gay and country

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maybe im a little silly--but i cannot think of any content that is queer in country music, that isntdesigned for queer audiences, homophobic or otherwise.

prove me wrong

― anthony, Monday, 23 May 2005 20:18 (eighteen years ago) link

"C.B. Savage"?

― donut debonair (donut), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Convoy is pretty fucking gay...

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:20 (eighteen years ago) link

Barry McGuire's "Cosmic Cowboy" (at least subconsciously)

― donut debonair (donut), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:20 (eighteen years ago) link

I knew A.E. started this thread.

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:21 (eighteen years ago) link

C'mon, they wear chaps for god's sake.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:21 (eighteen years ago) link

Big and Rich, *Horse of a Different Color.*

And lots and lots of other records, by men and women alike.

― xhuxk, Monday, 23 May 2005 20:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Dolly Parton's been *heavily* catering to her gay audience for well over a decade now.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:24 (eighteen years ago) link

(thinking about Convoy further)

Rubber Duck?!

Yeah. Gay.

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:25 (eighteen years ago) link

I mean, I guess I'm not sure what "queer content" would mean, exactly, Anthony. Maybe you should explain. There have been plenty of songs that seem to raise the question, often very consciously and blatantly. And it's been written about plenty. (*Billboard has even reported on gay country dance clubs where people like Travis Tritt and Brooks & Dunn are icons; ditto Dolly Parton and Wynona Judd {or Anne Murray and Terri Gibbs} at others, I'm sure.) Garth Brooks had a hit in the '80s where he said "When we’re free to love anyone we choose...Then we shall be free," inspired, if I remember right, by his lesbian sister. Does any of that count as queer content, though?

― xhuxk, Monday, 23 May 2005 20:29 (eighteen years ago) link

And if none of those are explicit enough, listen to "Life at the Outpost" and "Midnight Companion" by the Skatt Bros sometime...

― xhuxk, Monday, 23 May 2005 20:31 (eighteen years ago) link

Didn't a big country star recently come out of the closet? I thought it was Kenny Chesney, but that can't be since he just got married... unless Renee Zelwegger is secretly a man! *shock and awe*

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:32 (eighteen years ago) link

KD Lang anyone?

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:35 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.rotten.com/library/culture/village-people/randy.jpg

― PappaWheelie (PappaWheelie), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, Ty Herndon allegedly came out by accident a couple years ago, to a Nashville policeman in a city park I believe. But that might not count. (And Garth's hit was in the '90s, of course, not the '80s).

― xhuxk, Monday, 23 May 2005 20:35 (eighteen years ago) link

A gay couple makes an appearance in Tom T. Hall's "Down at the Mall." That's in 1986.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:37 (eighteen years ago) link

ihttp://www.adventurist.net/trips/nyc_07-2003/gallery--times_square/naked-cowboy.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:39 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.theage.com.au/ffxImage/urlpicture_id_1054700273225_2003/06/04/05w_naked_cowboy.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:40 (eighteen years ago) link

There's probably a book to be written about this, or at least a couple chapters in Nashville Babylon. Statistically speaking there would have to be at least a few closeted country stars over the years. Maybe some unlikely figure like say Porter Wagonner will turn out to be the Rock Hudson of country music. I don't THINK there's been a Liberace of country music though. (KD Lang was never uh embraced by Nashville when she was a nominal country singer.)

You can read all sorts of gay innuendo into classic country cheating songs of course, from "The Wild Side of Life" on down.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Monday, 23 May 2005 20:56 (eighteen years ago) link

Handlebar moustaches to thread!

― Ian Riese-Moraine is on toffuti break! (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 23 May 2005 21:13 (eighteen years ago) link

moe and joe, "where's the dress"

― xhuxk, Monday, 23 May 2005 21:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Maybe some unlikely figure like say Porter Wagonner will turn out to be the Rock Hudson of country music.

That would put "The Rubber Room" in perspective, wouldn't it?

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 23 May 2005 21:20 (eighteen years ago) link

two great queer country hits from 1974: peter grudzien - "white trash hillbilly trick", jim stafford - "my girl bill"

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 23 May 2005 21:43 (eighteen years ago) link

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre500/e548/e548473xuox.jpg

Sid Spencer - Chasin' That Neon Rainbow

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 23 May 2005 21:53 (eighteen years ago) link

Cledus T. Judd's "My Cellmate Thinks I'm Sexy"

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, 23 May 2005 22:01 (eighteen years ago) link

Isn't My Girl Bill innuendo though? It's about a couple of guys talking about which one of them a particular female belongs with. As in "She's my girl (comma) Bill".

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 02:41 (eighteen years ago) link

that's just the (regrettable) twist in the final verse -

Bill walked me to my door last night
And he said, 'Before I go
There's something about our love affair
That I have a right to know
I said, "Let's not stand out here like this
What would the neighbors think
Why don't we just...step inside
And I'll fix us both a drink"

My girl, Bill
My, my, girl, Bill
Can't say enough about the way I feel
About my girl
(My girl, my girl)
My girl, Bill

William's hands were shaking
As he took his glass of wine
And I could see we both felt the same
When his eyes met mine
I said, "'Who we love and why we love
It's hard to understand
So let's just sit here on the couch
And face this, man to man"

My girl, Bill
My, my, girl, Bill
Can't say enough about the way I feel
About my girl
(My girl, my girl)
My girl Bill

Bill, you know we just left her place
And we both know what she said
She doesn't want to see your face
And she wishes you were dead
Now, I know we both love her
And I guess we always will
But you're gonna have to find another
'Cause she's my girl...Bill

My girl, Bill
My, my, girl, Bill
Can't say enough about the way I feel
About my girl
(My girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my little girl
My girl Bill

My girl, Bill
My, my, girl, Bill
Can't say enough about the way I feel
About my girl
(My girl, my girl)
My girl, Bill

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 02:47 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, I read the lyrics before I posted my thoughts just to be sure, and I still translate it as a double entendre. Maybe it's just me. Either way, the song certainly gave listeners something to talk / think about - and it received lots of airplay back in the day.

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link

the fab close-harmony duo Y'all are as gay as they are un-googleable.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 03:32 (eighteen years ago) link

**two great queer country hits from 1974: peter grudzien - "white trash hillbilly trick", jim stafford - "my girl bill" **

FWIW according to Joel Whitburn & Billboard:

"My Girl Bill" hit #12 in the pop charts and #64 in country.

"White Trash Hillbilly Trick" didn't make the country chart at all.

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 08:50 (eighteen years ago) link

>Maybe some unlikely figure like say Porter Wagonner will turn out to be the Rock Hudson of country music.<

Well, for now I'm not repeating the story about him and James Brown taking photos.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 12:33 (eighteen years ago) link

"I Love My Fruit" by the Sweet Violet Boys is pretty gay.

― Billy Pilgrim (Billy Pilgrim), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 13:33 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.vh1.com/shared/media/news/images/v/Village%20people/sq-randy_jones_marries.jpg

― mike h. (mike h.), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 14:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Charlie Pride?

(sorry)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Tuesday, 24 May 2005 14:45 (eighteen years ago) link

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