Arts & Entertainment

‘80s resurrection?

Two gay legends named George slated for first albums in years

Published

12 years ago

March 7, 2014

Ryan Rosado

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

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

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