent me a promo copy. It's just that this song fits in so well with the idea of our heritage, because that's what it's about. It's an instant gay & lesbian history lession. Here's Jon Gilbert Leavitt singing his own composition called "Pride". I'll close with that song, so this is JD Doyle with Queer Music Heritage saying goodbye until next time. Jon Gilbert Leavitt - pride Lyrics to "Pride" Silk top hats and button shoes,
erotic tintypes, midnight cruise, Berlin gay society 1903// Pride, pride, gotta have pride
- we've been around too long to keep it inside "The Captive" hits
the Broadway stage, "The Fleet's In," Cadmus' all the rage,
and "The Well Christine Jorgensen's reborn,
Daughters of Bilitis form, and we have our "Naked Lunch"
in Pride, pride, gotta have pride
- we've been around too long to keep it inside "Boys in the Band"
played, Bette Midler sang, those bathhouse days, Lance Loud, gay and
proud, Pride, pride, gotta have pride
- we've been around too long to keep it inside
Script for February 2000, QMH: Welcome to Lesbian & Gay Voices and this segment is called Queer Music Heritage. I'm JD Doyle and once a month I'll be bringing you a half hour celebrating and exploring our culture's music. I plan to cover a lot of territory both in terms of years and musical genres. Mostly, I just don't think gay and lesbian music of the past should be forgotten, and I'll try to give a little information about the music and artists as I go. On my first show last month I concentrated on anthems or gay pride songs. I'm going to continue that by starting out with Sue Fink singing about those "leaping lesbians" Sue Fink - leaping lesbians) That song by Sue Fink appeared on the landmark album "Lesbian Concentrate," from 1977, on the Olivia label, which was one of the founding forces in the women's music movement. The next song I'll play is probably the earliest openly lesbian song. It's called "angry atthis" and it's by Maxine Feldman. I'll like to quote some comments she made about this song: I went to California and wrote my first lesbian song, "angry atthis" in May 1969, one month before the Stonewall riots. I wrote it in about three minutes, in a bar in L.A. Before Stonewall we had mafia-run bars where you were a fourth-or fifth-class person. It was the only place for dykes to meet; we didn't have festivals, or women's bookstores. At these bars, if you were in butch drag you could be arrested; you had to wear three "female" items by law. And be prepared for the bar raids. I didn't like the way it made me feel-like we were useless and sick. I felt we were worth a lot more. Stonewall proved I was not alone. It was time for our protests. "Angry Atthis", of course, is a play on words. I was "angry at this" lesbian oppression. My brainy girl side wanted to call my piece "Sappho's Song," but then I read that Atthis was the name of one of Sappho's lovers. And "Atthis" began to appear to me as a better statement of all I felt. The song just spewed out of me. As she said, Feldman wrote the song in 1969, it took another three years before it was recorded, as a 45. And it finally appeared on an album in 1979. The version you're going to hear is from her "Closet Sale" album, and I got to hear her perform it that year at the Gay & Lesbian March on Washington. Here is "angry atthis" Maxine Feldman - angry atthis I need to mention that the interview I quoted appears in the new book "Eden Built By Eves: The Culture Of Women's Music Festivals" by Bonnie J. Morris. Next up are two classics by Michael Callen. I consider him one of the saints of gay music. It would take a long list to tell you about his accomplishments as a gay activist, but he contributed just as much to our culture musically. The song "love worth fighting for" is the title track from a 1995 CD compilation that I highly recommend. You can read more about Callen at the excellent Significant Other website. I can't resist playing two by him. The other is "love don't need a reason" and it's from his 1988 album, "Purple Heart." Michael Callen - love worth fighting for/ love don't need a reason The next song is a short one, called "I'm gay." It's from an off-Broadway show called "Let My People Come", from 1974. That show was kind of a more explicit version of "Hair", and from the cast here are Martin Duffy and Joe Jones to sing "I'm gay." From "Let
My People Come,"- I'm gay Y'All - you
ain't woman enough to take my man |