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‘80s resurrection?

Two gay legends named George slated for first albums in years

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Kylie Minogue, music, gay news, Washington Blade
Kylie Minogue, music, gay news, Washington Blade

Kylie Minogue’s ‘Kiss Me Once’ is slated to drop March 18. (Image courtesy FlyLife)

Is your iPod ready for some major gay action? Before we get to the spring releases, though, a couple albums that dropped in February you might have missed.

Coinciding with the premiere of the latest season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the queen of all drag queens, RuPaul, released her sixth full-length studio effort, “Born Naked” on Feb. 24.  RuPaul enlists the help of who’s who of underground pop including Weather Girl/dance legend Martha Wash, Australian soul singer Clairy Browne and My Crazy Girlfriend vocalist Myah Marie. “Born Naked” also features a cover of “Let the Music Play” featuring Michelle Visage.

Catie Curtis released her 13th studio album “Flying Dream” on Feb. 25 which treats her fans to 10 new tracks which the out singer/songwriter describes as a “lustrous long player with subtle jazz, electronic and AM pop shadings.”

Hitmaker Pharrell Williams dropped his highly anticipated studio set “GIRL” this week. Packed with star-studded collaborations featuring Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus and Daft Punk, “GIRL” promises to take listeners on a pop-funk joy ride.

Gay pop legend George Michael is slated to release his first album in seven years, “Symphonica,” on March 18. Recorded during his Symphonica Tour in 2011 and 2012, Michael’s latest album will feature live classics and covers.  The first single is dramatic ballad “Let Her Down Easy.”

Sure to be on repeat into the summer is Kylie Minogue’s latest album “Kiss Me Once” scheduled for March 18. Lead single “Into the Blue” picks up where “Get Outta My Way” left off with dance-infused goodness. Minogue collaborated with pop hit-makers Sia and Pharell Williams this time around and features Enrique Iglesias on the duet, “Beautiful.”

Another gay pop legend, Boy George, makes his first return to the music scene since 1995’s “Cheapness & Beauty” with the March 25 release of “This Is What I Do.” George’s latest full-length LP features an eclectic sound with jazz, country and soft rock stylings accompanied by George’s signature soulful voice.

Cyndi Lauper celebrates the 30th anniversary of her hugely successful album “She’s So Unusual” with a re-release scheduled for April 1. The two-disc commemorative set features signature hits “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Time After Time” on disc one and a combination of remixes, demos and live recordings on disc two.

Speaking of Lauper, fresh off a Tony- and Grammy-winning turn in her hit “Kinky Boots,” out Broadway legend Billy Porter will release “Billy’s Back on Broadway” on April 15. Lauper guests on “Happy Days”/”Get Happy” on the standards-heavy set.

Ally Joan Osborne is back with her eighth studio album “Love and Hate” dropping April 8. The 12-song collection features an American roots music sound with poetic lyrics.  Osborne enlisted the help of producer Jack Petruzzelli.

Soulstress Kelis is hungry to get back into the music game with her latest LP “Food,” scheduled for an April 22 release. Departing from the EDM club sounds of 2010’s “Brave,” Kelis is venturing into a varied sound with “Food” complete with a full band that includes a horn section and string orchestra. Lead single is the raw and delicious “Jerk Ribs.”

Dolly Parton is a back with her years-in-the-making “Blue Smoke” on May 13. Parton promises a “little bit of something for everyone.” The 12-track release features the Grammy-nominated collaboration with Kenny Rogers, “You Can’t Make Old Friends.”

LGBT supporter Tori Amos returns with her 14th full-length effort, “Unrepentant Geraldlines” due May 13. The album sees Amos returning to her roots after a departure toward more classically inspired albums. “Unrepentant Geralines” combines Amos’ signature piano and  thoughtful contemporary pop sound with her appreciation for visual art.

Originally discovered by none other than Madonna, bi singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, is preparing for the reveal of her 11th studio album, “Comet, Come to Me” slated for a June release. Ndegeocello’s latest offering features a groove-driven and infectiously melodic sound. Lead single is the laid-back soul number “Continuous Performance.”

Out Music Award winner Matt Zarley is gearing up for the release of his latest release, “Hopeful Romantic” also expected in June. Supporting the release is uplifting dance cut, “Somebody 4 Everybody” which saw a single release in early February.

Out organist Cameron Carpenter releases his Sony Masterworks debut “If You Could Read My Mind” on April 22.

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Books

Thom Gunn bio explores joys, complexities of modern gay life

‘A Cool Queer Life’ presents author’s humanity, poetic genius

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(Book cover image via Amazon)

‘Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life’
By Michael Nott
c.2024, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
$40/720 pages

A confession: Until reading “Thom Gunn: A Cool Queer Life,” I hadn’t known much about the accomplished, controversial gay poet’s life or read many of his poems. But this first biography makes me feel like I know him and his large body of work intimately. Michael Nott, coeditor of “The Letters of Thom Gunn,” draws on interviews with friends and family, as well as Gunn’s letters, notebooks, and diaries, to tell the triumphs and tragedies of his life.

Born in England in 1929 to journalist parents, when he was 15, he and his younger brother Ander found their mother dead from suicide. He would not discuss this tragic event in his poetry for years, including one of his last poems “My Mother’s Pride.” He published his first book of poems, “Fighting Terms,” while still an undergraduate at Cambridge University.

At Cambridge, Gunn met his life-long partner, Mike Kitay, an American studying theater. Gunn followed Kitay to America, studying poetry under Yvor Winters at Stanford University. At one point, Kitay, doing his military service, was investigated as part of suspicion of homosexuality among his unit. Gunn wrote to friends of his worry both of what might happen to Kitay as well as to himself. While nothing happened, the event reminds us of the precarious state in which gay men lived until recently.

Eventually, they settled in San Francisco, which Gunn loved. Even when he became worldwide famous, he enjoyed the anonymity of the city’s gay bars, where he could pick up men. He taught at UC Berkeley for 40 years, one term every year so he could concentrate on his poetry. His and Kitay’s home was filled with friends and sex partners, usually of Gunn. This arrangement seems common for many gay men of the time, reminiscent of Dan Savage’s idea of “monogamish,” where committed gay couples might have other side partners.

In San Francisco, Gunn discovered leather and drugs, both of which he took to readily. He caused a stir by appearing in his British publisher’s conservative club in leather gear. Toward the end of his life, he became a crystal meth addict, frequently using with other addicts whom he also slept with. In 2004, his housemates found him dead from substance abuse.

He explored leather, drugs, and gay sexuality frequently in his poems. His collection “Moly” (named after the drug in The Odyssey protecting from the witch Circe’s magic), looked at the appeal and downfall of drugs. The Man with Night Sweats, perhaps his most famous collection, dealt with the AIDS epidemic, the painful death of so many friends and lovers. He won the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant afterwards.

The biography presents Gunn in all his humanity, from his poetic genius to his insecurities. After each book came out, he struggled with writer’s block, which led to hookups and drug use. As he aged, he worried about finding “gerontophiles” who would sleep with him. I hope this book encourages readers to discover or revisit his work, filled with the joys and complexities of modern gay life.

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Out & About

Blade to mark 55 years, celebrate Best Of LGBTQ DC

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The Washington Blade will celebrate 55 years of delivering LGBTQ news and also the best LGBTQ things in the city on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at Crush Bar.

First drink courtesy of Absolut. Must be 21 to attend and the event’s sponsors are ABSOLUT, Crush, and Infinite Legacy.

Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at bestoflgbtqdc.com.

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Out & About

Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride hosts October events

‘The New Black’ viewing in Bel Air, Md.

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(Washington Blade file photo by Ernesto Valle)


The Upper Chesapeake Bay Pride Foundation is hosting a series of October events, starting with a free documentary, “The New Black,” on Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Branch Towson University in Bel Air, Md. Admission is free; visit ucbpride.com for details and to reserve a spot. There will also be a family-friendly Sunday stroll on Oct. 20, 5-6 p.m. at North Park Loop Trail; meet at the Lock House at 817 Conesteo St. in Havre de Grace, Md. 

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