Lets talk about sex.
Or rather, viagra lets not.
In the past week, a few movers and shakers in the music world have spoken out about feeling that sexuality and sexual preferences are overplayed in the media, and they might be on to something. Believe it or not, this message comes to us thanks to Janet Jackson when she was quoted by a high profile blogger (let’s just call him “Grimes’ boyfriend James”. Because it was Grimes’ boyfriend, and his name is James.) Saying the following, which was originally published in esquire magazine;
“I feel most people’s sexuality is enormously complicated. That’s what it means to be human. Wouldn’t it be great if we honored that complexity rather than turn it into gossip or ridicule? Wouldn’t it be great if we accepted sexual diversity, in ourselves and others, without condemning it?”
Our blogger friend added-
“I wouldn’t normally quote Janet Jackson, but she is SPOT ON. I mean, the level of ridicule and negativity I’ve dealt with in my own life is incredible. I’m not sure why people are so set on either being totally inflexible about their sexual practices, or feel the need to try and make others conform to their own preconceptions about sexual practice.”
They’re both right. Musicians’ sexuality and sexual preferences oftentimes receive more attention than their music itself. Sure, it can be cool for kids growing up, looking for role models that are out, proud, and confident in themselves and their sexuality, but more often than not, this focus on orientation leaves artists feeling alienated, simplified, and frustrated. Remember the infamous Spin article which outed Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney? Not only was it inappropriate, it caused a ruckus in their personal lives that was totally unwarranted. At the end of the day, a great band is a great band, regardless of who they are or aren’t dating. When we try to make wild guesses about people’s sexuality, we don’t take into account that people are intricate, and their sexual orientation often is, too.
If you really want a first hand example of how much we focus on sexual preference, go to Google and start any search with “is (insert musician or celebrity name)” and nine times out of ten, the first suggested search will come up as “is_____gay?”. It even works with Ariel Pink. Seriously, THAT’S the one question people have about Ariel Pink? Really?
The bigger question here is “is it any of our business?” It’s tempting to highlight sexuality in interviews or articles because it grabs attention, but in a way it’s a waste of time- time we could spend focusing on complex creative processes or giving musicians a chance to share things that they feel are important for their listeners to know. It’s not our job to try to melt people down and make big guesses about their personal lives. It’s our job to bring you news about great music, so more people can experience it, and so the artists involved receive promotion for the music they work so hard to make.
Lets make this conversation a little more interesting the best way I know how; by adding a little Morrissey.
In context of his new Autobiography, Morrissey finally laid it all out on the table for us, stating clearly; “Unfortunately, I am not homosexual. In technical fact, I am humasexual. I am attracted to humans. But, of course … not many.“. For how many years now, have we all been walking around talking about how he’s “gay”? Does Morrissey being gay or straight change the way we experience his music?
David Bowie also went through a long period of time in which his sexuality was scrutinized in the media in a manner similar to Morrissey’s. We don’t know these people. They have personal lives that we shouldn’t meddle in, and when we do, we make gross mistakes that aren’t respectful to them.
In the end though, Bowie is great, regardless of who he’s attracted to.
Morrissey makes some incredible tunes, regardless of who he chooses to smooch or not to smooch.
Ariel Pink is a genius, in or out of a dress.
It’s so easy to get a rise out of readers by highlighting a musician’s sexual preferences, but ultimately, that’s cheap journalism, and it’s damn easy to slip up and un-necessarily distract from what we’re supposed to be focusing on when we report about musicians; their music.