10 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE March 2, 2001
eveningsout
Interviews are a trove of recent homocore history
We Owe You Nothing
Punk Planet
The Collected Interviews
Edited by Daniel Sinker
Akashic Books, $16.95 paperback
Reviewed by Anthony Glassman
Madonna. Celine Dion. George Michael. Elton John.
Their music is almost synonymous with
we owe you nothing
punk planet:
the collected interviews
gay culture. Go
into a dance club
and you'll hear
remixes of songs
by at least one of these artists. Elton John was given an award by GLAAD, who are now furious with him for singing a duet with
Eminem at the Grammy Awards.
The question is, what is gay music? Tchaikovsky, for instance, was gay, but didn't make low-quality danceable house music. Cole Porter was gay, and made music that was nothing like Boy George.
(I'll let you in on a little secret here: I can't stand "gay" music, for the most part. I think Celine Dion sucks, Cher's song "Believe" makes me want to hurt her, and I laughed hysterically when George Michael was busted in that Los Angeles men's room.)
What about music by gay people that doesn't fit into the "feel good and dance at the discotheque" category?
SHAWN SCALLEN
Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney
Where do the Sleater Kinneys fit in? The Kathleen Hannas?
What about Pansy Division, Extra Fancy, Tribe 8, Team Dresch and Bikini Kill?
For those of you who are now scratching your heads in complete and utter confusion, those are punk bands, also referred to as "homocore" because they are also predominantly gay bands. Sleater Kinney is a rock band with a lesbian feminist edge; Kathleen Hanna, formerly of Bikini Kill and Julie Ruin, is currently in Le Tigre on Mr. Lady Records, the home for lesbian punk-rock-
ers.
There is a point to these musings on music. Punk Planet, one of the most influ-
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ential magazines on the punk scene in the last decade, has just released a collection of interviews from its pages, a literary trip through the musical world of the last ten years or so.
It's fascinating, both on a queer level, and on the level of someone who likes hardedged music that doesn't pander to cheap sentimentality.
The volume itself is not gay-specific; it covers everything. Oh, look at the interview with the members of Black Flag! Thrill to the adventures of Noam Chomsky! Marvel at the wonders of Los Crudos, one of the few Latino punk bands!
Then there are the queerer pieces. SleaterKinney had a revealing interview, talking about the genesis and progression of their work. Kathleen Hanna talked to the magazine about where she was, where she had been, and where she was going.
Some of the interviews go behind the scenes, as well. Matt Wobensmith, for instance, who started Outpunk-both the fanzine and the record label-is interviewed at length a few years after the demise of his record labels.
There's an interview with the staff of the Central Ohio Abortion Access Fund, giving it local interest as well. Better yet, an interview is reprinted in the book with Jon Strange, leftist activist from Columbus. What more could you ask for in a book?
Akashic Books, the publisher of the collection, has its roots in both punk and the gay community. Having already garnered themselves a Lambda Literary Award for 1999's Massage by Henry Flesh, the company, fronted by Johnny Temple of the band Girls Against Boys, continues to market
COURTNEY UTT
Jody Bleyle of Team Dresch
books by gay and lesbian writers, as well as those dealing with the currently-unpopular liberal ideology. Their novel Kamikaze Lust by Lauren Sanders, in fact, has been nominated for a 2001 Lambda Literary Award.
It's an excellent company, and it put out a quality collection from a groundbreaking magazine. It deserves a spot on any music lover's bookshelf.
Chorus joined by big band
Just bring in your W-2s and Social Security IDs! for show of jazz standards
J.D.
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The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus with Louise Salvador.
by Kaizaad Kotwal
Columbus-On February 22 and 23, the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus presented "At the Copa" a concert of big band and jazz music at the Southern Theatre. The concert featured a 20-piece band and special guest artist Louise Salvador, accompanied by pianist Bobby Mills.
The selections were arranged by Tim Sarsany and the chorus' artistic director, David Monseur.
The concert featured such favorites as Duke Elligton's "It Don't Mean a Thing," Barbara Streisand's "My Man," Nat King Cole's "Route 66," Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Mr. Bojangles," Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World," Frank Sinatra's "The Lady
KAIZAAD KOTWAL
is a Tramp" and Barry Manilow's "Copacabana" among others.
In one of the concert's more touching moments, Ann Hampton Callaway's soulful "How Can You Be Gone" was dedicated to the memory of Robin Rakes, who was the principal accompanist of the chorus from 1993-1998.
In usual Columbus Gay Men's Chorus style, the show included some fun choreography, some bawdy camp, and more reserved and quite numbers, giving the audience a wide array of big band and jazz music that once regaled legendary clubs like the Savoy, the Cotton Club, the Apollo and Studio 54.
The chorus will present the season's third and final concert, "British Invasion," on June 1 and 2.