“When I sing, trouble can sit right on my shoulder and I don’t even notice.” Sarah Vaughan
Continuing on from A Frankie View – Female Vocals -3, and my love for female vocals continues.
I was struggling to think of something to write about, and then I came across something that just dumbfounded me.
Why is it considered gay for a guy to like and listen to female artists?
But it gets better, how about this one. Why Don’t Straight Guys Ever Want To Listen To Adele (Or Any Women Performers)?
But it gets better, the person who wrote the last question goes on to say, “I think straight guys are fine and all. I just don’t know any personally. Otherwise, I would go and ask my question directly.”
Apparently, he basing his facts on Spotify data! It sort of reminded me of two things, the first question “Why is it considered gay for a guy to like and listen to female artists?” reminded me about my old schoolmate, Paul Eveleigh, when he told me “I used to get SO MUCH piss taken out of me at school for my love of Bowie. The lads always assumed I was ‘Queer’ as the term was then because Bowie was bisexual.”.
The question does remind me of the sort of thing that went on back in the days of the 70s-80s school playground.
It’s the second question that bothers me more, Why Don’t Straight Guys Ever Want To Listen To Adele (Or Any Women Performers)?
This brought me back to the days when I was 16, and just starting work as an apprentice Electrician, and the ex Desert Rat during the 2nd world war, and 62-year-old Alan the Electrician, who was a massive Shirley Bassey fan.
Now Alan was harsh but fair, and did teach me an awful lot, and pointed me in the right direction, and looking back now, it’s because of him I am where I am today, I can only thank the man, I only worked with him for 3 years, but I learnt so much from him.
You can imagine a 16-year-old having a conversion with this 62-year-old about music, over tea (which I had to make) and our sandwiches, over lunch. He also loved some of the great jazz singers, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone, there were others but it was 38 years ago.
Sometimes Ralph the Jamaican plaster use to join in, and he would talk about the likes of Marcia Griffiths, Janet Kay and Aretha Franklin, amongst others.
The site radio, which was actually a church in Hampstead we were refurbing, was always stuck on Radio 2, which wasn’t my choice, but I had no choice in the matter. But we did have some giggles, most of the time at my expense.
So when someone bases their facts on Spotify data and writes an article about it, they should understand that data can be misread, and what type of music you listen to has nothing to do with your sexuality or your sexual preferences.
I get asked quite a lot, “what music should I buy to make my system sing”
“Easy, buy the music you love”, never have I asked anyone, are you gay or straight.
Looking forward to getting asked in the street, Why Don’t Straight Guys Ever Want To Listen To Adele (Or Any Women Performers)?
They may get a big fat, Bog Off, and grow up.
Now that I have got that off my chest, lately, I have been listening to some great female vocals like the Billy Holiday like vocals of Madeleine Peyroux , one of my finds of 2021 Yazmin Lacey, The Mother of the MP3 Suzanne Vega and the queen of Neo-Soul Erykah Badu . I attended both Raph’s and Alan’s funerals a few years after I stopped working with them, wonder what my old workmates would think of that lot, and how I turned out, married for 27 years and a 21-year-old daughter, and still enjoying female vocals, amongst other music, don’t want to stereotype myself.
I have been listening to the below playlist on my way to work this week, and I find myself yet again enjoying it with a nice cold bottle of cider, in the man cave, and just taking it all in.
Enjoy all.
