Sorry. I'm two weeks late on this review...but the alibi is sound. "Queer is Folk" at the Old Town School of Folk Music June 9 was too much, not enough, and too important for me to fully digest in less than 14 days. But before I get into the "too much" and the "not enough," the "too important" part has gotta come first.
1. Folk music is American roots music. Labor unions, field workers, Black blues, real gospel; all of it fostered bare naked soul and message. Nothing fancy, usually played on what was available ( and since it's practitioners were often sharecroppers, farmers, or coal miners, that wasn't much ) . It was about everyday experiences, folklore, emotions, work, hope—it was the people's music.
Thirty-six years after the 1960s last folk movement, folk is still resonant in the Top 40. Some of the most affecting popular music in the last 30 years is essentially folk. One voice, one instrument ( usually guitar, with even full orchestras as embellishment ) , but one point that sticks. Think of the tear-stained realizations in Janis Ian's "At 17," the tragic downward trajectory of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car," the ironic reality of James Taylor's "Millworker," the seed of dysfunctional misery in Suzanne Vega's "Lu-ca," or the rancid anger in Bob Dylan's "I and I" ( "I make shoes for everyone, even you, while I still go barefoot..." ) ."
2. As probably the last civil-rights movement, the gay community doesn't have its own roots music and that's not because we didn't try. Social and political factors had more to do with the evolution of this particular movement than heredity and economics.
Which is where "QIF" comes in. Produced by Scott Free and featuring a long list of shockingly rich talent, "QIF" was not enough because it couldn't possibly give equal space to all the performers who were there. There were so many wonderful moments ( Ripley Caine's sexy languorous take on the Doors' "Light my Fire," Grant Hart jokingly wandering the stage asking "Should I stop now?," Tyson Meade immersed in the ultimate Judy Garland tribute, Tom Yore singing a personal song in his father's voice, Ellen Rosner doing a positively pulverizing "Perfect Malcontent" ) , that each performer deserves to be seen and reviewed in their own space.
....
Which comes to the "important" part. As of 2000 it's obvious that now that the gay community has created its own respectability, something has been lost. Don't tell me Stonewall, Larry Kramer, and Lt. Leonard Matlovich happened so we could get corporate-sponsored beer floats in the Gay Pride Parade, hit TV sitcoms, or gay-friendly commercials starring Popeye and Bluto. Now that we've actually accomplished a high level of clout it appears that we're not so sure what to do with it.
I'm not wagging my finger and preaching—with HIV infections on the upswing ( so what's the excuse now? We know what causes it, we know that the new cocktails are not a cure, and we know what we have to do to protect ourselves. Or to paraphrase Kramer, maybe we just don't want AIDS to go away. ) , and a certain divisiveness in the community ( the Black Pride Celebrations in July, which I'm not saying is a bad thing, but if the Rainbow Flag concept of all inclusion was real and everyone was satisfied would there be a need for other Pride Celebrations? ) , it takes effort to find the ( effective, community investing, socially and politically active ) grassroots community that was started with the Mattachine Society in the 1950s and 1960s.
Which points up the need for "QIF" and all its participants. Not necessarily politics, gay politics, righteousness, or whatever bashed over your head ( which I arrogantly assumed ) , but clear voices, one guitar—a direct communication from the performer to the audience, and in this case from the heart to the heart.
The truth is, gay rights and being gay isn't merely about sex, mass gatherings, images on a TV screen or some quack "Dr." telling us that we're a sin. It's about relating to ourselves and each other as what and who we are, accepting one another, accepting ourselves, and saying "I have a right to be happy regardless of what anyone says."
"QIF" in its clarity, precise directness, and oneness is the first thing I've seen in years that touched on that.
