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What Are Your Gayest, Greatest Albums?

Sep 5, 2008, 03:23 PM | by Annie Barrett

Categories: Fa-fa-fa-fa-fashion, Music, PopWatch Dance Party

Peppers_l Leave it to Out.com to compile The 100 Gayest, Greatest Albums (of All Time), or "the seminal, flamboyant, trailblazing, gender-bending, campy, theatrical, audacious, unforgettable albums that changed our lives." The Out editors polled actors, comedians, musicians, critics, DJs for their picks, but judging from that list, they could've forgone all that work and just posted a photo of my iPod instead. I'm pretty sure it could rank as one of the gayest iPods in all the land. I got a chuckle out of their choice for #100, the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (pictured), for which manager Brian Epstein's gay sensibility helped fine-tune the soaring melodies -- and (I know this is a stretch) was maybe a teensy bit responsible for those suits. Thank you, good sir, for both gifts. To be clear, Out's list encompasses music by both gay artists and straight ones who happened to put out reeeeeeeeally gay masterpieces. Speaking of which...to cap off the week, we should come up with The Gayest, Greatest Live Performances (of All Time). Here, I'll get this PopWatch Dance Party started...

Any other nominations? I'd like these to consume the rest of my afternoon (otherwise, I'll spend the next three hours letting Ladytron's 604 convince me I'm bi-curious), so be a pal. Did I mention you look fabulous today, as usual? Cheers queers.


luxury watch Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 09:45 PM EST

It's good! rolex watch?
luxury watch?

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Seanti Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 10:04 AM EST

The Greatest, Gayest Live Performance of All Time is this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFV3z2tJaUo

Toni Braxton performs "Un-Break My Heart" at the Billboard Music Awards; when she gets to the bridge at 3:24, Toni whips off her skirt, the dance beats from the remixed version kick in, and the lights and dancers overwhelm the stage. Then, at 4:02, just to firmly cement the clip's utter fabulousness, a male couple dancing together twirl past the camera, one of them throwing his head back. Loves. It.

Kathleen Mon, Sep 8, 2008 at 09:42 AM EST

Surprised by no Kylie or Babs.

And I know this is "albums," not songs, but can you deny that "Jailhouse Rock" is the gayest song ever written? I think not.
"Number forty-seven said to number three:
You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me."

Heather Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 11:18 AM EST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXmRDKjMD5o
That's the first performance that came to mind for this entry. It was Ricky Martin's coming out party (no pun intended), it was a year when the Grammys were boring as hell (thereby making a real performance stand out even more), there was Ricky's pants, Ricky's hips, drummers marching down the aisle, women on stilts with ribbons, fireworks, over the top drama...

denny Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 10:54 AM EST

The fact that there is no Kylie Minogue on that list almost completely invalidates it. Light Years may be the campest album ever recorded, and all of her output since then is far gayer (and better) than Madonna's recent stuff.

As for live performances, this is also the lady who gave us the opening of the Sydney Olympics, which, if possible, actually got gayer by the second until the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpY8-TcRQ3A&feature=related (1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4vl99dra00&feature=related (2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRfHSlZtkCQ&feature=related (3)

And then there's this, a double dose of fabulous courtesy of the Minogue sisters: Leopard Kylie and Dannii's legs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLJZlBmbik

matthew c Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 11:21 PM EST

As a gay man i have to say this list blows. Not one mention of Mariah Carey? or Barbara Striesand? I grew up in the 80's and 90's so i was stunned to see no mention of Spice Girls (every gay boy in the 90's love Spice Girls), Mariah (Mimi Alone should get her on the list), Cher or Bette Midler.

jaime Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 06:59 PM EST

I read this when i got it in the mail and um im gay and the only ones i own. . .are all the Madonna CD's am I not gay enough? I have all the other divas. . .christina, beyonce, kelly, britney and lots of country music too. Wierd i guess to each there own! I dont agree with it. . .

PRandy Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 06:52 PM EST

By far, one of the gayest live performances EVER...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XR5xrU02yo

Stephanie T. Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 01:39 PM EST

Eric F.,

Well, duh! Pete Townesend admited that he's Bi, and he wrote most of The Who's songs.

REM's GREEN, especially the video for Pop Song '89 in which Michael Stipe does a semi naked go-go dance with a few background dancers who are also semi-naked.

RayT Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 12:45 AM EST

I defy anyone to come up with a gayer live performance than this....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfMnBmO8ksg

...from X Factor, a British "Idol" show. (Of course, Ryan Seacrest usurps all the gay "American Idol" moments with his haircut alone.)

NineDaves.com Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 10:21 PM EST

i was shocked by the list. missing some key elements (where's xanadu?). but is it just me, or is it called "The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time)" on out.com? i think you have it in reverse.

orville Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 06:44 PM EST

Huh--not nearly as many matches to my collection as I thought there would be (though I'm puzzled as to how a couple of the matches made the list--Tapestry?). I'm nothing if not a show tunes girl (and yes, an actual girl). I thought that there would be much more Broadway than what there was on the list. Perhaps a bit more electronica too.

E.B. Berman Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 06:23 PM EST

Junior Senior. Both albums fill this heterosexual to the brim with gay pride.

BijouxIce Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 04:49 PM EST

It's hard not to list all of the musical comedy soundtracks in my collection, but the one that really belongs on the top of my list is the "Once More with Feeling" soundtrack from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. How pathetic am I for being able to sing along with every word, every note (even singing both parts in the Xander/Anya number).

Also on MY list are Yazoo's "Upstairs at Eric's", anything by Erasure, my exhaustive collection of Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and k.d. lang (hey, I'm speaking for the distaff side here!), most 80s dance/pop (Pet Shop Boys, Bronski Beat, New Order, Spandau Ballet - need I continue?).

And of course, Bette Midler's entire oeuvre, especially her first two albums.

Eric Friedmann Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 04:41 PM EST

Geez, I suppose if you really want to reach for sh*t, you could probably call THE WHO one of the gayest bands of all time. I mean, look at some of their song titles:

- I'm A Boy
- Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
- The Seeker
- Sister Disco
- Rough Boys (Pete Townshend)
- Happy Jack
- I'm Free
- The Real Me
- See Me, Feel Me
- Let's See Action
- Squeeze Box

See what I mean?

wildecat Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 04:36 PM EST

Florinda - I came here to say the exact same thing!! Weird! Yes, I totally agree those suits had a lot less to do with the gay manager and MUCH more to do with all the acid they were dropping at that time!

marilinda Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 04:18 PM EST

i own over half of those albums.

no reason for Nevermind? weird.

Snarf Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 04:15 PM EST

Scissor Sisters - Ta Dah

Florinda Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 03:48 PM EST

Beatles trivia: Brian Epstein HATED the idea for the "Sgt. Pepper" cover. He died not long before the album was released, and in his personal effects, they found a note: "Paper bags for 'Sgt. Pepper.'" I think the outfits were more influenced by LSD than by a gay sensibility.

Jakester Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 02:37 PM EST

Oh, Kylie ... really, this is tame compared to most of her live performances. Red Blooded Woman from the Showgirl Tour or Locomotion from the Fever Tour are right up there.


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