In honour of Jarman, who has moved on to the glamourous world of home decor, gardening and muff wipes.
I only remember bits and pieces of this video...and I don't remember it being so creepy and depressing.
And the little boy at the 2:40 mark...what an asshole!
When I was younger, probably around 13 through high school, I was heavily into alternative rock music. But, every now and then, a catchy pop song or dance track would be a hit and I would love it. But, I'd keep quiet about it.
See, at the time I didn't know I was gay. (WHAAAAA?!?!?!) But, I also didn't want to risk being perceived as gay for liking Madonna or a new song by Janet or a really Euro sounding song by Ace of Base.
In high school, if you were a GUY, you listened to hard music. Hip hop, traditional R&B, or straight ahead rock. There was no real room for a guy to admit to liking the Backstreet Boys or Culture Beat's "Mr. Vain". Somehow, the ginos were able to get away with liking dance music while they were tooling around with their cars. But, since I wasn't white, I couldn't quite pass for a gino.
I admit that my memory is very, very faulty. Thus, I cannot recall if there was a specific incident of me begin teased for liking a particular song. All I know is there was a feeling that I had of keeping my guilty pleasures under wraps. Therefore, my binder was covered with lyrics by the Smashing Pumpkins (who, in hindsight, is pretty gay) and my locker had pictures of whoever was the cool alternative band of the moment.
For shame, my love for Madonna was my big gay secret. Though, to this day, I could never figure out how Notorious B.I.G's hit "Mo Money Mo Problems" was acceptable among my straight peers, considering the sample was Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out"...
The point of this post, though, is that I find it very interesting that today, many urban acts are now basing their sound on the same Euro dance beats that I secretly liked as a teen. Usher, Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida, even Eminem, are drawing on dance elements for their new sound.
So, the music that I enjoyed every now and then as a teen, but kept hidden for fear of being teased in high school, is now the music that is openly embraced and enjoyed by the masses.
The macho hip hop world that intimidated me as a teen is coming out of the closet, so to speak.
And on the flipside, we have openly gay rapper Cazwell, becoming a bit of a cult phenomenon for marrying solid hip hop beats and rhymes with very homosexual content.
I wonder what my 15-year-old self would have to say about this. Something tells me he'd breathe a sigh of relief. And maybe he'd include a picture of Madonna among his locker collage.
