A look at gay musicians struggling for an identity, writes Chiradeep Basumallik
all we have “to do now , is take these lies and make them true,
All we have to know now is that I don’t belong to you & you don’t belong to me… freedom, freedom ,
You gotta give what for you take….
George Michael was the perfect 80’s pinup/pop star; solid Grecian lineage, blond curls, designer stubble, ripped jeans & a voice as smooth as velvet; and when in classic pink jackets, he’d swing his hips, moan lustily & lament on having cheated on his best friend, girls across the globe would be ready to fall into his gorgeous arms. But beneath the well-cultivated image of the stud-muffin, Michaels was a troubled man.
Unknown to most, conjectured by many, Michaels was a actively practicing homosexual; the linkups with the hot actresses & the beautiful models were part of the imagery necessary to sustain the star… the real truth lay elsewhere. As Michaels, continued to experiment with his music, he consciously moved away from the sexy beast/toy boy iconification and chose a more introspective , withdrawn pattern to his work; Listen without Prejudice, Older, Patience…
the albums explore the fractured image of the pop star and the gay man, searching for a more liberated, individual space.
In much of Michael’s later work we see an attempt at coming to terms with one’s identity, the lyrics mirror the constant tug of war between the successful, handsome recording artist & the oppressed homosexual man. The lewd public act, the hyper-sexual nature of the music videos& the celebration of free, uninhibited sexual choices, all point at a desperation to break free, come out in the open & be accepted as normal & homosexual.
Indeed, the artist’s creed is freedom; the ability to destroy convention & conservative thinking, the vision to see beyond the dull, black & white world of ordinary living & create a new, parallel world order or interpretation; the artist, like Browning’s poem, has his hands eternally stretching, to touch the sky.
Consider the peacock queen of rock n’ roll; Freddie Mercury; hyper-talented, super-sexual in denim hot pants or white leotards… Freddie was the circus-clown, the satyr, the crazy genius, the rebel king. A uniquely gifted performer, a singer with immense vocal range, Freddie was born for the stage. Under pressure or Radio gaga, Bohemian rhapsody or Crazy little thing called Love… Queen were a fabulous stage act, with their lead singer’s rabble rousing vocal skills.
In 1984, when queen released their single, “ I want to break free”, nobody expected the video to be a over-the-top parody of the British drama Coronation Street; dressed in drag, armed with dusters, pots & pans, the band was immediately classified as rebel & gay. The song was banned in the US till 1991.
To make matters worse, there were stories of Freddie’s obsession with young boys, his love for new partners and his complicated, difficult relationship with his longtime girlfriend; Freddie was undoubtedly a fire-starter. This was a star who lived his life in electric technicolour; fame, success, beautiful music, girls, boys, sexuality, homosexuality, drugs , orgies… Freddie lived as the ringmaster of the rock star circus… one may have reservations, about his choices & lifestyle, but this was a man who had guts, loads of courage, the will to be free and to live and die by his own choices; it was probably the perfect Rockstar’s life. Freddie Mercury a.k.a. Farrokh Balsara was and will remain a hero for the homosexual community, an icon for outrage, rebellion & the right to free living & free love.
In 1976, when Elton John in a rolling stone interview announced he was bisexual, he chose what was a potentially career-threatening path; however john, has always thrown caution to the winds, actively campaigning for the LGBT movement and the fight against AIDS; john’s music is awe-inspiring: amazing vocal dexterity, simple piano melodies & lyrics that talk of a plethora of issues including homosexuality. The singer’s personal life is strewn with stories of alcoholic excess, drugs, multiple partners & complicated financial decisions.
Elton john, singer, activist, performer, habitual money-spender, party thrower & owner of the most psychedelic collection of spectacles , glasses & jackets you’ll ever see… was simply Mr. Rocket Man.
Freddie Mercury died of aids related bronchial pneumonia in 1991; Elton john continues to tour & George Michael has chosen to withdraw himself almost completely from public attention; The lives of these men, is a modern bildungsroman; an exploration into themselves, a search, beyond all narrow constraints, for freedom and self-expression; a journey from rebel hero, rockstar, pop-icon to finding a more definite, real space, where the image or the cult of the celebrity or the right P.R. tactics, does not set the standard or the limit;
All three will be remembered for their music, their colourful lives and their acceptance of their difference; these are men, who went beyond the notion of themselves, embracing their true flesh & blood identities, choosing to be what all music, is often a celebration of : freedom to just…be.
