Disco queen Donna Summer died on May 17, 2012, joining other beloved performers such as Sylvester and Loleatta Holloway on the great dance floor in the sky.
Simply put, Donna Summer = Disco. My coming out in the late 1970's paralleled the beginning of her ascent to superstardom. Her double-LP Once Upon a Time (pictured, right) was the first disco album I owned, bought during the summer of 1977. I remember watching her TV special in November 1979 that coincided with the release of the double LP Live and More which featured MacArthur Park. (Every time I've gone to the Monster on Tuesday's Classic Disco night they always play the entire 17-minute MacArthur Park Suite.)
Interestingly, Summer won a Grammy in the rock category in 1980 for Hot Stuff and received two other nominations in the category in 1982 and 1983. And on the same LP that had the rock song Protection on it she also had a gospel song titled I Believe in Jesus, which I actually liked. Besides these types of songs and her disco smashes she also had quite a few beautiful songs with slower tempos.
Even after her popularity began to wane in the mid-80's I enjoyed these later albums and their treasure trove of tuneful songs that were overlooked by many. In the summer of 1999 I saw her in concert at Jones Beach on a Friday night before heading out to my Fire Island share for the weekend. It was when she had a comeback hit with I Will Go With You (Con te Partiro).
I have 100 of Donna's songs on my iPod. It was quite a challenge to narrow them down, but here are my most favorite songs, most which weren't big hits:
Love to Love You Baby (16:44 12-inch version)
Try Me (18-minute version) - from the LP "A Love Trilogy"
In the early days of the AIDS crisis it was common to assume that any man stricken with it was gay. As a result AIDS inadvertently outed a number of its celebrity victims. Although their close circle of friends may have known about their sexual orientation, the general public was largely unaware. However, once news that celebs such as Rock Hudson, Anthony Perkins and Liberace had AIDS their "secret life" became known. It was an unfortunate way of being outed. And in some cases family members vehemently denied that AIDS was the cause of death.
Such was the case with actor Robert Reed, best known for his role as architect-dad Mike Brady in the Brady Bunch which aired from 1969-1974. Until he died of AIDS on May 12, 1992 few people were aware he was gay. At the time of his death he was 59, which was relatively old since AIDS victims were largely in their 40's.
Although his Wikipedia bio disputes that he died of AIDS another Wikipedia article lists Reed among celebrities who died from it. Other articles site that he was HIV+ which was a contributing factor to his death from colon cancer
AIDS claimed Robert Mapplethorpe today in 1989 at the age of 42. He became famous for his striking b/w photographs, many with an explicit homoerotic edge. Whenever I hear Mapplethorpe's name three things come to mind: Patti Smith, the photograph "Man in Polyester Suit" and Cincinnati.
Rock singer Patti Smith & Mapplethorpe were romantically involved as young adults and lived together in NYC from the late 60's to mid-70's (when he realized he was gay).
"Man in Polyester Suit" is one of Mapplethorpe's most famous photographs. It shows a black man wearing a suit with his rather large, uncut penis hanging out of the fly of his pants. It's the image I remember most after viewing a Mapplethorpe exhibit at the Whitney Museum in 1988. And since it was life-sized it really grabbed your attention.
In 1990 Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center and its director went on trial on charges of obscenity for organizing a Mapplethorpe exhibit that included some of his explicit homoerotic images (e.g. Mapplethorpe shoving the handle of a whip up his ass). They were found not guilty.
Actually, the Cincinnati suit was about just a few photos in the exhibit. And as the following video tribute shows, Mapplethorpe's body of work covered much more than just Gay S&M:
Although many books have been published of Mapplethorpe's work, the documentary Black White + Gray reveals the life he had with his partner Sam Wagstaff, whose financial support and social connections were instrumental in boosting Mapplethorpe's career.
Just one week after I saw Divine in the John Waters movie Hairspray (believe it or not, the first John Waters/Divine movie I'd ever seen), she died from heart failure on March 7, 1988. The actor who portrayed her, Harris Glenn Milstead, was just 42. Besides movies, Divine also did live theater (Women Behind Bars), had a stage act and put a number of songs on the dance charts (e.g. So You Think You're a Man). At the time of his death Milstead was in LA where he'd just been cast (as a man) in the new Fox TV network's sitcom Married with Children.
And although I didn't see any of Divine's earlier movies I felt like I had because my friend Tom was so good at describing classic scenes from 1972's Pink Flamingos, 1974's Female Trouble and 1985's Lust in the Dust (e.g., shoplifting meat under her dress, a Christmas meltdown after not getting cha-cha heels, seducing her son).
By contrast, compared to the outrageous earlier films (that brought her a cult-like following in gay circles), Hairspray was like Ozzie & Harriet (1981's Polyester was Waters' first attempt at broadening her, and his, appeal). As Edna Turnblad, a depressed and overweight Baltimore hausfrau, some of Divine's best lines included:
"Could you turn that racket down - I'm trying to iron!"
"Tracy, I've told you about that hair - all ratted up like a teenage Jezebel."
"Our little Tracy's too busy ratting her hair and doing the 'Ubangi Stomp'!"
"It's the times, they are a changin'. Something's blowing in the wind. Fetch me my diet pills, would you?" (Spoken to her husband, played by Jerry Stiller.)
Here's a clip of a TV appearance with Milstead as himself just a few months before his death. It's interesting how subdued the audience was - perhaps they weren't sure what to make of Divine as a man.
And believe it or not, Divine had a mother. Her name was Frances, and after his death she penned a loving tribute to him titled My Son Divine. Frances outlived her son by twenty-one years, dying in 2009 at the age of 89.
Glenn Hughes, the Village People's furry chested, handlebar-mustachioed leatherman died on March 4, 2001 from lung cancer at the age of 50. The other five members of the original group are still alive and range in age from 54 to 64. (The group's creator, Jacques Morali, died in 1991.) The following video clip of Hughes is from the Village People's awful 1980 movie Can't Stop the Music:
I thought about Hughes when watching the 2010 World Series because Giants relief pitcher, Brian Wilson, reminded me of him - except he doesn't have a hairy chest or naturally black hair (Wilson dyes it to give him an intimidating look).
As much as I enjoyed her music (see the list of my favorites below) I found myself more angered than saddened by Whitney Houston's death. She seemed to have it all but squandered her talent, much of her fortune and the public's goodwill. Ironically, one of her hit songs was titled Didn't We Almost Have it All? For a brief time it seemed she did.
She was embraced in gay circles for her various dance-oriented hits which evolved from upbeat pop in the early years to cynical commentaries on life. These later songs, It's Not Right But It's OK and I Learned from the Best, became huge club hits.
The defiant tone of her later hits corresponded with her confounding downward spiral. Sadly, the more of a mess she became the more popular she seemed to become with her gay fans. A parody of her video for It's Not Right that was regularly shown in gay clubs showed a female impersonator with coke coming out of her nose interspersed with the "crack is whack" comment the real Whitney made during her infamous interview with Diane Sawyer. She went from being an icon to a punchline.
Unlike icons before her who also died young, e.g., Marilyn, Judy and Diana, I doubt Whitney will ever be thought of in the same loving way as they are. Sure, she was a tragic figure, but nowhere near as sympathetic a figure as the other three. Of course, the others didn't live during the era of reality TV. Unfortunately for Whitney her reputation never recovered after she appeared on her husband's reality series Being Bobby Brown. But even before this show she had become notorious for being a nasty bitch with a huge chip on her shoulder.
Although she's gone her magnificent body of work remains - and we'll no longer be witness to the train wreck that her life turned into over the past 15 years.
And now for my twelve favorite songs (in chronological order):
Saving All My Love for You
Hold Me in Your Arms - A beautiful duet with Teddy Pendergrass.
Take Good Care of My Heart - Another great duet, this one with Jermaine Jackson.
Love Will Save the Day
So Emotional
I'm Your Baby Tonight - Perhaps my favorite of all her songs.
After We Make Love
Lover for Life
Exhale (Shoop)
It's Not Right But it's OK - a grrreat dance song!
I Learned from the Best
Million Dollar Bill - From her comeback CD of a few years ago, it has the more bubbly tempo of her earlier hits.
Few well-known personalities have died of AIDS at such a young age as graffiti/pop artist Keith Haring, who was 31 at the time of his death on February 16, 1990. And with the exception of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Egon Schiele, who died in their late 20's, no other accomplished artist was younger at the time of his death as Haring. But he accomplished a lot during his career in the 1980's and was known worldwide. He left behind an estate worth $25 million.
I remember seeing Haring's curious "creature graffiti" on the walls of the Sheridan Square/Christopher St. subway station in 1981 when I moved into Manhattan. His art was playful and otherworldly with a touch of forboding. (Not only was he known for his art but for social activism as well.) The style evoked that of the Incas and Mayans. His work has appeared on T-shirts, exterior and interior walls, postcards, greeting cards and CD covers. Many books have been published about his life and work including Keith Haring: Life for Art as well as a number of documentaries including Universe of Keith Haring.
Three other noted pop artists died in the three years preceding Haring's death (pictured, from right to left): In 1987 Andy Warhol died at age 57 (complications after surgery); Jean-Michael Basquiat died in 1988 at 27 (heroin overdose) and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe died of AIDS complications at the age of 44 in 1989.
Singer Karen Carpenter died on February 4, 1983 one month shy of her 33rd birthday (the Post headline has her age wrong). She died from heart failure brought on by the strain of weight gain after struggling with anorexia (which at the time was a relatively new medical condition). She and her older brother Richard formed the popular singing duo known as "The Carpenters". Besides singing Karen also played the drums.
The Carpenters had twelve top-10 hits in the first half of the 1970's, beginnning with Close to You and then quickly followed by We've Only Just Begun and Merry Christmas, Darling. In addition to their initial burst of hits, other favorite Carpenters songs of mine include For All We Know, Top of the World and Touch Me When We're Touching (and an honorable mention goes to Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft!).
Gay men were drawn to Karen, but why? Perhaps it was the pretty songs she sang about love and heartache that "sensitive" boys could identify with. Or was it the gender incongruity of Karen expertly playing the drums while singing so beautifully (and often while wearing a gown)? Seeing Karen sitting behind the drums made her different from "girlie" girls, almost like a big sister.
The first 45-single I ever bought was the Carpenters' Rainy Days & Mondays in the summer of 1971. Back then I had no clue about my sexual orientation, but a survey of my album collection was certainly an indicator. In addition to the Carpenters you'd find Carly Simon, Carole King, Bette Midler and ABBA.
On January 1, 1989 a TV movie about Karen's life, The Karen Carpenter Story aired on CBS. It was the third highest rated TV movie of the 1980's.
Politics - The two biggest stories of 2011 were New York state's legalization of same-sex marriage(coinciding with Gay Pride weekend) and the ending of the U.S. military's shameful "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. But we could still count on continued intolerance by Republicans as they booed a gay soldier during one of the Republican debates.
Fashion - Critically acclaimed documentaires were released about New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham (left) and designer Yves St. Laurent; an exhibit of late fashion designer Alexander McQueen's work was a huge draw at the Met; John Galliano, head designer at Christian Dior was fired after making drunken anti-Semitic remarks to patrons at a restaurant in Paris.
Gay-themed Movies of Note - Weekend; Heartbeats; Beginners; and the documetary Making the Boys.
Bodies Beautiful - Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love; Chris Hemsworth in Thor (near right); Taylor Lautner in the latest Twilight sequel; and supposedly straight, rightwing Illinois congressman Aaron Schock on the cover of Men's Health. Finally, after performances of his acclaimed one-man show Hugh Jackman occasionally auctioned off his sweat soaked t-shirt.
NYC Nightlife - The cowboy bar Flaming Saddles opened in Hell's Kitchen; Boxers joined Gym Bar as Chelsea's second sports bar; Splash celebrated its 20th anniversary; Viceroy and Vinyl restaurants in Chelsea closed. Meanwhile, Next Magazine's page size continued to shrink.
Music - Erasure's Then I Go Twisting and Kelly Rowland's What a Feeling; in February Lady Gaga's single Born This Way became the 1,000th song to hit #1 in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
RIP - Pioneering gay civil rights activist Frank Kameny; AIDS angel Elizabeth Taylor; John Geddes Lawrence, plaintiff in landmark Lawrence v Texas anti-sodomy Supreme Court case; disco diva Loleatta Hollaway.
Chaz Bono - A documentary and book about Chaz's female-to-male transition received considerable attention as did his appearance as a male contestant on Dancing with the Stars. (Carson Kressley also competed).
Milestones - Crisco turned 100 and Ricky Martin hit the big 4-0.
A fire in November in the harbor of Fire Island Pines destroyed the Pavilion dance club and Sip-n Twirl bar (and a number of other businesses).
Actor Zachary Quinto came out (not to be confused with actor Jeremy Sisto). Still not out: Olympic gold medal figure skaters Evan Lysacek and Brian Boitano; singer/actress/Cover Girl spokesperson Queen Latifah; Emmy Award winning actor Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory).
Talk Show Roulet - Without Oprah's presence housewives apparently weren't interested in an entire hour of Nate Berkus (left) as his home design show was cancelled after just one season. The same fate may await Anderson Cooper's snoozer of an afternoon talk show which debuted in the fall (housewives may not be as enamored with him as gay men at the David Barton Gym are). And Rosie O'Donnell tried for a comeback with a talk show on Oprah's OWN cable network.
Neil Patrick Harris continued to dazzle as host of the Tony Awards. The theme for this year's teleast was: "It's not for gays anymore!" Larry Kramer'sThe Normal Heart won the Tony for Best Revival of a Play, out actor John Benjamin Hickey won for Best Featured Actor and Ellen Barkin for Best Featured Actress.
A fun new website was launched in June named "Subway Crush"whichgives riders an opportunity to share pics of cute guys they've admired riding the subway.
The new ABC sitcom, Happy Endings, (following Modern Family) features a slovenly gay character, Max, who has few stereotypical gay traits. And speaking of Modern Family, who do you love more, Sofia Vergara or gay daddies Cam and Mitchell?
On Curb Your Enthusiasm Larry David coined the term "pre-gay" to describe his girlfriend's delightfully precocious young son who showed all the obvious traits of being gay (he was a big fan of Project Runway). The little boy is the spitting image of Kurt from Glee.
Saturday Night Live aired a music video titled "It's OK If It's In a Threeway", featuring Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Adam Samberg. The show also had a hysterical skit about a game show called "Who's on Top?" in which non-gay male celebrities were paired up and constestants had to choose which one would be the "top" if the celebs were engaged in gay sex.
Still MIA: Rupert Everett
Finally, as the year came to a close a sexy billboard for Manhunt Mobile went up, overlooking Sheridan Square, bringing back fond memories of the gay West Village of the 70's and 80's.
One of the shining lights of disco, Sylvester, died on Dec. 16, 1988 from AIDS complications. He was 41. Best known for one of the biggest dance anthems of the disco era, the joyous You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), Sylvester also had a string of other dance floor favorites (all featuring his captivating gospel-tinged falsetto), including I Need You;Do You Wanna Funk? (the song of summer 1982); Take Me to Heaven; and Lovin' Is Really My Game. (The book The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the 70's in San Francisco pays tribute to the performer as well as the early years of disco.)
Other celebrated names in the world of disco to die from AIDS include Patrick Cowley (pictured, near left), producer of some of Sylvester's biggest hits (died in 1982 at age 32; Jacques Morali, who wrote a number of songs for the Ritchie Family and created the Village People (1991, age 44); Paul Jabara (pictured, far left), who wrote Last Dance (1992, age 44); Sharon Redd, who sang the classic In the Name of Love (1992, age 46); and Dan Hartman, who had two huge hits with Instant Replay and Vertigo/Relight My Fire (1994, age 44)
Faster & Faster to Nowhere - "Once Upon a Time"
