Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson: Why Gays Love Some Pop Divas And Can't Get Up For Others
Gay-chasing pop stars - learn from the masters! Catchy songs, hot dances-moves and high-budget record deals help, yes, but the Kylies and Janets of the world have a gay devotion the Fergie Fergs, J.Los and Hannah Montanas could only dream of. ... OK, I own The Duchess, but it's not the same.
I've listed a few ladies-of-pop gays live and die for and pinpointed the moments in their careers they won us over. It's not all the same; we ain't easy to please!
Where to begin? Perhaps when Kylie played Cammy in The Street Fighter movie?
Yes, Kylie rips off Madonna to the point it's funny, but she still has the gays wrapped around her adorable, Aussie finger - even in the U.S. Kylie's dance-floor friendly music certainly appeals to gays, and we'll take another Madonna even if it's a .5-Madonna - but really, Kylie's campy performances of her songs separate her.
The video for "Your Disco Needs You" could possibly be one of the gayest things I've seen in my entire life, although it's not overflowing with talent on Kylie's part. Just watch...
But this is wrong; I'm being mean to someone I love. She actually does sexy performances with a campy wink, and I totally dig it. Some would say "Spinning Around" marked Kylie's height, but I personally enjoy "Slow." This video is pure gay sex; you'll see why in the first five seconds...
Gay Fans Quotation:
"My gay audience has been with me from the beginning... they kind of adopted me." -Vh1.com
Well, after her sexuality, we all know what Britney grew into next...Ugh. She's pretty much lost to us at this point, but there was a time when gays truly, madly, deeply loved Britney. On a personal note, her concert was the first I ever attended; and my obsession with her was an early clue to my gayness. Hey! I'm not the only one here ... Chris Crocker?
But it was actually when Britney's ridiculously-high album sales began to decline - her look and sound became less kid-friendly after "Oops...I Did It Again" - the gays picked her up. With videos such as "I'm a Slave 4 U," Britney became this intense, enthralling, sex pot. ... a sex pot who didn't sing, but it didn't matter.
Of course, whoever had this idea gave Brit a gay-boost...
Gay Fans Quotation:
(I actually couldn't find one. Her appeal may have been more Brand Britney than Ms. Spears herself, I hate to say.)
Janet made her love known for the gays with her Velvet Rope song "Together Again," a tribute to her gay friends who died of AIDS. These days, someone like X-Tina might feature two guys making out in her video - and while that's good too, when "Together Again" came out, according to Janet, she had to push her label to let her associate herself with gay culture to that level. And we love her for it!
But of course, Janet really already had the hearts and minds of the gays before her tribute, so the gesture was an even bigger deal to us. Why did we love her? Well, you could make an argument that the Beyonces and Britneys of the world just continually rip off the '80s fierceness that was Miss Janet. (If you're nasty!)
Gay Fans Quotation:
"I never said ‘Ooh I’ve got a gay following or I want a gay following; I need this.’ It was just something I created … Whatever I feel in my heart I talk about, I sing about, and I guess they really saw my love with the Velvet Rope album." -NewNowNext.com
OK, look at the squealing gays in this picture of H-Duff performing at London's G-A-Y club; that's love. Gays love The Duff! They do not love Lizzie McGuire.
I personally fell for Hilary when she came out with the video for "Play With Fire;" she switched from annoying teen-pop - yes, annoying even to me - and went all slinky, sexy and dance-y on us.
Hilary also plays a delicate game of throwing the gays a bone now and then but never coming off desperate. We feel lucky when she's around; she's not performing at Splash every night, y'all!
Gay Fans Quotation:
"[A fan] comes up to me and goes, 'So, when am I going to get your new single? I'm gay, and I love you, and I'm just so happy that you're doing this dance music because I can go out and dance with my friends, and we'll hear you in the clubs!' And I was just like, 'Thank you so much! That's awesome.'" - NewNowNext.com
I've heard Amy get shout-outs from some pretty famous gays this week: Michael Kors on Project Runway and Boy George both went on record with their love and support. Gay people have a soft spot for Amy, and it's not just because Back to Black was so amazing - although that helped.
I root for Amy like I don't really root for celebrities. I never feel sorry for celebrities, but I just want to protect Amy from her self-destructive ways and the media who documents them. Britney? I kind of love her too, but document away.
And even though Amy is hit-or-miss when it comes to live performances, when she's on, it's arresting and beautiful.
Gay Fans Quotation: (Not exactly, but...)
"I like pin-up girls. I'm more of a boy than a girl. I'm not a lesbian, though - not before a sambuca anyway." - The Sun
Let's just start off with Madonna's VMAs performance in which she brought out lip-synching drag queens, each embodying a different Madonna incarnation, before proclaiming, "It takes a real man to fill my shoes!"
I think Madonna pretty much had the gays from the very beginning: The iconic cone-bra was nice ... pissing off religious people with "Like a Prayer" and "Like a Virgin" was approaching fantastic ... and that SEX book ... or the "Justify My Love" video? That pretty much sealed it; the unabashed sexuality, the androgyny...the "poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another" quotation...
And then there's disco-fest Confessions Tour, Truth or Dare, her bringing voguing to the world, the backup dancers in drag...going electronica, which the gays always love, with "Ray of Light?" She's pretty much had our number from the very beginning!
Gay Fans Quotation:
"Gay men are perfect men for girls who are tough. ... They’re not threatened by strong women, and they’re usually very in touch with their feelings and pay attention to details. ... I’ve always had an affinity with gay men!" - OutQ
OMG, I love that video for "Slow." I can never watch just part of it. once it starts, I have to watch it through to the end. Kylie is clearly always the focus of the shot -- but I am always looking at everyone but her. It is just a brilliant hot mess of sex.
Posted by: Eric | January 25, 2008 at 05:40 PM
Gay icons: I love this article!
Each generation have their gay icons:
Madonna , Kylie and Janet are this generations.
The same as Cher, Liza and Diana Ross was of theirs and still is!
Maonna- needs no introduction her connection with her gay fans is infinite.
(No words can describe what she has meant to her gay fans). She will be in history books.
Kylie- her fierceness and raw talent mixed with seduction speaks volumes.
That leaves Janet….Many gays love Janet and most would say the Velvet Rope and Together Again brought them in. But it seems her new release of "Feedback" has rekindled a passion for her music and style all over again. Ever since the Janet album – Sex and sexuality has been part of her music which has scared some main stream fans off but that actually stimulate most of the gay fans. (her style and dance moves have been emulated by many). Just like the other women mentioned above- Welcome home Janet!
I hope that LOGO channel will do a tribute to her the same way they did for Madonna Confessions. A days of videos are something.
Speaking of future icons:
Christina , Britney and Beyonce have large shoes to fill. .
.
As Rihanna says “Please Don’t Stop the Music”
Posted by: fanofdancemusic | January 27, 2008 at 12:03 PM